MG 3 Faces Critical Safety Failure in Euro NCAP Crash Test
Europe’s leading safety testing organisation has raised concerns over the safety of the driver’s seat in the MG 3, highlighting a “critical safety failure” that prompted an urgent update for the supermini.
During Euro NCAP’s frontal offset crash test, where 40% of the car’s front end collides with a barrier, the testing body discovered that the seat latching mechanism in the MG 3 failed. This failure caused the driver’s seat to twist during impact, leading to a more severe impact on the crash test dummy’s right leg. As a result, the protection of the driver’s right femur was rated as “poor” by Euro NCAP.
Euro NCAP, with 28 years of crash testing experience, stated that it had never encountered a failure of this nature before. In response to the findings, MG implemented changes to reinforce the latching mechanism in August.
Furthermore, Euro NCAP identified that in a crash, the driver’s head could potentially “bottom out” through the airbag, resulting in only adequate head protection for the MG 3. MG has committed to adjusting the airbag in October, although these changes will not apply to previously delivered models.
Euro NCAP has notified type-approval authorities about the faults, urging them to consider issuing a recall for affected vehicles. Autocar reached out to MG Motor UK for their response on the matter.
Despite the safety concerns raised, the MG 3 still received a four-star safety rating out of five from Euro NCAP. In light of these findings, Euro NCAP announced plans to revise how crash tests are scored, as the current system does not account for component failures.
