Government Report Slams Vauxhall For Handling Of Zafira Fire Issue

Not so long ago, Vauxhall unwittingly gave a perfect lesson in how not to deal with a recall.
First - when reports of its Zafira ‘B’ catching fire began appearing at such a rate that there was a dedicated Facebook group for the issue - the company did nothing. Then, it blamed third party repairs of the heating system’s thermal fuse.
Vauxhall finally issued a recall in December 2015, only for more fires to break out on supposedly rectified cars. A second recall soon followed, with more intensive work carried out on the 234,938 cars affected - all of which had either manual air conditioning or no air conditioning fitted.
Naturally, the UK government has taken a dim view of the debacle, with the Transport Select Committee issuing an extensive report which doesn’t paint Vauxhall in the best light. It accuses the company of acting much too slowly and putting drivers at risk in the process. It said:

“We are disappointed at the pace of Vauxhall’s response to the fires in successfully recalled vehicles. Vauxhall’s decision to continue to let people drive affected cars amounts to a reckless disregard for safety.”

Ouch.

The report also concludes that the DVSA (Driver and Vehicle Standards Agency) should have intervened faster, and that it needs more tools in its armoury to combat manufacturer skulduggery.

“The poor behaviour of Vauxhall clearly shows that the Department for Transport cannot rely on all manufacturers doing the right thing voluntarily,” the report says, recommending than the DVSA is given powers to force manufacturers to comply with its commands, or face prosecution.