NEW VW POLO VIVO 1.4 NF CAUGHT FIRE WHILE DRIVING

VW SA (PTY) LTD

In the afternoon of the 3rd of October 2025 , as I was driving with my fiancé , we noticed smoke coming out from the bonnet I then immediately attempted to stop however the break pedal locked and I couldn’t use it , I then used the hand break to stop the vehicle which then stopped successfully and opened the bonnet to examine what was going on inside the bonnet ,confused and in shock I did not know what to do ,since I was on the road cars were passing by hooting and heard one shouting “ cisha ngenhlabathi “ meaning put the soil to put out fire , I then scooped a handful of soil on the side of the road and threw it where the fire seemed to originate from ,which was around the engine near the catalytic converter. As I was still going back and forth scooping sand with my hands with the help of my fiancé a taxi driver stopped by and assisted with a small fire extinguisher which then completely put out the fire. It was then that I got a chance to call VW SA (PTY) LTD and informed them about the incident that occurred. The lady I spoke to, from VW SA (PTY)LTD asked me if I have insurance and I asked what is the name of my insurance then I told her it is PMD insurance. After a while a tow truck came and asked the standard questions and I did not realize that the tow guys were sent by my insurance which I DID NOT CALL. It was not until later when I contacted VW SA(PTY)LTD to check updates ,then they said my vehicle is with the insurance that it dawned on me that while I was speaking to the VW SA (PTY)LTD assistant she put me through my insurance without informing me or alerting me and without even asking me if I want to be put through my insurance and so, I was unknowingly engaging with my insurance instead of VW SA(PTY)LTD which was not my intention at all , the reason why I contacted VW SA (PTY)LTD it was because my car (Polo Vivo NF 1.4 , VIN AAVZZZ6R5SU012671 ) is still new, bought on the 30th of January 2025 and still under warranty and also under service hence catching fire while driving is obviously factory fault which was for VW SA (PTY)LTD to fix not my insurance. The VW SA (PTY) LTD assistant lady said she “THOUGHT” I wanted insurance assistance when I called them , my question is why would I call them if I wanted insurance assistance because I can contact my insurance directly if I need their assistance and why she did not ask me if I needed insurance ? , That was very unprofessional and it shows negligence from VW SA (PTY)LTD personnel. I called my insurance and informed them I did not call them for assistance on the 3rd of October 2025 , I called VW SA (PTY) LTD , so I requested from the insurance that the vehicle must be taken to VW SA(PTY)LTD , VW SA (PTY)LTD does not want to take responsibility for their vehicle ( Polo Vivo NF 1.4 , VIN AAVZZZ6R5SU012671) catching fire while driving. I informed VW SA (PTY)LTD to go fetch my car from my insurance because I did not ask my insurance to tow my car. I went to the nearest VW SA (PTY)LTD dealership in SANDTON , Hatfield VW Rivonia ,where my Polo Vivo NF 1.4 was sent to , I went there and explained my situation to them they took pictures etc. of the vehicle. After two (2) weeks of not receiving any feedback from VW SA(PTY)LTD dealership I called the dealership ,they said the case is not with them ,it is at VW SA , I did not understand what that meant. I kept on calling the VW SA(PTY) LTD to get updates as to what is going on ,since they were not sending me updates even after calling them multiple times ,they still did not care to take my situation seriously as their client. Each time I call they kept going back and forth getting no help in some instances the assistant I found over the phone from VW SA (PTY)LTD told me they did not know what was going on they are still going to check, and they will get back to me , but they never did get back to me. I had to be the one to call them again and ask them and they will tell me they do not know what was going on, and they will check always the same story from different people. Until that same lady again told me she sent me the report via E-mail , and I told her I never received any E-mail from them ,let alone a call or an SMS from VW SA (PTY)LTD. It was then that she asked me for my E-mail and I realized she did not even have my E-mail but claim sent me an E-mail , during that call on the 4th of November 2025 ,she then sent me a report via E-mail , for real not the lies she was telling me.

When I received the report on the 4th of November 2025,( mind you ,the accident occurred on the 3rd of October 2025), I read it. To my surprise and astonishment, the report showed lack of professionalism, lack of investigation etiquette, lack of information with regard to the investigation procedure and protocols, lack of understanding of what is actually being investigated and negligence of the information from the statement of the accident that occurred. Even the date of the accident they wrote was wrong ,according to them (VW SA(PTY)LTD ) , the incident occurred on the 13th of October 2025 BUT it occurred on the 3rd of October 2025. ON my statement of the incident I informed them I used sand ,( before I received fire extinguisher from the taxi driver who was passing by), to put out the fire (since it is not wise to use water where fuel (oil , petrol ) is involved let alone the damage to electrical components since water is an electrical conductor ) , taking into regard the fact that I was in shock and confused state no clue what to do in that situation if it was not for the help of the passer bys , maybe I would have let the car burn into ashes or even worse get myself burnt. Refer on VW SA (PTY) LTD report: 3.4 , 3.5 , 3.6 These points are pure absurdity , a blatant illogical blame shifting tactic reason being that I informed them I used sand to put out fire, obviously that sand came with some kind of dirt that would have been expected and makes logical sense. It is unlikely not to have dirt such as animal dropping ,urine, pieces of papers, even tree leaves, from the sand picked up from the street, so making that a finding is like waking up in the morning and see the sun shining and say you discovered sunshine. This is a sign VW SA (PTY)LTD does not want to take responsibility of the vehicle manufactured by them catching fire and seemingly not willing to resolve the matter. Could it be that their employees lack proper basic understanding of how the car functions? Could it be that VW SA (PTY)LTD make faulty vehicles and refuse to take responsibility because they want to hide their poor workmanship? Could it be the fact I am a black South African? Seems like poor workmanship is the norm at VW SA (PTY)LTD as supported by the report published on the 13th of June 2025 , 11:23 by Sean Nurse (VW issues recall of two models ) , and it does not end there , there was also an incident published online of VW SA (PTY)LTD official recall piece read as follows : Official Recalls Volkswagen has issued recalls for certain VW Polo vehicles, but these have been for unrelated issues, not a general fire hazard. A September 2025 announcement by the National Consumer Commission (NCC) in South Africa mentioned a recall for certain VW Polos manufactured between May 19 and 23, 2025, due to the rear axle not being bolted correctly. This specific recall does not mention a fire risk. In summary, while individual incidents of fire in VW Polo Vivo vehicles exist in public reports, they seem to be linked to severe accidents, ******** activity, or isolated mechanical issues, rather than a widespread inherent defect across the model. The above clearly indicates VW SA (PTY)LTD have a big problem when it come workmanship and perhaps need to hire more reliable and knowledgeable staff. Defending their wrong doings will not help ,it cripples the economy , creates poverty since their clients will buy their products and die in fires , crashes , airbag issues etc and those clients are family members working class / business class whose death decreases GDP since people with no income left behind will have less buying power and left in the debts of the deceased causing some to resort to ******** activities .

Hence the conclusion of the investigation by VW SA (PTY)LTD with reference to the vehicle Polo Vivo NF 1.4 with VIN AAVZZZ6R5SU012671 , stated in page four (4) of their report which reads as follows : 3.7 The debris in the engine compartment shows that an object or substance was in contact with the catalytic converter, causing the fire.

After sending them an E-mail , I was the one who also contacted them to find out if they did get my email , and they told me to wait for the MD , and they will not be able to assist me until the MD is back. I don't even understand what that MD is.