Nearly 70,000 Volvo cars in the UK are being recalled over a fire risk related to an engine problem, the manufacturer said.
Certain models built between 2014 and 2019 are affected by the issue.
The firm’s investigations found that “in very rare cases” a piece of plastic fitted as part of the engine can melt, causing a fire “in the most extreme cases”.
A spokesman for the Swedish company said it has received reports of “a very small number” of cars catching fire, but no-one has been injured.
The 69,616 UK cars affected are among more than half a million being recalled globally.
The affected models have four-cylinder diesel engines and are 2014-2019 versions of the following:
- S60 and S60 Cross Country saloon
- S80 saloon
- S90 saloon
- V40 and V40 Cross Country hatch
- V60 and V60 Cross Country estate
- V70 and XC70 estate
- V90 and V90 Cross Country estate
- XC60 SUV
- XC90 SUV
Volvo said it was contacting all customers whose vehicles are affected to alert them to the fire risk issue. Drivers are being told it is “safe to continue to use your car” if it does not show any symptoms indicating a problem, such as an engine warning light illuminating, a lack of power or an “unusual smell”.
A second letter will be sent confirming when a solution to the problem is available.
Volvo said it notified the relevant authorities about the issue “as soon as it was identified”. It apologised to customers for the inconvenience caused, stating that it is taking “full responsibility to ensure the highest quality and safety standards of our cars”.
The Driver and Vehicle Standards Agency (DVSA) head of vehicle safety branch Ian Bartlett said: “DVSA’s priority is to protect everyone from unsafe drivers and vehicles.
“After being informed of the risk by Volvo, we worked with the manufacturer to recall the vehicles as soon as possible to help protect the public.
“We will ensure that the owners of these vehicles are notified of the recall and that vehicles are inspected as a priority.”
If you have any of the cars above registered from 2014 onwards, you can find out whether your car is affected by the recall by calling your local Volvo dealer. There is also information here on the Volvo Cars UK website. Any remedial work required will not be charged to you.
