2006 Vauxhall Vectra Exclusiv from UK and Ireland - Comments

Hi Everyone.

I haven't been able to say much about this, but please watch BBC Watchdog tomorrow at 8pm!! It should be very useful to you all.

Steve.

My Vauxhall Vectra 1.9ctdi was left out side of my house

and after 1.5 hours moved causing over £ 3000 of damage

I think the sticker sent is an insult!I have been driving 40 years and all other hand brakes worked on all of my other cars!

Vauxhall must take responsibility what about the trade in values!

Keep up the good work watchdog.

Ken Jones.

Vauxhall statement on Watchdog on 3 October 2007.

Vauxhall says it believes the handbrake system on/in the Vectra and Signum is safe. To date, its vigorous tests have failed to identify a fault with the handbrake mechanism, and the firm stresses that it can’t take action until it knows exactly what’s caused the problem. Vauxhall is looking at a number of theories, but was very interested in our engineer’s findings, which the firm’s made clear it will add to its continuing investigation. The company’s keen to arrange a meeting between our engineer and its own as soon as possible.

This public statement on national television is both contradictory and may also be treated as an admission of liability. This is what I mean and I propose to analyse the words using numbered paragraphs for ease of reference and that as follows:-

1. First of all they say:

“…the handbrake system is safe…”.

In other words there is nothing wrong with the system.

2. However Watchdog say that they, Vauxhall, go on to say:

“…it can't take action until it knows exactly what’s caused the problem…”

3. I think hmmmm safe, but there is a problem?

4. What do they mean about “action”? Are they saying that once the problem has been identified and a solution found that they would go for “vehicle recall”?

5. In my opinion there is a misunderstanding by Vauxhall of a distinction between the general and the particular. I think that it is a “given” and generally accepted that in order for the “firm” (or whatever General Motors wish to call themselves) to order a recall they need to establish that, generally there is a problem, big enough to warranty a recall. It is accepted that a recall for any manufacturer is a major problem, but for a major manufacturer a mammoth problem.

6. However analyse the particular. The general concerns the car whereas the particular concerns the individual driver who has had the problem with the handbrake mechanism of his Vauxhall designed, built, and driven car. And this problem has cost him dearly in terms of hassle, worry and money. It has resulted in a great number of drivers being forced to make claims on their policies of insurance as the result of damage to theirs and other people’s property through no fault of their own.

7. I consider that they are liable for these individual claims because they have admitted to there having been a problem and their problem is that they do not know exactly what has caused the problem. THAT IS NOT MY PROBLEM!

Dave Jacobson

lawcontractor@hotmail.com

Watched tonight's Watchdog and discovered I'm not alone, then found this website thread and discovered I'm not just not alone, but one of lots. My story includes two days in Truro hospital and a year before the injuries are no longer causing any discomfort. I hope something now comes of this publicity.

Mark.

Same thing happened to my car as well only last weekend. I parked my car in front of my house and applied the handbrake fully, by the time I got to my front door I heard a loud bang and then I saw my car rolling back hitting my nieghbour's car. it damaged his car and mine. today (03.10.07) when I was the watchdog programme about many others falling victim I thought vauxhall has to compensate as it is purely their design fault. I have driven for 10 years many different cars, but this never happened to me. why would they send everyone a sticker on how to use handbrakes? they must have acknowledged this fault.

I have also written to Vosa about this and see what thier reply might be if any.

Zia_afif@hotmail.com.

The same thing has happened to me with my 03 Vectra sri back in October 2006.

I had it about 2-3 months when I parked to go to work on a moderate hill put the handbrake on, got something out of the glove box, got out the car, locked it and started to walk off.

This is when I heard a clunk noise from my car and saw it start to roll, I tried to hold it back, but in the end had to get out the way and watch it smash straight into a parked car.

Not a lot of damage, but has cost me £210 in excess and cost more to renew my insurance as I had to accept liability.

I mentioned what happened to the repairing garage and they said that they checked the handbrake and contacted Vauxhall. They said there was nothing wrong with the handbrake and Vauxhall didn't know of any problems with the handbrakes.

I did some experimenting later whilst in the car. I took my foot off the brake and the car started to roll, I tried applying the handbrake so that it wasn't on fully, this time it started rolling very slowly and was creaking.

I then pulled the handbrake up a bit more and the car stayed stationary so I know that I put the handbrake on properly and I am under no doubts that the handbrake failed.

Ever since this I have also left it in gear, would have been nice to have this letter Vauxhall a little sooner then maybe this wouldn't have happened.

You need to read my comments posted on 3 October 2007 after having watched Watchdog. On Watchdog’s web site they repeat Vauxhall’s quotation and I once again repeat it here, accept my apology for the repetition. This is what it says:

“…Vauxhall says it believes the handbrake system on/in the Vectra and Signum is safe. To date, its vigorous tests have failed to identify a fault with the handbrake mechanism, and the firm stresses that it can’t take action until it knows exactly what’s caused the problem. Vauxhall is looking at a number of theories, but was very interested in our engineer’s findings, which the firm’s made clear it will add to its continuing investigation. The company’s keen to arrange a meeting between our engineer and its own as soon as possible…”

I now wish to add some additional thoughts concerning this statement, and I am once again, using numbered paragraphs for ease of reference and that as follows:

1.Vauxhall ought to be required to define what they mean by the word “safe”

The articles in this forum seem to clearly demonstrate that it is terminologically inexact for Vauxhall to use the word safe.

2. They say that they have conducted vigorous tests, but have failed to identify a fault with the handbrake. It appears to my mind that they have lacked the necessary expertise to establish the cause of the problem. In addition it also seems that the competency of their engineers may be seriously brought into question.

3. Whatever they say about having conducted vigorous tests it is patently obvious that those test have proven to be wholly inadequate.

4. They must be forced to outsource this problem to independent expert engineers and agree to be bound by the findings of those engineers. Otherwise it is clearly a case of the police policing the police. I think the concept of conflict of interest begins to rear its head.

Dave Jacobson

lawcontractor@hotmail.com

I wish I'd heard about this problem before yesterday morning!!

My partners brother stayed over and his car was behind my car, my partner moved his brothers car so I could get off the drive, he then parked his brothers Vectra on the drive - a sloping drive facing the house. He went inside and within a few minutes he heard a bang, he went outside to find the Vectra had rolled forward and into the front of the house!!! We have to have the whole section re-built. If only we'd heard about this issue before he would have left the car on the main road!!

Lynn.cairnes@btinternet.com.

I am representing a lady in Edinburgh whose Vauxhall Signum was parked by her on a moderate slope in neutral with the handbrake on. She exited the vehicle and went to the rear to access the tail gate, when the vehicle rolled back on her causing her to sustain a badly fractured leg and extensive soft tissue injuries, resulting in surgery at the Edinburgh Royal Infirmary and also at the Plastic Surgery Unit at St Johns Hospital.

In researching this matter to determine liability I see some references to a fatality in Manchester. I am in the process of trying to find out as much as possible about these incidents so as to assist my client and to see if there are any focus groups dealing with a group claim. Its always better to pool resources and information in cases like this, especially if meeting resistance from a big Insurer or Company. I would appreciate any input or comments from contributors and would be happy to pool knowledge.

I can be contacted on jtaylor@macmac.com.

Lastly, it occurs to me that if Vauxhall have designed the arm rest so that operation of the handbrake is difficult and can easily lead to operator error there could still be liability on Vauxhalls part for poor design. I had a loan of a Vectra for two months and found the access to the handbrake quite cumbersome and awkward when applying it. I could see how someone might not realise they had not fully applied it perhaps? Obviously not "man and machine in perfect harmony" then!!

To everyone.

Can you add to this list? If so email me at lawcontractor@hotmail.com

Regards.

Dave Jacobson

jtaylor@macmac.com

lynn.cairnes@btinternet

zia_afif@hotmail.com

steveburke1@hotmail.co.uk

brianbbailey@hotmail.com

dfrayling@hotmail.com

mark@brown72.fsnet.co.uk

p4business@yahoo.co.uk

jason.hadland@ukonline.co.uk

kevgilday@hotmail.com

denparsons@tiscali.co.uk

Hi Everybody.

I am encouraged. The email jtaylor@macmac.com is attributed to a Scottish Solicitor. I, if you have not realised I am a Solicitor and I am qualified in Scotland as well as England and Wales. I am here because I was a victim and Mr Taylor is here because his client was a victim. We have two Solicitors working on this matter. We need your full cooperation. Please do your utmost to find out the details of as many "victims" as possible and either leave those details on here or send it by email to me at lawcontractor@hotmail.com. I cannot believe that there are just a handful of us who have this problem. One chap who emailed me told me that Saga insurance had told him that they had had about 20 similar incidents. So come on guys pull the stops out and let us build up a credible, solid, reliable case. We have one, let us make it work and take encouragement from the fact that there are two Solicitors on the case.

Dave Jacobson

lawcontractor@hotmail.com.

I was working in my fathers house today when a neighbour started banging on the door to say that my Fathers car had just rolled away from the house and crashed into a wall. We didn't even care about the car as 3 small children were playing not 10ft away from the scene. He was 100% sure he had applied his handbrake. As aforementioned, we were just so relieved that this was not a serious injury - or worse - to a child. His is a Vauxhall Vectra.

I am yet another victim of the mysterious Vauxhall handbrake problem!

I have an 06 plate Signum which has sat happily on my driveway like many Vauxhalls before it. A couple of weeks ago, it decided to roll forwards into the garage door. On checking, the brake lever was still applied. Damage could have been much worse, but a new bumper is still expense enough. I've passed my details on to lawcontractor@hotmail.com in the hope that collectively we can do something about this!

I think this may be the last Vauxhall that graces my driveway!

I have owned my 52 plate Vactra 1.8LS for over 4 years and have never had a problem with the handbrake until today. I arrived home this afternoon and parked on my drive, which slopes towards the house. I went into the house for 2 minutes then returned to the car to collect some items from the boot; within a few minutes of returning to the house I heard a loud thud and the sounding of an alarm. My car had rolled forward into the wall of our dining room. When I looked inside the car, the handbrake was in the flat position.

There is so obviously a problem with the handbrake system for this to happen to so many people, is this a case of GM's bean-counters saying it'll be cheaper to compensate a fatality than have a recall.

Regarding insurance, I called my car insurers and informed them that MY CAR had rolled into MY HOUSE. They told me I was in a unique position of being the First and Third Party which they could not act for both.

Alan.

mail@alanlebon.com

Hi everybody.

If you keep up to date on here you will know I am a solicitor as is john taylor. I recieved this email from him this evening. It makes for interesting reading.

At some point in the not too distant future this whole situation ought to be summarised and I will do my best to do that. Here is the email:-

Dave.

Just a quick note to say that Joanne Burke who I am in correspondence with has, in turn, been corresponding with an Christine Croft. Her Signum was waiting a new body shell and VOSA did an inspect in the last day or so. Nothing adverse found - until they did a"vigourous" handbrake test and guess what - it failed! Seemingly VOSA are off to Germany where the handbrake is manufactured with a report on their findings. I suppose a case of watch this space.

In haste.

John.

Will keep you updated.

Dave.