Australia’s best-selling city car in major safety recall

MG has issued a safety recall for its popular MG light-car series, the MG3, in Australia this week.

The problem has to do with a failure in the driver’s seat when fitted with a six-way manual adjuster – a situation that can lead to unpredictable and potentially very serious outcomes.

In certain circumstances during a collision, it is possible for the seat to slide forward by nearly 112mm (or almost 4.4 inches) on the left-hand-side (centre-console side), compromising driver safety.

Essentially, it causes the seat to twist forward.

“This movement may increase the risk of leg injuries in the event of a frontal impact,” according to a statement released by MG Motor Australia.

The safety recall affects over 10,500 cars sold in Australia and manufactured from March 6, 2024 and July 30, 2025.

The findings come after Euro NCAP conducted a crash-test simulation using the 2025 MG MG3 earlier this year, prompting representatives of the Chinese brand to alert the Department of Infrastructure, Transport, Regional Development, Communication, Sport and Arts.

“This movement exacerbated the loads on the driver dummy’s right leg and protection for that part of the body was rated as poor,” Euro NCAP delivered in its verdict.

“This, in turn, meant that MG was precluded from demonstrating the protection offered to occupants of different sizes sitting in different positions.”

Additionally, there were issues with the driver’s head receiving insufficient protection from the steering-wheel airbag, creating excessive head movement, and resulting in a rating of “Poor” for head protection.

As a result, the government body issued a bulletin that went into more detail, shedding more light on the urgency of the matter.

“In the event of collision, the inner side of the cushion frame may move forward and downwards much further than expected, inadvertently contacting the unlocking lever and then the locking pin, thereby causing the inboard rail to unlock. In the event of an accident if the driver seat moves excessively, it could increase the risk of injury or death to vehicle occupants.”

While the number of affected vehicles (10,516 to be specific) is comparatively high, there have been no known cases of any injury occurring as a direct result of seat movement in Australia.

“As at the date of this recall, MG Motor is not aware of any incidents relating to the defect,” the company said, adding what should happen next to have the issue rectified.

“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. This fitment will be conducted at no charge. The component will ensure optimal performance and safety and is estimated to take from 30 minutes up to one hour.”

Concerned owners or drivers of the MG3 in question can also contact the brand’s customer care service on 1800 644 637 across Australia.

A Toyota Yaris and Suzuki Swift competitor, the MG3 has been under a safety cloud as a result of receiving just three out of five stars last year by The Australasian New Car Assessment Program (ANCAP), which forced MG to implement a round of updates earlier this year.

These include improved collision avoidance capability, a driver monitoring system and a centre airbag for the front seat.

However, on reassessment, ANCAP upped all MG3s built from April 30, 2025 onwards with a four-star rating, much to the shock of the company itself, which was expecting the full five stars.

Ironically, the current MG3 was heralded as the safest in the nameplate’s eight-year career in Australia, raising the level of active and passive safety systems compared to the ageing original that was launched here in 2016 but actually dated back to 2011 in its native China.

It isn’t just the MG that’s had disappointing safety results.

The current Suzuki Swift, which was launched in Australia around the same time as the MG3 in mid-2024, initially incurred a shocking one-star ANCAP rating last year, even though the European-market version managed three stars, due to differences in structural integrity that could cause chest and leg injuries to the driver, as well as harm to rear passengers due to chest compression injury.

However, models made from August 2025 added front-structure reinforcements that align it to European models, prompting ANCAP to up its rating to three stars.