The move was announced by Rory Harvey, the chairman and managing director of Vauxhall, in a video in which he also apologised "for the situation that has arisen", as well as revealing the source of the fault and explaining what buyers should do next. Vauxhall has said that only Zafira models built between 2005 and 2014 are involved, and of those, only cars fitted with manual air conditioning, or no air conditioning at all. Cars with automatic air conditioning – which have an "Auto" button within the air conditioning control panel – are unaffected. Harvey also pointed out that the car is only at risk if it has had repair work to the heating and ventilation system, which suggests that the fault has been caused by an aftermarket part rather than one fitted at the factory. Vauxhall will now ask owners of all affected cars to take their cars to their local dealer for an inspection and, if necessary, a repair, to be carried out free of charge. The company has also released details of a hotline telephone number and email address customers can use to get in touch should they need reassurance. The video is in stark contrast to the reaction by Volkswagen to the continuing scandal surrounding its vehicles. VW has owned up to fitting devices to its cars which detect when emissions tests are carried out, and enable the cars to produce fewer nitric oxide emissions. Only Vauxhall Zafiras built between 2005 and 2014 are involved It has also revealed what it calls "irregularities" in the certification of the fuel consumption and carbon dioxide emissions for its cars. However, while Volkswagen’s former chief executive, Martin Winterkorn, has apologised and resigned over the issue, the company has still not been able to explain what remedial action it will take to correct the faults. For all the latest news, advice and reviews from Telegraph Cars, sign up to our weekly newsletter by entering your email here Find the car that's right for you with the Telegraph Cars A-Z Car Finder
Vauxhall has been forced to print 220,000 Zafira B ##s two week after over 130 fires were first reported via a group on Twitter ; the fires are located behind the glove compartment in the heating and ventilation system .