A MAN has been left scared to drive his own car after it suddenly came to a stop twice while travelling on a dual carriageway.

Zahid Patel, aged 26 and of Boardman Street, Astley Bridge, has been hit by the problem with his Smart car since late last year.

Mr Patel, who works at a bank in the town centre, bought the car in December 2015 from the Marshall Mercedes-Benz in Bolton and experienced the problem for the first time in December 2016.

He was on the motorway driving to the Trafford Centre when the car malfunctions and stopped operating whilst driving.

He said that he was driving at ‘50mph’ when the car suddenly came to a halt.

Mr Patel said: “I was frightened knowing my car had stopped working on the motorway. It felt like someone was going to crash in to me from behind at any second.

“I kept on trying to get the car started, after several attempts of taking the key out of the ignition and putting it back in, the car finally started.”

The car was taken in to Marshall the following day and Mr Patel was later contacted to say that the car had been fixed.

Mr Patel was told that the issue had not come up in a diagnostic report.

Mr Patel said he then felt ‘really scared’ because he knew there was something ‘seriously wrong’ with the car.

He then raised a complaint with Mercedes but Mr Patel says he then just had to carry on driving the car.

Mr Patel said that Marshall ‘promised’ him that the issue would ‘never’ arise again.

On March 2 this year, Mr Patel said that he was driving on St Peter’s Way taking a friend and his pregnant wife to hospital when the car stopped whilst in gear and made a 'massive grinding noise' for more than a minute.

He said: “I was furious and scared once again knowing that my friends wife is panicking and is in pain and my car was not working and stuck on the dual carriage way. The last thing I wanted was a collision.

“I raised a complaint again with Mercedes to stress the point that the car is not fit for purpose. This time I took a recording and picture of the fault to prove that the issue has happened. Marshall group in Bolton took the car and looked to see if they can resolve the issue.

“They failed to find the error on the diagnostic report once again and they tried to tell me the same thing as last time "we have updated the software on the car" but this time I wanted them to find the fault and fix it or take the car back."

Mr Patel took the car in again later that month but was told again that a fault couldn’t be found.

He has now been left too scared to drive his car.

Mr Patel said: “I’m now left with a car that is not worthy to be on the road and I am frightened to drive it around or even take it on the dual carriage way let alone the motorway.

“This whole situation has caused me too much stress and anxiety, I wake up in the middle of the night thinking i am in a situation like this but only a collision happens. I have also stopped taking my car to places and rely on others to take me where I need to go.”

In a letter to Mr Patel, Suzie Weston, from Mercedes-Benz Financial Services, said that the issue has not presented itself to staff.

The letter went on to say that for technicians to repair the fault they would need a fault code to h ave been stored within the control units of the car or to be able to replicate this issue themselves.

She recommends that he has the car looked at by another retailer for a second opinion.

Marshall Mercedes-Benz Bolton declined to comment and the Bolton News has been unable to contact the Marshall Motor Group for a comment.