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Volvo Recalls Certain XC40 Recharge Electric SUVs for Missing or Loose Bolts

Founded in 1927 by two gentlemen with very cool names, Volvo is pretty much synonymous with safety. The Swedish company previously made the audacious promise that it would eliminate all deaths in Volvo cars and utility vehicles by 2020, but we all know that wasn’t possible. Worse still for the Gothenburg-based company, certain examples of the XC40 Recharge crossover have been produced with missing or loose bolts.
Volvo XC40 Recharge 30 photos
Photo: Volvo
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“I beg your pardon? How is that even possible nowadays considering the level of automation of a car-making facility?” According to documents filed with the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration, 13 vehicles were registered in the assembly plant with loose or missing cross-member bolts.

The issue affects four U.S. vehicles produced between September 10th, 2020 and March 25th, 2021. The bolts that secure the front electric motor's bracket are suspected of loosening over time due to improper torque from the factory, resulting in abnormal NVH symptoms such as squeaking noises under acceleration. In the worst-case scenario, there may be a risk of decreased protection in the event of a crash.

Volvo isn’t aware of any crashes, injuries, or fatalities related to this condition. To remedy these vehicles, the automaker will replace the engine compartment’s cross-member bracket and install new bolts for the bracket at no charge to the customer. Volvo further highlights that its plant system has been updated and is now showing the correct motor side to be controlled as part of the production process. As a brief refresher, the XC40 Recharge is manufactured in the city of Ghent in Belgium’s lovely Flemish Region.

U.S. customers are to be informed by first-class mail of the problem on January 10th, which is a little bit late for a company that’s been donning the safety mantle since Nils Bohlin invented the three-point seatbelt in 1959. In the meantime, owners can run the vehicle identification number on the NHTSA website to find out if their XC40s are called back for this issue.
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 Download: Volvo XC40 Recharge bolts recall (PDF)

About the author: Mircea Panait
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After a 1:43 scale model of a Ferrari 250 GTO sparked Mircea's interest for cars when he was a kid, an early internship at Top Gear sealed his career path. He's most interested in muscle cars and American trucks, but he takes a passing interest in quirky kei cars as well.
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