As Edward Norton's character explains things to Brad Pitt's Tyler Durden in Fight Club, no automotive manufacturer wants to perform a recall on its cars unless the potential for payouts following litigation will result in more lost money than the cost of the recall. Throw in the cost to reputation, and it's no wonder automakers hate to admit their mistakes.
But if there was ever a company that would buck this trend, surely it would be Volvo, the company that invented seatbelts and then shared the lifesaving technology with the world, right? Well, it sure isn't a good look for the Swedes that they're now engaged in a massive recall that affects literally every single model in the company's lineup.
What's The Story
The system at fault is Volvo's automatic emergency braking, which apparently employs software that is incompatible with new hardware on every last one of Volvo's 2019 and 2020 models, which means the S60, V60, V60 Cross Country, S90 L, V90, V90 Cross Country, XC40, XC60, and XC90. The recall will affect 121,605 cars in the United States, out of more than 736,000 cars worldwide, according to the Associated Press.
No Injuries Yet
Apparently, Volvo has not detected a single report of a crash or injury due to the faulty braking system, which further supports the widespread belief that of all the car companies out there, Volvo might just be the one most committed to safety. According to documents filed with the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration, a software fix should be available to begin reprogramming the affected cars as early as May 1 of this year. Whether or not Volvo has a plan to protect owners and workers from contracting coronavirus while trying to fix the flawed cars remains to be seen.
Source: AP News