Volkswagen Polo recall for MY18

Volkswagen Australia has announced it is recalling model year 2018 examples of its new Polo light hatch, over an obscure rear seatbelt issue.

According to the German carmaker, the fault occurs when the rear left and centre seats are occupied at the same time, and in rare situations can result in the left seatbelt becoming unbuckled unintentionally.

It is understood that the unbuckling is most likely to occur in situations with high lateral force, such as a rapid lane change or hard cornering.

The fault occurs when the rear left and centre seats are occupied at the same time, and in rare situations can result in the left seatbelt becoming unbuckled unintentionally.

While the Polo is equipped with front and rear seatbelt alerts, Volkswagen is urging customers not to use the middle rear seat until the vehicle is equipped with a redesigned belt lock fixture. The manufacturer says the car is otherwise safe to drive.

Volkswagen Australia is still determining the exact number of affected vehicles, and says it will immediately notify owners of susceptible examples.

The issue has affected Polos across various worldwide markets, and Volkswagen says it has identified a technical solution to the issue.

Arriving in Australia in March, the sixth-generation Polo is the first all-new light hatch from the brand since 2010.

It is offered from launch with two engine tunes, 70kW/175Nm in the 70TSI and 85kW/200Nm in the 85TSI. A hot Polo GTI version will also join the range in the future with a 147kW/320Nm 2.0-litre four-pot engine.

It is understood that the unbuckling is most likely to occur in situations with high lateral force.

Through the first four months of 2018, Volkswagen has sold 1974 examples of the Polo, down 8.9 per cent over the 2166 it managed to the same point last year.

Its 2017 figure of 6515 sales also fell by 20.4 per cent from 8186 in 2016, outpacing the 10.6 per cent decline in light car sales.

Do you own one of the new-generation Polos that are affected by this recall? Tell us what you think in the comments below.