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Volkswagen is to officially recall about 75,000 cars, as a temporary solution to the problem of the seatbelt has been replaced by a permanent solution.
Consumers group who? sentenced VW for initially proposing an "informal reminder" and a temporary solution to what it described as a "potentially fatal fault" in which the central rear seat belt could breaking and loosening if the car turned or changed lanes at high speed.
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The organization estimates that the Volkswagen Group (VWG) has sold about 55,000 cars with this problem since it was informed a few months ago.
The temporary solution involved the use of cable ties to secure the defective seat belt – a solution that the Driver and Vehicle Standards Agency (DVSA) rejected. VW nevertheless advised drivers not to use the central rear seat even with the temporary fix.
Which? was contacted by Polo owners who said they had not been informed of the breakdown four weeks after the purchase of the car after receiving a letter from VW.
A permanent solution is being deployed, but which one? General Manager of Home Products and Services, Alex Neill, described VW's handling of the issue as "totally unsatisfactory" and asked DVSA to conduct an investigation.
In a statement, a spokesman for VWG Group said that "the top priority of the Volkswagen Group is the safety of its customers," adding that VW and SEAT were taking "a number of steps to ensure the safety of their customers in the context of the seatbelt issue ".
The company stated that it wrote to all the registered holders of the vehicles concerned to inform them of the fault, by providing them with stickers for the dashboard stating that the rear seat belt was not to be used and informing them when the vehicle was not in use. they came to the dealership to receive the temporary contract. the cable tie corrects the fact that the problem was still present and that the sticker on the dashboard was necessary.
He added that his communication with the DVSA on the issue had been "open, regular and transparent".
Volkswagen and SEAT continue to sell cars with a seatbelt defect
SEAT and Volkswagen continue to sell cars with a potentially serious seat belt failure, despite the recall.
The problem was identified in May and concerns 2018 examples of VW Polo, SEAT Ibiza and SEAT Arona. If three people are seated in the back of each car, when changing lanes at high speed, the middle seatbelt bushing may press the rear seatbelt bushing release button left, which detaches the seat belt.
But the cars involved are still sold to their customers with a temporary solution in place rather than permanent. The temporary patch simply attaches the center and rear left seat belts together, changes their height relative to each other and minimizes the risk of unintentional loosening of the buckle.
A permanent patch involving a redesigned safety belt lock has been designed, but should not be rolled out until November, and cars are still being sold with the temporary patch in place. New customers are asked to sign a disclaimer when purchasing the cars concerned, warning them not to carry three pbadengers back and also having a warning sticker for their car .
In a joint statement by VW and SEAT, the two companies "confirmed a technical problem regarding the new Polo, Ibiza and Arona models (model year 2018)". For this reason, "the brands advise their customers not to use the central seat of the vehicles concerned until they are equipped with the redesigned belt lock."
VW and SEAT pointed out that the circumstances in which the rear seat belt could come off represented an "extremely low risk" that could arise in "exceptionally specific and rare driving conditions".
They also stressed that safety remains a "top priority" and that "the Volkswagen Polo, the SEAT Ibiza and the SEAT Arona are legally approved and can be safely driven.
When the problem was discovered, Caroline Hicks of the DVSA (Vehicle and Vehicle Management Agency), the government recall management organization, said the DVSA was "in discussion with the VW group about the lack of the seatbelt and a full recall will be made when an appropriate fix is agreed. "
The road tests of the Finnish automotive magazine Tekniikan Maailma first noticed the problem when the group tested the Arona SUV and then reproduced it in the SEAT Ibiza and VW Polo models, all based on the Volkswagen Arona Group's architecture. and equipped with safety belts designed by Takata.
Tekniikan Maailma has not been able to reproduce the fault in the VW T-Roc, which has a similar layout to the rear buckle, but features seat belts manufactured by another company. As a result of this, the magazine concluded, "The reason to unlock is a combination of loosely arranged loops and trigger buttons in loops manufactured by Takata."
After studying the matter, SEAT later admitted that the Finnish publication was right. A statement from the company at the time was as follows: "SEAT has confirmed a technical problem regarding the new models Ibiza (models 2017 and 2018) and Arona (model year 2018): it is possible that in rare cases (sudden change of lane with five pbadengers on board) and when the central rear seat and the left rear seat are occupied simultaneously, the left seat belt may come off unintentionally.
"At SEAT, safety remains a top priority and the brand has already identified a technical solution that will prevent this."
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