Driver's seat belt latch failed at 4200 miles. Seat belt would not buckle.

- Mebane, NC, USA

On the morning of February 25th, as I was leaving home and attempted to buckle the driver's side seatbelt on a 2003 Volkswagen Passat gls. The latch did not hold the metal belt tongue. I drove directly to the dealer where the vehicle was purchased and left it for repairs. When arriving to pick up the vehicle late in the afternoon, I was advised the repairs were not completed due to the need to order a part, which was to arrive in 4-7 days. When asking for a replacement vehicle, the response was negative and they seemed unconcerned with the fact a critical safety feature was not operable. My home state, Tennessee, has a law clearly requiring seatbelt use, and I am a firm believer in the ability of a seatbelt to reduce the portential of a critical injury or death. This is confirmed by your Agency and by the owner's manual provided by Volkswagen. At this point, I am using the buckle on the passenger side, which caused the belt to ride just below my neck and obstructs my arm when shifts the manual transmission. It appears the seatbelt latch seriously lacks quality and is poorly constructed. Considering the latch has not been abused, has never been involved in a accident and there is no visible sign of external damage, it could easily be concluded to either poor workmanship or materials. In addition, considering this failure occurred under normal use and with limited miles (8,899) on the vehicle, it is alarming to consider what could have been the results if the failure became evident in an accident.

- Franklin, TN, USA