Vauxhall branded 'reckless' over Zafira fires

Vauxhall was "reckless" and "morally reprehensible" over its recall of Zafira cars that were prone to catching fire, says a parliamentary committee of MPs.

A stinging report from the transport select committee said Vauxhall was "reckless" in not warn customers sooner about the risk, says Autocar.

It added: "In the absence of any explanation for its tardy response from the witnesses that appeared before us we can only conclude that commercial considerations and the need to avoid reputational damage were put ahead of safety.

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"This is unacceptable and morally reprehensible."

It took Vauxhall from 2009, when the first report of a Zafira fire was noted, until December 2015 to issue its first recall notice and five months to issue a second, after receiving confirmed reports of a fire.

The second recall is still in place and more than 183,000 cars have now been recalled.

Zafira "B" models with no or manual air conditioning systems were found to have problems with the heating systems that caused fires to start behind the glove compartment. Vauxhall sold 230,000 of the vehicles between 2005 and 2014.

The company's first warning in 2015 told owners "how they should operate the heating and ventilation system to keep them safe".

Vauxhall said there were "lessons to be learned" as to how it investigates fires.

How Vauxhall reacted to the Zafira crisis

2009: First report of a fire in a Zafira2014: Internal concerns over a pattern of fires are reportedAugust 2015: Vauxhall launches an investigation after logging 161 firesOctober 2015: Victims set up a Facebook group that goes on to reach more than 5,500 membersOctober 2015: BBC Watchdog covers the issueOctober 2015: A complaint is made to the Driver and Vehicle Standards AgencyDecember 2015: Vauxhall launches its first recallFebruary 2016: The company is told of the first fire in a recalled vehicleMay 2016: Vauxhall launches its second recall, which is ongoing

(All dates as reported by the BBC)