I couldn’t open my car door for TWO MONTHS due to a design fault… someone could die but the DVSA doesn’t care
A RETIRED mechanic could not open his car’s back door for TWO MONTHS due to a design fault – but the DVSA refuse to declare it a safety issue.
Paul Sherborne, 75, was furious when officials instead told him to climb out through his Volvo’s small window in the event of a crash.
He accused the Driver and Vehicle Standards Agency (DVSA) of endangering lives with the advice, adding it is impossible to fit adults through the 190x210mm window.
Paul, of Fremington, North Devon, told The Sun: “Of course it’s a safety issue. That’s what annoys me most.
“This is a government department not fit for purpose. I told them to show me how to get out of that window and I haven’t heard from them since.
“They only care about covering themselves. They are putting safety at risk with this advice. But they don’t want to do anything about it. Why have they sided with a billion-pound company?
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“Imagine you are in a motorway crash or the car is on fire and you have to get out immediately. What if there’s a child in the back?
“There’s no way you are getting through that window and it is hard to climb over the front seat. Put simply, you are dead.”
Paul realised one of the back doors of his Volvo V40 was broken in February when wife Patricia couldn’t open it from the inside or outside to get her coat at a neighbour’s funeral in Bath.
The door worked as usual before they set off on their 100-mile journey but the deadlock had jammed when they arrived.
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He saved himself £600 by fixing the issue himself last month but insisted it should not be up to the driver to eliminate the safety risk.
Paul added: “It was one hell of a job. I was lucky I could do it but it shouldn’t be for me to fix. The DVSA should be more concerned.”
He said an online forum showed hundred of people have had the same problem as him with various models, and said there was talk two years ago of a recall.
DVSA investigates safety defects within the terms of the Code of Practice on Vehicle Safety Defect.
A representative told Mr Sherborne: “Investigation concluded that once the condition has been noted, the driver can then ensure the seating position remains unoccupied until suitable repairs have been carried out.
“Occupants can exit from the vehicle by using one of the remaining operational doors or in case of emergencies an open window if the doors fail to open.
“In addition, emergency services or passers-by may also open the remaining doors using the external handles.
“To conclude, DVSA does not consider the failure of a door handle mechanism to meet the safety criteria as set out within Section 3 of the Code of Practice and will now close this case.”
Volvo told him: “We have been made aware of an issue with the door locks on some of our models.”
But it reiterated that the DVSA concluded it was not a safety issue, adding: “The decision was not taken by Volvo directly.”
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Paul said he has no issue with Volvo as it had contacted the DVSA, but he is furious with the Department for Transport.
He added: “I can’t stomach these people. I ain’t got room for none of them. They are not worth voting for.”