NHTSA Complaint #11519908 — 2023 VOLVO XC90

On April 29th 2023 while washing my Volvo XC90 I opened the trunk to clean out the crevasses around the car. As I continued to wipe down/dry the vehicle I placed my hand at the top of the trunk opening and moved my way downwards to wipe the bumper and side of car. Unfortunately, the handsfree tailgate feature activated and the trunk began to close on my hand. Due to my hand being so close to the the spring and the speed in which the trunk door closed I was unable to move my hand fast enough. My Middle, Index and pinky finger were all crushed inside of the car trunk. No one was able to render aid to me for several minutes. I was able to contort my body enough to push the trunk button and unlock it but the gate itself would not lift. I even in a state of panic tried to kick under the car to initiate the lift, I tried lifting as best I could to get relief off of my hands. Finally about 5 minutes later a passerby came and rendered aid to me and he had to manually lift the trunk up to free my fingers. The experience has been traumatic and I am taking all necessary steps via the Volvo dealership and Volvo to have this matter checked out and resolved. The car has no sensors around the trunk with the exception of something blocking it from closing completely. Also, if you are not carefully and are leaning into the trunk and trip the handsfree tailgate sensor it can close on you if you are leaning into the trunk - this is an issue I saw with my XC60 (2021) that clearly was not resolved. I did go to the ER and wound up with thankfully a bruised hand/tendons but no broken bones but I will need to follow up with a hand surgeon to ensure I do not have tendon/nerve damage.