Vauxhall Zafira (2005 – 2014) Review

Vauxhall Zafira (2005 – 2014) At A Glance

3/5

+Compact yet can house seven people. Rearmost seats fold into floor. More versatile mid-row seating than previous model. Excellent diesel auto.

-Spare wheel is vulnerable to theft. Some build quality concerns. Potential catastrophes with 1.9 diesel engine. Avoid any 1.9 diesels more than 6 years old as a used buy.

Insurance Groups are between 10–30
On average it achieves 84% of the official MPG figure

This test is to answer an often-asked question. The World isn't exactly overflowing with 7-seater diesel automatics. So is the new Zafira diesel auto any good?

It's up against the Touran DSG, the forthcoming new Sharan DSG, the forthcoming new Galaxy 1.8 diesel automatic, the last of the old Shalambra diesel automatics. And that's about it.

Vauxhall Zafira (2005 – 2014) handling and engines

So what is this Tardis of spaciousness like to drive? The answer is, very nice. Rattles a bit, both from the trim and the engine from start up. But the six-speed autobox is the most intelligent of its type I have ever had the pleasure of driving. Like any efficient diesel, the 120PS FIAT Multijet takes forever to warm up. So the box holds 3rd to help the process. From a cold start it changes up very smartly to 3rd, then stays there using torque converter slip if you drop below 20mph.

On the motorway even when accelerating lightly, it stays in 5th up to around 75, which will probably make it very good for caravan towing. (Vauxhall does a sensibly priced full kit for this.) Lift off and it will change up to 6th at 70 then hold 6th down to 60 before dropping back to 5th. Slow to 40 and it drops to 4th. And it does all this in such a relaxed, fuss-free manner it relaxes you. 6th offers around 35mph per 1,000rpm.

It handles astonishingly well, too, without compromising ride comfort, even with the 215/45 RT 17s my Zafira came on. By "handling well" I don't mean it gives you race-car thrills. It just does the job with aplomb, gripping where the old Zafira would have let go, and without imposing any form of discomfort on you and your passengers.

No feedback yet on transmission life, of course, even though it's also fitted to SAAB 9-3s, Signums, Vectras and Astras. But you'll find the well-proven belt-cam 1.9 diesel engine under the bonnets of Alfas and FIATs as well as SAABs and Vauxhalls. You can also get it with 150PS and an extra 35Nm of torque, which you might need for hauling six or seven.

I actually liked this vehicle so much I'm in danger of raving about it. Partly because it was so comfortable, partly because it handled so well and partly because of its superb automatic transmission.

Engine MPG 0-62 CO2
1.6i 39–42 mpg - 157–172 g/km
1.7 CDTi ecoFLEX 110 55 mpg 12.5 s 134 g/km
1.7 CDTi ecoFLEX 125 55 mpg 11.5 s 134 g/km
1.8i 38–39 mpg 10.8–11.5 s 168–177 g/km
1.8i 140 39 mpg 10.8 s 168 g/km
1.8i Easytronic 40 mpg - 164 g/km
1.9 CDTi 120 47 mpg - 159 g/km
1.9 CDTi 120 Automatic 40 mpg - 186 g/km
1.9 CDTi 150 47 mpg - 159 g/km
1.9 CDTi 150 Automatic 39 mpg - 191 g/km
2.0i Turbo 30 mpg - 228 g/km
2.2i 34 mpg - 197 g/km
2.2i 16V Automatic 33 mpg - 204 g/km
2.2i Automatic 33 mpg - 204 g/km
VXR 29 mpg - 230 g/km

Real MPG average for the Vauxhall Zafira (2005 – 2014)

RealMPG

Real MPG was created following thousands of readers telling us that their cars could not match the official figures.

Real MPG gives real world data from drivers like you to show how much fuel a vehicle really uses.

Average performance

84%

Real MPG

21–57 mpg

MPGs submitted

986

Vauxhall Zafira (2005 – 2014) interior

Dimensions
Length 4467–4476 mm
Width 1781–2026 mm
Height 1645 mm
Wheelbase 2703 mm

Full specifications

First, the seating arrangements. As anyone familiar with the old Zafira knows, the rearmost pair of ‘Flex7' seats pull up out of the low floor. But first you have to slide the heavy, one-piece centre bench forwards, and to do that the front seats also have to be in a fairly forward position. You can then arrange a compromise in legroom for all three rows, but you can't do it individually for the centre three as you can in a Peugeot 307SW. Passengers in the rearmost seats are fairly comfortable, but they sit low and the taller among them will find themselves sniffing their knees.

To turn the car into a load carrier, you lift the centre bench upwards then slide the backrest as far forwards as it will go. According to Vauxhall's brochure you can then carry a small sofa in the back.

To achieve all that space in the back, the driving position is a bit Routemaster-like. The wheel adjusts in and out and the seat tilts as well as rises, falls and reclines. Yet the wheel is at more of a London Transport angle than you normally experience in a car. It's okay, though. You quickly get used to it.

Vauxhall Zafira (2005 – 2014) models and specs

Dimensions
Length 4467–4476 mm
Width 1781–2026 mm
Height 1645 mm
Wheelbase 2703 mm
Miscellaneous
Kerb Weight 1430–1590 kg
Boot Space 140–1820 L
Warranty 3 years
Servicing 20000 miles
Spare Wheel
Standard Tyre-repair kit
Alternative Full-size spare wheel
Costs
List Price £13,995–£27,300
Insurance Groups 10–30
Road Tax Bands E–L
Official MPG 29.4–55.4 mpg
Euro NCAP Safety Ratings
Adult 5
Child 4
Pedestrian 2
Overall -

On sale until April 2015

MPV
Version List Price MPG 0-62
Design 1.7 CDTi ecoFLEX 110 5dr £24,625 55.4 mpg 12.5 s
Design 1.7 CDTi ecoFLEX 125 5dr £24,875 55.4 mpg 11.5 s
Design 1.8i 16v VVT 120 5dr £22,630 39.2 mpg 11.5 s
Design 1.8i 16v VVT 140 5dr £23,370 39.2 mpg 10.8 s
Excite 1.7 CDTi ecoFLEX 110 5dr £23,120 55.4 mpg 12.5 s
Excite 1.8i 16v VVT 120 5dr £21,125 39.2 mpg 11.5 s
Excite 1.8i 16v VVT 140 5dr £21,865 39.2 mpg 10.8 s
Exclusiv 1.7 CDTi ecoFLEX 110 5dr £21,255 55.4 mpg 12.5 s
Exclusiv 1.7 CDTi ecoFLEX 125 5dr £21,505 55.4 mpg 11.5 s
Exclusiv 1.8i 16v VVT 120 5dr £19,250 39.2 mpg 11.5 s
Exclusiv 1.8i 16v VVT 140 5dr £19,990 39.2 mpg 10.8 s

On sale until June 2014

MPV
Version List Price MPG 0-62
Excite 1.7 CDTi ecoFLEX 110 5dr £23,015 55.4 mpg 12.5 s
Excite 1.8i 16v VVT 120 5dr £21,020 39.2 mpg 11.5 s
Excite 1.8i 16v VVT 140 5dr £21,760 39.2 mpg 10.8 s

On sale until March 2014

MPV
Version List Price MPG 0-62
Design 1.6i 16v VVT 5dr £22,325 42.2 mpg -
Excite 1.6i 5dr £20,820 42.2 mpg -
Exclusiv 1.6i 16v VVT 5dr £18,920 42.2 mpg -

On sale until January 2012

People Carrier
Version List Price MPG 0-62
Elite 1.7 ecoFLEX (110ps) 5dr £25,590 55.4 mpg -
Elite 1.7 ecoFLEX (125ps) 5dr £25,840 55.4 mpg -
Elite 1.8i 16v 5dr £24,245 39.2 mpg -
Expression 1.6i 16v VVT 5dr £13,995 42.2 mpg -
Life 1.6i 16v VVT 5dr £19,665 42.2 mpg -
Life 1.7 ecoFLEX (110ps) 5dr £22,405 55.4 mpg -
Life 1.7 ecoFLEX (125ps) 5dr £22,655 55.4 mpg -
Life 1.8i 16v 5dr £21,050 39.2 mpg -

On sale until July 2011

People Carrier
Version List Price MPG 0-62
SRi 1.7 ecoFLEX (125ps) 5dr £24,820 55.4 mpg -
SRi 1.8i 16v 5dr £23,215 39.2 mpg -

On sale until June 2011

People Carrier
Version List Price MPG 0-62
Design 1.8i 16v Easytronic 5dr Auto £23,640 40.4 mpg -
Exclusiv 1.8i 16v Easytronic 5dr Auto £19,900 40.4 mpg -
Life 1.8i 16v Easytronic 5dr Auto £21,545 40.4 mpg -

On sale until November 2010

People Carrier
Version List Price MPG 0-62
Design 1.9 CDTi (120ps) 5dr £23,315 47.1 mpg -
Design 1.9 CDTi (120ps) Auto 5dr £25,015 40.4 mpg -
Design 1.9 CDTi (150ps) 5dr £24,525 47.1 mpg -
Design 1.9 CDTi (150ps) Auto 5dr £26,225 39.2 mpg -
Design 2.2i 16v Auto 5dr £25,020 33.2 mpg -
Elite 1.9 CDTi (120ps) 5dr £24,390 47.1 mpg -
Elite 1.9 CDTi (120ps) Auto 5dr £26,090 40.4 mpg -
Elite 1.9 CDTi (150ps) 5dr £25,600 47.1 mpg -
Elite 1.9 CDTi (150ps) Auto 5dr £27,300 39.2 mpg -
Elite 2.2 16v 5dr £24,735 34.4 mpg -
Elite 2.2 16v Auto 5dr £26,090 33.2 mpg -
Exclusiv 1.9 CDTi (120ps) 5dr £19,655 47.1 mpg -
Exclusiv 1.9 CDTi (120ps) Auto 5dr £21,355 40.4 mpg -
Exclusiv 2.2i 16v Auto 5dr £21,085 33.2 mpg -
Life 1.9 CDTi (120ps) 5dr £21,265 47.1 mpg -
Life 1.9 CDTi (120ps) Auto 5dr £22,965 40.4 mpg -
Life 2.2i 16v Auto 5dr £22,695 33.2 mpg -
SRi 1.9 CDTi (120ps) 5dr £23,530 47.1 mpg -
SRi 1.9 CDTi (120ps) Auto 5dr £25,230 40.4 mpg -
SRi 1.9 CDTi (150ps) 5dr £24,040 47.1 mpg -
SRi 1.9 CDTi (150ps) Auto 5dr £25,740 39.2 mpg -
VXR 2.0i 16v Turbo 5dr £26,095 29.4 mpg -

On sale until August 2009

People Carrier
Version List Price MPG 0-62
Design 1.6i 16v 5dr £20,180 39.2 mpg -
Exclusiv 1.6i 16v 5dr £16,495 39.2 mpg -
Life 1.6i 16v 5dr £17,650 39.2 mpg -

On sale until May 2009

People Carrier
Version List Price MPG 0-62
Design 2.0i 16v Turbo 5dr £23,485 29.7 mpg -
Elite 2.0i 16v Turbo 5dr £24,515 29.7 mpg -
SRi 2.0i 16v Turbo 5dr £23,025 29.7 mpg -
SRi 2.2 16v 5dr £21,345 34.4 mpg -
SRi 2.2 16v 5dr Auto £21,345 - -

On sale until April 2009

People Carrier
Version List Price MPG 0-62
Expression 1.6 16v 5dr £14,680 39.2 mpg -

On sale until February 2008

People Carrier
Version List Price MPG 0-62
Club 1.6i 16v 5dr £15,755 39.2 mpg -
Club 1.8i 16v 5dr £16,980 38.2 mpg -
Club 1.8i 16v 5dr Auto £16,980 - -
Club 1.9 CDTi (120ps) 5dr £18,245 47.1 mpg -
Club 1.9 CDTi (120ps) 5dr Auto £18,245 - -
Club 2.2i 16v 5dr £18,130 34.4 mpg -
Club 2.2i 16v 5dr Auto £18,130 - -

Model History

April 2005

Price list


  • New Zafira Expression 1.6i 16v£12,995
  • New Zafira Life 1.6i 16v£14,495
  • New Zafira Life 1.6i 16v (a/c)£14,995
  • New Zafira Life 2.2i 16v Direct£16,845
  • New Zafira Life 1.9 CDTi (120PS)£16,995
  • New Zafira Life 1.9 CDTi (120PS) Euro IV£17,395
  • New Zafira Club 1.6i 16v£15,195
  • New Zafira Club 1.6i 16v (a/c)£15,695
  • New Zafira Club 2.2i 16v Direct£17,545
  • New Zafira Club 1.9CDTi (120PS)£17,695
  • New Zafira Club 1.9CDTi (120PS) Euro IV£18,095
  • New Zafira Design 2.2i 16v Direct£18,995
  • New Zafira Design 2.0i 16v Turbo (200PS)£20,445
  • New Zafira Design 1.9 CDTi (120PS)£18,895
  • New Zafira Design 1.9 CDTi 16v (150PS)£20,045
  • New Zafira Design 1.9 CDTi (120PS) Euro IV£19,295
  • New Zafira Design 1.9 CDTi (150PS) Euro IV£20,445
  • New Zafira SRi 2.2i 16v Direct£18,545
  • New Zafira SRi 2.0i 16v Turbo (200PS)£19,995
  • New Zafira SRi 1.9 CDTi (120PS)£19,095
  • New Zafira SRi 1.9 CDTi (150PS)£19,595
  • New Zafira SRi 1.9 CDTi (120PS) Euro IV£19,495
  • New Zafira SRi 1.9 CDTi (150PS) Euro IV£19,995
  • New Zafira VXR (140PS) £21,995

Optional 19" wheels for VXR at £500.

New VVT 1.8 engine from November 2005 with 140PS and low CO2 of 187g/km.

May 2005

Heavily facelifted Zafira launched

Restyled Zafira with same Flex 7 seats, but centre seats modified so outer two can move closer if middle seat not being used. 4,467mm long x 1,776mm wide x 1,637mm high.

Direct injection petrol 1.6, 1.8 and 2.0 litre engines. 1.8 Ecotec has 140PS. Also GM/FIAT 1.9 120 and 150bhp diesels and turbo 200bhp GSi. 620 litres luggager space with 5 seats up. 240PS Zafira XXR from october 2005. 320Nm torque. 0-60mph in 7.2 with top speed 144mph. 18" alloys standard on VXR with 225/40 ZR 18 tyres.

Diesel automatic very impressive. Has excellent, well-matched 6-speed autobox (but see What to Watch Out for as can suffer a heat exchanger problem).

July 2007

Flagship Zafira Elite on sale priced from £18,950. Has full leather trim, electronic climate control, cruise control, CD30 stereo with MP3 socket, alloy wheels, a multifunction trip computer and a sight and light pack, which incorporates automatic lighting control, rain-sensitive windscreen wipers and an electro-chromatic self-dipping interior mirror. Engine choices include 1.8i 16v, 2.2 16v Direct and 2.0i 16v Turbo petrol engines, or a choice of 120PS or 150PS 1.9-litre CDTi diesels. Vauxhall’s clutchless Easytronic gearbox is available on 1.8-litre models, with a conventional 6-speed automatic offered on all other variants except the 2.0 Turbo.

March 2008

Zafira range facelifted

Minor facelift for March 2008 ‘08’ include extra chrome detailing on the radiator grille, new foglamp surrounds, revised rear lamp clusters and chrome detailing on the front headlamp lenses. New Exclusiv trim comes with air conditioning, CD stereo, remote central deadlocking, electric front windows, side, front and curtain airbags, 16-inch Structure wheels, roof rails and body-coloured exterior trim.

Curtain airbags standard on all Zafira models from 07, while Design, Elite and VXR models also get new piano black interior detailing around the audio and ventilation controls.

March 2009

New Ecoflex Zafira goes on sale

New-to-range 1.7-litre advanced diesel engine emitting combined emissions of just 139g/km, making it one of the lowest CO2 7 seaters. Band E for Vehicle Excise Duty – costing £120 2009/10 and £110 2010/11 – while its BIK tax for company car drivers drops to 18 per cent, the lowest taxation class for a seven-seater car in the UK.

The Zafira ecoFLEX also gains a significant improvement in fuel consumption. With a Combined figure of 53.3mpg, this Zafira now has a theoretical range of 680 miles, meaning fewer trips to the pumps and less damage to drivers’ wallets.

The 1.7 CDTi engine – which can also be found in the recent Astra ecoFLEX – produces 110PS and 260Nm of torque, giving acceleration of 0-60mph in 12.6 seconds and a top speed of 112mph. A different final drive ratio also raises the gearing, improving both fuel economy and offering a more relaxed cruising gait.

With a starting price of £17,310 for the Zafira Exclusiv ecoFLEX, buyers will pay a £100 premium over the equivalent 1.9 CDTi 120PS model.

What to watch out for

01-01-0001:

Reports of problems with EGR valve and particulate filter of 150PS diesel after prolonged slow running in traffic. On 1.9 CDTI if the engine smokes or the car suddenly loses power, the secondary butterflies of the swirl actuator valve may have sooted up and seized. Possible to clean but this does not guarantee it won't happen again. Really requires the inlet manifold to be changed as the part where the actuator connects to jams and does not let the butterflies open. Job can take six hours as the fuel pump and cam belt have to be removed to get at it. A coincidental fault is sooting up of the EGR valve.


Standard complaint, "My 07 Zafira CDTi is actually a very fine car - except for one big problem which is damaging to the very urban-travel families the car is aimed at. I live in an city area - but Vauxhall, to "comply" with EU Emissions, have fitted this car with a diesel filter which demands you should take it onto a motorway every week or two and trash it for 20 minutes without going below 50 / 60 mph to clear a DPF (particle filter). So I have to make several totally unnecessary motorway drives just to keep the car going." FROM 2008 A VAUXHALL DEALER SOFTWARE DOWNLOAD APPARENTLY CURES THIS PROBLEM.

On 1.9CDTI, timing belt drives waterpump and waterpump failure can fling it off in as little as 40k miles, wrecking the engine. By December 2008 this was becoming increasingly common at about 4 years old and circa 50k - 60k miles. So engines need new belts, tensioners, pulleys and waterpumps before 4 years old or 50k miles.

Some radios seem to fail to switch off or switch themselves back on again, draining the car's battery. Same problem as MINIs had in 2003.

Tailgate switch also fails, this is common on Vectra C and Zafira B.

One report of repeated Dual Mass Flywheel failures on a 1.9CDTI. Clutch judder common on both petrol and diesel manuals. May be DMF trouble. By July 2008 an admitted problem on pre-June 2007 production and clutches and flywheels being replaced under warranty. GM introduced modified clutch/flywheel components to production in around mid 2007 some 2-3 months after my Zafira was built. Models affected by the change are apparently Astra H/ Zafira B with 1.6 and 1.8 litre petrol engines.

Diesel autos vulnerable to failure of heat exchanger in radiator admitting coolant to the ATF and wrecking the transmission. On cars just out of warranty Vauxhall will usually contribute 40%. Also a design/manufacturing problem with 6-speed auto: an internal overflow pipe was too short which leads to the gearbox not being properly filled with fluid and subsequent result of jerky changes and eventual total failure.

Outbreak of fuel injection pump failures on 2.2 direct injection petrol engines in autumn 2008 coupled with shortage of replacement parts. Pressure sensor and injection pump fail, both made by Siemens. 3 weeks wait for the part as apparently there has been a huge run on them. Pump is £315. Total cost of repair typically £545. Later featured on BBC Watchdog 12-1-2008. ECU fault code does not identify if problem is fuel pump (leaking seal) or pressure regulator (sticking valve).

2.2i petrol engines also need an oil and filter change at least every 12 months or 10k miles (whichever comes first) and preferably more frequently as then oil feed to the timing chain tensioner cans still get blocked by contaminants, leading to failure and the chain jumping sprockets and destroying the engine.

24-08-2010:

First news that Zafiras can also suffer ESP pressure sensor fault in Teves Mk 60 ABS/ESP modules. Shows up on diagnosis as fault code C0131 - Pressure Sensor not Calibrated. www.ecutesting.com does a repair kit for around £350, www.sinspeed.co.uk does a fix for £225 inc.

1.9 diesels can be good to drive, but give a lot of problems:

Failed inlet manifold swirl flaps (and the flaps can beak and be ingested by the engine).

Failed EGRs (£350)

Choked DPFs (£1,300)

Failed timing belts, often because the waterpump seized. Belt, tensioner, pulleys and waterpump need replacing every 40,000 miles. More info about 1.9CDTI timing belt failures here: 1.9CDTI Timing Belt Failures

Failed oil pumps.

Failed alternators (see below).

Failed dual mass flywheels.

Failed turbos.

Reported on BBC Watchdog 22-4-2010: On 2005-2007 Zafiras, horns seem to fail when headlights are on. Vauxhall offers a free fix.

On torque converter automatics the joints of the heat exchanger in the radiator header tank can fail, admitting coolant to the automatic transmission fluid and wrecking the transmission. £4,000 replacement job.

Can suffer problems with door locking because wiring rubs against the rear door damaging the loom.

07-06-2011:

Short run use likely to result in alternator failure after around 5 years and around 20,000 miles.

05-12-2011:

One report of failed 6-speed automatic transmission on 2008 Zafira CDTI auto just 2.5 months out of warranty and with just 30,000 miles. Vauxhall offered to pay 50% of £4,600 replacement cost.

04-01-2012:

Poor mpg and Diesel Particulate Filter problems reported from Zafira 1.7CDTI sometimes used for short suburban runs, but averaging 12,000 miles a year.

19-01-2012:

Seems to be a fairly general rust problem. See: Zafira Rust Thread

23-03-2012:

On 4 year oldf 2008 Zafira 2.2 fuel pump and regulator replaced 7 times (apparently a known fault). TSB to replace regulator. See above.

27-03-2012:

Throttle position sensors on 1.8i petrol engines can fail after 7 years or so.

05-01-2013:

Report of broken planetary gear of 2005 1.8i petrol manual penetrating the transmission sump.

13-01-2013:

On 1.9 diesel engine, absolutely crucial to change the waterpump at the same time as the timing belt otherwise the tension of the new belt can wear its bearing very rapidly, leading to seizure and throwing off of the belt, though not necessarily valves hitting pistons.

29-05-2013:

Failure reported of 1.8i Easytronic. Quoted £1,000 for new clutch + £1,000 for new ECU.

02-11-2013:

More manual transmissions seem to be failing from around 4 years old. Vauxhall has offered to pay up to 80% of parts cost, but not labour to replace them.

02-04-2014:

Waterpump of 2008 Zafira 1.9 CDTI 150 seized, flinging off timing belt and wrecking engine.

12-05-2014:

Four reports of mirror glasses falling out of two 56/57 reg Astras and two 56/57 reg Zafiras, all owned by the same family, but kept in different places and doing different mileages.

05-09-2014:

Where fitted, Xenon headlights are prone to failure and are extremely expensive to replace (£1,400) so best avoided when buying 2nd hand.

30-09-2014:

Report of gearbox bearing whine on 35ki mile 2011 Zafira 1.7 CDTI 6-speed manual. Apparently common.

19-04-2015:

2009 Zafira 1.9 diesel pretty much fell to bits at 73k miles. First the turbo failed, then the little ends failed necessitating a new engine, then, 20 miles after the engine was replaced the transmission failed.

04-06-2015:

DPF of 2007 Zafira 1.9CDTI failed and was replaced with an aftermarket DPF not compatible with the engine's active regeneration system.

09-08-2015:

Notified of fire in a Vauxhall Zafira B: " His wife merely placed an adaptor for a child's toy into the cigar lighter, the result of which caused the car to catch fire and burn out within minutes." May indicate that the accessories socket was overloaded. email from: amac260@aol.com.

30-08-2015:

Tale of woe of 2007 Vauxhall Zafira CDTI SRI auto bought in November 2013 from a Vauxhall dealer: Buyer " had a long chat with them about what (she) needed the car for and the type of driving (she) would be doing (running kids around, hospital app's etc). At the time there was also a petrol version available and they told (her she) would be better off with the diesel. "The car is on HP on a 4 year term. She since spent £3,000 plus on repairs although some has been covered by the warranty. The dealer had put a new battery on just before (she) bought it. When it died a few months ago it was apparent to the Greenflag mechanic that it was the wrong battery for the car. It was far to small. The alternator died and that was a reconditioned one that (she) wasn't aware of. They put budget tyres on which failed within 3 months. Brakes which failed shortly after. Last week (she) forked out £888 for a new DPF and EGR valve and now (she is) looking at another repair as (she) has smoke coming from the exhaust.

22-10-2015:

Possible recall announced by Vauxhall on BBC radio after a number of fires in Zafiras that may/many not have been due to overloading of the accessories power socket, or leaving appliances attached, or may be due to a fault with the heater/ventilator motor relay.

29-10-2015:

Another cause of wiring fires in Zafira Bs identified as choked pollen filters creating a blockage in the ventilation system that prevents the fan spinning and causes the motor resistor to overheat. Most car owners are unaware that pollen filters need to be routinely replaced every year. Other possibilities are water getting into the heater fan motor due to blocked bulkhead vent well drains, or faults with the heater switch. Fuses blowing on Zafira heaters are quite common, so a quick fix might have been a higher capacity fuse that then led to the resistor overloading and catching fire.

Edited from an advice site: "When the heater blower will only work on position 4 the reason is nearly always that the thermal fuse of the blower resistor has blown. If the pollen filter gets clogged or sogged with rainwater, less air flows through, so the thermal fuse can blow. Access is gained by removing the glove box and separating the resistor pack from the pollen filter housing. The resistor pack has a copper strip/flat spring which is likely to have sprung apart as the solder joint melted and the copper strip sprung away. People haver been replacing this by buying a 152 degree C thermal fuse from Maplins for about 80p and soldering in." Obviously, if a higher capacity fuse is fitted, or the spring is soldered solid, it can't spring apart to protect the wiring and the wiring can catch fire.

14-11-2015:

Zafira B problem now checked as mostly due to the scuttle shield under the windscreen not being replaced properly after a windscreen replacement. This allows rainwater to drip between the base of the screen ad the shuttle shield into the heater motor. If the heater then only works on 4 setting, the common bodge is to bridge the resistor control for the heater fan, leading to overheating less than an inch from the pollen filter that may not been changed for years and may be tinder dry. To capture all owners, many of whom have not seen a Vauxhall dealer for 6 - 8 years, there will be a full DVLA recall, but a parts shortage of the correct replacement resistor may mean that some cars cannot be repaired until 2016.

21-12-2015:

Letters now going out to Zafira keepers in batches outlining the two fixes for the heater resistor fire problem: Work involves putting a label on the heatefr fan wiring warning not to bridge the resistor or otherwise interfere with it and fitting a redesigned scuttle plate to stop water reaching the heater fan and pollen filter after the windscreen has been replaced.

21-04-2016:

Timing chain failure reported on 2005 Zafira B 2.2 z22yh at 76,000 miles. Chain tensioner had broken, timing was way off and tensioner bolt was sheared in the engine, resulting in a new engine for £6000+. Unless used replacement engine can be found the car is an economic write off.

19-05-2016:

Second stage fix announced for 2005 - 2010 Zafira Bs to replace heater fan motor resistor with a tamper-proof was resistor that cannot be easily bridged.=

20-05-2016:

55k mile 2008 Zafira petrol noisy on initial start up. Vauxhall dealer diagnosed fault on inlet manifold and suspecected that internal swirl flaps had collapsed and possible engine damage. At very least car needs: Intake manifold; Pipe; Bracket; Wiring; Dis pack; Spark plugs needing3.5 hours labour, estimated cost £2,500, but £1,000 might be covered by warranty. Problem is that if any bits of the swirl flaps were ingested there could be further damage to piston rings and bores.

22-12-2016:

Report of 2010 Zafira B 1.9 150 diesel automatic losing coolant. Heater not working, expansion tank empty, no warning light, oil clean, filler cap clean, not froth, no external sign of a leak. Suspects fractured transmission oil cooler in the radiator leaking coolant into the transmission.

12-02-2017:

Report of just 23mpg from 2010 Zafira 1.9CDTI automatic.

08-11-2019:

Report of 2007 Vauxhall Zafira B booked in for heater motor wiring recall, but work was not carried out because the wiring had been interfered with. Works sheet said "Unable to carry out recall as parking sensors wired into harness - this will need to be rectified before can complete recall".

12-02-2020:

Report of oil level increasing in engine of 2007 Vauxhall Zafira 1.9CDTI. The usual reason is that diesel post-injected into the engine to fire off active regeneration of the diesel particulate filter is not firing off regeneration and is instead sinking into the sump, raising its level.

What does the Vauxhall Zafira (2005 – 2014) cost?