Fuel Pump Recall announced

[dono]

2004 V70 turbo wagon AWD Fuel Smell in Cabin December 2015

Bottom line up front -if you have a Volvo make and model year covered under the recall but your VIN shows you are not covered because of the physical location of the car at the time of the recall (where it was sold/registered) talk to management at the dealership/have them escalate it to regional Volvo management.

I started getting the strong smell of fuel in the car with no leaking outside the vehicle (and a good gas cap). I did some research and saw info here and elsewhere on the recall (link below 'note 1'). I checked under the rear seat and sure enough that is where the gas vapor appeared to be coming from. I drove it for a week with it getting progressively worse doing research and considering doing the repair myself. Im an ok shade tree mechanic but this did not look like fun. Called my excellent Indie mechanic and he said he has seen this and it is often covered under the recall.

When I looked under my VIN at the Volvo site and NHTSA site my VIN was NOT covered. Bummer. I wondered why because my make, model and model year was under the recall. Turns out Volvo was limiting the recall to cars sold and/or registered in selective states. My car, for example was registered in NY at the time of the recall - cars physically located in NY were not covered under the recall. The 'logic' was that the failure of the fuel pump flange was due to 'ENVIRONMENTAL CONDITIONS (HOT CLIMATES AND TEMPERATURE CYCLING)' thus cars not located in 'hot' climates, by Volvo's logic were not covered.

Our car moved from NY to Virginia (where it has remained) 2010 the year of the recall. It gets hot here. We never got a notice because at the time of the recall the car was registered in NY. Our VIN didnt show up as covered in the recall for the same reason. Called Volvo North America (phone operator and supervisor) - no joy. If the VIN is not covered you are not covered. Called the dealer same deal, at first. Luckily my wife was persistent and went to the dealership manager (he didnt understand the 'logic' of a geographically limited recall either). He in had his boss contact the regional manager. To our astonishment Volvo agreed to check the issue for free and repair if in fact the problem was the part under recall. They agreed to look at the car 7 am the next day and found it was the recall issue. They are repairing it, for free, as I type. I have to say Im impressed with Volvo for honoring the spirit of the recall (when pressed).

My indie was looking at 4-6 hours of labor charge to do this plus parts (thanks to him for pressing me to push the dealer). Since the dealer is taking 2-3 clock hours for this repair Im guessing they would have charged the same 4-6 hours labor had we not pressed the recall issue (without the help of the manager the service people only cared if our VIN said it was covered or not - they would have charged us).

So in conclusion, if you have a Volvo make and model year covered under the recall but your VIN shows you are not covered because of the physical location of the car at the time of the warranty talk to management at the dealership. Im guessing having their cars burn up on the roads and in garages due to a defect is something Volvo is trying to avoid.




note 1
look here for the recall http://www-odi.nhtsa.dot.gov/cars/probl ... mmary=true


note 2
VOLVO IS RECALLING CERTAIN MODEL YEAR 2001-2005 S80, MODEL YEAR 2001-2004 V70, S60, XC70 AND MODEL YEAR 2003-2005 XC90 VEHICLES SOLD IN OR REGISTERED IN THE STATES OF ALABAMA, ARIZONA, ARKANSAS, CALIFORNIA, FLORIDA, GEORGIA, HAWAII, KENTUCKY, LOUISIANA, MISSISSIPPI, NEVADA, NEW MEXICO, NORTH CAROLINA, OKLAHOMA, SOUTH CAROLINA, TENNESSEE, TEXAS, UTAH, VIRGINIA AND THE U.S. TERRITORIES. WHEN EXPOSED TO CERTAIN ENVIRONMENTAL CONDITIONS (HOT CLIMATE AND TEMPERATURE CYCLING) OVER TIME AND IN COMBINATION WITH VARYING FUEL QUALITY, THE FUEL PUMP CAN DEVELOP CRACKS IN THE FUEL PUMP FLANGE.

and

VOLVO HAS DETERMINED THAT DUE TO EXPOSURE TO CERTAIN ENVIRONMENTAL CONDITIONS (HOT CLIMATES AND TEMPERATURE CYCLING) AND VARYING FUEL QUALITY, THE FUEL PUMP FLANGE IN THE XC90 VEHICLES CAN DEVELOP CRACKS. OWNERS MAY NOTICE FUEL SMELL AND/OR FUEL SEEPAGE. DUE TO SIMILAR MATERIAL USAGE, THIS ISSUE ALSO AFFECTS OTHER MY2001-2005 S60/S80/V70/XC70 AND MY2003/2005 XC90 VEHICLES. REVIEW OF THE VOLVO DATA INDICATE THE FREQUENCY OF COMPLAINTS/REPAIRS IS HIGHER IN THE HOT CLIMATE STATES. VOLVO WILL RECALL AND REPLACE THE FUEL PUMP WITH A PART OF A MODIFIED DESIGN/MATERIAL IN APPROXIMATELY 136,100 MY2001-2004 S60/V70/XC70, MY2001-2005 S80 AND MY2003-2005 XC90 VEHICLES IN 19 STATES. THESE STATES INCLUDE AL, AZ, AR, CA, FL, GA, HI, KY, LA, MS, NV, NM, NC, OK, SC, TN, TX, UT, VA AND THE US TERRITORIES. IN ADDITION, VOLVO WILL EXTEND THE WARRANTY COVERAGE TO 10 YEARS/150,000 MILES ON APPROXIMATELY 190,000 VEHICLES FOR THE REMAINING STATES. THIS RECALL/EXTENDED WARRANTY PROGRAM SUPERSEDES PREVIOUS 07V-152/TNN 23-198 PROGRAM ON MY2001-2002 VEHICLES. THIS INVESTIGATION IS CLOSED (SEE RECALL CAMPAIGN 09V-483).

[enotslim]

2004 XC70. I first noticed gas smell in interior about two weeks ago. Confirmed a slow, low volume leak from the cap of the fuel pump. See attached photo. No fuel on any other portion of the pump or elsewhere.

Original owner. Car purchased and registered continuously in Massachusetts. Never received notice from Volvo for this recall. Not in the "hot" climates that reportedly are the only ones that qualify for this recall. Correction: a VIN search at NHSTA web site does NOT return this fuel pump recall (only the airbag recall).

Any chance Volvo will replace this pump without charge to me under this recall? It's been a long time and I'm not in the covered locations but it's clearly the same defect and it is a major safety issue. Volvo is just wrong about the locations at risk for this failure. I saw the post above about success getting coverage in New York so maybe there's hope. Then it's the matter of being "late". But, again, since I wasn't notified being late is meaningless.

[dono]

Read my post above - you should be covered if you push it. I dont think they want the liability of your car burning up.

[Krons]

2004 XC70. I first noticed gas smell in interior about two weeks ago. Confirmed a slow, low volume leak from the cap of the fuel pump. See attached photo. No fuel on any other portion of the pump or elsewhere.

Original owner. Car purchased and registered continuously in Massachusetts. Never received notice from Volvo for this recall. Not in the "hot" climates that reportedly are the only ones that qualify for this recall. Correction: a VIN search at NHSTA web site does NOT return this fuel pump recall (only the airbag recall).

Any chance Volvo will replace this pump without charge to me under this recall? It's been a long time and I'm not in the covered locations but it's clearly the same defect and it is a major safety issue. Volvo is just wrong about the locations at risk for this failure. I saw the post above about success getting coverage in New York so maybe there's hope. Then it's the matter of being "late". But, again, since I wasn't notified being late is meaningless.

Volvo replaced my 02 S60 fuel pump a couple years ago. Had well over 150k miles and multiple owners. No charge. I’m in Iowa so not part of the original recall. Had to call Volvo US Customer Service to open a ticket. I filled the small area with fuel resistant two part epoxy to prevent further fuel leaking. With key on you can see where it is leaking from.

[enotslim]

Read my post above - you should be covered if you push it. I dont think they want the liability of your car burning up.

.....
Volvo replaced my 02 S60 fuel pump a couple years ago. Had well over 150k miles and multiple owners. No charge. I’m in Iowa so not part of the original recall. Had to call Volvo US Customer Service to open a ticket. I filled the small area with fuel resistant two part epoxy to prevent further fuel leaking. With key on you can see where it is leaking from.

Did you get a decision about eligibility before taking the car to a dealer? I opened a ticket with Volvo US Customer Service who says they will not decide whether this car is eligible for *consideration* for replacement under this recall until a dealer evaluates the fuel pump. I'm telling them they can and should decide eligibility for *consideration* before I tow the car to the dealer. (I'm uneasy about driving with fuel leaking near the electrical input to the pump - sparks wouldn't be good - am I too cautious?) If the fuel pump doesn't qualify for the recall then of course they will not need to cover the replacement cost. I'm not asking them to commit to covering the cost sight unseen. I will, of course, replace it myself if they won't cover it.

[Krons]

Read my post above - you should be covered if you push it. I dont think they want the liability of your car burning up.

.....
Volvo replaced my 02 S60 fuel pump a couple years ago. Had well over 150k miles and multiple owners. No charge. I’m in Iowa so not part of the original recall. Had to call Volvo US Customer Service to open a ticket. I filled the small area with fuel resistant two part epoxy to prevent further fuel leaking. With key on you can see where it is leaking from.

Did you get a decision about eligibility before taking the car to a dealer? I opened a ticket with Volvo US Customer Service who says they will not decide whether this car is eligible for *consideration* for replacement under this recall until a dealer evaluates the fuel pump. I'm telling them they can and should decide eligibility for *consideration* before I tow the car to the dealer. (I'm uneasy about driving with fuel leaking near the electrical input to the pump - sparks wouldn't be good - am I too cautious?) If the fuel pump doesn't qualify for the recall then of course they will not need to cover the replacement cost. I'm not asking them to commit to covering the cost sight unseen. I will, of course, replace it myself if they won't cover it.

If I recall correctly I did take it in, with backseat removed so dealer had a clear view of the pump and could not charge me a diagnostic fee.

[enotslim]

If I recall correctly I did take it in, with backseat removed so dealer had a clear view of the pump and could not charge me a diagnostic fee.

Thanks. It's fairly easy if I drive the car to the dealer. I'm hesitating due to the perhaps wiser plan of towing both ways if they don't cover it.

Coincidentally, a friend's XC60 has been at this same dealer, towed in with an ABS warning light, for two weeks without being looked at even once. Maybe I should contact a different dealer.

[Krons]

If I recall correctly I did take it in, with backseat removed so dealer had a clear view of the pump and could not charge me a diagnostic fee.

Thanks. It's fairly easy if I drive the car to the dealer. I'm hesitating due to the perhaps wiser plan of towing both ways if they don't cover it.

Coincidentally, a friend's XC60 has been at this same dealer, towed in with an ABS warning light, for two weeks without being looked at even once. Maybe I should contact a different dealer.

On mine it was easy, they just had to look at my epoxied fuel pump top (I didn’t want fuel blowing up my car) and smell the gas from the seat bottom. All they really need is a “yup, top of fuel pump is cracked” so they can work a ticket with Volvo USA. I don’t know why dealers sometimes make it more difficult than needed.

[enotslim]

On mine it was easy, they just had to look at my epoxied fuel pump top (I didn’t want fuel blowing up my car) and smell the gas from the seat bottom. All they really need is a “yup, top of fuel pump is cracked” so they can work a ticket with Volvo USA. I don’t know why dealers sometimes make it more difficult than needed.

Dealer won't look at the fuel pump with epoxy (to stop the leak so I can drive it in). That means towing, both ways if Volvo US rejects coverage under the recall (and I replace the pump in my driveway or just try epoxy at that point). Any way to reversibly stop/slow the leak enough to drive 5 miles to the dealer? Inflatable balloon stopper? If not I guess I tow and hope. They will do the air bag recall at the same visit.

[Krons]

My kid had drove his S60 for a while before I caught it. All depends on whether fuel is a small containable leak or a spray. If you pull the rear seat to expose the pump and key on, you should get a feel of whether it’ll be ok to drive 5 miles.

Keep the windows down when you drive.