Bulletins
| Bulletin | Bulletin date | Replacement Bulletin | Item no. | Summary | Added |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| LATCHES/LOCKS/LINKAGES - DOORS - LATCH | |||||
| 830032REV | 03/01/2000 | 8830032 | 612379 | Information regarding the installation of the door lock protective cover. *mjs | 06/07/2000 |
Consumer Complaints
| Fail date | miles | occurences | Purchase date |
|---|---|---|---|
| LATCHES/LOCKS/LINKAGES - HOOD - LATCH | |||
| 02/01/1999 | 1 | 07/31/1998 | |
| The hood on the driver's side does not open on cold days. because of that i cannot fill the windshield fluid and when the windshield gets dirty from the vehicles in front, my wife can barely see her way.*ak i complaint to the dealer about it since the first winter, we got the car in 1998. this year i went to the dealer maybe 3 times with this problem but they could not replicate the problem and therefore could not fix it. i complained to volvo headquarters but they referred me back to the dealer. | |||
| LATCHES/LOCKS/LINKAGES - TAILGATE - LATCH | |||
| 02/28/2005 | 113000 | 50 | 10/16/2004 |
| The tailgate lock mechanism on my 1998 v70xc wagon often fails to latch in cold weather. this as not been too big a problem here in arizona - typically occurring if the tailgate is opened in the occasional cold mornings - as the day warms up the mechanism usually always latchs correctly. usually when it begins not to latch a little cleaning and lubricant would cure it for a while. this solution is now producing limited results, and not wanting to drive the kids to school with the possibility of their backpacks falling out of the back of the vehicle, i have decided to replace the latch. while searching the internet for replacement information, i came across numerous owner reports of occurrences of this failure, as well as a recall of the model year 2000 version of this vehicle for the same issue. i made a close inspection of the mechanical part of the latch, and it appears that the two rotating elements that form the catch & lock assembly are not well aligned (are not moving in the same plane), possibly due to the poor forming and/or assembly of the stamped and folded steel housing in which these two pieces are located. this mechanical problem is likely the reason that the cleaning/lubrication solution has always produced limited results. in all other functions (power lock/unlock, latch release, child lock, etc.) the assembly works correctly, it is just the balky rotation of the locking catch that appears to be keeping the latch from operating properly. i called volvo customer care to see if the 2000 model year recall for this problem had been extended to my year vehicle, but was told no. i believe the failure is due to an apparent design and/or manufacturing deficiency and not from just wear and tear. due to the safety issue, i have replaced the latch assembly, though i will not be able to determine if this has corrected the problem until colder weather. | |||