2025 MG3 crash test exposes failure
Aussies have been warned not to buy this popular car after it suffered a ‘rare and serious failure’ during crash testing, that somehow led to it receiving an upgraded rating.
MG has issued a recall for more than 10,000 cars after a shock crash test result that exposed flaws in the MG3 hatchback.
The brand says it will recall 10,516 cars to reinforce a seat mechanism that failed during a European crash test, resulting in the driver’s seat sliding forward by 111.5 millimetres, which it says “may increase the risk of leg injuries in the event of a frontal impact”.
“As at the date of this recall, MG Motor is not aware of any incidents relating to the defect,” it says.
“MG Motor will also be contacting impacted MG3 owners directly. Owners are encouraged to contact their local MG Motor service centre as soon as possible to arrange a visit where MG Motor will fit an additional component to the driver’s seat rail of their MG3.”
Safety authorities urged people not to buy the popular MG3 hatchback after the “rare and serious failure”.
Euro NCAP found part of the driver’s seat in the budget hatchback failed, placing the driver at higher risk of injury.
The driver’s head also made contact with the steering wheel after it was not adequately protected by the airbag.
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Euro NCAP said the unprecedented failure of the car’s seat adjuster mechanism is the first in hundreds of vehicle assessments conducted since 1997.
It said MG representatives “initially argued that the failure was due to improper latching of the seat before the test” before promising to redesign the system, which may be part of a future safety recall.
Aled Williams, programme director at Euro NCAP, said “it is troubling to find a car on sale in 2025 with a fundamental weakness in its seat latching mechanism, an essential part of the car’s occupant restraint system”.
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“For that reason, we would recommend that consumers consider alternatives to the MG3,” he said.
The failure will also reboot processes at the testing body and its sister program, ANCAP, as it did not effect the car’s final score.
COMPLETE SAFETY FAILURE
In fact, the MG3’s safety score increased from three to four stars following the test, as MG added a driver monitoring system and other additional elements to the car.
The European safety body conceded that “despite the seriousness of the issue, which raises questions about how well the 3 can protect its driver in the event of an impact, Euro NCAP’s scoring system does not currently allow for a deduction or override in the case of such a component failure”.
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Dr Williams said “this is an almost unheard-of occurrence, but one that Euro NCAP will address through changes to our protocols and scoring so we can reflect any failure – even if the car’s overall performance is good – in our ratings”.
ANCAP chief executive Carla Hoorweg said “this uplift from three stars to four stars is a step in the right direction, yet the seat latch failure is not something we expect to see, and is cause for caution,” she said.
“It is clear that MG is trying hard to bring improved products to market. What we want to see, however, is a focus on quality as well as safety. These elements go hand-in-hand.”
“The failure of the seat adjuster increased the risk of injury to the driver. Key vehicle components like this should be able to withstand this typical urban-environment crash. We expect MG to make a running change to rectify the fault, and move to retrospectively fix affected vehicles already in the market.”
An MG spokesman said “MG is committed to continuing to improve safety across our range of vehicles wherever possible. We’re proud to see the MG3 receive a higher safety rating across its range”.
“Our team has worked to improve the safety of this model and to ensure it was retested,” they said.
“We have taken ANCAP’s testing results and feedback on board and will incorporate this information into future models.”
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Originally published as 2025 MG3 crash test exposes failure
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