VOLVO Complaints

BRACKET FOR EMERGENCY BRAKE COMES APART AND EMERGENCY BRAKE CABLE SHIELD COMES IN CONTACT WITH TIRE. TIRE HAS WORN THROUGH THE RUBBER AND STARTED TO WEAR THROUGH THE STEEL SHIELD. THE BRACKET IS MADE OF PLASTIC. I REPLACED IT MYSELF WITH A STEEL BRACKET. THE CAR IS STILL UNDER WARRANTY,BUT I DID NOT WANT THE SAME BRACKET INSTALLED . ALSO THIS DEALER HAS REFUSED TO DO WARRANTY WORK ON MY CAR BEFORE.

I WAS DRIVING A 1999 VOLVO V70XC AND ENTERING AN INTERSECTION FROM A STOPPED POSITION. I WAS HIT BY A DODGE DURANGO, WHICH WAS MOVING AT APPROXIMATELY 40 MPH. THE DURANGO HIT THE VOLVO V70XC AT THE LOCATION OF THE DRIVER SIDE FRONT DOOR. THE HIT WAS DISPLACED OVER THE ENTIRE DRIVERS DOOR OF THE VOLVO, BOTH "A" & "B" PILLARS WERE COMPROMISED. THE VOLVO IS EQUIPPED WITH SIDE IMPACT AIR BAGS AND THE DRIVER SIDE AIR BAG DID NOT DEPLOY, BUT THE FRONT AIR BAG DID, WITH NO HIT TO THE FRONT OF THE VEHICLE. THE VOLVO'S DRIVER SIDE DOOR WAS CRUSHED AND PUSHED APPROXIMATELY 6 TO 8" TOWARD THE DRIVER SEAT OF THE VEHICLE. FURTHERMORE, A TECHNICIAN SPECIALIST REPRESENTING VOLVO NORTH AMERICA, AFTER MUCH DELAY, RECENTLY EXAMINED THE VEHICLE AT A LOCAL VOLVO DEALERSHIP. AFTERWARDS, VOLVO NORTH AMERICA FORMALLY RESPONDED, IN WRITING, THAT THE 1999 VOLVO V70XC PERFORMED ACCORDING TO DESIGN. MY COMPLAINT IS THAT I PURCHASED THE VOLVO FOR IT'S PROMOTED SAFETY FEATURES AND I AM DISAPPOINTED THE SIDE AIR BAG DID NOT DEPLOY UNDER THE CIRCUMSTANCES DESCRIBED ABOVE. I WOULD ALSO LIKE VOLVO TO SUBSTANTIATE THE VALIDITY OF CLAIM AND DESCRIBE, IN DETAIL, UNDER WHAT CIRCUMSTANCES A CONSUMER COULD EXPECT THE AIR BAG TO DEPLOY. IT WOULD ALSO BE EXPECTED THAT VOLVO INTRODUCE THIS INFORMATION INTO THEIR SALES AND MARKETING PROGRAM SO THAT PROSPECTIVE BUYER WOULD HAVE A BETTER UNDERSTANDING THAT THE PROMOTED SIDE-AIR BAG ONLY RESPONDS UNDER CONDITIONAL CIRCUMSTANCES. *JB

THE SIDE IMPACT AIR BAGS,SEAT AND WINDOW CURTAIN DEPLOYED AFTER CLOSING FRONT DRIVERS DOOR. *NLM

TO WHOM IT MAY CONCERN: WE BOUGHT OUR NEW VOLVO V70 GLT WAGON IN 1999 FROM KRAMER MOTOR, SANTA MONICA, CALIFORNIA. JUST RECENTLY THE AIRBAG SAFETY LIGHT (SRS) WENT OFF AND I WAS TOLD BY THE AUTHORIZED VOLVO SERVICE DEALER (RUSNAK, PASADENA) THAT IT MEANT SOMETHING WAS WRONG IN THE AIRBAG SYSTEM AND VOLVO WOULD REPLACE THE AIRBAG. ON THE DAY OF THE REPAIR THE DEALER CALLED AND TOLD ME THERE WAS SOMETHING WRONG WITH MY SEAT COVERS - THE COVERS WERE NOT AUTHORIZED VOLVO SEAT COVERS (DRIVER AND PASSENGER) AND THEREFORE THE VOLVO AIRBAG FEATURE MIGHT NOT WORK. SINCE WE BOUGHT THIS CAR NEW FROM A VOLVO DEALER, WE DID NOT UNDERSTAND HOW THIS SITUATION COULD HAPPEN. VOLVO INFORMED US THAT DEALERS WILL SOMETIMES CHANGE FACTORY PARTS, IF THEY WANT TO, AND THAT VOLVO CAN NOT DO ANYTHING ABOUT IT AND DOES NOT ACCEPT ANY RESPONSIBILITY FOR WHAT THEIR DEALERS DO. SINCE THIS DEALER CHANGED A FEATURE THAT HAS SERIOUS SAFETY ISSUES, AGAIN WE COULD NOT BELIEVE THIS SITUATION IS CORRECT. HOW IS A CONSUMER PROTECTED IN SUCH A MATTER? WE BOUGHT FROM AN AUTHORIZED DEALER AND HOW ARE WERE WE SUPPOSED TO KNOW OR EVEN SUSPECT THAT CRITICAL SAFETY ELEMENTS MIGHT NOT BE FUNCTIONING? VOLVO AMERICA AND THEIR LOCAL REPRESENTATIVE, MICHAEL LAFATA, SEEM TO FEEL THAT IT IS JUST A CASE OF LET THE BUYER BEWARE. THE VOLVO AMERICA CUSTOMER SERVICE SUPERVISOR, KATHLEEN NATALE, WAS MORE UNDERSTANDING AND TRIED TO HELP BUT SHE HAD TO DEFER TO MR. LAFATA'S DECISION THAT VOLVO WOULD NOT REPLACE THESE SEAT COVERS TO RETURN THE AIRBAG SAFETY FEATURE TO AN OPERATING CONDITION. RATHER, RUSNAK VOLVO PUT MY CAR BACK TOGETHER WITH THE NON-VOLVO SEAT COVERS AND SENT ME ON MY WAY WITH A STACK OF PAPERWORK THAT CLEARLY SAYS THAT MY CAR MAY NOT BE SAFE BECAUSE THE AIRBAG FEATURE MAY NOT WORK WITH THE CURRENT SEAT COVERS. AS YOU CAN SEE BELOW, NO ONE HAS BEEN INJURED OR DIED YET, BUT CLEARLY THIS IS A SAFETY PROBLEM THAT WE BELIEVE VOLVO AMERICA SHOULD QUICKLY ADDRESS. *JB

SEAT BELT LATCH IS CRACKED. CONTACTED VOLVO BY EMAIL, SAID ITEM NOT UNDER WARRANTY, THOUGHT THIS MIGHT BE A SAFETY ISSUE. *NLM

THE ABS LIGHT WAS COMING ON INTERMITTENTLY. AFTER CONSULTING THE WEB I LEARNED THIS WAS A COMMON PROBLEM IN THE 98 S70'S. VOLVO IS AWARE OF THE PROBLEM! WHILE DRIVING WITH THE CONDITION I NOTICED IF THE ABS PUMP CYCLED AND THE LIGHTS COME ON YOU LOSE BRAKING UNLESS YOU PUMP THE BRAKES. EXTREMELY DANGEROUS CONDITION FOR A MANY DRIVERS. I'M A LAW ENFORCEMENT OFFICER AND MY TRAINING HELPED ME AVOID THE ACCIDENT. *NLM

RIGHT FRONT BRAKE CALIPER SEIZED ON MY 2003 VOLVO V70, DEALER REFUSED TO REPAIR UNDER WARRANTY AND REFUSED TO LET ME HAVE SEIZED CALIPER OR EVEN SEE IT. THE CAR HAD 46882 MILES ON IT. *NLM

ABS AND "TRAC OFF" LIGHTS CAME ON INTERMITTENTLY DUE TO A DEFECTIVE ABS CONTROL UNIT.*AK *JB *TS

I RECENTLY LEASED A VOLVO S60 WITH PIRELLI P6 235/45R17 TIRES. THE VEHICLE HAS 2900 MILES ON IT AND I HAVE HAD TO REPLACE THREE (3) OF THE TIRES. I AM TOLD IT IS DUE TO ROAD CONDITIONS, SUCH AS POTHOLES, ETC. THERE IS NO DAMAGE TO ANY OF MY RIMS; THEREFORE, I OBVIOUSLY DID NOT HIT ANYTHING THAT HARD. I HAVE BEEN GETTING THE RUN AROUND FROM BOTH VOLVO AND PIRELLI WITH REGARD TO THIS ISSUE. VOLVO TELLS ME THAT IT IS PIRELLI'S RESPONSIBILITY AND THE CUSTOMER SERVICE REPRESENTATIVE I SPOKE TO AT PIRELLI TOLD ME THAT VOLVO IS TRYING TO AVOID THEIR RESPONSIBILITY. HE ALSO INFORMED ME THAT HE WAS PROCESSING FOUR (4) CLAIMS THAT DAY FROM VOLVO FOR TIRE DAMAGE. I FEEL THERE IS A PROBLEM WITH THESE TIRES AND I AM DRIVING AT RISK TO MY CHILDREN AND MYSELF. I HAVE PUT OUT OVER $500 FOR TIRES IN THE LAST MONTH AND I AM VERY NERVOUS ABOUT CONTINUING TO OPERATE MY VEHICLE ON THESE TIRES. I WOULD APPRECIATE ANYTHING YOU COULD DO TO ASSIST ME IN GETTING SOME SATISFACTION FROM EITHER VOLVO OR PIRELLI TIRES. I AM VERY NERVOUS ABOUT DRIVING THE CAR WITH THESE TIRES. *NLM

ABS ECU UNIT DEFECTIVE. ABS LIGHT COMES ON INTERMITTENTLY. WHEN ABS LIGHT IS ON ABS IS NOT FUNCTIONING. VOLVO WARRANTY WILL NOT COVER REPLACEMENT. DIFFICULT FOR DEALERS TO DIAGNOSE. *NLM