UPDATE:
We have updated this story as we have received an official response from Mahindra & Mahindra. Their response states that this crash has happened due to the fact that the car lost control on a wet road as the tyres were worn out. Company response at the end of the article.
Mahindra XUV500 has been termed as one of the best-selling SUVs in the nation. People have developed a faith in this vehicle and trust the safety features that come loaded with it. But in an unfortunate accident, the safety equipment that the company boasts about, failed to provide any safety to the travellers.
The accident took place in Surathkal, Karnataka, when a Mahindra XUV500, speeding at 90 kmph aquaplaned and rolled-over. The airbags in any vehicle are set so that they deploy in case of such mishappening, but unfortunately, the airbags of this toppled up vehicle failed to deploy. Miraculously, none of the passengers suffered any major injury. All of them escaped with minor injuries. One of the passengers faced the calamity of a slipped disc.
The accident took place when the SUV aquaplaned and the driver lost all control over the vehicle. After this, the vehicle started rolling over an adjacent ditch. The accident might have caused a huge casualty but a coconut tree came in between and prevented the SUV from falling into the ditch.
The vehicle failed to withstand any of the safety features. It seemed to be fully shattered after this accident. Even the roll-over mitigation failed to work, which could have been of huge help in such a scenario.
The survivors seemed lucky enough to get saved from such a mishap, even when the airbags failed to be of any assistance. As an explanation to the failure in deployment of the airbags, it is being said that the sensors on the side and front of the vehicle failed to register a sudden force due to the toppling of the vehicle. Despite the case, this accident can be stated as a huge drawback in the vehicle and the company needs to look into the matter as early as possible. After all, people’s lives are at stake.
Following was the response from the company to the customer and CarTrade
“Based on information we have gathered till date, and as you have also correctly concluded in your email, the cause of the accident appears to be “aquaplaning” which has resulted in toppling of the vehicle. The Electronic Stability Control (ESP) as a function, uses selective braking of wheels to stabilize the vehicle during “under steering” and “over steering” situations. Typically, during an “aquaplaning” situation, contact between wheel and ground, would be lost temporarily, resulting in loss of traction preventing the vehicle from responding to control inputs. Hence in aquaplaning situations, ESP will not be able to play any meaningful role. From the images, it appears that both of the rear tyres are completely worn out. It is well established that vehicle dynamics are significantly dependent on the condition of the tyres. Worn tires, especially bald ones, can easily lose traction on wet roads, where the grooves aren't deep enough to channel water out from beneath the tread resulting in “aquaplaning” situations. We also note from the images that the original tyres have been replaced, though we are not at this time able to ascertain the specifications of the replacement tyres used or as to how this aspect could have contributed to the “aquaplaning”. As a technical person, I would urge that in the interest of safety, please always use tyres meeting specifications recommended by the manufacturer and which are in good condition, especially when driving in bad weather conditions. The XUV 500 is equipped with front and side airbags. Front airbags would deploy only during frontal impact condition at specified speeds. In this case, there is no damage seen in the front of the car. As there was no frontal impact the front airbags had not deployed. Side Airbags too are designed to deploy in case of acceleration due to impact. Since the toppling was caused due to “aquaplaning” situation and not due to side impact collision, the side airbags also would not have deployed in this case. In our experience, in accidents of such kind, it is the safety cage integrity and seat belt usage that play the most significant role in reducing injuries and risk to life and that aspect of XUV 500 design seems to have significantly contributed to avoiding any serious injury in this unfortunate accident.”
Tyres are the only contact point one has on the road and that is one reason why we stress to spend a good amount on your tyres and do not neglect them. Read our tyre maintenance tips and see how to maintain them. We shall update on more happenings on this story.
