Volvo Issues Biggest Recall Ever Over Technology It Gave The World

Jul. 02, 2020 8:40 AM ET by Roger Biermann Recall / 1 Comment

More than 2.2 million cars will be affected worldwide.

Volvo is always looking out for everyone's safety. The Swedish brand always has, which is why it's no surprise that it recently announced a speed limit of 112 mph on all new cars. Those who know their automotive history will also know that Volvo has regularly dished out safety tech gratis for other manufacturers to use, such as the three-point seatbelt that was originally developed by a Volvo engineer in 1959. Now, Volvo's greatest gift to automotive safety is the center of a major recall, as nearly 2.2 million Volvo vehicles across the globe are being recalled for a potentially faulty cable in the front seatbelt mechanism that could "over time suffer from fatigue. This could eventually cause damage to the cable, resulting in reduced seat belt restraint function."

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The recall is the biggest ever in the Swedish automaker's 93-year history, affecting 2,183,701 vehicles produced between 2006 and 2019. Among the affected models are the likes of the Volvo V60 wagon and the brand's best-selling Volvo XC60 crossover. While Volvo has declined to comment on how much the global recall would be costing them, it has said that it would contact owners of the affected products and advise them on the repair procedure, which would be at no cost.

Despite the sheer scale of the recall, Volvo's parent company, the Chinese manufacturer Geely has said that there have been no reports of accidents or injuries relating to the flaw. This means the recall is a purely preventative one rather than a reactive one.

Volvo

At the time of writing, no recall information has been lodged with the NHTSA, but Volvo states that 307,653 vehicles in the US will be included. In addition to those mentioned above, the recall also affects the S60 Sedan, S60 and V60 Cross Country, as well as the now-defunct XC70 and S80. All of the vehicles affected are built on the old EUCD platform, which means current-generation vehicles built on the Scalable Product Architecture are unaffected, including the current S60, V60, S90, and XC90.