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Spontaneous Taxi Combustion!

rynner2

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Fires force black cabs off roads

Hundreds of black cabs in London are to undergo safety checks over fears they may burst into flames.

About 500 vehicles have been recalled after seven engine fires were reported in London in the past three months.

Drivers of TX4-type cabs with a 56 registration must have their taxis inspected within two weeks, otherwise their licence will be suspended.

Transport for London (TfL) said the taxis affected were a "small proportion" of London taxis.

The spokeswoman said: "The manufacturer is recalling all TX4s in this registration range to allow further investigation and a thorough safety check of the vehicles' engines which must be carried out within the next two weeks."

Top priority

The spokeswoman said TfL had written to all affected taxi owners and advised them their vehicle must pass the inspection by the deadline or have their licence suspended.

"The safety of London's black cab drivers and their passengers is our top priority," she said.

Justin Sneddon was driving near Leicester Square when his vehicle burst into flames.

He said: "It all happened within two or three minutes, the car was up in six or seven metre-high flames and it was quite an intense fire.

"It even took a chunk out of the pavement it was so intense."

To date, there have been no injuries to passengers or drivers.

Safety checks will be carried out by the taxi manufacturer LTI, which is based in Coventry.

http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/england/london/7619583.stm
 
I absolutely believe this. Two cars with which I have been associated have burst into flames without warning - one on being started, and one while parked.

The first case was during the "blizzard of '85" (12 inches overnight on top of several inches the previous day - this is a very big deal in San Antonio, where it does not snow). My husband had a new job which had to be manned 24/7 and was supposed to be the person on duty the next day, a Sunday. Seeing what the weather was doing, he called every cab company in town. None of them showed, and the only car that would start was our housemate's, which burst into flame. At that time we were out on the Loop, where the buses don't run on Sundays; if he'd been able to get into San Antonio proper, he'd have been able to get a bus, but he couldn't, nor could he get anybody from work whose phone number he had to give him a lift or cover the shift for him. (There was a big football game on TV that day.) So he called the manager, who had no choice about going in. He didn't care about impossible and my husband didn't have that job anymore.

The other time was also connected with unemployment. This was during an extended run of bad luck, one thing after another after another, none of it life-threatening, but one roadblock after another. My husband had parked in front of an office where he was applying for a job he didn't want that badly except that he wanted any job at all at that point. As he sat there filling out the form, someone came in and said: "Hey, there's a car on fire in the parking lot!" He just knew it had to be his - and it was. He got the fire out and called our housemate to come pick him up. When he told us what was going on, he was laughing - it was just so over-the-top.
 
PeniG said:
I absolutely believe this. Two cars with which I have been associated have burst into flames without warning
Interesting that they were both connected with employment problems - I wonder if human stress is affecting the cars via some sort of poltergeist mechanism? :shock:

In which case, maybe the London taxis are victims of the Credit Crunch!
 
In my case, I wouldn't bet any money on it. We had much worse stress in 2005 (not, however, directly related to my husband's employment) and nothing caught fire or behaved oddly. Believe me, if we were ever going to fuel a poltergeist, that would have been the year!

It is odd that the news story doesn't explain what fault is in the taxis to cause this. Perhaps the information was placed too far down in the story and got cut for length in this incarnation, so we could find out from a paper that gave it more column inches.
 
This is the fullest report I can find so far:

600 black cabs recalled after mystery blazes
David Williams, Motoring Editor
17.09.08

Hundreds of black cabs could be ordered off London's streets after a series of roadside blazes.

Seven taxis have burst into flames in the capital this summer and at least 11 have caught fire across the country.

The fires on the two-year-old cabs are being investigated by the manufacturer, the Public Carriage Office and TfL but the cause remains a mystery.

London Taxis International has ordered an emergency recall of about 600 TX4 cabs with the backing of the PCO. One hundred with "56" number plates - registered in September 2006 - are due at the PCO's Penton Street depot for examination by Friday.

A second batch of around 500 made at around the same time must be scrutinised by Friday week.

All were built at London Taxis International's Coventry factory.

Any of the vehicles not taken for examination and signed off as safe by the PCO will be barred from operating. A Transport for London spokeswoman said that depending on the outcome of its own investigations hundreds of cabs could be ordered off the roads before the deadlines.

"We have appointed our own fire safety expert to look at the cabs that caught fire," she said.

"We may reconsider our response and order cabs off the road sooner depending on what we find.

"It is not a step we would take lightly because it is people's livelihoods but we will not take any chances when it comes to the safety of the passengers and drivers."

The PCO said it became aware of the fires in July but LTI assured the office it was conducting thorough investigations and there was no indication that the fires were caused by a design fault - however this has not been ruled out.

So far there have been no reported injuries but drivers and passengers were terrified, industry sources told the Standard.

The sources added that the blazes under the vehicles' bonnets shorted out vital wiring, making it impossible to open rear passenger doors from the inside. This is denied by LTI.

As a precaution, one large cab operator has barred wheelchairs from cabs hit by the recall.

TfL said the PCO had details of all affected cabs in the capital and that it was fully co-operating with LTI.

The PCO was providing the manufacturer with facilities at its depot, and inspectors, to help with the recall.

Drivers spotting smoke coming from the engine have been advised to stop and evacuate the cab but to leave the bonnet closed before dialling 999.

One cab driver who contacted the Standard said: "It is very frightening when the cabs go up - they flare up so badly you would think they were petrol vehicles, not diesels, which tend not to do that. The fires were dramatic."

Vehicles with identification numbers from 200000 to 200500 are believed to be affected by the recall.

TfL is continuing to monitor the situation but said it was "still safe" to travel in a black cab, with less than three per cent of London's 21,000 taxis being recalled.

LTI confirmed that the precise cause of the blazes had not yet been identified but measures were "being put in place to minimise the risk to both passengers and drivers".

It was contacting owners of all suspect vehicles.

http://www.thisislondon.co.uk/standard/ ... article.do

The Telegraph adds
Seven of the vehicles have burst into flames in London alone and another four elsewhere in the country.
...
The spokesman added that some of the fires outside London could have been due to arson.
http://www.telegraph.co.uk/news/uknews/ ... alert.html
 
I thought this was interesting:
"It is very frightening when the cabs go up - they flare up so badly you would think they were petrol vehicles, not diesels, which tend not to do that. The fires were dramatic."
Does anyone else have experience of diesel cars on fire?
 
If I didn't happen to know that Mr. Falls had me on ignore, I'd be offended. (As it happens, we've never carried any insurance that would cover engine fires.) As it is, I will only point out that, if a wave of insurance fraud passed over the taxi fraternity, it would hardly affect only cabs of a certain type.

Most likely a bad batch of engines came off the assembly line and the original short has burned up, making it hard to pinpoint the cause.
 
PeniG said:
Most likely a bad batch of engines came off the assembly line and the original short has burned up, making it hard to pinpoint the cause.
But a diesel engine has no ignition system.

And if there was a fault in the ancilliary electrics, well, diesel is just not very combustible, so a Leak + Spark theory seems unlikely.

So these fires are certainly unusual.
 
With photos...

The dramatic moment a black cab burst into flames - on the day hundreds of taxis were recalled over safety fears
By Daily Mail Reporter
Last updated at 7:00 PM on 18th September 2008

A black cab burst into flames on the day 600 taxis were recalled over fears of spontaneous fires.

Transport chiefs were forced to step in to order the immediate withdrawal of the suspect cabs having previously given drivers a two-week window in which to have the vehicles checked.

They have now launched an investigation into the fires. At least seven cabs have burst into flames in London, and another 11 across the country.

The latest fire came as disturbing new details emerged of the threat posed to the safety of taxi passengers and their drivers.

A source close to the investigation claimed the cabs' rear doors lock automatically when fire breaks out, potentially leaving passengers trapped in a blazing vehicle.

He also revealed how the latest fire had engulfed the cab in 45 seconds, leaving the driver little time to pull over and escape.

He said: 'What is worrying is that the number of fires is more than double the commonly reported figure of seven.

'Senior people at TfL [Transport for London] are very concerned and are reviewing the situation with the fire brigade. All it needs is for one to catch alight and for someone to be killed.



'Imagine a disabled kid or an old lady was trapped in the back after it was all over the news yesterday.'

The fires are being investigated by the Coventry-based manufacturer London Taxis International, the Public Carriage Office and TfL but the cause remains a mystery.

TfL issued a statement last night, after being contacted by the Standard, saying it was suspending the licences of 600 TX4 models with a '56' number plate immediately.

A spokeswoman said: 'The PCO will be contacting all drivers, owners and dealers to inform them of this suspension today. This is not a step we take lightly, but we cannot take any chances with the lives of London's taxi drivers or their passengers.

'Licences will only be reinstated once LTI have certified that individual vehicles have received a safety check.'

LTI announced its own recall yesterday, giving drivers a fortnight to get their cabs inspected. But hours after the announcement, a TX4 cab burst into flames in Park Crescent near Regent's Park. The driver, a man in his fifties, only just escaped in time.

Witness John Kennedy, 56, himself a cabbie, said: 'I drove past just after it happened and it was a huge ball of flames. There was smoke pouring from the passenger window and flames leaping two feet above the bonnet. It was really going. I stopped to help but the driver had got out and there weren't any passengers.'

A friend of the driver, who asked not to be named, said: 'It went up in 45 seconds. The engine started to smoke, he pulled over and by the time he hit the pavement it was engulfed in flames. He's in a state of shock.'

Reports that a second cab had gone up in Battersea an hour later proved groundless but indicate how jittery cab drivers have become.

http://www.dailymail.co.uk/news/article ... fears.html
 
It would be terifying to not only be a passenger in a taxi that was on fire, but to find the wiring had shorted so you couldn't get out? I'm no Daily Fail reader but it does sound planned....
 
If I didn't happen to know that Mr. Falls had me on ignore, I'd be offended. (As it happens, we've never carried any insurance that would cover engine fires.) As it is, I will only point out that, if a wave of insurance fraud passed over the taxi fraternity, it would hardly affect only cabs of a certain type.

that's ms falls to you :?

i wasn't insinuating (or incinerating for that matter!) that you'd pulled an insurance scam. it was a general thought about taxi's mysteriously catching fire at a time that maybe just happens to coincide with things being particularly tight financially.

it may not be the answer, but i'd rather elliminate the more obvious possibilities before we start bringing things like polt activity into it.
 
Yup. Years ago the then Mr Snail owned an old Fiesta which burst into flames - the carburettor had caught fire.

The firemen reckoned they'd had a load of Fiestas with burning carbs over the last few weeks and that soon another car fault'd be causing all the trouble instead. :?
 
escargot1 said:
The firemen reckoned they'd had a load of Fiestas with burning carbs over the last few weeks and that soon another car fault'd be causing all the trouble instead. :?
But diesels don't have carburettors....
 
Actually, the most basic of car insurance covers fire. We put 2 of our vehicles in 'storage' insurance twice a year, for $7 annually you get fire and theft, at least. If you're insured to drive on the road, you have it.

Look Into Comprehensive Storage Coverage: If you are planning to store your car for any period of time, you can save on your car insurance by only keeping comprehensive coverage during the storage time. Since the car would be stored, it is very unlikely it will get in a collision or need the liability coverage.

Definition: Comprehensive Insurance Coverage is insurance coverage that helps pay for losses to an insured car due to fire, theft, or other losses that are not the result of a collision as stated in the insured's policy. An insurance deductible can apply depending on the insured's requests at the start of the policy. In most states this is an optional coverage and is not usually a required coverage. (note: Colliding with an animal falls under comprehensive insurance coverage)
Source
 
My earlier suggestion of a link with polt activity was of course tongue-in-cheek, but made because there is no obvious way for diesel engines to burst into flames in the way that's been described. (I've had a lot of experience with diesels on boats, and one of the reasons they are prefered on boats is that they are far less of a fire hazard than petrol engines.)

Eventually I expect a technical explanation to emerge, but at the moment it's not clear how it will go.
 
London Taxi Fires Explained
Written by Dr Will C U Now
Story written: 19 September 2008
Tags: London, Fire, Taxi

Top UK scientist Professor Hugh Jarse was today able to reveal the mysterious cause of recent black cab fires in London.

"After extensive research and interviews with drivers I can now reveal the cause of the hitherto unexplained events." said Professor Jarse.

"Taxis with the TX4 branding were fitted with an unusual catalytic converter that could also process bigoted views as spouted by your average London cabbie and convert them into the views of a reasonable person. The cabs that exploded were exposed to over ten times the usual dosage of bullshit causing a catastrophic malfunction in the converter that manifested itself in a fiery inferno." continued the professor.

Taxi drivers across London were busy being retrained to be a little more tolerant in other people and cultures although, it is believed to be an almost impossible task.

"Gor blimey guv'nor" said one driver "I was midway through a rant about east europeans when I could see smoke coming from under me hood. I shut up and started to say things like 'I enjoy aspects of their culture and they were adding to the exciting diversity that is London and the smoke quickly disappeared."

http://www.thespoof.com/news/spoof.cfm? ... e=s1i40933

:D :D :D
 
Cabbies to sue over taxi fires
Hundreds of black cab drivers are planning legal action for loss of earnings after their cabs were taken off the road following a series of engine fires.

By Ben Leach
Last Updated: 11:48AM GMT 01 Nov 2008

London Taxis International (LTI), which manufactured the cabs, recalled all TX4 models with a 56 registration in September after some of them burst into flames.

LTI predict that all the modifications needed to make the cabs roadworthy, which includes altering the exhausts, will be completed by November 12.

That means many drivers will have been unable to work for more than seven weeks.

Matthew Phillips of solicitors McKeowns, based in St Albans, Hertfordshire, said: "We're currently in touch with over 300 black cab drivers affected by the recall and as a result we are in the process of mounting a large class action suit on their behalf against those responsible.

"Many more will not be aware that they are entitled to compensation for loss of earnings and we expect significantly more numbers to get in touch during the course of this crisis."

Taxi driver Phillip Nash, from London, said: "Since the recall on September 19 I've been unable to work and over a seven-week period it amounts to thousands in loss of earnings.

"I know LTI are struggling to get through the backlog but so close to Christmas when the credit crunch is hitting everyone, it's hard to be patient when I need to take care of my family and I've no income."

In a statement, LTI said: "Now that LTI have further insight and sufficient evidence into the root causes of the fires, LTI can now progress discussions to look at where responsibility lies for the losses that various parties (including LTI) have suffered."

It continued: "Once again LTI would like to thank drivers for their patience during this difficult time and can assure them that all possible progress is being made to get them back to work as soon as possible."

http://www.telegraph.co.uk/motoring/336 ... fires.html
 
Wheels on fire: Taxi cab engulfed by flames... seconds after driver stepped out
By Daily Mail Reporter
Last updated at 3:11 PM on 7th April 2011

Taxi driver Mohammed Munir stepped out of his car just moments before it was engulfed in a fireball.
Flames leapt 15ft in the air after he stopped to pick up a fare in Burton, Staffordshire.
Firefighters were forced to close the road in both directions while they extinguished the flames.

Mr Munir, 36, from Burton, said: 'I’m feeling totally shocked, I've never experienced anything like it. The car gets serviced regularly and it has a full service history.
'I was just about to pick my customer up and I saw smoke coming up from the bonnet so I switched the engine off.
'I went out to fetch my customer and then I saw the fire.
'I pick her up every morning to take her to work. It could have been a lot worse if someone had been in the back.'

Commuters were faced with delays as traffic was diverted through Stretton before the scene was cleared at 8.30am.

Andy Oakley, watch manager at Burton Fire Station, said after yesterday's fire: 'We received multiple calls from lots of members of the public about a saloon car on fire.
'When we arrived, the vehicle was well alight and we had to close off Derby Road because of the seriousness of the fire.
'We extinguished the fire by using two firefighters with breathing apparatus and high-pressure hose reel jets but there was extensive damage to the car.
'The police took over the traffic management from us and there was massive congestion.
'The driver of the car had noticed smoke coming from the bonnet and pulled over at the side of the road.'

Kevin Ramsell, a resident of Derby Road, was loading up his van ready for work before watching the drama unfold.
He said: 'The driver pulled up and went to the door and when he turned round the taxi was on fire.
'There were small flames coming out of the taxi's grille but it all went up in the space of minutes. The flames must have been 10 to 15ft in the air.'

Mr Munir, of Burton firm 43 Taxis, said that he was speaking to his insurance company about the damage but did not know when he would be able to get back to work.

Read more: http://www.dailymail.co.uk/news/article ... z1IvIwgkzY
 
It's not taxis this time:
Vauxhall may 'recall' Zafira cars after more than a 100 drivers report their vehicles spontaneously burst into flames
Company said it took its customers safety 'seriously' and that it was investigating the incidents
Vauxhall is considering recalling some of its vehicles after a number allegedly spontaneously burst into flames.
More than 130 owners of the Vauxhall Zafira B model, launched in 2005, have reported problems with the car’s heating and ventilation system to the manufacturer.
The company has allegedly been investigating the issue for several months, but has seen only a fraction of the cars that have burst into flames, Sky News reported.

Facebook group Vauxhall Zafira Car Fires for owners of the model has more than 5,000 members – with several claiming their seven-seat vehicles had caught fire while there were children inside. Terrifying pictures shared on the group showed a number of vehicles ablaze.

Sue Freemantle, 37, from Ivybridge, Devon, started the group after her Zafira model caught fire. In the past few days the group has gained a huge amount of attention, with thousands of new members.
“I’m gobsmacked by how many others have been through what my family have had to endure,” she told Auto Express.

Jason Williams, 39, said he was in his Zafira B with his three-year-old daughter on Fabien Way, Swansea, when suddenly his vehicle "was on fire".
“I was punching the window which resulted my knuckles being smashed,” he told The Independent. He and his daughter only got out of the car safely when a passing man stopped and helped him break the window and escape. He wants Vauxhall to fully compensate all its customers.

etc...

http://www.independent.co.uk/news/u...rt-their-vehicles-spontaneously-a6703936.html
 
Rename it the Zafirea and be done with it!
 
Kinda makes you think everyone should carry one of those wee window smashing hammers in their car at all times. I used to have one actually, wonder what happened to it. Probably burst into flames.
 
I'm trying to work out why they had to smash the windows.
Why not just open the doors?
 
I have a Zafira and my colleague has one a year older. We both had an issue with the heater motor that blew the resister that controls the speed of the heater motor. The motor can only run at one speed (full speed) so the resister controls the voltage it receives to reduce the speed of the motor. When the motor bearings wear it has to pull more voltage to start up initially and if it pulls too much it blows the resister. Not a problem it is supposed to do that and your only choice in that case is to look at replacing the heater motor, otherwise you are replacing the resister spending £25 (plus fitting if you don't do it yourself) a time only for it to blow again.

Now on the Vauxhall forums there are a lot of threads where people are giving advice about replacing the resister with one from Maplins that has a higher resistance so it won't blow. You can also buy knock off resisters from Ebay that aren't GM parts so will have an unknown level of resistance.

What I suspect is happening and what the reports are suggesting is that the resister isn't blowing on these cars and is instead heating up to a point where it ignites components around it and sets the dashboard on fire. The resister is buried right at the back of the dashboard behind the glove compartment so a perfect place to smolder away for hours.

Now I'm not suggesting that all these folks who have had the fires have fitted duff parts deliberately, they could well have had them fitted in a garage without knowing they weren't GM parts.
 
Vauxhall recalls 220,000 Zafira B cars over fire worries
By Brian Milligan Personal Finance reporter

Vauxhall has announced a recall of 220,000 Zafira B cars, following a series of fires.
The action came two weeks after more than 130 fires were first reported, via a Facebook group.

The fires have occurred behind the glove-box, in the heating and ventilation system.
The model affected is the Zafira B, built between 2005 and 2014. The cars are all right-hand drive, and have manual, or no air conditioning.
The company said faulty repairs to the heating and ventilation system were probably to blame.

In a statement from chairman and managing director Rory Harvey, Vauxhall said its initial investigations had shown "improper repair of the blower motor resistor and its thermal fuse".

Among those whose Zafiras have burst into flames is Lisa Taperek, from Wiltshire.
She was outside her mother's house in Wooton Bassett on Tuesday this week when she noticed smoke coming from the engine of her Vauxhall Zafira.
Within 30 seconds of getting 10-month-old son Kinsley to safety the car became engulfed in flames, she said.

"When I play it back in my mind and think 'if I had run into a shop, or left him in the car', it makes me quite sick.
I am very lucky - he's very lucky," she said.

A Facebook group set up by Zafira owners to alert other drivers has attracted more than 12,000 members.
Vauxhall will now send out letters to 220,000 owners, advising them to get in touch with their local dealer.
They will be offered a free inspection and repairs.

Vauxhall said it had taken engineers some time to investigate the issue, as many of the vehicles they examined had been damaged "beyond investigation".
It also did not want to speculate too soon about the cause of the problem.

etc...

http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/business-34743833
 
And this one's a Mazda - is nothing safe?
Porthleven woman's shock as car goes up in flames
By WBGraeme | Posted: November 25, 2015

A DRIVER has spoken of her shock after her car went up in flames without warning minutes after she parked it.
Waitress Zoe Emmerson, 23, had considered waiting in her car for the rain to stop on Saturday morning but instead dashed into work at The Square restaurant, Porthleven.

As she paused moments later to watch a shower of hail outside, she noticed smoke begin billowing from the adjacent shipyard car park.
"I looked out and thought, 'Oh my god – that's my car'.
"It was so scary. I was literally driving it two minutes before. I was in shock. I'd only driven down from the top of the village because it was raining."

Miss Emmerson had owned the 2007 Mazda 3 for three years and it had passed its MoT in October.
"It sounds silly, but my car was my pride and joy, especially in Cornwall, where you have to drive everywhere," she added.
"The fire was really quick and the wind was quite strong. The tyres burst and the glass exploded outwards – there was quite a bang.

"The fire brigade arrived and began moving people away and moved as many cars as they could from the car park.
"Afterwards, the fireman said it was difficult to say why it happened, as there was so much damage, but he thought it was electrical."
Cornwall Fire and Rescue Service confirmed that a crew from Helston attended the scene just after 10am and used breathing gear and two hoses to extinguish the fire, which had also damaged a second vehicle.

Miss Emmerson, the niece of Leigh Santi, co-owner of The Atlantic Inn, Porthleven, added: "If I'd waited for the rain to stop I could have been in [it] at the time.
"I would have hopefully noticed the smell of burning but it's scary to think what might have happened."

http://www.westbriton.co.uk/Porthle...oes-flames/story-28241631-detail/story.html#1
 
Vauxhall blame Zafira fires on unofficial repairs and issues full recall
By Cornish Guardian | Posted: December 23, 2015

VAUXHALL has blamed the Zafira fire crisis on dangerous repairs carried out by unofficial dealers - and issued a full recall of the family car.
The manufacturer has been rocked by a spate of incidents in which the popular people carrier has burst into flames.
Now the firm has traced the problem - which only affects 'B' models built between 2005 and 2014 - to improper repair of the thermal fuse of the resistor in the heating and ventilation system.

Both Vauxhall and the Vehicle Standards Agency (DVSA) have acknowledged this is from work done outside of Vauxhall's "authorised service and maintenance processes and schedule".
Car magazine Auto Express has seen a number of unauthorised repairs, where mechanics have avoided replacing fuses with bodged repairs. A replacement would cost just £30.
The consequence of the sub-standard repair is potentially very high temperatures which can lead to the fires which have plagued the Zafira B in recent months.

Vauxhall has now contacted the owners of the 234,938 cars and issued a full recall of the model.
Technicians will inspect the heating and ventilation system on each vehicle and, as a precautionary measure, replace the resistor in every vehicle free of charge.

Rory Harvey, chairman of Vauxhall Motors, said: "We recognise that owners may have vehicles which have been improperly repaired without their knowledge or before they bought the vehicle.
"Safety is our priority and we have been working tirelessly in the past weeks to find the root cause and contact owners to explain the situation and our actions.
"The DVSA's acknowledgement of the root cause is an important milestone but the important thing now is to ensure that all Zafira B owners bring their vehicles in for inspection and rework."

Vauxhall dealers have so far inspected and repaired more than 45,000 vehicles and hope to have completed the work within the next 12 weeks.
Zafira drivers who are not the first owners of their car have been advised not to use the fan on their heating and ventilation system.
If necessary, they should use fan speed four but only to demist it.

The car firm added it you are the first owner of your Zafira B and your heating and ventilation system is functioning well, and your car has never been subject to any repair in this area, there is no risk of a fire.

http://www.cornishman.co.uk/Vauxhal...cial-repairs/story-28412529-detail/story.html
 
Vauxhall blame Zafira fires on unofficial repairs and issues full recall
By Cornish Guardian | Posted: December 23, 2015

VAUXHALL has blamed the Zafira fire crisis on dangerous repairs carried out by unofficial dealers - and issued a full recall of the family car.

http://www.cornishman.co.uk/Vauxhal...cial-repairs/story-28412529-detail/story.html
Vauxhall 'reckless' over Zafira fires, say MPs
By Tom Espiner Business reporter, BBC News

Vauxhall showed "a reckless disregard for safety" in allowing customers to keep driving Zafira cars after a fire risk was identified, MPs have said.
It was "morally reprehensible" for the car maker not to warn customers sooner, MPs on the Transport Select Committee said.
And Vauxhall was too slow in general to take action over the fires, which came to prominence in 2015, MPs said.

Vauxhall said there were "lessons to be learned" from the Zafira fires.
The fires started behind the glove box in the heating and ventilation system, and were a problem in Zafira B cars, which are still subject to a recall.

Vauxhall was "too slow to acknowledge drivers' concerns, too slow to begin an investigation, too slow to address the causes and too slow to alert drivers of real safety concerns. Drivers and their families were needlessly put at risk," committee chair Louise Ellman said.

The first report of a Zafira fire was noted by Vauxhall in 2009, and in 2014, internal concerns over a pattern in reports of fires were raised.
However, Vauxhall did not launch an investigation into the fires until August 2015. At that time Vauxhall logged 161 fires.

Analysis: Richard Westcott, BBC transport correspondent

Even Vauxhall admits it was lucky that no-one was seriously hurt or worse in one of these car fires.
The MPs suggest that the company put money and reputation ahead of safety when it came to fixing the problem. The report uses damning phrases like "morally reprehensible" and "reckless disregard for safety" when describing the company's sluggish response.

It's especially scathing about the fact that Vauxhall let people drive around in cars that had been recalled and "fixed", even when engineers knew they could still catch fire.
And there's a wider issue here. Right now, there's no system in place to help owners, insurance companies, garages and emergency services report common problems so they come to light more quickly.
The full scale of the Vauxhall fires didn't emerge until a Facebook group, the London Fire Brigade and then the BBC's Watchdog programme started noticing and then highlighting a pattern.

These MPs are also calling for new laws to prosecute car makers who fail to sort a safety issue. The current system just relies on the manufacturer doing everything voluntarily.

etc...

http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/business-39738302
 
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