NHTSA Complaint #10025509 — 2002 VOLVO S80

ABOUT TWO WEEKS AGO, I ATTEMPTED TO INSTALL A CHILD SAFETY SEAT IN MY 2002 VOLVO S-80. IN ORDER TO DO THE JOB PROPERLY, I LOOKED IN MY OWNERS MANUAL FOR THE LOCATION OF THE LOWER ANCHORAGE SYSTEM. ON PAGE 12 WAS THE ILLUSTRATION AND LOCATION OF THE ANCHORS, BUT I WAS UNABLE TO FIND THEM IN THE CAR. THE NEXT MONDAY I CALLED THE DEALERSHIP WHERE I HAD PURCHASED THE CAR AND WAS INFORMED THAT SOMETIMES VOLVO DIDN'T INSTALL THIS PART. I WAS TOLD TO LOOK IN THE WHEEL-WELL IN THE TRUNK. THE PART WAS NOT THERE. SO, I WAS TOLD TO STOP BY THE DEALARSHIP AND THEY WOULD TAKE CARE OF IT. SEVERAL DAYS LATER, I WENT TO THE DEALERSHIP, AND THE MECHANIC COULDN'T FIND THE ANCHOR EITHER. SOME DISCUSION TRANSPIRED, AFTER WHICH I WAS TOLD THAT MY OWNERS MANUAL WAS IN ERROR, AND THAT MY CAR DID NOT COME WITH THE LOWER ANCHORAGE SYSTEM. IT WAS GOING TO COST ABOUT $100 TO ORDER AND INSTALL THE PART. I WAS ANGRY. AFTERALL, MY OWNERS MANUAL SHOWED THE LOCATION OF THIS SYSTEM. HOW COULD VOLVO MAKE SUCH AN ERROR? I CALLED VOLVO CUSTOMER SERVICE TO COMPLAIN. I WAS READ THE FOLLOWING STATEMENT, "VOLVO RESERVES THE RIGHT TO MAKE MODEL CHANGES AT ANY TIME, OR TO CHANGE SPECIFICATIONS OR DESIGN, WITHOUT NOTICE AND INCURRING OBLIGATION." AS A RESULT OF THIS STATEMENT THE COMPANY CONFIRMED THAT THEY WERE NOT GOING TO RECTIFY THIS SITUATION UNLESS I PAID FOR IT, SINCE THEY ARE NOT RESPONSIBLE FOR THE CONTENTS OF THEIR OWNERS MANUAL. I LEASED THIS CAR IN MAY, 2002, MORE THAN HALFWAY THROUGH THE MODEL YEAR. I SEEMS TO ME THAT VOLVO HAS THE OBLIGATION TO SEE THAT ITS OWNERS MANUAL IS CURRENT AT THE TIME OF DELIVERY. VOLVO IS A BRAND THAT HAS EARNED ITS REPUTATION THROUGH SAFETY. I OBJECT TO THE FACT THAT THEY DODGE THEIR RESPONSIBILTY FOR SAFETY BY HIDING BEHIND SOME LEGALIZE. IT IS THE COMPANY'S OBLIGATION TO THE CONSUMER TO SEE THAT EITHER THEIR CAR IS DELIVERED AS STATED, OR TO SEE THAT ANY ERRONEOUS STATEMENT AND ILLUSTRATIONS ARE REMOVED FROM THE MANUAL. *AK