Britain’s most popular car brand recalls 359 motors over ‘dazzling’ headlights that ‘increase risk’ of crash

BRITAIN's most popular car brand has recalled 359 motors over “dazzling” highlights that “increase the risk” of a crash.

Volkswagen bosses warned the manufacturing error, which affects the T-Roc SUV, could even result in “injury” or “death” if the recall is not observed.

The notice, issued by the Australian arm of the company, explained that headlights on a batch of cars had been wrongly fitted.

It said: “Due to a calibration issue, the LED Matrix HD headlights may have been adjusted incorrectly.

“As a result, oncoming traffic could be dazzled by the dipped beam.

“If the vehicle headlights do not operate as intended it could increase the risk of an accident causing injury or death to vehicle occupants or other road users.”

The motor was first unveiled in 2017 – and is widely hailed as an SUV version of the famed Golf.

The affected batch includes cars produced in Australia between 2024 and 2025 – and covers all variants of the model.

A full list of vehicle identification numbers can be found on the recall notice.

The German carmaker urged owners to visit their local dealership for a free inspection.

It said: “Owners of affected vehicles can contact their preferred authorised Volkswagen dealership to schedule an appointment to have the vehicle inspected and rectified, free of charge.”

It comes after five major carmakers – Kia, BMW, Renault, Tesla and Jaguar Land Rover – voluntarily recalled more than 76,000 vehicles in Korea.

Problems prompting the mass recall included a faulty airbag system in Kia‘s Niro EV, problems in the cooling pump wire connector of BMW‘s 528i, and transformer software problems in Renault Korea's Arkana SUV.

Drivers in the UK can find out if a manufacturer has recalled any vehicle, part, or accessory due to a serious safety problem using the GOV.uk website.

Although usually, if a vehicle has a serious safety defect, the manufacturer will write to you to tell you what to do.

Generally, if a car needs to be fixed or replaced by a manufacturer, the car's owner rarely, if ever, needs to pay for repairs or parts.

Car recalls must be taken seriously, and drivers are urged not to drive their vehicle when it's been flagged for a fault.

However, according to recent findings by vehicle history checking service CarVertical, almost three-quarters of cars in the UK recalled for safety or mechanical issues remain on the roads with unresolved problems.

Their study reviewed vehicle history reports from January 2023 to September 2024 and found that only 28% of recalled vehicles in the UK had their defects addressed.

Concerningly, many of these recalls involve critical safety components, such as airbags, brakes, and electrical systems.

While many factory faults are minor, some can pose safety risks.

The study suggests that many UK drivers may be unaware of their vehicle's recall status or how important it is to address these issues.

Some defects, such as the Takata airbag scandal in 2013, have had serious consequences in the past.

But despite extensive recalls by manufacturers such as BMW, Ford, Honda, and Toyota, vehicles with these dangerous airbags still appear on the used car market today.

Despite that, the UK had the lowest recall rate among the 26 countries studied, with just 3.1% of cars recalled at least once.

The highest recall rates were seen inPortugal,GreeceandSpain.

Matas Buzelis, an expert at CarVertical, said: “As cars become increasingly modern and incorporate more electrical components, recalls are becoming more common.

“Fortunately, these issues are usually resolved during regular vehicle maintenance, causing minimal inconvenience to drivers.”;