Opel Ireland has announced that owners of Opel Zafira B models will be invited to bring their vehicles back to Opel dealerships so that a preventative action can be carried out to protect the vehicles from the risk of fire.

In the last six months, we wrote to all Opel Zafira B owners to make them aware of an issue which could affect their vehicle. Our investigations had found evidence of improper repair of the blower motor resistor and its thermal fuse, which is designed to protect the blower motor system.

These improper repairs, which may have been conducted without the owners’ knowledge, can lead to overheating of the system’s electrical components and the potential for a fire. Resistors should never be repaired, they should only be replaced.

Since then we have been conducting a recall programme designed to return vehicles to their original condition. This has involved replacing the resistor in every vehicle we have inspected and the blower motor and the pollen filter in many thousands of vehicles.  All of this has been free of charge to the customer.

At the time of the recall we said we would consider additional actions we might take and we have been in constant contact with the Driver and Vehicle Standards Agency (DVSA). On May 9th we presented a status update to DVSA and agreed the additional action we are announcing today.  While the current action achieves the objective of returning vehicles to their original condition, after extensive investigations we have decided to go further and improve the overall robustness of the system.

We will therefore be initiating a second recall to replace the current soldered fuse resistor with a wax fuse resistor so reducing the opportunity for manipulation. When the recalls are complete, all vehicles will have a new wax fuse resistor, a new blower motor and a new moulding at the base of the windscreen to address water ingress. Again, this work will be conducted free of charge.

We will soon be writing to all customers to inform them of the second recall action and provide appropriate advice. Subsequently we will write to customers on a staggered basis to invite them in for the second recall.  It is planned to commence sending these letters during the month of August. Owners of vehicles which have not yet had the initial recall completed should still bring their vehicles to their dealership to have them returned to their original condition.

Following on from this statement, any concerned customers can contact Opel’s Customer Assistance Centre on 01 533 9818 or contact their local Opel dealership for more information.