This applies to all Vauxhall Corsa D vehicles with registration plates with a ‘59’ or ‘10’ year identifier.

For these vehicles, there is a possibility that the handbrake cable end fitting could move within the supporting bracket welded to the under body of the vehicle. If this fault occurs, it might lead to a sudden loss of handbrake function at any time.

If you want to use one of these vehicles for your driving test, it will only go ahead if:

·         the vehicle is fitted with dual controls  – this is to help the examiner control the car in the unlikely event of a failure

or

·         if you supply documents to show that remedial work has been carried out – this will usually be in the form of the Vauxhall recall letter stamped by the dealer and containing written confirmation that the remedial work has been carried out

If none of these criteria are met, you’ll need to contact customer services to arrange for your test to be rebooked once the remedial work has been completed.

As there’s been no prior warning of this action, customers will have their test fee refunded or will be given a free retest only on the first occasion that they bring an affected vehicle for their test.

If you buy a new ultra-low carbon car, you can get up to 25 per cent off the cost (to a £5,000 maximum), from January 2011. And it is getting easier to recharge or refuel your low carbon vehicle, as government matched funding is announced for businesses that will deliver the infrastructure needed.

£5,000 ultra-low carbon car grant 



Who can get a grant 

The government grant will be open to both private and business fleet buyers across the UK. The level of the grant (25 per cent, capped at £5,000) has been agreed until 31 March 2012.

Which cars can get the grant 

To qualify for the grant, an ultra-low carbon car has to meet certain safety and performance criteria. Previously, these were listed as:

    •    a minimum range of 70 miles each time the vehicle is charged
    •    a maximum speed of 60 miles per hour
    •    a minimum three-year warranty

The full updated list of criteria will be published by the Office for Low Emission Vehicles when it is confirmed. Follow the link below for more information.

    •    Office for Low Emission Vehicles (Department for Transport)

The incentive aims to kick start the market for ultra-low carbon vehicles and was originally announced in 2009 under the last government. A total of £43 million has been made available for the programme up to 31 March 2012.

Grant support beyond that date will be reviewed in January 2012, with the final budget beyond 2011-12 to be confirmed at the spending review.

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