Zafira Car Explosions

Thee mums spearheaded a campaign after their Zafiras explode spontaneously.

15:27 18 October 2015

Three mums, Sue Freemantle, 37, and Claire Wheatley, 36, and Jade Hellewell, 26, are accusing carmaker Vauxhall of putting their lives at risk after their Zafiras exploded spontaneously. Their Facebook campaign was joined by more than 1,000 people in the UK with 65 others claiming that their Zafiras also blew up.

 

Vauxhall has launched a probe saying that the issue is being considered a urgent matter. A spokesman said: “We are aware of the reports concerning vehicle fires involving right-hand drive versions of the previous-model Zafira (not Zafira Tourer) and have begun an internal investigation.

 

“The safety of our customers is our number one priority and, for the time being, we have no reason to assume a general safety concern.”

 

Sue, from Ivybridge, Devon, said that she was with her three children and her cousin’s child when black smoke flooded the car. They managed to escape just seconds before the car exploded, leaving nothing but burnt-out shell.

 

She said: “I saw steam coming out the grills and the passenger side windscreen started steaming up before black smoke flooded the car.

“We thought it was going to explode.”

 

The same happened to Claire in June when she and her husband were forced to pull into a car park when their 2007 Zafira filled with black smoke. It burst into flames within 30 seconds.

 

She said: “Luckily, it was one of the rare occasions where my 11-year-old girl and three-year-old son were not in the car.

 

“We were told by the fire services that if the children were, they would have been killed.”