General Motors' UK unit Vauxhall is investigating the HVAC system in the previous generation Zafira B MPV/minivan with manual air conditioning after about 130 cars here in the UK were reported as bursting suddenly into flames.
A report by the Daily Telegraph newspaper said the automaker could recall thousands of the cars made between 2005 and 2014 as it seeks the 'root cause' of a problem that is said to have seen over 130 explode in flames so far.
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A Vauxhall spokesman acknowledged the reports of 130 but told just-auto the automaker had "only 20 cars on the books". He added many had already been dealt with through insurance claims (the cars are write-offs) and said it had not been possible for the automaker to examine most as they had already been scrapped.
The spokesman said the problem relates to the heating and ventilation system in some Zafira B models and it is scrutinising compenents such as the fan and the ballast resistor which controls fan speed. He said, in several cars examined, the resistor had been replaced by "a non-OEM component" and there was even a case where a repairer had attempted to repair a faulty resistor by soldering it, which was not the recommended procedure.
According to the Telegraph, Vauxhall was first made aware of the problem in the summer, when it received around 20 reports of blazes. However, following a Facebook campaign spearheaded by three mothers whose Zafiras caught fire while children were inside, it was made aware of more reports -now from more than 130 owners.
Vauxhall is now offering free dealer vehicle inspections to any Zafira B owners worried about any unusual characteristics with the heating and ventilation system, such as a squeaking noise from behind the dashboard.
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By GlobalDataThe Vauxhall spokesman told just-auto the automaker was not ruling out a recall of the model once it had identified the "root cause".
Around 280,000 of the affected model – the Zafira B – were produced between 2005 and 2014 [most recently at Opel's Bochum plant] although many likely will no longer be on UK roads.
In a statement the automaker said: "Vauxhall has carried out an investigation following reports of fire in the area of the heating and ventilation system in a number of [Zafira B models launched in 2005]. While the number of incidents is very low in proportion to the number of vehicles on the road, we take this issue very seriously and will take further action. The safety of our customers is the number one priority. Our investigations have found that a number of incidents have occurred due to previous repairs being performed improperly or using certain non-genuine parts. Vauxhall will consider further actions as appropriate."
According to the Telegraph, a Facebook campaign to highlight drivers' concerns was led by three mothers who joined forces to call for action after their 2007 models were gutted when they went up in flames while children were inside. But, the paper said, "they were shocked when more than 5,000 people across the UK joined their Facebook campaign group, Vauxhall Zafira Car Fires".
The paper said the "majority of those affected" claimed Vauxhall had failed to take responsibility for the fires despite them sparking in the same way and in the same area of the car.
The three women told the Telegraph their campaign was to "save lives" and is not about getting compensation.
The issue was also highlighted on last night's edition of the popular BBC consumer television show Watchdog. Presenters said Vauxhall had declined to appear on the programme to discuss the problem.
