Volkswagen Group Ireland voluntarily recalls certain SEAT Arona and Ibiza passenger vehicles

The warning came through Safety Gate, the EU-wide rapid alert system for dangerous products.

The vehicles affected were produced between October 2016 and November 2018.

SEAT Ireland has identified a safety issue, whereby, it is possible that on affected vehicles with a rear drum brake, that operational wear of the brake lining and use-related settlement of the drum brake may result in inadequate and ineffective parking brake function.

Approximately 1,549 [406 Arona models and 1143 Ibiza models] vehicles in the Republic of Ireland are affected by this recall campaign.

Owners have already been contacted directly by mail and requested to bring their vehicles to an authorised repairer.

If you believe your vehicle may be impacted, you can call SEAT dealer at 1850 812 763.

Safety Gate issued over 2,257 alerts issued across the Eurozone last year.

Toys belonged to the most notified product category (31%), followed by cars (19%), and ‘clothing, textiles and fashion items’ (10%), while the main risks flagged were chemical risks and injuries (25% each) followed by the choking risk for children (18%).

The Competition and Consumer Protection Commission has updates on all recalls that affect Ireland on its website www.ccpc.ie

Speaking at the launch of the 2018 report in Bucharest recently, EU Commissioner for Consumers, Vera Jourová, warned that she would continue to crack down on rogue manufacturers.

Just over half of all products reported to Safety Gate as hazardous originated in China.

Recently named among Time magazine’s Top 100 Most Influential People Of 2019, Commissioner Jourová has also introduced tougher rules to modernise the supply of digital content and sale of goods.

Two new directives will give consumers more protection when buying goods and services online.

For example, if you buy a smartphone advertised for its high-resolution camera from another EU country but find it takes blurry photos, you will have two years to go back to the online seller and ask them to fix the issue.

If the seller does not, or cannot, fix the problem, the buyer can choose to keep the phone and get a price reduction, or return the phone with a full refund.

The new rules will apply throughout the EU by the end of 2021.