NHTSA Complaint #11131716 — 2016 VOLVO S60

AS FAR BACK AS 2011, THERE WERE COMPLAINTS THAT VOLVOS EQUIPPED WITH THE CITY SAFETY SYSTEM WOULD SUDDENLY STOP OR SLOW DOWN FOR NO REASON. THIS SAME SITUATION HAPPENED TO ME IN SEPTEMBER 2018. AS I WAS MAKING A LEFT TURN TO CROSS AN INTERSECTION, MY VOLVO S60 SUDDENLY CAME TO A HALT. THERE WAS NOTHING IN FRONT OF ME. I WAS NOT SURE WHAT HAD HAPPENED AS I HEARD A GRINDING NOISE. I PULLED THE CAR OVER AND AS I WAS ABOUT TO GET OUT OF THE CAR, I NOTICED A WARNING ON THE DASH THAT THE CITY SAFETY HAD GONE OFF. FOR SOME UNKNOWN REASON, MY VOLVO HAD DECIDED TO JUST STOP. FORTUNATELY FOR ME, THERE WERE NO CARS APPROACHING THE INTERSECTION FROM THE OPPOSITE SIDE AND NO ONE WAS BEHIND ME. HAD THERE BEEN, I COULD EASILY BEEN REAR ENDED OR SIDE SWIPED. THE FOLLOWING DAY, I IMMEDIATELY CONTACT VOLVO AND SCHUMACHER VOLVO IN WEST PALM BEACHES. DESPITE PROVIDING A FULL EXPLANATION TO VOLVO, THEY REFUSED TO COMMENT OR ADDRESS THE MATTER. SCHUMACHER TOOK MY CAR AND DID A FULL INSPECTION, WHAT THEY FOUND WAS THAT THE CAMERA WAS DIRTY AND THEY HAD TO REMOVE AND CLEAN IT. NOW LET ME BE CLEAR, THE INSIDE OF MY WINDSHIELD IS SPOTLESS. THE OUTSIDE IS CLEAN. WHAT SCHUMACHER WAS REFERRING TO WAS THE CAMERA INSIDE THE UNIT THAT IS SEALED UP AGAINST THE TOP OF THE INSIDE WINDSHIELD. HOW COULD THIS CAMERA EVEN GET DIRTY? THIS IS THE REASON THE CITY SAFETY SYSTEM COULD HAVE CAUSED A FALSE POSITIVE. THE SYSTEM COULD INCORRECTLY ASSUME THERE WAS SOMETHING IN FRONT OF THE CAR AND PUT ON THE BRAKES. AFTER SCHUMACHER HAD CLEANED THE CAMERA, THEY STATED THE SYSTEM HAD BEEN TESTED AND WAS WORKING. I ASKED THE SERVICE MANAGER, RICHARD, IF WE COULD TEST MY CAR OUT WHEN I PICKED IT UP. UNBELIEVABLY, HIS RESPONSE WAS: 'VOLVO WON'T LET US TEST THE CITY SAFETY SYSTEM. IT IS FAR TOO DANGEROUS. WE CANNOT DO ANYTHING THAT WOULD PUT OUR CUSTOMERS IN DANGER OR DAMAGE A CUSTOMER'S VEHICLE'.