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For years I’ve been concerned about safety recalls and the fact that some drivers tend to ignore them putting themselves, their passengers and other road users in danger. I’m not talking about a bit of trim that might fall off inside the car or a glovebox that doesn’t shut properly but something like the Vauxhall Zafira fire hazard that caused more than 160 cars to catch alight.

You may recall (as it was widely publicised) that some 234,000 Zafiras built between 2005 and 2014 were recalled following the fire problem that Vauxhall initially refused to accept as a problem. This was followed by a further recall of 47,000 of Zafira ‘B’ models for fear that the heating systems fitted could also lead to fires.

Initially, Vauxhall thought the problem only existed amongst cars that had the old fashioned heating and air-con systems fitted. But the latest action extended the recall to other models fitted with electronic climate control systems fitted to cars built during the same period. The fault relates to the system’s heater blower and regulator.

Letters have gone out to drivers and registered keepers advising of the recall but this is my issue. Vauxhall have explained to Auto Express that out of the original 234,000 cars, 86.5% were subsequently fixed leaving 31,000 untreated cars on the road, potentially putting lives at risk. Whilst these issues should not exist in the first place, once identified there should be a mechanism that enables every affected car to be identified.

Vauxhall says that it continues to pursue outstanding cars but added to their response to Auto Express: ‘this can take longer if a change in ownership is involved or if owners ignore our letters. There are also some vehicles which have been taken off the road or scrapped since the recall was issued’.

Since this was done I am now aware that in April 2019 a further recall was issued, making 4 in total on this car, that includes cars fitted with manual and no air condition. The latest recall of 235,000 cars also includes cars that were previously fixed for an entirely different problem.

Whilst the Government has criticised Vauxhall for their indifference to the problem in the early days, this is dreadful and more should be done to stop this from happening in the future. All safety recalls should be subject to a more robust system.

DVLA records should be scanned for cars that have been written off or simply scrapped and advised back to the car manufacturer. A note should also be added to the individual car file that contains MOT details so that the MOT station can advise drivers of the safety recall in case the change of ownership had not been recorded and the recall letter not delivered to the new owner.

Garage records should also be updated on each car to contain recall information ready for when the car is serviced. If the recall is a safety recall the car should not be released back on the road until the problem has been fixed.

Once it can be shown that the driver was advised it should be a criminal offence to drive a car under safety recall in the same way that it is illegal to drive a car without a current MOT test or illegal tyres or brakes that put lives at risk. Failure to take action should result in a fine or points on the driver’s licence. That’s what I think! By Graham Hill