Used Seat Ateca 2016-present reliability

As unlikely as this kind of damage may be, check underneath the Seat Ateca for any signs of off-road abuse - particularly on 4x4 vehicles – because some may have ventured down muddy tracks or towed things in and out of fields.

A number of Atecas will be used by families, so look out for any marks or rips on the seats or heavily scuffed plastics. It’s all well screwed together, but you ought to check anyway.

A number of owners have highlighted issues with the powered tailgate system. If you happen to be looking at an Ateca with this feature, make sure it works. If it doesn’t, mention it to the dealer because the Ateca is still quite new and will still fall within its manufacturer warranty.

Driver's airbag

The driver's airbag on Atecas made from 1-17 December 2017 might not inflate fast enough to offer the correct level of protection. Speak to your local Seat dealer for further information; affected cars will need to have the airbag unit replaced with a revised part.

Rear seat frame

Poor welds attaching the rear headrest to the rear backrest of some Atecas manufactured between 1 May 2018 and 31 August 2018 pose a safety issue. Check with your Seat dealer to make sure this has been sorted because the whole backrest will need to be replaced on affected cars.

Faulty indicators/turn signals

The driver may not be warned if there is an issue with the indicators/turn signals of Atecas built between 1 November 2016 and 5 July 2018. Find out if your example needs remedial work carried out at a dealer because revised software will need to be uploaded to fix this.

Too little engine torque at low speed

A software update is required on examples made between 26 September 2018 and 7 June 2019 in order to increase the amount of torque the engine provides at low speeds to improve drivability.

Cracks in the front left seat frame

The front left (front passenger) seat frame could be cracked and affects a small number of Atecas manufactured between 1 and 9 February 2019, so contact your dealer for further information. Your car will need a new frame if it is affected.

Electronic parking brake

There's a possibility that the electronic parking brake on examples constructed from 1 April 2016 to 5 August 2018 could release as soon as the clutch is depressed and catch drivers out. Contact a Seat dealer to find out if yours need to have this recall carried out, and have updated programming uploaded.

Rear wheel bearing housing

A small number of Atecas built between 24-29 August 2017 have a problem with cracks forming in the housing surrounding the rear wheel bearing. Check with a Seat dealer to find out if your car is affected by this since it'll need to have a new housing fitted to prevent future issues.

Incorrect headlight angle

The angle of the headlights could be wrong on examples made between 1 July 2018 and 14 October 2018 and could dazzle other road users. You local Seat dealer will be able to let you know if your car needs to have the programming for the headlights updated.

Internal safety pins for central rear headrest

The internal safety pins in the central rear headrest could be missing on cars made from 10 April 2018 to 22 June 2018. If your car is affected then it'll need to have the headrest replaced at a Seat dealer, but if you contact them with the registration number, they'll be able to let you know if it is.

In our latest What Car? Reliability Survey, Seat Atecas ranked 17th out of 34 cars in the family SUV class, with a great overall score of 93.1%. That ranked it above the Kia Sportage and the Volvo XC40, but below the BMW X1 and the Skoda Karoq. Check out the full list of family SUVs here.

Seat as a brand placed 18th out of 32 manufacturers featured with a good overall score of 90.9%, above manufacturers like Nissan, Peugeot and Volkswagen, but below BMW, Dacia and Kia. Check out the full list of brands here.

If you would like to see the full reliability list, head to the What Car? Reliability Survey pages for more information.