Vauxhall ‘covered up blaze-causing fault for SIX months’
Car giant faces more backlash and investigation after discovery of e-mails discussing fire hazard
VAUXHALL knew the real cause of Zafira fires six months before announcing full plans to replace all faulty parts, it was claimed last night.
The car giant is recalling 235,000 Zafiras after experts showed they were still bursting into flames despite apparently being fixed.
The Sun exclusively revealed yesterday that the company has ordered a second recall after 14 ‘fixed’ cars from the original recall burst into flames.
Vauxhall first recalled the cars in December after 200 blazes.
It blames shoddy non-Vauxhall thermal fuse repairs but experts, working for The Sun, say rust in the heating blower is the cause.
An email sent last November appears to show that the manufacturer was aware of the design fault then.
Marketing director Peter Hope wrote to a client: “Once we have determined a fix for the problem causing blower motor corrosion we will have to get all cars back to fix it.”
A Vauxhall spokesman said: “This is proof we were recognising we may need a longer term fix on blower motor corrosion. There is no evidence of fire in a blower motor.”
But Tory MP Karl McCartney said: “There is clearly a problem Vauxhall have been unwilling or unable to resolve.”
Law firms Slater & Gordon and Meaby LLP are investigating.