Volvo douses fire-risk vehicle fears with direct mail campaign

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Volvo is to mount a direct mail campaign in the UK to alert the drivers of some 70,000 vehicles that their cars represent a fire risk.

The Swedish automaker is in the midst of a wider global recall affecting over half a million diesel vehicles identified as containing a plastic engine component which can ‘melt and deform’ or even catch fire in ‘extreme cases’.

While insisting that failure would occur only ‘in very rare cases’ the manufacturer has begun the mammoth recall as a precautionary PR measure, noting that no instances of any injuries arising from the defect have been reported.

To rectify the situation Volvo is writing to the owners of all affected models manufactured between 2014 and 2019 alerting them to the issue and offering a later fix but insists drivers can continue to use their cars as normal in the meantime – unless they note any problem such as an ‘unusual smell’.

A follow-up letter is promised in due course which would detail a long-term solution to the problem.

Volvo’s quick reactions contrast with the laggard response of household appliance manufacturer Whirlpool, which has belatedly mounted a £1m recall campaign five years after the issue first came to light.