Women Stranded After Brand-New Mahindra Thar ROXX Develops Steering Lock Malfunction!

Mahindra Thar ROXX enjoys stellar acceptance in the country. Most customers seem to be happy and content with the vehicle. Some have, however, been reporting issues with the vehicle, particularly its electrical and electronic fronts. Recently, an Instagram user posted a reel showing the trouble that her newly-bought ROXX gave her...

Brand-New ROXX Develops Steering Lock Malfunction!

The Instagram handle @his._angrybird has posted 2-3 videos explaining the issue. This customer took delivery of her Thar ROXX in February this year. On March 24, she went for a night out with her girls' gang, to Varkala. They reached the place at around 8:30, and spent quality time there.

The trouble began when they were about to start driving back. When the vehicle's ignition was turned on, the vehicle would not start and the instrument cluster returned an error that read 'Steering Wheel Lock Malfunction'. The Thar ROXX comes with an extensive array of electronics and features. This clearly seems to be an error with the same. The gang got stranded, because of the SUV's electronics failure.

The customer immediately tried reaching out to her preferred Mahindra dealership and the manufacturer's Road Side Assistance (RSA) for immediate help. In the first video, she explains how unhappy she was with the service. She says that it was really late then- 1:20 am, and she hadn't received any useful assistance. She also says that she was advised by someone knowledgeable to get the vehicle to the nearest service station, on a flatbed.

Another video shared on March 25 (Sunday) shows the miserable situation that the owner was in. She says that even after hours of being stranded at the location, the gang has had no assistance from the dealer or the manufacturer in moving her faulty vehicle to the nearest service center. The dealer allegedly didn't take her words seriously, and on top of the same. Since it was a Sunday, dealerships would be working with limited manpower, and the same could have been a reason for the delay and laid-back responses.

A third video shows the vehicle finally being moved to a flatbed by authorized personnel. We get to know from the description that it was the dealer and RSA staff. The time then was 2:30 pm on Sunday- marking approximately 18 hours of waiting!

Interestingly, someone can be heard telling the customer not to record the work on camera. Should you wonder, the vehicle in question is a diesel ROXX that draws its power from the 2.2L mHawk diesel engine. Mahindra also has a turbocharged petrol engine on offer on some variants of the ROXX.

Steering Wheel Lock Malfunction: What Is It Though?

Steering wheel locking mechanisms can be electronic or mechanical depending on what vehicle you're driving. Most modern cars employ electronic steering lock systems. The ROXX is no different. The locking setup consists of an electronic lock control unit (steering column lock) and the actual locking mechanism. The system uses special sensors ( which determine the steering wheel position and ignition status) and complex electronics as well.

Now, what could cause malfunction? Well, several reasons could be cited- software glitches (which can be fixed through software updates), sensor problems, other electrical failures or even a low battery voltage! The diagnosis would include checking for these, and figuring out what the actual cause is. Interestingly, improper communication between the key fob, steering lock module and the SUV's ECU could also cause the failure.

It remains to be seen how Mahindra handles this issue, and what resolution this unsatisfied owner is given....