Volvo recalling over 600 cars in Estonia

  • 2019-07-22
  • BNS/TBT Staff

TALLINN – Info-Auto, Estonian dealer for Volvo, is about to recall over 600 vehicles because of a faulty engine component that, in extreme cases, could result in a fire.

The Swedish automaker is recalling in total 507,000 vehicles worldwide for the same reason.

Tiit Lillipuu, marketing director for Volvo's Baltic importer Volvax Baltic, told BNS that according to current information there are 602 vehicles subject to the recall in Estonia. He said that the sole authorized dealer for Volvo in Estonia, AS Info-Auto, has notified most of the affected clients of the recall.  

Volvo owners who have bought their vehicle from a retailer elsewhere and those whose contacts Info-Auto does not have will be notified as soon as relevant information has been received from the Road Administration.

The cars being recalled were produced in 2014-2019 and have a two-liter, four-cylinder diesel engine, Volvo Cars said in a statement. The affected models are the S60, S80, S90, V40, V60, V70, V90, XC60 and XC90. While the company has no reports of accidents or personal injuries, all customers will receive a letter asking them to contact their local retailer for corrective action.

The company, which is owned by China's Zhejiang Geely Holding Group Co., said its own "investigations have identified that in very rare cases the plastic engine intake manifold may melt and deform." 

"In the very worst case, there is a possibility that a localized engine bay fire may occur,” it said. When asked to provide details of the potential financial impact, Stefan Elfstrom, a spokesman for Volvo Cars, told Bloomberg, adding that Volvo doesn't comment on the cost. 

"The company is keen to fix the faulty vehicles as fast as possible and customers won't incur any costs related to addressing the error," he said.

Volvo previously said in a press release they were working on a technical solution to the problem.

"Until we have this, we are asking our customers to be on the lookout for any error messages which are linked to the motor. If there is no error message, the car is safe to drive," Elfstrom said. 

Lillipuu also said Volvo Cars was working to find a fix to the problem and each owner of a Volvo car would be notified when the retailer is ready to fix their car. 

The Volvo dealership at Info-Auto invites all customers who notice something unusual with the functioning of their car's engine, including, but not only, the appearance of an error light, interruption in the work of the engine or reduction in engine power to contact them.     

If an unusual smell occurs, Info-Auto recommends drivers to safely stop the vehicle and contact Volvo Assistance or their contractual provider of vehicle assistance if having a relevant contract.