2009 VOLVO C30 — Problems, Recalls & Safety Data

The contact owns a 2009 Volvo C30. The contact stated while attempting to park the vehicle, the gear shifter shifted out of gear independently. No dealer or independent mechanic was contacted. The vehicle was not taken to a dealer or independent mechanic to be diagnosed. The vehicle was not repaired. The manufacturer was not notified of the failure. The failure mileage was 106,000.

The clutch gets stuck on depressing intermittently. I was not able to shift the gear in the middle of the highway at around 80 miles an hour and this was a fatal encounter for me. It could have killed me as well as was a hazard for other cot ravellers around me. This problem reproduces its multiple times but at unpredictable moments. It is difficult to replicate the problem when showing it to the service centre however, Volvo issued a recall for faulty clutch master and slave cylinders in the UK but not in USA. There are absolutely no leaks or problems as the clutch is new.

WINDSHIELD WAS NOT PROPERLY SEALED AND SEAL CAME LOOSE, FREEING WINDSHIELD FROM THE BODY OF THE CAR. PROBLEM WAS NOTICED WHEN RAIN CAME IN ON DRIVER'S SIDE AND WET THE DRIVER'S SIDE FOOTWELL. SUNROOF DRAINS WERE CHECKED AND THEY WERE NOT THE PROBLEM. WINDSHIELD HAD BEEN LOOSE AT PIVOT POINT AND COULD BE EASILY PUSHED OUT FROM THE INSIDE. WINDSHIELD HAD NOT BEEN REPLACED SINCE PURCHASE. *TR

RECENTLY I HAVE BEEN EXPERIENCING INTERMITTENT VIBRATIONS WHILE DRIVING. I HAD THE CAR INSPECTED AT AN INDEPENDENT TIRE SHOP WHO FOUND TWO OUT OF FOUR TIRES (ONE FRONT, ONE REAR) WERE OUT-OF-ROUND BECAUSE OF TREAD SEPARATION OR BELT SLIPPING. I BEGAN TO SUSPECT THAT THIS WAS RELATED TO VIBRATIONS THAT I EXPERIENCED EARLY AFTER BUYING THE CAR USED WITH NEW CONTINENTAL DWS TIRES INSTALLED, FROM A VOLVO DEALER, JUST OVER TWO YEARS AGO. THEN I HAD ASSUMED THAT THE PROBLEM WAS A SLIGHT IMBALANCE OR POOR WHEEL MOUNTING. I HAD THE CAR INSPECTED AT A CONTINENTAL TIRE DEALER TO INITIATE A WARRANTY CLAIM, BECAUSE THE TIRES WERE POSSIBLY UNSAFE TO USE AFTER 2 YEARS AND 18000 MILES (WELL WITHIN THE 6 YEAR WORKMANSHIP, AND 50000 MILE TREADWEAR WARRANTY). THEY FOUND UNEVEN CAMBER WEAR AND CUPPING, BUT NO TREAD SEPARATION, AND THE CARS SUSPENSION AND ALIGNMENT CHECKED OUT. CONTINENTAL REFUSED TO HONOR THE DEFECT IN WORKMANSHIP WARRANTY CLAIMING THAT I HAD NOT MAINTAINED THE TIRES BECAUSE I HAD FOLLOWED THE CARS MANUFACTURES SERVICE RECOMMENDATION OF NOT ROTATING TIRES (SACRIFICING TREADWEAR FOR IMPROVED HANDLING). I RECONTACTED CONTINENTAL WHEN THE LEVEL OF THE VIBRATIONS AND THUMPING NOISES SUBSIDED AGAIN BECAUSE AN INTERMITTENT VIBRATION COULD NOT BE EXPLAINED BY CUPPING AND CAMBER WEAR BECAUSE THEY ARE PERMANENT, THUS SUPPORTING THE INDEPENDENT SHOPS CLAIM THAT THERE IS AN INTERNAL DEFECT IN THE TIRE ALLOWING THE BELTS TO SHIFT. CONTINENTAL HAS DISMISSED THIS AS A POSSIBLE CAUSE AND IS SEEMINGLY IGNORING THE FACT THAT THESE TIRES COULD HAVE A POTENTIALLY DANGEROUS MANUFACTURING DEFECT.

TURN ENGINE ON AND STARTED TO GET OUT OF MY PARKING SPACE AND SUDDENLY NOTICED HESITATION OF MY WHEEL TO TURN LEFT>RIGHT. I CHECKED MY POWER STEERING RESERVOIR AND I CANNOT SEE POWER STEERING FLUID. I CALLED VOLVO AND THEY SAID MY VIN IS NOT PART OF THE RECALL. I HAVE LOW MILEAGE AND THEY JUST DID A ROUTINE MAINTENANCE ON THE VEHICLE PAST SUMMER. *TR