Mahindra XUV500 Axle, Tyre Burst, Suspension Breaks

[neeraj.tomer]

https://m.facebook.com/groups/hvkumar/permalink/10154501204009565

Xuv500 completly broken while running. It seems so alarming and threatning just to read it. Mahindra attitude also seems pathetic in this case

 

[allhyundaicars]

Re: XUV500 axle, tyre burst, suspension breaks

Every company will deny any accusations on them.

But yeah their theory of nail is BS. My verna went into a huge pothole which damaged the rim(rear left)and the tyre became flat instantly. But the car was well in control , didn't spin at 90-100kmph.
Also why does the email mentions rear right tyre when the rear left tyre is damaged ?

 

[Lovette]

Re: XUV500 axle, tyre burst, suspension breaks

https://m.facebook.com/groups/hvkumar/permalink/10154501204009565

Xuv500 completly broken while running. It seems so alarming and threatning just to read it. Mahindra attitude also seems pathetic in this case

I have been struggling with the Mahindra Team to get answers since November and all I get is a one liner stating that they found a nail in the rear tyre that caused the spinning and all the damage. Ridiculous. Do they even realise that lives could have been lost in this incident?

 

[neeraj.tomer]

Re: XUV500 axle, tyre burst, suspension breaks

I have been struggling with the Mahindra Team to get answers since November and all I get is a one liner stating that they found a nail in the rear tyre that caused the spinning and all the damage. Ridiculous. Do they even realise that lives could have been lost in this incident?

Really feel sorry. I think this incident must be taken to highest level of authority. Did you try to contact Anand Mahindra? He is very active on twitter.

Request to other members if someone has contact in news channel or news paper then please try to highlight it.

We must not take this incident lightly. This is a question of our safety. We just can not go away with one liner of statement

 

[pravin1987]

Good to hear that occupants are safe. 45 days to diagnose to nails in the tyre? 2 month old car suspension breaking down? Never heard that a rear suspension breaking down due to air loss. It should be other way around. Suspension broke and the tyre burst.

 

[acechip]

Sorry to read this. What was the speed at which the car was travelling when this happened ?
Is it possible that there was a slow leak of air from tyre due to the embedded nail that was further aggravated when the car hit a rough, sharp surface, causing it to lose directional control at high speed ? After all its a high, heavy SUV with a 200mm ground clearance. At a speed of 100 kph onwards, the damage to the chassis and underbody due to impact with the road separator (made of concrete) can be massive. Its nothing to do with the off-roadability of the car.

 

[navnit013]

Running low pressure is very very dangerous. It will result in tyre burst. A slow puncture due to a embedded nail can result in loss of pressure.

NOW. Running low pressure for a little distance is not an issue. Since the tyre will not be damaged enough to burst open. BUT just low pressure wont result in a spin. You will feel the wheel dragging in turns though.

Can you explain your situation again.

Did tyre burst result in a spin?

 

[neeraj.tomer]

Re: XUV500 axle, tyre burst, suspension breaks

I have been struggling with the Mahindra Team to get answers since November and all I get is a one liner stating that they found a nail in the rear tyre that caused the spinning and all the damage. Ridiculous. Do they even realise that lives could have been lost in this incident?

Did mahindra helped you in this case. It has been 2 months now??

 

[Lovette]

Hello everybody! Thank you for your comments and insights. Sincere apologies for not responding earlier. This is exactly what happened and I am stating it just the way it happened:

My wife and I left from Belgaum at 11 am for Sangli to attend a wedding. Before leaving, I checked the tyre pressure as we were to travel a long distance. When we reached Nippani, I felt a sudden jerk and in that moment it all went out of control. The only thing I remember doing was hold on to the steering wheel as tight as I could and I could see us spinning out of control. In a matter of seconds, it was all over and somehow miraculously we spun onto the opposite lane and the vehicle got parked in the parking lane without any injury to us. It's also a miracle that there was absolutely nobody on the opposite lane for those few seconds. When I got out of the car to examine, the vehicle who were behind me told me that they saw something like a tyre burst but I know what a tyre burst is and this was not it. I also know how the vehicle functions with low pressure or a puncture and there was absolutely no such indication while I drive till that moment.

I may have been at a speed of 100 to 120 kmph. The location where my car jumped onto the opposite lane had no divider or barricade and not even any stones or rocks. It was just a heap of mud and a few bushes. If there was a divider or stones, we would have definitely toppled. I have also shared pictures in which you can see clearly that the car is in perfect condition except for a small brush on the rear number due to the bushes and the wheel dismantled. There is no other dent or scratch on the car. I called the customer care who took 4 hours to send their first tow truck which could not help me as they were unable to move the vehicle even an inch.

The customer service asked me to manage on my own and ask for a hydra crane to lift the vehicle. Please note that that was the time when demonetization was at its peak and I had no source of cash in an unknown place. Somehow the tow truck driver convinced the customer service that the hydra crane is not required and they sent another tow truck which arrived at 7 pm. I was also not given the cab which they are supposed to give me that will take me to my destination up to 50 kms. I can't put in words my frustration and worry at that time when my wife and I were stranded for more than 7 hours dealing with this nonsense.

Mahindra has been maintaining their theory of the puncture. My questions to them are simple and I'm not getting answers other than apologies for delays and requests to approve my insurance.

Why did the investigation take more than 45 days?

How can they reply to me after my desperate follow ups with a one liner in an email that the reason is a puncture and hope this satisfies my query?

Why is it that I was not given the investigation report after repeat requests? It is only after I took to social media that they shared the investigation report which is a 1 pager that too after 2 months.

Why was I not given a job card for the damages and expenses for repairs and why was I expected to approve the insurance blindly with just a telephonic conversation telling me that the expense is 2 lakhs.

I have no doubt that there is something wrong here and it is being kept from me. 45 days is a long time to change a whole vehicle. Today, when a vehicle is stolen, each part is dismantled and sold within a matter of hours and the vehicle was under investigation in their custody for 45 days.

Please note that the vehicle is still with them and I have refused to approve my insurance. All this while since November, I'm still paying the cars EMI's.

I have filed a case against them in the consumer forum and am very eagerly waiting for them to give me some direction and assistance in this matter.

 

[acechip]

Mahindra has been maintaining their theory of the puncture. My questions to them are simple and I'm not getting answers other than apologies for delays and requests to approve my insurance.
Why did the investigation take more than 45 days?
How can they reply to me after my desperate follow ups with a one liner in an email that the reason is a puncture and hope this satisfies my query?
Why is it that I was not given the investigation report after repeat requests? It is only after I took to social media that they shared the investigation report which is a 1 pager that too after 2 months.
Why was I not given a job card for the damages and expenses for repairs and why was I expected to approve the insurance blindly with just a telephonic conversation telling me that the expense is 2 lakhs.
I have no doubt that there is something wrong here and it is being kept from me. 45 days is a long time to change a whole vehicle. Today, when a vehicle is stolen, each part is dismantled and sold within a matter of hours and the vehicle was under investigation in their custody for 45 days.
Please note that the vehicle is still with them and I have refused to approve my insurance. All this while since November, I'm still paying the cars EMI's.
I have filed a case against them in the consumer forum and am very eagerly waiting for them to give me some direction and assistance in this matter.

Sympathize with you. The only problem is, at 100+ kph, all bets are off with respect to vehicle dynamics, and therefore they can provide any number of reasons other than mechanical failure to prove their point. That's not to say that you are not allowed to drive fast, of course, but it provides a handy excuse to manufacturers.

 

[BoltFromTheBlue]

Heard many cheap parts went into Mahindra XUV500. My friend owns one and just after 1 year of its use, there are brakes worn out, chassis creaking noises, and what not. Oh god, save XUV owners.

Heart and skeleton are more important than beautiful looks.

 

[vikyjoshi]

I guess that mahindra XUV has tubeless tyres just like storme and other suvs. So for a tubeless tyre nail should not cause the tyre burst. I had seen tyre burst in a jam packed qualis some 6 years ago on mumbai pune expressway near the bhatan tunnel. I think it was the front tyre that burst and the car spun and hit the tunnel wall and stayed on the all fours. The passengers were completely shaken but none of them hurt when i checked them. Mine was the only car in the vicinity thus I have a first hand account ofthe same.
The car was doing around 100 kmph since i was planning to overtake it at 120kmph in my indigo, saw the burts from far and slowed down instantly.
So yeah tyre burst can spin the vehicle.

 

[Lovette]

I understand that dynamics are hard to be determined when the vehicle is in a high speed. And I also don't deny the possibility of a spin. But what about the damage to the suspension, axle and the wheel dislocating? There was no barricade or road separator. There were no rocks or stones. There is absolutely no other impact to the vehicle. Moreover, 2 months to investigate and share a report with me? That is where I have a problem and my suspicions.

 

[navnit013]

About vehicle dynamics at high speeds.

Well, for starters, its the Golden Quadrilateral. Its 6 lanes highway near Nipani. And the car in question XUV was doing 100-120, ie about 75% of its absolute limit. So, hiding behind high speed dynamics explanation is nonsense.

The question is what really happened?

Tyre burst? Which I doubt, cos of the proximity of Nipani to Belgaum. And I've traveled this place many times, and roads here are as good as anywhere else in India. Also, I cant digest that the driver did not notice an under-pressure tyre.

 

[Mr.Boss]

My assumption of what could have gone wrong, seeing the failed parts (Toe control Rod & one of the link rod)

- Vehicle losing control or spinning needs one (or both) of the wheel(s) to deviate from the geometry. In simple words, go far out of alignment under dynamic condition.
- This can happen when one of the connecting link fails (may be due to the excess load put on them as result of flat tire)
- In specific to the subject vehicle, weakest link on the rear suspension is Toe Control Rod or the rear Tie-Rod
- Failure sequence : Flat Tire (may or may not be) --> Toe Control Rod --> Upper Link Rod bush --> Vehicle Goes out of control / spinning

When can Toe-Control Rod fail?
- Manufacturing Defect
- Accident / Physical damage or Hit (on the part itself)
- When the adjustment nut is not tightened or loosening as a effect of so many reasons

Last option is more likely to happen IF the statement of both M&M and Customer is true.

when was the vehicle last serviced or wheel alignment done?

1. Toe-Control Rod
2. Upper Link Rod (This bush is designed to take articulation only to the level of suspension link geometry change (suspension / wheel travel) and adjustment range of Toe control rod. Anything beyond that will make the bush to dislocate)


Reference image of 2WD XUV rear suspension link. Toe control rod marked in Red (both ends are Aluminium, and they are the weakest structure in entire rear suspension)