2004 Volvo V70

I WAS AT OUR AUTOMOTIVE SHOP AND HAD TO GIVE A CUSTOMER A RIDE TO WORK. I HAD THE SEAT WARMERS ON BECAUSE IT WAS COLD OUTSIDE. ABOUT A MINUTE INTO THE DRIVE, I FEEL A BURNING SENSATION ON MY LEFT OUTER THIGH. I THOUGHT NOTHING OF IT. THE BURNING SENSATION GOT WORSE, I STATED, "SOMETHING'S BURNING ME!" THE CUSTOMER STATES SHE SMELLS SOMETHING BURNING, LIKE WIRES. I PULL OVER, HOP OUT OF THE CAR TO NOTICE A BURN HOLE IN MY SEAT. LUCKILY, I DID NOT GET SEVERELY BURNT, HOWEVER, MY THIGH WAS SORE FOR ABOUT 4 HOURS. AFTER THIS HAPPENED, I WENT ONLINE TO SEE IF THERE WAS A RECALL ON THE SEAT. THERE WAS NOT. AFTER GOOGLING THIS SITUATION, I FOUND THAT MY 04 VOLVO V70 WASN'T THE ONLY VEHICLE THAT HAS HAD THIS ISSUE. MANY, MANY PEOPLE WITH THE SAME YEAR, MAKE, AND MODEL HAVE HAD THIS SAME ISSUE.

WHILE DRIVING WITH MY 2 YEAR OLD...I SMELLED WHAT I THOUGHT WAS MY ENGINE OVERHEATING, PULLED OVER TO TAKE A LOOK AND AS OPENED MY DRIVERS SIDE DOOR SMOKE WAS BILLOWING OUT OF MY SEAT, MELTING A HOLE THROUGH TO THE LEFT SIDE OF SEAT BOTTOM, NEAR BACKREST AND SEAT ADJUSTMENT BUTTONS. LUCKILY, AFTER TURNING THE SEAT HEATER OFF THE ELECTRICAL MALFUNCTION COOLED OFF. I WENT TO LOCAL VOLVE DEALERSHIP AND THEY SAID "YOUR CAR IS TOO OLD TO HAVE A VALID RECALL STATUS", NOR DID THEY OFFER TO ASSIST IN ANY WAY.

THIS COMPLAINT PERTAINS TO THE DRIVERS SIDE SEAT-HEATER. WHEN ACTIVATED, ON THE LOWEST OF 2 SETTINGS, THE OCCUPANT OF THE DRIVERS-SIDE FRONT SEAT EXPERIENCES A BURNING-PAIN SENSATION IN THE RIGHT-REAR AREA OF THE THIGH, AFTER 60-90 SECONDS OF THE SEAT HEATER BEING ACTIVATED VIA DASH BUTTON. THE OWNER OF THE CAR WORRIES THAT: 1.) ACCIDENTAL ACTIVATION OF THE DRIVERS-SIDE SEAT HEATER, WITH NO OCCUPANT IN THAT SEAT, COULD RESULT IN THERMAL DAMAGE TO THE LEATHER AND PADDING OF THE SEAT, AS WELL AS COMBUSTION LEADING TO THE DESTRUCTION OF THE CAR. 2.) ACCIDENTAL ACTIVATION OF THE SEAT-HEATER WITH AN OCCUPANT IN THE DRIVERS-SIDE FRONT SEAT COULD RESULT IN, SUDDEN AND EXTREME, DISCOMFORT TO THE VEHICLE OPERATOR, RESULTING IN AN UNCONTROLLABLE PHYSICAL REACTION TO PAIN, WHICH COULD CAUSE THE AUTOMOBILE TO LEAVE THE ROAD, RESULTING IN AN ACCIDENT. 3.) THE VALUE OF THE CAR TO BE DECREASED UPON POTENTIAL SALE OF THE CAR, DUE TO THE FACT THAT THE SEAT DOES NOT HEAT AS INTENDED, AND ADDITIONALLY POSES A DANGER TO THE DRIVER OF THE VEHICLE. THE FACT THAT THIS APPARATUS' FAILURE TO OPERATE AS INTENDED IS IN NO PART DUE TO THE OWNERS FOLLOWING OF RECOMMENDED SERVICE AND MAINTENANCE GUIDELINES, WOULD BE INTERPRETED AS A "DEFECT" BY THE POTENTIAL BUYER, THUS DEVALUING THE CAR, IS WORRISOME. A FIRE CAUSED INADVERTENTLY, OR SUDDEN PAIN CAUSING A VEHICLE OPERATOR TO INVOLUNTARILY TAKE HIS/HER WHOLE FOCUS OFF OF THE TASK OF DRIVING, CERTAINLY CONSTITUTES A VEHICLE SAFETY ISSUE. AN ISSUE, AFFECTING THE IMMEDIATE VEHICLES' DRIVER AND OCCUPANTS, AS WELL AS OTHER MOTORISTS ON THE ROAD. VOLVO SUBMODEL: V70 "R" . *TR

TL*THE CONTACT OWNS A 2004 VOLVO V70. THE CONTACT BEGAN TO SMELL A FAINT BURNING ODOR FROM THE VEHICLE. THE CONTACT INSPECTED AND NOTICED THAT THE DRIVER SEAT WAS SMOKING. THE CONTACT TURNED THE SEAT HEATER OFF AND EXTINGUISHED THE FIRE. THE VEHICLE WAS TAKEN TO AN AUTHORIZED DEALER WHERE SHE WAS TOLD THAT THE SEAT HEATER WAS NOT BURNT AND THAT SOMETHING UNDER THE SEAT MUST HAVE CAUSED THE FIRE. THE CURRENT AND FAILURE MILEAGES WERE 105,000.

ON SUNDAY, 24 JANUARY 2009, THE HEATING ELEMENT IN THE DRIVER'S SEAT IN OUR 2004 VOLVO V70 SOMEHOW SHORTED AND/OR OTHERWISE OVERHEATED, CAUSING THE SEAT TO BEGIN TO SMOLDER AND SMOKE AND BURNED SMALL HOLES IN THE SIDE OF THE LEATHER SEAT COVER. AFTER THE HEATING ELEMENT WAS TURNED OFF, THE MATERIALS IN THE SEAT APPEAR TO HAVE BEEN SUFFICIENTLY FIRE RETARDANT TO KEEP THE SEAT FROM A FULL-SCALE CONFLAGRATION. WE HAD BEEN SMELLING AN UNEXPLAINED ODOR FOR A COUPLE OF DAYS PRIOR, WHICH WE NOW BELIEVE TO HAVE BEEN WHEN THE OVERHEATING STARTED. TO THE BEST OF MY KNOWLEDGE THERE HAS NEVER BEEN ANYTHING DONE TO THE SEAT, AND IT IS ESSENTIALLY IF NOT PRECISELY IN THE SAME STATE AS IT CAME FROM THE FACTORY IN 2004. THE LOCAL VOLVO DEALER (DON BEYER VOLVO, FALLS CHURCH, VA) ON MONDAY, 25 JANUARY 2009, FOUND THAT THE HEATING ELEMENT WAS THE PROBLEM, THEY DISCONNECTED THE HEATING ELEMENT TO PRECLUDE A FIRE, SAID THAT THIS WAS THE FIRST THEY HAD HEARD OF A PROBLEM OF THIS TYPE, AND SAID THAT THE REPAIR (PARTS AND LABOR) WOULD BE COVERED UNDER OUR WARRANTY (LESS DEDUCTIBLE). WE LATER ON 25 JANUARY WERE TOLD THAT THE REPAIR PARTS ARE ON BACK-ORDER AND ARE EXPECTED WITHIN 7-10 DAYS. *TR