Frustrating faults: MG4 SR

[PercyMinder]

Sounds like you have a car from a batch close to mine. (Mine was built late August '22 and I collected on 25-Nov-22). Mine had the oil leak fix (3 times - now seems OK) and also software updates (including the lock in recall) and has generally been OK. Yes, LKA isn't great but anecdotal evidence suggests that it's not wildly worse than many other systems out there - and as there aren't driver profiles then NCAP says it has to default to On if you want a 5-star rating. A quick way to turn it off would be better - even as an option from the pull down menu on the Infotainment screen (i.e. where you can turn off ESC).

You haven't given a timeline above so I can't really advise further re. Consumer Rights ... if the issues you've raised re. "features" are the main reason for rejection then this may be problematic as it's a very subjective assessment.

@siteguru can I try again?

Perpetual issue:
1] On switching the car from Normal to Sport on the central screen with in a few minutes the setting jumps to ‘Snow’ (- although I believe the car is in Sport mode).

Transient issues:
2] Fails to ‘see’ the key and refuses to go into drive - the only solution has been to get out the car, lock it and then start again. (Comment: key is in the central console!)

3] Reduced regen braking warning given above 95% SOC does not always display.

4] Reduced regen braking warning appears at SOC below 95%. (Although braking not affected & from memory the record low is 73%).

5] Energy use ‘green bar’ has appeared as orange.

6] Android Auto on the central screen - I have many of the issues noted by other contributors - in addition (?) if I switch off ‘maps’ to alter central screen settings and the maps are off for more than a few seconds the phone link is most often lost. I also have problems that the associated ‘star’ button and ‘speech’ buttons on the steering wheel can refuse to work.
(I would rate this as Android Auto / Info screen fault as ‘often’ rather than occasional).

7] (This has only happened when waiting at traffic lights). Sitting in drive & handbrake on. Go to accelerate away and car refuses to move and tells me to ‘fasten seatbelt’…… The only solution I found was to put the car into Park then start again.
FYI to me this is as bad an issue as LKA.

Timeline(?)

A] Issues reported when it went in for the ‘lock-in’ recall: 2] & 6] - Jan ’23. Not fixed and reported for resolution in the next set of visits.

B] Issues itemised for its 3 visits in June/July ‘23 year: 1], 2], 3], 6], 7]

Since these have all reoccurred since the 3rd visit. Q: how many attempts to fix these problems is reasonable?

For item 1] I was told MG would be consulted. Q: is it reasonable that since July I have had no feedback?

C] Issue 4]. This one is new being seen since the 3rd visit.

My expectations:

The MG4 I own occasionally shows a number of messages which are clearly ‘in error’ and behaves in an unplanned manner (fault 7]). These issues seem almost unique to my vehicle and are not seen by the vast majority of MG4 owners & drivers.

I want a vehicle that is not unique. I want an MG4 like virtually everyone to whom such issues are unknown.

Q: is that unreasonable?

But:

Q: Is my situation, the type of faults experienced and the unsuccessful attempts to resolve them sufficient to make claims against MG for ‘goods not fit for purpose’?

@siteguru you mention ‘subjective’ - do you consider my 6 transient faults as such?

 

[siteguru]

Perpetual - I get that too, as does @Rolfe. It's a niggle but as I don't often use Sport mode then I classify it as something that needs to be fixed and will in good time. It doesn't affect the actual usage of the car nor how it responds. (As you say, it is actually in Sport).

Transient:
2) I've never had that - however it's an issue which impacts usage of the car so it is important. When did you first report that to the seller? Have they tried to fix it?

3) & 4) I've never had these. It's a notification indication but the car response isn't affected so I'm not sure how much weight this issue holds in respect of rejection.

5) I've had that once only. Not really concerned about it.

6) AA is sometimes problematic for me but not often. Usual advice is to make sure you have a good quality cable (USB 3 compatible to maximise data rate). Another bit of advice is to force stop AA on the phone so that it all properly restarts.

7) I've never had this, but I have read about someone else having this - however it's an issue which impacts usage of the car so it is important. When did you first report that to the seller? Have they tried to fix it?

IMHO items 2 and 7 are worthy of pursuing and may be faults that could support rejection. Timeline is important ... however even if you're successful with rejection you won't get a full refund.

 

[Rolfe]

1. That's a software bug. I only know it's there because I looked for it. The driver's screen continues to display "SPORT" and as I have the central screen either on Home or Android Auto, I don't notice the bug there. I don't think it's an issue.
2. I have never experienced that in my car. It's clearly an issue, although whether it's enough to trigger a rejection is something I'm doubtful about.
3. I have never noticed that happening, although I couldn't swear it has never happened because I don't look out for it. I know what regenerative braking does and doesn't do without a warning. I doubt that's a serious issue.
4. That is definitely strange, and not something I have noticed. Seems related to 3. Again, seems to be a software fault, probably would be fixed by an upgrade, but it doesn't affect the way the car operates.
5. That seems to be a side-effect of a larger fault. The bar should be green until it reaches 50% then amber until it gets to 10%, then red. That's what it does on the MG5, and even on some MG4s. In most MG4s it stays green to 5% (decimal point in the wrong place?), but the amber colour sometimes seems to get lonely and to want to come out to play. Again it's a software fault that doesn't affect the operation of the car. The bar is reading the correct SoC no matter what colour it is.
6. I've not been using AA for long but in general I'm pleased with it. I have been aware that sometimes the volume controls go a bit strange, but I'm not the best person to judge to be honest. Your issues may not be unique.
7. I have not experienced this, but then I usually use autohold rather than the handbrake switch at traffic lights. And if the autohold fault surfaces and I decide not to bother clearing it, I just keep my foot on the footbrake. (You don't mention getting the autohold fault?) You could try using the autohold rather than the handbrake to avoid the issue, although I appreciate you'd prefer it to be resolved.

I think only fault 2 is a real issue. Fault 7 may be if it happens with autohold as well, I don't know. I'd be getting stroppy with the dealer to FIX THINGS rather than contemplating rejection over these issues, but your mileage may vary.

I wonder about going to another dealer if your original one isn't giving you satisfaction. I'm not sure where you stand though, if it's been more than a year and you reported the faults to a different dealer.

 

[Deleted member 14300]

I've a feeling from what I've been told, lka is the main problem and MG needs to learn to permanantly switch it off. Its an inherant design problem. Its actually worse in the Ora Funky cat. Anything to do with auto lane keep or white line stray over needs to be off, end of. The car needs to be steerable by us and us only.

 

[NickHeynes]

The autohold fault is an odd one. It seems to be entirely random, not related to anything the driver does. I had it a few times when I first got the car, then not at all, then a couple more times, and I can't remember when I saw it last.

I usually go out and come in again if I get it, but at least once I just drove home without the autohold because it was pouring with rain at the time.

I've found that as well as having the odd autohold fault in the early days of owning the car, (Resolved with an update I think). If I have to reboot the audio system cos AA has thrown a hissy fit again, the autohold fault can appear if I release the home button before the infotainment system has fully rebooted . Just another of the many and varied idiosyncracies this bloody car has!

 

[Deleted member 14300]

Had it once and once only, just going into a mcdonalds drove through on an incline. It chose wisely where to fail, but hasn't since. The AA hissy fit is the software in the head unit. Reboot and away you go. I'd love to know how if the radar controls adaptive cruise control, yet blind the camera and you get the cruise working perfect for a good forty miles and then all of a sudden it fails and up comes the warnings. If anything, if the camera is blinded, radar should be the goto.

 

[tsedge]

Generally speaking, my understanding is that rejection of a vehicle as being unfit for purpose requires there to be a serious impediment to using it, such as the car won't move, has a tiny range, has warnings or faults showing that mean the car should not be used, has some significant performance or power loss issues.

I don't think small bugs in the software can be included, unless you can demonstrate that they affect your resonable use of the vehicle as expected from how it was advertised - eg some key advertised feature is not available that you would reasonably depend on.