Tag Archives: XC40

News

Volvo Hit with U.S. Class Action Lawsuit Over XC40 Recharge Safety Defects

Volvo’s reputation for safety is under scrutiny once again. Hot on the heels of a warning from the U.S. National Highway Traffic Safety Administration (NHTSA) concerning its hybrid and electric models, the Swedish automaker is now facing a class action lawsuit in the United States over alleged safety defects in its fully electric XC40 Recharge SUV.

The lawsuit, filed by more than 100 vehicle owners, accuses Volvo of knowingly selling a vehicle with serious and potentially dangerous flaws—chief among them, instances of uncontrolled or unexpected acceleration. The plaintiffs claim that these defects present a clear danger to drivers, passengers, and others on the road.

At the center of the legal action is lead plaintiff Robert M. Becker, who alleges that the 2024 model-year XC40 Recharge he leased began exhibiting abrupt jerks and spontaneous acceleration within weeks of delivery. According to Becker, these episodes occurred during everyday driving scenarios, such as gear changes or while using the EV’s “One Pedal Drive” mode—a feature designed to enable regenerative braking and reduce reliance on the brake pedal.

Becker and other plaintiffs argue that the issue is not isolated. They claim Volvo either knew—or should have known—about the defect, citing internal pre-production testing, customer complaints (including those for the related Polestar 2 model), service reports, and data reported to NHTSA. Despite mounting evidence, the lawsuit alleges that Volvo downplayed the seriousness of the issue and implemented only partial remedies.

“The defects pose a significant risk of accident, injury or property damage,” the complaint states, adding that Volvo’s actions constitute “fraudulent concealment” and a violation of multiple U.S. consumer protection laws.

So far, Volvo has issued two recalls related to the XC40 Recharge in the U.S. market. One involved a software issue that could cause sudden power loss, while the other addressed a potential water intrusion issue affecting the accelerator pedal sensor on certain 2021 and 2022 models. However, plaintiffs argue that these recalls were too narrow in scope and failed to address the underlying problems with the vehicle’s control systems.

The legal filing demands a jury trial and seeks compensatory and punitive damages, restitution of profits allegedly obtained through false advertising, and a court-ordered injunction requiring Volvo to fix all affected vehicles.

This latest development adds to growing scrutiny over the reliability of Volvo’s electric lineup at a time when the company is pushing aggressively toward an all-electric future. With consumer trust and brand equity hanging in the balance, the outcome of this case may have far-reaching consequences—not just for Volvo, but for the broader EV market where software-driven control systems are increasingly at the heart of the driving experience.

Volvo has not yet issued a public comment regarding the lawsuit.

Source: U.S. National Highway Traffic Safety Administration (NHTSA)

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Volvo recorded a drop in sales in January

2024 was the most successful year ever for Volvo, but the beginning of 2025 does not show continued sales growth. According to the company, in 2024 the Swedish brand sold 8% more cars than in 2023.

The start of the year for Volvo was not expected, at least that is what the sales results for January show. Although the Swedish brand expected continued sales growth, the opposite happened, and in the first month Volvo managed to sell only 50,820 vehicles worldwide. However, the company hopes that hybrids and EVs will play a major role in the future, which can be inferred from the growth in demand for these cars.

In January, Volvo delivered 22,398 hybrids and EVs, which is 17 percent more than in the same month a year earlier. Customers mostly chose PHEV models (12,693 units), which accounted for 28 percent of total sales. On the other hand, EVs were less in demand, but still registered a growth of 5% (9,705 units).

The best-selling mmodel was the XC60 (18,972 units), followed by the XC40/EX40, while the least demanded was the XC90, which recorded a drop in demand compared to January 2024.

It should also be noted that the demand for cars with combustion engines and mild hybrids has fallen. They recorded a 17 percent drop in demand compared to 2024.

Volvo is one of those manufacturers that strongly believes in the future of EVs, and they showed that in October 2024 when they announced that the EU must not abandon the ban on the sale of ICE cars after 2035. They and 49 other car companies have signed a declaration with which they unreservedly support the EU decision, even though they announced that they will continue to produce cars with combustion engines after 2030, but they will have mild hybrid systems and will be produced in limited series.

Source: Volvo

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Volvo produced one million XC40 units at the Belgian plant

The Ghent plant is one of the most profitable facilities of the Swedish car manufacturer Volvo, where EX40/XC40 models are produced. It is a subcompact luxury crossover SUV that arrived on the market in 2017, and a few days ago, the company announced that one million XC40s left this plant.

Aside from conventional petrol and diesel engines, a plug-in hybrid model was introduced in 2019, and a battery electric vehicle model was released a year later. Both the plug-in hybrid and the battery electric versions were marketed as the XC40 Recharge. In 2024, Volvo renamed the battery electric XC40 to the Volvo EX40, aligning it with newer battery electric models such as the EX30 and the EX90.

In 2023, the XC40 was Volvo’s second best-selling model, after the XC60, while increased demand for the smaller model, the EX30, in early 2024 pushed the XC40 into third place.

In April, Volvo announced that it was moving the production of the EX30 model to its factory in Ghent, with which this plant will reach its maximum production capacity. Last year, about 230,000 units left the factory in Ghent, of which 60 percent were electric cars.

Source: Volvo