A UK government report has slammed GM’s British arm Vauxhall for how it handled an extensive recall of the Zafira after multiple examples caught fire.
Vauxhall Zafira B models sold between 2005 and 2014 with a manual transmission or no air conditioning were affected, leading to some 230,000 examples being recalled by the British automaker. At this stage, only 183,172 models have been repaired.
The Transport Select Committee said that Vauxhall has been too sluggish to recall vehicles and that it was too quick to blame independent garages for improper repairs, Auto Express reports. Furthermore, the report asserts that Vauxhall made no attempt to trace the poor repairs which ultimately led to a second recall.
“We can only conclude commercial considerations and the need to avoid reputational damage were put ahead of safety; this is unacceptable and morally reprehensible,” the report said.
Vauxhall told the Transport Select Committee that approximately 55,000 Zafira owners haven’t had their vehicles repaired for the second time, despite up to seven letters being sent to owners. This is partly because many used Zafira models were sold by secondhand dealers before any repairs were carried out.
In a statement, Vauxhall said “We apologise to anyone who has experienced anguish or distress as a result of this incident. Nothing is more important to us than safety. We welcome the backing for our call for greater collaboration between the automotive industry and insurers to improve the detection of faults.”
Opening screenshot credit Darren Clare/Youtube
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