NHTSA Complaint #10121869 — 2004 VOLVO V40

ON APRIL 13, 2005 AT APPROXIMATELY 4 PM, I WAS BACKING MY V40 VOLVO 2004 WAGON OUT OF A PARKING SPACE AT THE KOSSMAN GARAGE, LIBERTY AVENUE,PITTSBURGH, PA, GOING SLOWLY BECAUSE IT WAS A TIGHT SPACE, WHEN MY BRAKES DID NOT WORK, AT ALL. DESPITE PUSHING MY BRAKES AS FAR AS THEY WOULD GO, THE CAR DID NOT STOP, AND CRASHED INTO A CONCRETE SUPPORT BEAM, CRASHING IN THE ENTIRE BACK WINDOW AND DENTING THE BACK BUMPER VERTICALLY WHERE THE TALL CONCRETE BEAM HIT IT. THANK GOODNESS, NO PEOPLE WERE HURT, AND I WAS NOT INJURED EITHER. NO OTHER VEHICLES WERE DAMAGED, BECAUSE THE BEAM WAS DIRECTLY BEHIND ME, THANK GOODNESS. THE VOLVO HEADQUARTERS INSPECTED THE CAR AND SAID THERE WAS NOTHING WRONG, BUT THERE WAS INDEED SOMETHING WRONG WITH THE BRAKES. THROUGH MY INSURER, AMICA, I BECAME AWARE OF THE REPORTED HYDRAULICS PRO BLEM WITH BRAKES ON CERTAIN V40 VOLVO 2004 CARS. I ALSO FOUND A WEBSITE SHOWING A NOVEMBER, 2004 RECALL NOTICE REQUIRED TO BE SENT BY THE NATIONAL TRAFFIC AND MOTOR VEHICLE SAFETY ACT TO OWNERS OF SUCH VEHILCES, BUT I NEVER RECEIVED SUCH A NOTICE. WHAT IS MORE, EVEN AFTER MY ACCIDENT, THE COMPANY HAS NEVER TOLD ME OF SUCH A PROBLEM. I FOUND OUT TODAY ABOUT THIS, THANKS TO MY INSURER WHO RESEARCHED THIS. THE CAR IS NOW BEING REPAIRED, AT MY AND MY INSURERS EXPENSE, ALTHOUGH IT MAY BE DUE TO THE FAULTY BRAKES NOTED IN THE RECALL. I THINK THERE IS SOME RESPONSE NEEDED FROM VOLVO FOR NOT INFORMING ME OF THIS RECALL, FOR INDICATING IT WAS MY FAULT, AND FOR NOT BEING WILLING TO EVEN SEND ME A MEMO BASED ON THEIR EVALUATION OF MY CAR. MY INSURER IS ALSO WANTING TO KNOW WHAT THEIR RESPONSE IS.