Vauxhall recalls 235,000 Zafiras in new fire risk

VAUXHALL was branded a ‘shambles’ last night as it recalled 235,000 Zafira cars amid fears they could burst into flames.

Issuing the third safety recall for the people carrier in four years, it admitted it had found another potentially lethal fault that could cause the air conditioning and ventilation system to overheat.

Zafira B models were recalled in two stages in 2015 and 2016 after campaigners claimed more than 300 caught fire.

Vauxhall now says ‘a small number of vehicles’ have been affected by faulty wiring and a plug in the heating and ventilation system that melted, with at least one incident resulting in a fire.

The fault affects cars built between 2005 and 2014 without electronic climate control. It is writing to owners to arrange to fix the vehicles for free.

Managing director Stephen Norman said: ‘It’s not the same risk – the first two recalls robustly resolved the problems with fires in the Zafira. What we’re talking about here is the melting of a plug. Yes, it is inconvenient and I apologise.’

Sue Freemantle, 40, from Devon, who set up a pressure group against the car maker after her Zafira burst into flames, said: ‘Again Vauxhall has been allowing thousands of people to drive around in dangerous cars. This is a shambles.’

In 2017, MPs accused it of a ‘reckless disregard for safety’, saying it kept owners in the dark for years about a fire risk.