The Skoda Slavia was the first sedan built on the India-specific MQB A0 IN platform. While the Slavia and its cousin, the Volkswagen Virtus, have become quite popular in the market, the owner claims that the sedan caught fire on its own.
Abhishek Bhatia, the owner, is from Lucknow and claims to be a government official. The incident occurred in June of this year, but the videos were only recently released. Abhishek Bhatia shows the Slavia parked in the basement in the video. According to the owner, he parked the car at 10 p.m. and it caught fire on its own around 3 a.m.
The owner claims that the security alarms on the Skoda Slavia went off at the same time. The guard then wakes the family. According to the owner, there were multiple explosions in the car and the fire was out of control. The owner used multiple fire extinguishers and even called the fire department, but they were unable to put out the fire.
Also Read: Ford Recalls Nearly 200K Expedition, Navigator SUVs for Fire Risk
According to the owner, the vehicle was registered in March and has only 4,000 kilometers on the odometer. Abhishek claims he posted the video on Twitter, but Skoda officials asked him to remove it. After numerous requests, he removed the video.
Skoda Slavia Catches Fire
Skoda India also came to inspect the vehicle, but no action was taken. According to Abhishek Bhatia, no external modifications or accessories were installed in the vehicle. It is the car’s most expensive model.
According to the video, Skoda India directed Abhishek to contact the insurance company directly and file the claim. However, after a four-month battle with the insurance provider, they finally admitted that the inspection revealed manufacturing flaws. Skoda India, on the other hand, refused to accept the charges of manufacturing defects and continued the argument.
Abhishek finally received a new replacement car after settling down. However, it is unclear whether the insurance paid for the new car or if Skoda replaced the old one with a new one.
Abhishek has yet to receive his new vehicle. According to him, Skoda India’s North India service head informed him that the top variant is not available, so the company will provide him with the variant that is. However, this is an ongoing debate.
A car catching fire is a major occurrence. However, this is the only known instance of a Skoda Slavia catching fire. There could be several causes for the fire.
Also Read: India’s First Wine Red Maruti Brezza
Fire At Electric Scooter Showroom, 9 Vehicles Destroyed