The Volvo brand is known for safety, but some faulty bolts, pins, sensors, and defective software have led to a series of recalls over the last year. Most recently, in February 2017, Volvo announced the recall of 5,529 of their vehicles over concerns that the side airbag, or the Inflatable Curtain (IC), may not deploy correctly in a crash. This is Volvo’s first airbag related recall since the massive Takata scandal. The automobiles in question were manufactured in 2016 and sold under the model year 2017 in the United States. At the time of the announcement no injuries were reported in connection to the recall.
According to the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration (NHTSA) “the bolts that secure the IC airbags in place may break,” which violates the Federal Motor Vehicle Safety Standards. The bolts in question were manufactured by Autoliv, a producer of car safety products, and can be found in Volvo’s 2017 XC90, S90, and V90 Cross Country automobiles. The bolts can allegedly crack within 48 hours because of an unspecified chemical reaction. If the bolt fractures the occupants in the vehicle could become more susceptible to sustaining a head injury in the event of a crash.
Around the same time that Volvo announced their IC recall in February, they also recalled 144 of their 2015 XC60 and XC70 vehicles in Australia because of defective sensors in the fuel gauge. Despite the fuel gauge allegedly showing an adequate supply of gas, in actuality the tank could be completely empty. In January 2017 Volvo recalled 6,127 trucks manufactured from April 2012 to September 2016 over concerns that defective software can cause the braking system to stop working properly. In November 2016 Volvo announced the recall of around 79,000 of their 2016 and 2017 S60, S90, XC60 and XC90 vehicles in North America because of a faulty pin in the seatbelt buckle. The defective pin could allegedly cause the seatbelt to stop working as intended. And last February Volvo recalled nearly 60,000 cars in over 40 markets because the software in those vehicles could allegedly shut down the engine with no warning.
Authorities are instructing affected consumers to bring their Volvo into an authorized dealer immediately to ensure their vehicle is safe to drive. The Swedish carmaker told the NHTSA that they will begin reaching out to affected owners, but the recall is not slated to commence until April 1, 2017. Secondhand owners may not be contacted directly and should take the initiative to reach out to Volvo for their own safety.
To contact Volvo call: (800) 458-1552
To see if your vehicle has been recalled see: http://consumerwatch.com/vehicle-recall-checker-by-vin-check-vehicle-recalls/
To report an issue with your vehicle to the NHTSA see: https://www-odi.nhtsa.dot.gov/VehicleComplaint/
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