The issue was discovered back in May by a Finnish car magazine test drive. When there were three passengers in the back seat of the vehicle and it took a sharp turn, the rear center seat belt would come undone.
According to Volkswagen, the test drive was performed under the ideal conditions, and the issue hasn't been reported or replicated elsewhere. The automaker continued to sell models with the fault until now. A VW spokesperson believed this to be acceptable, according to a statement.
"Given the limited circumstances in which the seatbelt can (in the test conditions) come unbuckled, and the employment of the interim fix and further still the specific warnings provided to users, there is no materially increased risk. It is on that basis that sales continued."
This decision would make the recall notably worse for the company, according to head of home products and services Alex Neill.
"The decision not to suspend sales when the problem was discovered has now put substantially more drivers, as well as their passengers, at risk."
No one has been injured as a result of the fault.
Volkswagen will be contacting customers believed to be affected by the fault. They can then bring their cars in to any VW dealership to have the problem fixed at no cost.
