Volvo Car USA, the American arm of the Swedish automaker, has announced that it will be contacting owners of certain 2023 Volvo vehicles regarding a problem that could lead to the failure of the e-call system, a crucial safety feature in modern cars.

Volvo first became aware of the problem in March 2023, when a customer reported a false warning message being displayed on the Driver Information Module (DIM). Upon investigation, it was discovered that the problem was related to the Telematics and Connectivity Antenna Module (TCAM), which could mis-detect a communication failure with the Infotainment Head Unit (IHU) during a software download.

The issue was escalated to the Critical Concern Action Process (CCAP) and subsequently to the Critical Concern Management Team (CCMT) for further review. After a thorough analysis of the data, the decision was made to issue a recall for the affected vehicles.

2023 Volvo C40
2023 Volvo S60
2023 Volvo V60CC
2023 Volvo XC40
2023 Volvo XC60
2023 Volvo XC90

Although there will be no actual loss of expected functions, the falsely set Diagnostic Trouble Codes (DTC) could lead to confusion in case of an actual emergency, increasing the risk of no emergency response. Therefore, it is imperative that owners of affected vehicles take this recall seriously and get their vehicles updated as soon as possible.

The recall has been assigned the Volvo Car’s number R10225, and the NHTSA campaign number is 23V-188. It is worth noting that such recalls are not uncommon in the automotive industry. Car manufacturers routinely monitor their vehicles for issues, to ensure that their vehicles remain safe.

In conclusion, Volvo Car USA will be updating the software in certain 2023 Volvo vehicles to address the e-call system issue. The recall is a precautionary measure to ensure the safety of its customers. It is recommended that owners of the affected vehicles take the recall seriously and bring their vehicles in for the necessary software update as soon as possible.

Certain 2023 Volvo automobiles could experience a diagnostic error in the Brake Control Module 2 (BCM2) that could cause a loss of the Anti-lock Brake System (ABS), Electronic Stability Control (ESC), and traction control.

The vehicles affected include:

2023 Volvo C40
2023 Volvo S60
2023 Volvo V60
2023 Volvo V60CC
2023 Volvo V90CC
2023 Volvo XC40
2023 Volvo XC60
2023 Volvo XC90

Volvo first became aware of this condition in October 2022 when they received the first report of issues with the brake pedal in a 2023 Volvo vehicle. As reports increased, an investigation was opened to find a possible common root cause. In December the investigation was escalated to the Critical Concern Action Process (CCAP) and the Critical Concern Management Team (CCMT) initiated a technical investigation to evaluate the risk assessment and root cause. In January the technical investigation was completed and a recall was initiated.

According to the defect report, certain diagnostic tests that check the grounding of the BCM2 could put it in a faulty state that could result in a loss of brake support functions. The problem is caused by a lack of robustness in software compatibility with a specific BCM2 HW version.

The customer may experience a hard/stiff brake pedal and potential loss of brake support functions such as:

  • Brake-by-wire.
  • ABS, ESC, and traction control.
  • ACC (Adaptive Cruise Control), Pilot assist and OPD (One pedal drive)
  • All active safety and city safety functions described in the user manual that involve braking.

The driver display will warn the customer with DIM messages and malfunction indication lamps if this issue occurs. This is an intermittent issue, and the faulty state will remain through the drive cycle until the vehicle enters deep sleep.

Volvo will release an over-the-air (OTA) BCM2 software update to correct the problem. Volvo Car’s number for this recall is R10217 and the NHTSA campaign number is 23V-012.

A small number of 2019-2020 Volvo vehicles could experience a steering wheel lock up because of a manufacturing assembly error at the supplier. Owners of the affected vehicles will be sent notification letters with instructions on how to get their vehicles repaired.

Volvo’s Critical Concern Management Team (CCMT) first became aware of the problem in December 2022 when one of their supplier’s contacted them about a manufacturing error with a small number of steering gears. CCMT ordered a technical investigation which determined it was a critical safety issue that requires repair. They have initiated a recall for all vehicles that could be affected.

According to defect report, a manufacturing error at the supplier’s production multi O-assembly line may have fed double screws on top of each other when assembling the steering gear screw assembly. If the extra screw falls down into the gearbox housing, it could become jammed in the steering wheel gears and the steering wheel could lock up. In most cases, there is no prior warning, but some drivers may notice a grinding noise when turning and a stiffness in the steering prior to the steering locking up.

The vehicles affected include:

2019-2022 Volvo V60CC
2019-2022 Volvo XC60
2019-2022 Volvo XC90

Owners receiving notices will be asked to return to their dealership to have the steering gear replaced in their vehicle’s. Volvo Car’s number for this recall is R10213 and the NHTSA campaign number is 23V-001.

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Some 2022-2023 Volvo PHEV vehicles could experience a loss of drive power because of a software error that may prevent the combustion engine from starting. Owner notification letters are expected to be mailed in December.

Volvo first became aware of the problem after receiving complaints of a vehicle no start condition in several Volvo models. (A low coolant flow issue was determined to be a potential cause.) Further investigation found that the estimated cooling flow on the electrical drive (ED) cooling circuit was set to zero when max cooling was requested. The problem was caused by faulty software logic. When the estimated cooling flow is set to zero the inverter generator module will set available torque to zero and the combustion engine will not start.

If the issue occurs the driver will experience a warning message in dim that “Propulsion System Service is Required“, at start. The vehicle will continue to start and drive on electric propulsion until a second warning appears – “Turtle in DIM and speed limited to 75 km/h“. If the driver ignores these visual and mechanical warnings, the vehicle will display “stop safely” and lose electric propulsion as the high voltage battery is depleted.

The vehicles affected include:

2022-2023 Volvo S60
2022-2023 Volvo S90
2022-2023 Volvo V60
2022-2023 Volvo XC60
2022-2023 Volvo XC90

The problem will be corrected through a ECM software update. Volvo’s number for this recall is R10198 and the NHTSA campaign number is 22V-793.

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Some 2021-2022 Volvo XC40 BEV vehicles may experience accelerator issues because of a corrupt acceleration signal caused by corrosion within the accelerator pedal sensor (APS).

Volvo became aware of the problem in the first quarter of 2022 when they started receiving customer reports of different issues with accelerator pedal behavior. The problem was presented to the Critical Concern Management Team (CCMT) and, following an investigation and risk assessment, a recall was initiated.

According to the defect report, water entering the APS wire harness could cause corrosion within the accelerator pedal’s internal circuits. If this happens signals from the pedal could become corrupt.
Depending on which signal corrupts, the faults may differ. Drivers may experience unintended acceleration or no acceleration, loss of drive power, and/or a no-start condition. These vehicles do have a built-in safety logic that will reduce the acceleration when a corrupt signal is received. The vehicle is still controllable, and the driver is always able to stop the vehicle using the brake pedal.

Vehicles produced between 9-08-2020 and 8-13-2021 had an older style harness. Since then, there was a change in the cable harness supplier. The last vehicle produced with the older style harness was produced on 8-13-2021.

Owners will be asked to return to their dealers to have the accelerator harness and sensors inspected for corrosion and repaired as necessary. A cable splice will be installed to prevent water intrusion and, as necessary, the connector terminal and APS could be replaced. Volvo’s number for this recall is R10170 and the NHTSA campaign number is 22V-288.

Volvo will be contacting owners of certain 2007-2020 S, V and X model automobiles because of a problem affecting the front seat safety belts. It is estimated that over 307,000 vehicles are affected by this recall.

According to the defect report, the steel cable mounted on the outboard side of the seats to the front seat belts can suffer fatigue from being repeatedly bent as occupants enter and leave the vehicle. Over time, the strength of the cable could deteriorate to a point where it cannot restrain an occupant during a crash.

Vehicles Affected
2011-2018 S60
2016-2018 S60CC
2014-2020 S60L
2007-2016 S80
2009-2015 S80L
2011-2018 V60
2015-2018 V60CC
2008-2016 V70
2009-2016 XC60
2008-2016 XC70

Owners receiving notices will be asked to return to their dealership to have the seat belt anchor cable for both front seats replaced. Volvo’s number for this recall is R10029 and the NHTSA campaign number is 20V-378. This recall is expected to begin in August.

A small number of 2017 Volvo owners will be returning to their dealerships for a problem affecting the driver and front passenger seat side airbags. According to the defect report, the generant mix ratio in some of the initiators may be out of specification. The problem could result in non-deployment of the airbags during a crash.

The vehicles affected include:

Volvo will notify owners, and dealers will inspect and replace the front seat side air bags as necessary. Owners wanting more information about the problem are asked to contact Volvo customer service at 1-800-458-1552. Volvo’s number for this recall is R89712 and the NHTSA campaign number is 17V-127. (Note: This recall is an expansion of recall 16V-918.)

Volvo has received information from their airbag supplier regarding an issue affecting the front driver, front passenger and front seat side airbags. According to reports filed with the NHTSA, the generant mix ratio of the inflators may be out of specifications and could result in non-deployment of the airbag.

The vehicles affected by this problem include:

Owners will be asked to return to their dealership to have their vehicles airbags inspected and replaced as necessary. For more information about the problem, owners are asked to contact Volvo customer service at 1-800-458-1552. Volvo’s number for this recall is R89712 and the NHTSA campaign number is 16V-918.