Volvo cops another belting

VOLVO Cars Australia has issued another safety recall for vehicles powered by its D5 diesel engine, this time covering the XC60 SUV as well as the flagship S80 and XC70.

On April 14, the company recalled 2007 and 2008 model-year S80 and XC70s due to potential failure of the diesel engine’s auxiliary belt drive because of premature wear to the belt tensioner.

Now, Volvo has recalled 2009 model-year XC70s and S80s, as well as XC60s, for the same reason.

The latest recall involves 484 vehicles, on top on the 286 cars recalled in March.

If the belt fails, the driver might hear a noise from the engine bay and the power steering will lose assistance, causing heavy steering and “loss of drive resulting in immobility of the vehicle”.

Vehicles affected by the latest recall have vehicle identification numbers (VIN) in the range of S80: 087016-106230 XC70: 047520-065138 XC60: 000001-028507.

Owners should contact their Volvo dealer to have the belt and tensioner replaced.