The Safety Innovation That Put Volvo on the Map Is Behind Its Largest Recall

Steph Willems
by Steph Willems

To be fair, three-point seat belts didn’t exactly set American consumers on fire back in 1959, but the innovation eventually caught on, becoming the industry’s dominant passive restraint.

Yet even safety features can contain safety defects, which is why Volvo Cars is embarking on its largest recall to date. The (Chinese-owned) Swedish automaker has announced a global callback of 2,183,701 vehicles built over the span of 14 years.

This news is still young, and it seems the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration hasn’t yet caught up. As such, we can only tell you the recall’s associated time frame and model list.

That period spans 2006 to 2019, with such models as the Volvo S60, V60, XC60, V70, XC70, and S80 impacted by the defect. In a statement reported by Reuters, Volvo Cars said, “The issue is related to a steel cable connected to the front seat belts.”

“The cable may, under certain rare circumstances and user behaviours, over time suffer from fatigue. This could eventually cause damage to the cable, resulting in reduced seat belt restraint function,” the automaker continued.

The safety-obsessed company said its recall was strictly a preventative measure, as it knows of no known incidents or injuries stemming from the issue.Volvo will begin contacting owners, asking them to get in touch with their dealer to arrange a free fix. In this case, it’s a straightforward repair.

While its history is one of constant safety innovation, Volvo has lately taken its quest for zero passenger deaths in a new direction, capping the top speed of its new cars at 112 mph in a bid to achieve its goal.

[Images: Volvo Cars]

Steph Willems
Steph Willems

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  • SCE to AUX SCE to AUX on Jul 01, 2020

    This is roughly half the cars Volvo built over that time period - an expensive recall. Just in the US, that will mean each dealer will have to fix about 400 cars on average - yikes.

  • ToolGuy ToolGuy on Jul 01, 2020

    Who owned Volvo in 2006 when this problem started? Oh - nevermind. Carry on.

  • SoCalMikester SoCalMikester on Jul 01, 2020

    i wonder how many that come in might be tempted to buy or lease a new volvo. checking and possibly replacing a cable doesnt sound too expensive.

  • Speedlaw Speedlaw on Jul 01, 2020

    I hate Volvos, because they appear to exist only to make my radar detector false Laser hits....and don't have one following you....

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