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MG3 owners urged to fix serious driver’s seat fault by Euro NCAP

MG has issued a safety recall on its family hatchback after it suffered a serious fault during crash testing

MG3 front cornering

Drivers of some versions of the MG 3 small car are being urged to take their car to a dealership by Europe’s leading safety testing organisation, Euro NCAP, after it suffered a serious safety failure during crash testing.

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The recall concerns a seat latch failure, which occurred during the frontal offset crash test conducted in September last year, in which the car is driven front-on into a barrier. The MG 3’s driver’s seat rail mechanism failed, causing the seat to become unlatched during the impact. This led to a more severe impact on the crash dummy’s right leg, resulting in a "poor" score for protection for that body region, and prompting an immediate update for the car. Following the incident, Euro NCAP warned consumers to avoid the MG 3.

MG issued a free recall for owners of concerned vehicles manufactured before August 2025 and contacted owners directly to have their cars repaired for free at their local MG dealership.

Eleanor Cooper

Updated: 14 May 2026

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Vehicles manufactured after August 2025 have been built with the necessary fixes to resolve the issue.

Dr Aled Williams, Programme Director at Euro NCAP, said: "This was a significant safety flaw that Euro NCAP uncovered, and we were pleased with MG Motor’s robust response. Owners of the MG3 and MG3 Hybrid+ who haven’t heard about the vehicle recall or are still to take action should contact their local MG dealer, and they will confirm whether their car is one of the affected models, and arrange repairs, if necessary, at no cost to the owner."

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Despite the serious failure during testing, Euro NCAP still scored the MG 3 four stars out of five for safety at the time, stating that its scoring system does not allow for a reduction in such a situation.

The MG 3 scored 74% for adult occupant safety, 73% for child occupant safety, 81% for vulnerable road user protection and 69% for its safety assist systems.

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