Opel is carrying out an investigation on its Zafira range of cars after one went on fire in Cobh yesterday, part of a worrying trend.
The company says it is looking into matters “following reports of fire in the area of the heating and ventilation system in a number of Opel Zafiras”.
The Zafira B, which launched in 2005, is the car in question, with reports in the UK last week citing up to 130 reports of similar incidents occurring.
The issue has gotten so pressing that a UK Facebook group was set up by worried customers, with more than 10,000 members already.
“While the number of incidents is very low in proportion to the number of vehicles on the road, we take this issue very seriously and will take further action,” the company said.
Opel Zafira goes on fire at Passage West, Cork amid talk of possible recall https://t.co/UNQFcrgKop https://t.co/wEcFccYYuM
— RTÉ News (@rtenews) October 29, 2015
According to The Irish Times, Ireland currently has 8,000 Opel Zafiras registered from 2005 to 2012 on the road – eight have been affected by the fault to date.
“Our investigations to date have found that a number of incidents have occurred due to previous repairs being performed improperly or using certain non-genuine parts,” the company said.
Concerned Zafira owners and those who notice any unusual characteristics with the heating and ventilation system, such as a squeaking noise from the dashboard, should contact their Opel dealer and arrange for the vehicle to be inspected.
“This will be done at no cost,” it said. “Opel will consider further actions as appropriate. For further information, customers should call Opel Customer Assistance on 01 5339818.”
Last week in the UK, Vauxhall – which the company is called there – told The Telegraph that it would not rule out a recall of the model once it had identified the “root cause”.
Opel image via Radu Bercan/Shutterstock
