John_Bolton

I am pleased to say this matter has now been resolved for me. It appears there are now TWO genuine Skoda towbars available: a manually REMOVABLE towbar and an electric FOLDABLE towbar. Following my formal complaint, I was quoted £470 and £800 respectively for these two options, including installation and VAT. I realise these were very reasonable prices considering the other posts here. I was initially considering the cheaper DETACHABLE towbar and looked in detail at the installation guide. This Skoda towbar appeared almost identical to the Westfalia detachable towbar I had fitted already. It seemed rediculous to replace one towbar with another which was exactly the same and pay £470 for the privilege! However I recognised that the Skoda electrics may be different and in fact be the only ones the car would recognise. I queried this and asked if the Skoda electrics could be fitted to my existing Westfalia towbar? I was given a price of £259 for fitting the Skoda electrics only, with the proviso that the outcome could not be guaranteed, as it comprised a combination of genuine Skoda and third party products. In the end I opted for the more expensive FOLDABLE Skoda towbar, as at least I would be getting more functionality for my money. This was fitted in a day by my local Skoda dealer and is indeed a very good product, as described scotjimland1. I have towed for over 100 miles and the Proactive Occupant Protection System hasn't fired once. The car's software clearly recognises a trailer is attached and adjusts the car's safety systems accordingly. I can reverse without the rear parking sensors or rear automatic emergency braking activating. The maximum allowed road speed shows both the maximum for the road and the reduced limit for vehicles with trailers (e.g. 70 mph and 60 mph with a trailer icon). I expect these software changes work the same way with the DETACHABLE Skoda towbar. The FOLDABLE towbar is released with a very neat switch in the boot which matches other switches on the vehicle. Although this solution has cost me money to resolve what is really Skoda's problem, I concluded it was the best option in the circumstances to allow me to get on and enjoy caravanning again.

That does sound like a good result and a premium product, albeit at a premium price! If this is the ONLY towbar which can be used safely with the Mk IV Superb, I think Skoda needs to be highlighting this to prospective buyers in advance; it will definitely put some people off. The extent to which Skoda should be helping owners who have only discovered this after experiencing problems towing is a moot point. I am still having the matter on my vehicle being investigated by Skoda. Please keep us informed if any problems occur subsequently with the new towbar. I am sometimes able to tow for 100 miles before the Proactive Occupant Protection System fires off

Nowhere does it say in Skoda's literature that you must buy a Skoda towbar if you want to tow. I wouldn't have bought the car if that had been stated upfront. There wasn't a Skoda towbar available at the time anyway. I'm not prepared to pay for the expensive Skoda towbar retrospectively, which hasn't in any case been proven to solve the problem to my knowledge? I would rather have the Protective Occupant Protection System deactivated altogether

Interesting updates. I'm about to enter into dialogue with my dealer over this and haven't given up on pinning responsibility on Skoda yet. It is clearly a fault with the car's software, not a problem with the 3rd party towbar itself or associated wiring. The car doesn't actually know which make of towbar is fitted and all trailer wiring sockets have a standard configuration. It's just Skoda not wanting to provide updated software free of charge! Like others, I followed the advice of my Skoda dealer when using a 3rd party installer (being the only option available at the time) so Skoda can't deny any responsibility. Does anyone know if the Skoda towbar and associated coding change actually SOLVES the Proactive Passenger Protection System problem we have all been encountering?? It's entirely possible the problem remains with Skoda's towbar. I'm wondering what the motoring press will make of all this after showering tow car awards on Skoda for many years?

I have a 2024 Mk IV Superb L&K and have also experienced the random Proactive Occupant Protection System activations when towing only. The frequent tightening of the seatbelts is almost making the car unfit for towing. I have tried deactivating various and all safety system but the problem persists. I have found driving in Sports mode helps somewhat (the manual says the car is expecting more vigorous driving) but it's not a cure. The company who fitted the towbar 12 months ago was recommended by my Skoda dealer but they say they have not been able to obtain the necessary software update from Skoda to properly code the vehicle to recognise the towbar. This was not a problem with my MkIII superb. I have this week contacted Skoda UK Customer Services to complain before reluctantly having to change to a non- Skoda towing vehicle. They have booked an appointment with my dealer to try and fix it but I'm not holding out much hope. However I am intrigued by John517's comment that he has recently had an aftermarket towbar fitted by his Skoda dealer and had a successful coding change to recognise the towbar. This is the first time I have heard that such a software update has been released by Skoda, so we will see if my dealer can apply it and if that solves the problem? The Proactive Occupant Protection System seems to activate more frequently after driving for an hour or so and even when driving on a flat, straight road at moderate speed. This makes me suspect the issue is a software bug which Skoda haven't been able to fix rather the car genuinely responding to a dangerous driving condition.