1998 Volvo V70

DRIVERS SIDE DOOR HINGE/STRAP FAILED CAUSING DOOR TO BREAK FROM FRAME AND BECOME DYSFUNCTIONAL. AS IT WORSENED OVER A FEW DAYS THE DOOR BECAME INCREASINGLY DIFFICULT TO OPEN WHERE IT BECAME A SAFETY CONCERN. VOLVO MECHANIC REFERRED TO AUTO METAL SERVICE SHOP WHICH REPLACED/REPAIRED DOOR STRAP AND WELDED DOOR BACK TO FRAME AND CONFIRMED THIS WAS A KNOWN "WORKMANSHIP" DEFECT WITH A NUMBER OF VOLVO MODELS AND YEARS. VOLVO N.A. WAS NOTIFIED OF THIS 9/13/13 AND WAS INTERESTED TO SEE THE REPAIR INVOICE, WHICH WAS PROVIDED TO THEM, BUT IN THE END THEY DECLINED TO REIMBURSE FOR THIS FLAW STATING THE CAR WAS NO LONGER COVERED BY A MANUFACTURER'S WARRANTY. WHEN THE DRIVERS SIDE DOOR BECOMES DYSFUNCTIONAL FROM FAULTY WORKMANSHIP THAT INDICATES A SAFETY ISSUE THAT THE MANUFACTURER SHOULD "MAN UP" AND REPAIR/RECALL OR REIMBURSE THE OWNER FOR, REGARDLESS IF THE VEHICLE IS NO LONGER UNDER MANUFACTURER'S WARRANTY. DOORS SHOULDN'T JUST BREAK OFF FROM THE FRAME UNDER NORMAL USE. THERE WAS NO CRASH OR ABUSE INVOLVED WITH THIS DOOR. IT JUST BROKE LIKE A CHEAP, INFERIOR PRODUCT. *TR

DT*: THE CONTACT STATED WHILE DRIVING 20 MPH THE REAR HATCHBACK OPENED WITHOUT WARNING DUMPING THE CARGO ONTO THE HIGHWAY. A CRASH WAS AVOIDED AND THE POLICE WERE NOT CONTACTED. THE VEHICLE WAS SEEN BY A DEALER WHO DETERMINED THE HATCHBACK LOCK WAS INOPERABLE AND NEEDED TO BE REPLACED. THE HATCHBACK LOCK WAS REPLACED ONCE BEFORE DUE TO A SIMILAR INCIDENT. UPDATED 05/04/06. *JB

AUTOMOBILE: VOLVO V70 WAGON 1998 ON THE DRIVER'S SIDE DOOR, THERE IS A SWING ARM THAT ATTACHES TO THE DOOR AND THE CAR FRAME. ITS PURPOSE APPEARS TO STOP THE DOOR FROM HYPER EXTENDING. THE SWING ARM ATTACHES TO CAR FRAME VIA A BRACKET. THIS BRACKET IS WELDED ON THE FRAME. IN MY CASE THE BRACKET CAME UNWELDED AND ON THE FORWARD SIDE OF THE ATTACHED AREA, PUNCHED THREW THE FRAME COLUMN. ON THE REAR SIDE OF THE BRACKET, IT REMAINS WELDED TO THE CAR FRAME. IT IS NOT CLEAR TO ME WHETHER IT HAS WEAKENED THE FRAME COLUMN THAT RUNS FROM THE FLOOR TO THE ROOF. THE DAMAGE WAS DUE TO NORMAL OPENING AND CLOSING THE DOOR AND WOULD APPEAR TO BE DUE TO METAL FATIGUE. UPON VISITING A FEW BODY SHOPS IN THE SAN FRANCISCO AREA, SOME HAD TOLD ME THAT THIS IS A WIDE SPREAD PROBLEM WITH VOLVO. ALSO, UPON SEARCHING ON THE INTERNET FOR OTHER PEOPLE WHO MAY HAVE HAD THIS PROBLEM, THERE WERE NUMEROUS. HENCE, THE REASON FOR MY COMPLAINT. THE BODY SHOP INFORMED ME THAT THEY WOULD NEED TO REPLACE THE METAL COLUMN THAT RUNS FROM THE FLOOR OF THE CAR PAST THE WHERE THE DOOR ATTACHES TO THE FRAME AND ENDS IN PROXIMITY OF THE FRONT WINDOW SHIELD. SINCE THE COST WILL BE APPROXIMATELY $2,400 AND THE CAR IS A 98, I HAVE NOT DECIDED IF I WILL GET IT REPAIRED. TO INSTALL THIS METAL COLUMN, THE DASH PANEL WOULD NEED TO BE REMOVED. *JB

DOOR LOCK FAILS TO RELEASE MANUALLY OR ELECTRICALLY. DOOR CANNOT BE OPENED BY ANY MEANS (FROM INSIDE OR OUTSIDE OF VEHICLE). IF VEHICLE WAS INVOLVED IN A CRASH OR IF OCCUPANT NEEDED TO EXIT IN AN EMERGENCY, THERE WOULD BE NO MEANS OF EXIT FROM THAT DOOR. SINCE REAR WINDOW ONLY GOES DOWN PART WAY, NO ESCAPE FROM WINDOW WOULD BE POSSIBLE. INTERNET SEARCH ON THIS PROBLEM AS WELL AS DISCUSSIONS WITH VOLVO MECHANICS REVEAL THAT THIS IS NOT AN UNCOMMON PROBLEM FOR 1998 MODEL-YEAR VOLVOS. MOST HAVE BEEN REPAIRED UNDER WARRANTY. MY VEHICLE HAPPENS TO BE OUT OF WARRANTY BECUASE OF ITS MILEAGE AND MY LOCAL DEALERSHIPS HAVE NOT BEEN VERY COOPERATIVE IN FIXING THIS PROBLEM FREE OF CHARGE. I FEEL THAT THIS PROBLEM IS A SERIOUS SAFETY CONCERN, MAKING VEHICLE EMERGENCY EXIT AND RESCUE DIFFICULT, IF NOT IMPOSSIBLE. YOU MAY NOT HAVE RECEIVED MANY COMPLAINTS YET BECAUSE MOST VEHICLE OWNERS HAVE HAD THESE PROBLEMS REMEDIED UNDER WARRANTY. ONE PERSON I HAVE SPOKEN WITH HAS HAD (3) OF HIS (4) PASSENGER DOOR LOCKS REPLACED ALREADY. A SERVICE MANAGER OF A CANADIAN VOLVO DEALERSHIP TOLD ME THAT THIS HAS BEEN ENOUGH OF A PROBLEM AT HIS DEALERSHIP THAT HE FEELS VOLVO SHOULD REPAIR AT NO CHARGE (TOO BAD HE DOESN'T WORK AT MY DEALERSHIP). I HAVE CONTACTED VOLVO NA REGARDING THIS ISSUE, I AWAIT THEIR RESPONSE. REGARDLESS OF THEIR RESPONSE, I FEEL THAT IT IS A BONAFIDE SAFETY CONCERN.

INAPPROPRIATE PLACEMENT OF THE TAILGATE HANDLE CAUSE ME TO PULL THE TAILGATE DOWN ONTO MY FACE CAUSING SEVERE DAMAGE TO MY NOSE. 21 STITCHES TO CLOSE THE WOUND WITH SCARRING. I BELIEVE THIS ACCIDENT COULD HAVE BEEN AVOIDED HAD VOLVO PLACED THE TAILGATE HANDLE ON THE EDGE OF THE TAILGATE INSTEAD OF INSIDE THE TAILGATE. THIS PROBLEM SHOULD BE REMEDIED SO THAT OTHERS DO NOT SUFFER AS I DID.