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Dramatic images of a Vauxhall Corsa bursting into flames are yet to be explained, as calls are made for changes to the way car fire investigations are carried out.

There is concern among some motorists that some manufacturing faults are not being pinpointed in a timely manner.

The driver of the car in the above link told ITV News he was concerned that the carmaker had yet to carry out an inspection on his vehicle.

The UK-based manufacturer has had to recall a number of vehicle in recent years, including 2,767 Corsa D Black edition models (1.4L Turbos) because some of them had burst into flames.

There are around 700,000 Corsa D models in Britain, a figure which has prompted some to ask if there should have been a larger-scale recall.

But Vauxhall has said it "is not aware of a fire risk to any other variant of Corsa D."

While many Corsa owners may wonder why full investigations are not carried out whenever there is a fire, Vauxhall says it needs permission from both the car owner and the insurer before an investigation can go ahead.

To complicate matters, affected vehicles are often scrapped before investigators have a chance to examine the wreckage.

Manufacturers such as Vauxhall are often unaware of fire incidents unless they appear in the media. At present insurers are not required to tell carmakers about any fire.

According to ITV News, Dept Chief Officer Chris Blacksell from the Chief Fire Officers' Association says he wants to see an overhaul to the current reporting system.

Meanwhile, Gareth Llewellyn, the chief executive of the Driver and Vehicle Standards Agency, said:

“We are investigating reported faults with Vauxhall Corsa D and E models. Anyone who finds a serious safety defect with their vehicle should report it to us.

“We’ve also made it clear that it’s vital that Vauxhall should be doing everything possible to ensure the safety of its customers and their families. We’re also working with the Department for Transport to consider further action.”

The Vauxhall Corsa is the second most popular car in the UK behind the Ford Fiesta, so the fire safety of the vehicle is understandably of great interest to thousands of motorists.