VW car recall: Popular Polo model sold online with potentially dangerous fault says Which?

Which? claims to have found 6,612 VW Polos, Seat Ibizas and Seat Arenas which have not yet had crucial vehicle updates for a previous recall. The consumer watchdog also reveals many of these cars are being sold through online marketplaces leaving may motorists unaware.

Volkswagen Group issued a recall on 76,000 vehicles last year after the discovery of a seat belt defect. 

In May 2018 the Finnish magazine Tekniikan Maalima found the middle rear-seat belts on the cars could snap if the car suddenly changes direction.

According to Which?, after that fault came to light, the German manufacturer contacted around 12,000 owners. 

However, according to Which? the group continued to sell around another 55,000 cars with a plastic cable that reduced the risk in a temporary fix. 

READ MORE: Over 100,000 BMW models recalled in safety risk 

In November 2018, a full recall was issued by VW, which offered to permanently fix the seatbelt issue. 

The DVSA recall for the VW Polo issued in November 2018 states the left rear seatbelt may unfasten involuntarily.

Speaking to Which? VW said all customers who purchased a car from May 2018 would have been told that they could not use all of their rear seats and would have been made to sign a disclaimer.

However, this has been challenged by Which? who has alleged they have found several motorists who claim they were not told of any potential safety hazards when buying their car from Volkswagen.

 

Natalie Hitchins, Which? Head of Home Products and Services, said: “VW’s handling of the potentially dangerous seatbelt fault was appalling and the decision not to suspend sales put substantially more people at risk.

“While most of the affected cars have since been successfully recalled, there are still thousands of vehicles on the road with a potentially dangerous fault that need to be fixed. 

“Worryingly, these could be resold to new owners with no declaration that the car has been recalled for a safety issue.

“When buying a used car, we’d always advise customers to use the DVSA recall tool to check whether it has any outstanding recalls – and don’t hand over any money until it’s been fixed.”

DVSA’s Head of Vehicle Engineering, Neil Barlow, told Express.co.uk: “DVSA’s priority is to protect everyone from unsafe vehicles and drivers.

“We have taken this issue extremely seriously, which is why a full safety recall was launched and all affected vehicles will be fixed by VW.” 

According to the DVSA, the issues affect relatively new cars and dealers should add updates when their cars are brought in for any service. 

VW says they are committed to contacting affected owners and has said they will work with the DVLA to find the details of those who own cars with outstanding issues. 

According to Which?, VW has confirmed there has been no incidents in relation to the fault in the UK or globally. 

Speaking to the consumer watchdog, a VW spokesperson said: “Affected cars are relatively new and within warranty period. Therefore, customers will bring these cars into official Volkswagen/Seat Retailers for a service (it would be highly unusual for them not to). 

“We make every effort to encourage customers to have a recall carried out at their earliest convenience. Furthermore, any cars that are serviced or sold in our network are checked and if necessary rectified for any outstanding recalls or technical updates.”

The group added no recall usually gets a 100 percent completion rate and it was inevitable some cars would be left unfixed.

source: express.co.uk