NHTSA Complaint #733866 — 1998 VOLVO V70

DOOR LOCK FAILS TO RELEASE MANUALLY OR ELECTRICALLY. DOOR CANNOT BE OPENED BY ANY MEANS (FROM INSIDE OR OUTSIDE OF VEHICLE). IF VEHICLE WAS INVOLVED IN A CRASH OR IF OCCUPANT NEEDED TO EXIT IN AN EMERGENCY, THERE WOULD BE NO MEANS OF EXIT FROM THAT DOOR. SINCE REAR WINDOW ONLY GOES DOWN PART WAY, NO ESCAPE FROM WINDOW WOULD BE POSSIBLE. INTERNET SEARCH ON THIS PROBLEM AS WELL AS DISCUSSIONS WITH VOLVO MECHANICS REVEAL THAT THIS IS NOT AN UNCOMMON PROBLEM FOR 1998 MODEL-YEAR VOLVOS. MOST HAVE BEEN REPAIRED UNDER WARRANTY. MY VEHICLE HAPPENS TO BE OUT OF WARRANTY BECUASE OF ITS MILEAGE AND MY LOCAL DEALERSHIPS HAVE NOT BEEN VERY COOPERATIVE IN FIXING THIS PROBLEM FREE OF CHARGE. I FEEL THAT THIS PROBLEM IS A SERIOUS SAFETY CONCERN, MAKING VEHICLE EMERGENCY EXIT AND RESCUE DIFFICULT, IF NOT IMPOSSIBLE. YOU MAY NOT HAVE RECEIVED MANY COMPLAINTS YET BECAUSE MOST VEHICLE OWNERS HAVE HAD THESE PROBLEMS REMEDIED UNDER WARRANTY. ONE PERSON I HAVE SPOKEN WITH HAS HAD (3) OF HIS (4) PASSENGER DOOR LOCKS REPLACED ALREADY. A SERVICE MANAGER OF A CANADIAN VOLVO DEALERSHIP TOLD ME THAT THIS HAS BEEN ENOUGH OF A PROBLEM AT HIS DEALERSHIP THAT HE FEELS VOLVO SHOULD REPAIR AT NO CHARGE (TOO BAD HE DOESN'T WORK AT MY DEALERSHIP). I HAVE CONTACTED VOLVO NA REGARDING THIS ISSUE, I AWAIT THEIR RESPONSE. REGARDLESS OF THEIR RESPONSE, I FEEL THAT IT IS A BONAFIDE SAFETY CONCERN.