Recalls
| Campaign | Manufacturer | Manufacturing date | Type | # of units affected | Date Owner notified Mfg | Recall Initiated by | Manufacturers of recalled vehicles/products | Report Recieved Date | Record Creation Date | Regulation Part Number | FMVSS Number | |||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| SEATS - FRONT ASSEMBLY - SEAT HEATER/COOLER | ||||||||||||||||
| 02V314000 | VOLVO CARS OF NA, INC. | from 05/01/1996 to 12/31/1996 | V (Vehicle) | 65000 | 02/19/2003 | ODI | VOLVO CARS OF N.A. LLC. | 11/19/2002 | 11/26/2002 | |||||||
| Defect Summary | On some sedans and station wagons equipped with seat heaters, it is possible that excessive compression of the seat cushion could cause damage to the electrical wiring of the seat heater. | |||||||||||||||
| Consequence Summary | If this occurs, the damage could result in a short circuit that could cause a fire. | |||||||||||||||
| Corrective Summary | Dealers will disconnect the existing wires and install a new electronic thermostat and cable harness. owner notification began on february 19, 2003. owners who take their vehicles to an authorized dealer on an agreed upon service date and do not receive the free remedy within a reasonable time should contact volvo at 1-800-458-1552. | |||||||||||||||
| Notes | Volvo cars recall no. 112. customers can also contact the national highway traffic safety administration's auto safety hotline at 1-888-dash-2-dot (1-888-327-4236). | |||||||||||||||
Bulletins
| Bulletin | Bulletin date | Replacement Bulletin | Item no. | Summary | Added |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| SEATS - FRONT ASSEMBLY - SEAT HEATER/COOLER | |||||
| 8522 | 12/05/2003 | 8522 | 10010466 | New front seat heater temperature setting after performing recall campaign 112 - rerouting front seat heater cable harness. *tt this tech note supersedes the previous 85-22 dated 11-17-03. *tt | 11/23/2004 |
Investigations
| NHTSA ID | Manufacturer | Date open | Date close | Subject | Recall campaign | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| SEATS - FRONT ASSEMBLY - SEAT HEATER/COOLER | ||||||
| EA02019 | VOLVO CARS OF N.A. LLC. | 08/22/2002 | 12/18/2002 | SEAT FIRES | 02V314000 | |
| Volvo is conducting a safety recall based on its analysis of complaints and technical information developed during its investigation.volvo'ssurvey of vehicles routinely brought in for maintenance at east-coast dealerships produced evidence that bare metal wires (that provide support for the seat bottom) can contact the thermostat and electrical wiresin or beneath the seat cushion.this can result in an electrical short.volvo confirmed in testing that if such a condition is present, the short to the wire seat support could cause burning of the seat cushion without activating (opening) the seat heater fuse.volvo will replace the entire thermostat assembly with an electronic timer delay unit. | ||||||
Consumer Complaints
| Fail date | miles | occurences | Purchase date |
|---|---|---|---|
| SEATS | |||
| 03/01/2003 | 1 | ||
| The front driver seat collapsed.*jb | |||
| SEATS - FRONT ASSEMBLY - POWER ADJUST | |||
| 10/18/2000 | 1 | 02/01/2000 | |
| Heated seat caught on fire; fire was put out by fire extinguisher from restaurant by which vehicle was stopped; fire damaged the seat, driver's side door, steering column, front dash and steering wheel. carpeting of the vehicle was also damaged, and other damage to the electrical system, arm rest, etc may have occured. problem has been reported to volvo and they are sending out an inspector to examine the car on 10/25/00. | |||
| SEATS - FRONT ASSEMBLY - RECLINER | |||
| 10/01/2000 | 1 | 03/01/1997 | |
| Driver seatback frame broke when accelerating from stop sign. seat did not entirely collapse, but seat does wobble now and makes clunking noises. dealer advised $650 parts and labor to correct problem. volvo advises they will not assist since the car is out of warranty. this repair is being paid for by my ryan extended warranty. i feel this is safety hazard because i believe the seatbeat could have collapsed without warning and caused an accident. | |||
| SEATS - FRONT ASSEMBLY - SEAT HEATER/COOLER | |||
| 4800 | 1 | ||
| Driver's seat heater did not operate. front passenger's side seat heater was repaired under recall 02v314000, but consumer must pay to get the driver's seat repaired. *ak | |||
| 12/02/2002 | 59000 | ||
| Prior to being notified for the electrical seat heater, recall 02 v 314 000, the defect accrued and vehicle was totaled.*ak | |||
| 2 | 12/01/1999 | ||
| Consumer's complaint regarding recall campaign 112. *mr (recall # 02v314000) the seat heater did not operate properly. the consumer received a notice which indicated that in the instance where the seat heaters didn't operate, the corrective action may not restore full functionality. the remedy did not restore the full benefit of the vehicle. the consumer requested compensation. there was also an a/c problem. *scc *jb | |||
| 1 | |||
| The vehicle was running for 3-5 minutes with the seat heater on when the left front seat bottom heater caught fire, the invesigator reported that this fire was the result of unregulated operation of the heater pad wires. nlm | |||
| 01/01/2002 | 1 | ||
| Vehicle was parked and running when it suddenly burst into flames and burned up. fire seems to have originated from the drivers seat. claim# 20-5456-209 *jg | |||
| 02/06/2002 | 1 | 05/01/1997 | |
| The wiring for the seat heater shorted, causing the ignition of a fire in the vehicle under the driver's seat. our volvo dealer described the cause of the fire as normal use, i.e., feet or other items under the seat had knocked the connection loose. accordingly, since the vehicle was out of warranty we paid for the repair. fortunately, the incident occurred in our driveway with the vehicle parked, although our 10 month old infant was in the car, strapped in her car seat (in the center of the rear seat) while the driver was opening a residential gate. upon returning to the car, the driver noticed a large amount of smoke pouring out from under the driver's seat. the driver ran back to the car and immediately turned the ignition off. we are extremely lucky that the incident occurred while the car was parked, the driver had left the front door open while leaving the vehicle to open the gate and we were able to get our baby out of the vehicle before she had inhaled a dangerous amount of electrical smoke. we drove a volvo for safety, but no longer. volvo's customer service department has been notified but responded with only an apology and no recognition that there may be a safety defect. | |||
| 1 | 11/01/1996 | ||
| Fire erupted under the driver's seat filling the vehicle with smoke very quickly, this vehicle was delivered from europe therefore a fire extinguisher came as standard equipment with the vehicle, the consumer believes the vehicle sustained little damage because the fire extinguisher was available and thinks they should be standard equipment in u.s. vehicles also. nlm | |||