Early this week, a Mahindra Scorpio-N accident and its aftermath caught the attention of car enthusiasts in India. According to the owner who was driving the SUV- who lost his right leg below the knee – the accident was caused by the right front wheel of the Scorpio-N coming off. Days after the accident took place, the company has released a statement. The statement addresses “the unverified claims circulating on social media platforms”. The customer alleged that there were mechanical failures in the vehicles and accused the service centre of manipulating the investigation process.
Earlier Issues With the Scorpio-N
The SUV was bought in July 2023. The owner of the Mahindra Scorpio-N was travelling between Pune and Nagpur with family. This was not the first long trip of the car, the owner says in a conversation with a vlogger. Earlier, he travelled to Tamil Nadu and he says he faced noise from the right front wheel while turning. When the owner raised the issue with the service centre, they said that his Scorpio-N was fine, and that the noise was from the ABS unit kicking in.
During the trip, he got a call from the service centre that the vehicle was in the recall batch and the vehicle needed to be in the service centre. The owner while handing over the vehicle to the Mahindra service centre, listed a few problems that he was facing with the vehicle. This included a grinding noise from the front end of the vehicle while turning and a different kind of noise while turning the wheels on a slope.
The Mahindra service centre then said there was no problem with the vehicle and returned the SUV. The owner also told the service centre officials that he was about to go on a long trip but the service centre assured him that the car was in perfect condition.
The drive and the accident
During the trip, the owner was travelling with his wife and two children. According to the owner, he was doing around 80-100 km/h on the highway in the right lane. Unexpectedly, the Scorpio-N started pulling to the right and the owner lost control of the vehicle. The vehicle crashed into the right-side steel barricade. The Scorpio N hit the steel barricading’s end, and the heavy metal barricade pierced the front of the SUV and went in, all the way up to the third row. The barricade slashed the right leg of the owner below the knee.
The accident, according to the owner, was caused due to the front wheel assembly collapsing, leading the SUV to lose steering control and crash into the steel barrier.
After the accident, the owner shared pictures of the accident and tweeted to Anand Mahindra saying that Mahindra tried to influence him. According to him, the police asked him to alter his statement given to the police. He also said that the car mysteriously caught fire six hours after the accident. It happened after the disconnection of the vehicle’s battery. Here are some tweets from the Mahindra Scorpio-N owner,
What did Mahindra say?
Mahindra shared technical data saying that the vehicle was doing 105-122 km/h. It would have produced around 1,350 KJ of energy, which is double at 617 KJ, which is recorded at 80 km/h. This ensures a high-speed accident, which increases. the risks of injuries. The statement concludes that the high speed of the vehicle increased the risk of injuries. Below is the official statement from Mahindra and Mahindra.
Mahindra & Mahindra Ltd. issues this statement in response to concerns raised by a recent YouTube video featuring unverified claims about the Scorpio-N incident. Our foremost priority is the safety and well-being of our customers, and we wish to begin by expressing our sincere empathy for the families involved.
We truly appreciate that the majority of passengers emerged safely from the incident. Regrettably, we acknowledge that one passenger sustained a severe injury, and we have been in touch with the customer for over a month now, with the intention to extend all possible help and transparently share information from our initial investigation of the unfortunate episode.
With utmost respect, we would like to share key findings from the investigation as stated below
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Collision Severity at high speed: The connected car server data indicates a speed range of 105-122 km/h during the driving cycle. Operating at a speed of 120 km/h, the vehicle accumulates a notable 1350 kJ (kilojoules) of energy—more than double the 617 kJ recorded at a speed of 80 km/h. This heightened energy level indicates a greater collision severity, thereby elevating the potential risks of injury and damage.
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Impact of High Speed on Guard Penetration: The extensive penetration of steel guards into the car can be attributed to extremely high speeds. This has resulted in the openended steel guard blades penetrating through the right side of the car which has cut off the front wheel joints.
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Integrity of Ball Joint and Wheel: Contrary to the claim that the ball joint was detached, our investigation reveals that the wheel became detached due to the high-impact collision. Importantly, the ball joint remained intact. It’s worth noting that had the wheel detached before impact, noticeable scratch marks on the road surface would have been evident, yet such marks are absent in the video footage.
Dealership’s Proximity to the Incident: The vehicle was towed under official jurisdiction, and the dealership, located 450 kilometres away, had no plausible means to cause overnight damage. There is no indication of malicious intent to conceal or downplay the incident on the part of the dealership or the authorities. The vehicle remains in the custody of the authorities, and we remain committed to cooperating fully with any further investigation required. As a trusted Indian brand with a legacy spanning decades, our commitment is to share the facts with utmost accuracy, understanding that this commitment is entwined with the safety and trust of our valued customers.
Our take on this incident
While both the Scorpio-N driver and Mahindra have presented their cases, only a thorough forensic investigation will reveal what really happened. We hope that such an investigation takes place and the authorities get to the bottom of this and fix accountability wherever it’s due.
