Dangerous Brake Defect in Volvo: Owner Shares Video
The incident occurred in California after updating the software to version 3.5.14. The driver, whom we will call Max, was descending a mountain road when he suddenly lost control of the brakes. He had to steer onto the shoulder to avoid going over the slope.
As it turned out, this situation is not unique – Volvo has already issued a recall for 12,000 vehicles of various models, including the XC90, S60, V60, and others. The manufacturer warns against using certain driving modes until the update is installed.
Incident Details
According to the onboard recorder, after 1 minute and 40 seconds of descent, the car began to accelerate without the gas pedal being pressed. The brakes did not respond, despite active use. Max managed to stop the car only after colliding with a berm, which resulted in serious damage.
“We almost died, and they didn’t even apologize” – stated the owner, commenting on Volvo’s official response.
Manufacturer’s Response
Volvo confirmed that the incident occurred due to a vulnerability in the software. The company has already released an update that fixes the problem and recommends all owners install it immediately.
However, questions remain unanswered. For example, why did the manufacturer change the critical descent time from 1 minute 40 seconds to 1 minute 30 seconds in its recommendations? It is also unclear what exactly in the software causes such a dangerous effect.
This case is a reminder of the importance of manufacturers responding promptly to potential malfunctions. Although Volvo quickly rectified the situation, the incident could have had tragic consequences. Owners of the affected models should be especially attentive to updates and adhere to temporary restrictions on using certain functions.