[pdeforest]

Re: (nomarkup)

I called Volvo customer service line yesterday about the recall
(strangely I wanted to make sure I don't have a steering failure
in my daily driver).

After taking my name, address and vin (a few times) the customer
service agent could give me no information except to tell me that
I might get a letter in 30 days, that the recall might be in phases,
and that she had been given no information about the models or
vins that would be affected.

All I heard on the radio is that MY 2003-2006 are involved, but no
insight into which specific models or vin ranges. Don't know if it more
likely the 5 cylinder, the t6, or if the V8 is involved, or all of the above.

Needless to say I was less than happy about this. What is the
point of announcing a steering-related recall and then not
providing your customer service people any information? And
when this story hit the radio, the Volvo customer service number
was given out.

Not a happy camper. What happened to that Volvo for Life crapola?
Maybe it should be changed to "Volvo - We'll get around to fixing your
steering when we have a chance".

 

[pdeforest]

Re: (pdeforest)

Am I the only one who finds it interesting that when news like this
comes out, like a major safety-related recall, none of the Volvo sales people, who are otherwise so talkative on this site, have a peep to
add?

 

[pdeforest]

Re: (t6tim)

Think you missed my point. It's nobody's JOB to post here, but
that doesn't stop anyone from doing it. There are many people
who post thousands of items on this site, some important, some
relatively trivial, who position themselves as ultimate Volvo
authorities, and who make their livings by selling and upholding
the marque.

They don't have a "responsibility" or a job to look into this, but
it's just quite amusing to me how quickly they scurry into the
shadows during an embarassing safety recall. When you put
yourself up as an "expert" on all Volvo things great and small,
for a brand that sells safety as its first and most important benefit,
the silence is deafening.

Modified by pdeforest at 12:49 PM 6-27-2006

 

[pdeforest]

Re: (pdeforest)

My apologies to anyone who was bent out of shape by my previous
entries, not.

Clearly, I shouldn't expect any experienced Volvo sales consultants
to be able to get any useful information. Interesting that a major
safety-related recall is seen as just a "service issue" by one poster
here.

When I first contacted Volvo (several times) in May, I was told my
car was not being recalled, but that didn't mean that it might not be
in the future (very confidence building). So I have now driven my
potentially unsafe car for hundreds of miles over the past 2 months,
because Volvo couldn't get around to contacting me or giving me any
information about the recall status of my car.

Well, today I received the letter. And what a charming collection of
marketing euphemisms it is. "Over time, the deformation may lead to
a fracture fatigue of the outer tie rod. If this occurs, the driver may
notice that the vehicle is difficult to maneuver, which could result
in a crash." Isn't that lovely. Losing your tie rod might make the
car difficult to maneuver. How about impossible to control? It's
like saying crashing into a tree and having your chest crushed
might make it "difficult to breathe".

And yes, I have higher standards than just saying recalls are a
part of the automobile business. When you claim the moral high
ground on safety, letting people drive potentially unsafe vehicles
is not "Volvo for Life". And by the way, vehicle manufacturers don't
do multi-hundred thousand car recalls because they're trying to be
ethical or thoughtful or even pro-active. They're trying to avoid the
potential hundreds of millions of dollars in potential liability from
selling a defective product that kills consumers.

Let me close with a final quote from the recall letter. Insurance
Institute for Highway Safety Brian O'Neil is quoted as saying,
"There is just no reason for driving around in a vehicle with a
safety-related defect." I would add that there is just no reason
for a manufacturer to let owners drive around for months in just
such a fashion, while giving them no information.