NHTSA Complaint #11290759 — 2014 VOLVO S60

ON 7/21/2019, MY 2014 VOLVO S60 (WITH 58,582 MILES) WOULD NOT START. THERE WERE NO ERROR LIGHTS, AND I HAD MY VEHICLE FULLY SERVICED IN APRIL 2019. I HAD ALSO DRIVEN MY CAR THE DAY BEFORE, AND THERE WERE NO ISSUES. I CALLED MY ROADSIDE SERVICE COMPANY AND HAD MY BATTERY CHECKED, BUT THE BATTERY WAS NOT THE ISSUE. I HAD TO TOW MY CAR TO A REPAIR SHOP. THE FIRST REPAIR SHOP STATED THAT THE 'SERPENTINE BELT FAILED AND WORKED ITS WAY INTO THE TIMING COVER, CAUSING THE TIMING BELT TO BECOME MISALIGNED. THIS CONDITION CAUSED THE VALVES IN THE CYLINDER HEAD TO CONTACT THE PISTONS AND BENT THE VALVES. CAR HAS NO COMPRESSION. WILL REQUIRE CYLINDER HEAD REPLACEMENT.' THIS FACILITY INDICATED THAT I WOULD NEED THE ASSEMBLY HEAD REPLACED ($7,424.03), A/C BELT REPLACED ($57.41), ALTERNATOR BELT REPLACED ($73.81), AND SERPENTINE BELT TENSIONER REPLACED ($131.09). ADDITIONALLY, BASED ON THIS SHOP'S REPORTS, MY VEHICLE'S WARRANTY COMPANY INFORMED ME THAT THEY WOULD NOT COVER THE REPAIRS. DUE TO THE HIGH COST OF REPAIRS, I HAD MY CAR TOWED TO A DIFFERENT SHOP FOR A SECOND OPINION. THIS SHOP STATED THAT 'ENGINE HAS NO COMPRESSION. INSPECTED CYLINDER WITH BORESCOPE. VALVE CONTACT MARKS VISIBLE ON TOP OF THE PISTONS. NEEDS INTERNAL ENGINE REPAIRS.' THE SECOND SHOP SAID SIMILAR THINGS AS THE FIRST SHOP. I DECIDED TO TOW MY CAR TO MY FATHER'S SHOP IN TEXAS, WHERE I KNEW I WOULD RECEIVE AN HONEST ASSESSMENT OF WHAT WENT WRONG. MY FATHER DIAGNOSED THE ISSUE AFTER TAKING THE ENGINE APART. ONE OF THE LEVERS WAS NO LONGER SECURING THE TIMING BELT, THUS CAUSING THE TIMING BELT AND ALL THE SUBSEQUENT PARTS TO MALFUNCTION. I HAVE INDICATED THE FAILED LEVER IN THIS PICTURE. RATHER THAN REBUILDING THE ENGINE, MY FATHER INSTALLED A NEW ENGINE. HE ALSO REPLACED THE GASKETS AND TIMING KIT. AFTER HE COMPLETED THE REPAIRS, HE SHIPPED THE CAR BACK TO DC, AND IT HAS BEEN DRIVING WELL.