Setting Vehicle on Fire in Protest Against After-Sales Service in Dehloran

A person in the city of Dehloran, Ilam province, set his vehicle on fire in protest against the lack of after-sales service from one of the Iran Khodro dealerships in the city. IRNA reported on Saturday (March 18) that this individual was the owner of a Dena sedan, which he set ablaze in front of the 2025 Iran Khodro dealership. This action was taken after he received a negative response from the dealership staff regarding the unavailability of a spare door for his Dena sedan in stock. The manager of the Iran Khodro dealership in Dehloran stated that they could not replace the door of the vehicle until after the Nowruz holidays. According to IRNA, 'the car driver, after hearing this response, voluntarily took the car out of the dealership and set it on fire in front of the dealership.' Fars News Agency also reported that 'the numerous problems with the car and the lack of service and inadequate responses from the Iran Khodro dealership were the reasons for this action by the Dehloran citizen.' The local website Nasim Dehloran quoted eyewitnesses saying that the individual left the scene after setting his vehicle on fire. Abdol-Sahab Mirhasani, the manager of the Iran Khodro dealership in Dehloran, also mentioned that the car owner voluntarily took his vehicle out of the dealership and then proceeded to set it on fire. The issue of after-sales service quality for cars in Iran has always been one of the most important subjects of complaint among car owners in the country. Meanwhile, the Iranian Quality and Standard Inspection Company reported in its January report this year an increase in average customer satisfaction regarding after-sales service over the past year and a half. According to this company, the average customer satisfaction index for after-sales services of passenger cars was 683 out of 1000 in the first half of 2015 and 691 out of 1000 in the first half of this year (2016). This report was published while ISNA reported in October this year that over 90% of car manufacturers and importers in Iran have not implemented significant parts of the Consumer Rights Protection Law for cars. According to this report, only a few car suppliers in Iran compensate for the downtime of vehicles in repair shops upon receiving customer complaints.