After 23 cars self-combusted...

After 23 cars self-combusted, the French manufacturer was forced to recall and fix 28,000 vehicles built before May 2003. The fires, which all happened in Sweden, Norway and Denmark, only related to 1.6 or 2.0-litre petrol versions. All the cars went up in flames while the engine was turned off.

Investigations by the Danish Institute of Fire and Security Technology found the source of the problem was the combination of the high salt content in grit used on Scandinavian roads and the long damp winters. This caused a connector in the car"s steering system to corrode heavily, short-circuit and burst into flames. The fire then spread to the rest of the vehicle.

A statement on the French maker"s Danish website advised owners not to leave children and animals alone in their 307 for long periods. Commenting on the recall, a spokesman for Peugeot Denmark admitted: "Although the risk is minor, I wouldn"t leave my children in the car until the problem is sorted."

According to Peugeot UK, no similar incidents have been reported outside Scandinavia. A spokeswoman said: "The faults were caused by the conditions in those countries, so there is no risk to UK cars, and the recall doesn"t apply here.

"However, any owner who plans to take their 307 to Scandinavia for a long period should call their dealer for advice before going." The fire risk comes after Peugeot"s sister firm Citroen recalled thousands of C3s across Europe in 2003 to check for a failure in the ABS braking system. That too had the potential to start a fire in the vehicle"s engine bay.