Laguna Hills, CA – April 5, 2019 – Volvo Car USA is recalling certain 2018-2019 XC60 and S90 vehicles. The rear flange nuts on the driver and passenger front seat rail may not have been installed during assembly. If a crash were to happen, the missing nuts could affect the front seat structure and position, increasing the chance of injury. As many as 2,297 vehicles may be involved.
The Defect
According to the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration report on this problem, because of potentially missing flange nuts, the front driver and passenger seats may move during a crash, increasing the risk of injury to front-seat occupants. Installation of the flange nuts may have been omitted as the result of an error during the supplier’s assembly process, compromising the front seat’s structure and position.
Timeline of Events
Volvo received information from its supplier March 4, 2019, indicating issues in their production during a certain period of time meant the quality of delivered components could not be guaranteed. A review was initiated immediately and the potential issue went to the Critical Concern Management Team (CCMT), which began an internal investigation March 6. This led to the CCMT identifying the issue as critical. Consequently, based on its internal analysis and supplier documents, Volvo decided March 20 to institute a worldwide recall of all affected vehicles.
The Solution
The recall will begin May 17, 2019. Volvo will notify owners, and dealers will inspect the front seat rails for missing flange nuts, installing them as necessary, free of charge to car owners. In addition, the supplier process has been updated and improved.
Owners may contact Volvo customer service at 1-800-458-1552. Volvo’s number for this recall is R19931. Owners may also contact the NHTSA Vehicle Safety Hotline at 1-888-327-4236 (TTY 1-800-424-9153), or go to www.safercar.gov. The NHTSA Campaign Number for this recall is 19V220000.
