Random outbreaks of cars catching fire have been reported throughout the country. Recently, a new Honda Civic 16/17 model caught fire because of short circuiting in its dashboard, raising a big concern over build quality and resulted in a fire outburst.
In Pakistan, the automotive market is dominated by 3 particular brands, Suzuki, Honda and Toyota. However, in a short span of just 1 week, many incidents took place which has placed the lives of several individuals in danger, not to forget those who were present around at the time of the fire outburst.
The Honda incident is not the only one which had occurred, throughout the week other fire incidents were also reported.
Unfortunately for those who could have lost their lives in this unfortunate situation, the manufacturers seem to be least bothered about improving on quality or taking preventive measures to stop such situations from reoccurring in the future.
Instead, Honda has reportedly blamed cheap HID lights as the cause of the fire, claiming it was a short circuit in the lights which led to the fire in the battery and the engine. Coming back to reality, car manufacturers are responsible for ensuring that there are no electric sparks, short circuits, or any possible harm that might cause the driver and passenger their lives.
According to reports, Honda has refused to resolve the issue under standard warranty claims and is requesting Rs. 1.9 million as repair charge for one of the above cars.
Burnt due to electrical short circuit in Dashboard.. Location// Gujranwala. Car only 200 kms driven. #HONDA demanding 19Lacs to repair this pic.twitter.com/Kk8wZU2zrH
— Tanya Muneer (@TaniyaMuniir) May 3, 2017
On the other hand, Toyota has not yet given any statement or response to the incident.
Nonetheless, the government must get involved to make sure minimum build quality and safety standards are being met by all automotive manufacturers, not just the ones which are made locally. There should also be proper inspections of cars which are being imported from abroad as well as there have been several cases reported worldwide!
For all drivers out there, be careful, you are in charge of your own life and the life of the passengers inside the vehicle. Keep a gallon of water in the trunk for emergency purposes. Make sure you have all emergency numbers needed to contact someone who can help you. Always stop the car immediately after you notice something is wrong and be sure to park the car on the side of the road so that others are not hurt.
Stay safe and stay tuned to Brandsynario for more news and updates.
