Vauxhall Zafira fires: car maker recalls people carrier for third time
It's the third fire-related recall in four years
THE VAUXHALL Zafira people carrier has been recalled for the third time in nearly four years, after owners convinced the car maker that electronic components in the heating system were still melting and posing a fire risk.
According to Vauxhall, the recall affects cars built between 2005 and 2014 which do not have electronic climate control and relates to “movement in the wiring” of a connector plug for the vehicle’s heating and ventilation system.
The manufacturer found a “small number of vehicles” with wiring that had overheated and melted, and at least one incident which resulted in a fire, according to The Sun.
Vauxhall says this latest recall will replace the current wiring harness with a new one that has “additional fixing points” to prevent wire movement. The wax fuse resistor will also be replaced with an identical unit, in order to “ensure that its connectors have not been damaged in a way that is invisible to the naked eye”.
As with the previous two fire-related Zafira recalls, all work will be completed free of charge, with the job itself said to take an hour to complete.
Jo Hunt of the Vauxhall Zafira car fires group on Facebook said the latest recall comes two years after campaigners brought the resistor and wiring harness risk to the attention of Vauxhall and the Driver and Vehicle Standards Agency.
Hunt said the group was satisfied that this is the last time the Zafira B will be recalled over the heating system fault, but added:
“Whilst we are pleased this has been achieved we are obviously frustrated that it had to come to this, as the second recall should have fixed the issue. However, Vauxhall would not admit the issue with melting connectors at that time.”
Vauxhall first investigated a “distinctive pattern of fires” relating to the Zafira B in August 2015 after nearly 200 cases involving the car, and initiated a recall in December that year, However, the model was recalled for a second time in May 2016 after new cases of fires.
The number of vehicles involved in the latest recall wasn’t announced but nearly 235,000 right-hand drive second-generation ‘Zafira B’ models fitted with manual air-conditioning or no air-conditioning were built between 2005 and 2014.
While owners of affected vehicles will be notified of the recall through the post, customers can contact Vauxhall about the Zafira repairs on 08000 260866.
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