Safety recalls have been announced to correct potential seatbelt issues on the Volkswagen Polo, and the Seat Ibiza and Arona.
Volkswagen and Seat, both part of Volkswagen Group, say there is the possibility that in ‘rare situations’ – such as sudden quick lane changes with five passengers on board, and when the centre rear seat and the left rear seat are occupied at the same time – the seatbelt lock on the left rear seat could be unintentionally released.
The manufacturers say they have identified technical solutions that will prevent this from happening.
Affected cars are 2017 and 2018 model year Ibizas, 2018 model year Aronas and 2018 model year Polos.
Both Volkswagen and Seat say the affected vehicles are legally homologated and safe to drive; however, they say the middle rear seats of the cars should not be used until the issue is fixed.
They say they are now approaching the relevant authorities for their final validation to implement the solutions, both on vehicles in the market and those to be built in future.
The manufacturers say that within the next few weeks they will start recall campaigns, with customers receiving a letter inviting them to arrange an appointment with a service centre.
The check and the implementation of the technical solution will be free of charge.