Criminal probe into Vauxhall car fires under way after being exposed by The Sun
VAUXHALL is facing a criminal probe into fires in its Zafira model exposed by The Sun.
Watchdogs confirmed the investigation with trading standards officers last night.
It is the first time the manufacturer has been formally investigated by a government agency. The claims involve over 300 fires. And it represents a victory for The Sun after we refused to back down in the face of Vauxhall’s claims the faults were due to shoddy repairs.
It’s a win for Sun
IN May 2016 The Sun teamed up with top motor engineers as Vauxhall Zafira Bs were still catching fire after an initial recall.
Vauxhall originally blamed shoddy repairs by outside mechanics.
We showed a design fault was to blame, forcing the car giant to order a second recall.
Last year MPs accused Vauxhall of “a reckless disregard for safety”.
We showed the fires were down to a heater design fault.
The investigation will attempt to find out who had knowledge about the problem and when.
Concerns there was a distinctive pattern of fires were first raised within Vauxhall in 2014, but it did not begin an investigation until August 2015.
Dad-of-four Graham Moore, 35 — whose Zafira went up in flames that December — said: “I just hope if anyone has done anything wrong they are brought to justice. A lot of families have lost a lot of money.”
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Watchdogs the Driver and Vehicle Standards Agency have no power to bring criminal proceedings, so are working with council trading standards in Luton.
Officers there raided Vauxhall’s HQ in the town in October, seizing documents and quizzing management.
Last night a Vauxhall spokesman said 92 per cent of affected vehicles had been recalled, which was “virtually everything on the road”.
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