Volvo recalls nearly 70,000 cars in the UK for possible fire risk
More than 507,000 cars affected worldwide
VOLVO has announced it will recall nearly 70,000 vehicles in the UK due to a potential fire risk.
The issue affects the 2-litre, four-cylinder diesel engine that can be found on S60, S80, S90, V40, V60, V90, XC60 and XC90 models built between 2014 and 2019.
Volvo said the plastic intake manifold, which is located at the top of the engines of the affected vehicles, could melt and deform in “very rare cases”, and “in the most extreme cases, there is a possibility that a localised engine bay fire may occur.”
Volvo says the manifold-related problem affects 507,353 vehicles worldwide, of which 69,616 are located in the United Kingdom, and all affected customers will be contacted.
A statement from the car maker added: “We are taking full responsibility to ensure the highest quality and safety standards of our cars. We will do our utmost to perform this action without any unnecessary inconvenience to our customers, and we apologise for the inconvenience caused and are grateful for our customers’ co-operation.”
The Times expects the recall to cost the safety-conscious company tens of millions of pounds.
This latest recall will likely mark the last time diesel-powered Volvos will make headlines, as the car maker has committed to completely phasing out diesel engines from its model range.
Volvo president and chief executive Håkan Samuelsson said in July 2018 the Swedish company was “not planning to have a diesel alternative in any new cars” going forward, and the new Volvo S60 executive saloon (which is one of the Best-Designed Car of the Year nominees for our 2019 Sunday Times Motor Awards) is claimed by the auto maker to be the first car in Volvo’s modern history to not be available with a diesel engine.
Volvo also isn’t the only car maker to recall cars over a possible fire risk in recent times. In October last year, BMW recalled 1.2m vehicles worldwide (of which around 268,000 were in Britain), to fix a problem whereby the sooty deposits resulting from a coolant fluid leak could cause the car’s engine manifold to deform and fire to break out.
Perhaps more infamously, in April 2019 Vauxhall issued its third fire-related recall in four years for its Zafira people carrier. The car maker began replacing the wiring harness for the MPV’s heating and ventilation system after an investigation discovered loose wiring could cause a wax connector plug in the Zafira to overheat and melt.
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