2nd Oct 2007, 09:54

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.

3rd Oct 2007, 16:38

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.

4th Oct 2007, 15:22

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

5th Oct 2007, 07:58

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.

10th Oct 2007, 09:30

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!

10th Oct 2007, 14:14

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

13th Oct 2007, 07:44

To everyone.

I have both written and sent an email to Vauxhall outlining my grievances. I have not received even the courtesy of an acknowledgment. I was trying to strike a deal. The deal is now off so, if the manager of this site would allow me to, I now wish to put the full terms of my letter on here. Let us see what happens!

100 Bentley Street

Lockwood

Huddersfield

HD1 3UL

23 September 2007.

STRICTLY PRIVATE AND CONFIDENTIAL.

Mr Peter W Durham

Customer Care Manager

GM UK & Ireland

Vauxhall Motors Limited

Griffin House

Osborne Road

Luton

LU1 3YT.

Dear Sirs.

My Vauxhall: Vectra

Registration Number: YH54FKD

Chassis Number: W0L0ZCF6851008266.

I sent you the bulk of this letter by email last week. As of today’s date I have not received the courtesy of an acknowledgement. I was forced to send it to your company’s general email address as your receptionist would not give me your private email address or put me through to any of your staff until I told her why I wanted to send the email to you. I really do appreciate that emails are not always received so I am sending this to you by recorded delivery to avoid any misunderstanding. I have also added some extra comments in this letter which were not in the original and those comments are in italics, including this paragraph.

I acknowledge receipt of your letter, undated, but received by me on 20 September 2007 concerning:-

“…Advice When Parking…”

Three months ago I had a handbrake problem associated with my Vectra. I was convinced that I had applied the handbrake correctly, but there was an accident. I explain the details later on in this letter. Since my accident I have made enquiries about the handbrake, but I was astonished when I received your letter.

You say in the body of that letter that:-

“…Recently, our Customer Assistance Centre has received a small number of enquiries with regard to the Vectra and Signum handbrake system…”

For you to say “Recently…has received a small number of enquiries…” is, in my opinion misleading for two reasons namely:-

1. The word “recently” according to the Oxford English Dictionary is defined as follows:-

“happening or starting from a short time ago”

There is a web site, which I am sure you are aware of, and on it will be found cases of handbrake failure which go back as far as August 2006.

This is the web address:-

http://www.carsurvey.org/viewcomments_review_93491.html

This problem is documented as being over twelve months old.

2. The second issue concerns the phrase: “…a small number…”

Well including my account logged on that site there are approximately 17 incidents recorded involving problems with the handbrake. In the interest of road safety it could be argued that one would be enough to raise concerns especially as in one incident, if the account is true, the female passenger could have been killed.

How many incidents have been reported to you? Currently treat that as a rhetorical question.

In addition you have enclosed a self adhesive label giving instructions on how to park a car. I think both the terms of your letter and the attached label must be read in conjunction with the following statement namely:

“…vehicles must not be able to roll when the handbrake is applied…”

I consider that the issuing by you to me of your letter and the self adhesive label is tantamount to an admission of liability in that you have recognised, irrespective as to whatever your Company or VOSA have or have not unearthed in your research and investigations, there is some sort of problem with the handbrake system on the Vectra and that they can roll even when the handbrake is applied. And if not with Vectras generally, then with my car in particular. Let me explain what I mean, using your own documentation.

On the back page of your letter to me you refer to this as being an:-

“important matter…”

And what do you mean when you ask me to return the form to you and if there is already a label affixed at the appropriate place I am to tick the box that says:

“Vehicle already repaired”?

Is the fixing of the label by me tantamount to me having repaired a fault associated with the handbrake of my Vectra by warning any future owner (s) of my Vectra of the potential for handbrake failure?

Also why is your Company so concerned that if I have sold the vehicle you would wish to know the details of both the previous and new owners? Is this because if I have sold my vehicle you want to write to the new owners and warn them of the fault associated with my vehicle?

I trust that you will agree that I am making some very serious points in this letter. May I now take time out to tell you my story.

On Sunday 24 June 2007 I left my home in Huddersfield and drove to Shipley, a distance of some 18 miles. I arrived outside my office and did what I normally do when I work on a Sunday, (which is quite frequently), namely I drove down Cowgill Road which is a hill, turned the car around and drove back up and then parked the car adjacent to the offside kerb and put the handbrake on.

I went into my office which is up a set of stairs and for a few minutes looked at the work I intended doing before going back down and filling the kettle with a view to making a cup of coffee before starting work. Whilst waiting for the kettle to boil I decided to go outside and have a cigarette. I opened the door and looked across the road only to see to my surprise that my car was not there.

I walked out of my office grounds onto the road and looked down only to see that my car had rolled backwards at an angle, had crossed the carriageway, mounted the kerb and was sitting at an angle with its tail end stuck in the air resting on a low slung brick wall.

I went back inside my office to get my car keys and when I arrived back at the scene the police were in attendance. One officer immediately demanded that I give him my keys. This was an action by the police which at the time annoyed me, but now I am grateful that they dealt with the matter in that manner. My car was locked because I had locked it when I parked the car. He opened the front passenger door, went straight to the handbrake and then said to his colleague:-

“The handbrake is on”

This incident, I believe through no fault of my own, has cost me, through my insurance company, a repair bill for my car which is I believe in excess of £1,500.00, payment to the owner of the damaged wall of £250.00, £350.00 excess paid by me towards the repair costs and a large increase next year in respect of my car insurance policy premium.

Whilst it is good advice to park on a hill with the vehicle in gear and also to turn the front wheels in or out this measure has only ever been required as a belt and braces approach when parking. In other words the car is parked in this manner to cover the unlikely event of handbrake failure and I repeat my words from an earlier section of this letter namely:-

“…vehicles must not be able to roll when the handbrake is applied…”

It must be the case, given the terms of your letter to me, the attached self adhesive label and the “Change of Details” form (in red – so that it stands out) that there are concerns by you, as the manufacturer, that handbrake failure on the Vectra is not unlikely to happen, but rather likely to happen, or to be more precise, likely to happen with my Vectra.

I appreciate that an “off load” has been attempted with reference to the Highway Code, but it is interesting to note the wording of the Highway Code concerning parking on hills. It says this at the start of section 226:-

“…226: Parking on hills. If you park on a hill you should…”

Please note that the word should is used and not the word must. Should means amongst other things:-

“…What is the correct or best thing to do…”

No law is being broken if the car is not parked in the manner advised by the Highway Code. This is reasonable in that there can be numerous reasons why this step may not taken by drivers. The bottom line in all of this goes back to the fundamental issue that vehicles must not be able to roll when the handbrake is applied.

If there is the possibility of rolling once the handbrake is applied, and by your actions you are saying that with respect to the Vectra, or at least my Vectra, there is that real possibility, (I refer you back to your letter to me and the attached self adhesive label), then there must be, in certain circumstances, something seriously wrong with the handbrake system associated with, at the very least, my Vectra.

One is not saying that you and VOSA have not carried out a review of the system and have not identified any deviations from the handbrake mechanism specification. What one is saying is that irrespective of that research there is something seriously wrong. The fault may either be in the system as a whole or it may only apply to each particular car where there has been failure, but failures there have been.

I do not really wish to get embroiled in litigation, but I am of the view that irrespective of what experts may or may not say, that there is now enough evidence to cause a District Judge in the County Court to find, on a balance of probability in certain circumstances, that there is a problem with the Vectra braking system of, at the very least, my car.

Since first composing this letter I have re-read your letter and the label and it seems to me that you have invented a novel way of parking cars. Well you have told me of a new way to park my Vectra. I will tell you what I mean. The label says as follows:

“…Always apply the hand brake fully, taking care not to depress the lever release button...”

I was taught always to depress the lever release button to reduce wear and tear on the ratchet mechanism.

In addition, and rather stupidly in my view, it goes on to say:

“…To reduce operating forces, depress the foot brake at the same time…”

Is it not the case that, removing the issue of parking on a flat level road surface, when one parks ones car the foot has to be on the foot brake to stop the car rolling.

As a solicitor I wish to put forward a serious proposition to you namely that I give you an undertaking not to disclose the contents of this letter to any third party and a further undertaking that should this matter be resolved between us amicably the terms of any agreement reached will, equally, not be disclosed to any third party. In other words I give an undertaking that any agreement reached will remain for all time coming strictly confidential between myself and your company.

What I am seeking from you in settlement is reimbursement by you, via me of all of the costs incurred as the result of the accident. In addition I wish to have my excess of £350.00 reimbursed. In other words I wish to be placed back in the same position I was in prior to the incident on 24 June 2007. I must remind you of the police officers words when he said to his colleague:

“The handbrake is on”

In other words I have it documented by a third party who checked the handbrake and can confirm that when I parked my car I had applied the handbrake correctly. If necessary I would be prepared to call as a Witness this police officer and I think his evidence in Court, should the need arise and I hope it does not, will be prove to be very credible in support of any claim that I might lodge in Court against your Company.

Given the terms of this letter I am aware that I have now currently placed myself in a position where I am unable to make a report to VOSA or take the issue up with Which Magazine, (I have now come to understand that it is BBC Watchdog) who I understand are conducting their own investigations.

However given my reasonable approach to this matter I wait to hear from you, in a reasonable time, with what I trust will be your favourable and reasonable response.

Yours faithfully.

David E Jacobson.

And I will be sending a copy of this letter to VOSA.

Kindest regards.

Dave.

lawcontractor@hotmail.com