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An Auckland man blames a faulty handbrake for sending his Holden Vectra to the bottom of a steep drive-way, a problem which has prompted remedial action overseas, after similar reported cases.
Holden NZ is not commenting on a complaint by Ponsonby property agent Gareth McIvor that his handbrake slipped dangerously three times, despite his efforts to pull it tight.
But the company said yesterday that its Australian parent was close to a decision on whether to follow the example of carmaker GM Europe, which is offering to fit an extra spring to the handbrakes of 250,000 Vectra and Signum vehicles after complaints by owners.
Spokeswoman Brodie McClellan said she was not at liberty to comment on Mr McIvor's case, which he raised last week after the Herald reported that Consumer New Zealand and the Dog and Lemon Guide wanted the company to issue a safety recall "before someone is killed or injured".
"Without having seen the car or having our people look at the vehicle, we can't comment - there are 101 things that could cause an issue, we wouldn't want to speculate," she said.
Ms McClellan said Holden had heard of no problems with Vectra handbrakes in New Zealand or Australia. But Mr McIvor said his Vectra rolled 7m down a driveway after he left it parked in first gear outside his office late one afternoon last year, with the handbrake pulled tight.
"I came out three hours later at night and thought the car had been stolen," he told the Herald.
"I put it down to an isolated incident which I didn't contact my dealership about at the time. But the penny has definitely dropped since reading your article that the issue is serious and won't be the only case."
On two other occasions, he struggled to pull the handbrake hard enough to stop the car from rolling backwards, succeeding in one case but hitting a retaining wall on the other.
Mr McIvor said his dealership denied any knowledge of the problem but "after a bit of pressure" a representative promised to make inquiries and contact him in due course.
He phoned the company again on Tuesday but by late yesterday had yet to hear from its customer assistance centre.
Ms McClellan said Holden representatives in Australia had indicated they were close to a decision on whether to offer a "customer satisfaction programme" to Vectra owners, which she emphasised was not the same as a safety recall.
She said any issue with handbrakes would apply only to 349 manual-gear Vectors imported between 2004 and 2007 and not 1661 automatic vehicles.
Dog and Lemon Guide editor Clive Matthew-Wilson said Mr McIvor's case belied advice from Holden's British affiliate, Vauxhall, that it was preparing to fit an additional spring after identifying several Vectra owners not following advice to apply handbrakes without depressing their buttons, and to park their cars in gear.
Mr Matthew-Wilson said: "It is very concerning that this motorist appears to have followed the manufacturer's guidelines on how to park his vehicle, yet it still rolled away."
