2013 Volvo C70 Recalls & Complaints

Incident: June 19, 2024 · Filed: June 25, 2024

My car is a hard top convertible. When I drive with the top down for a prolonged period of time my driver side door unlocks and a warning light that the door is open comes up on the dashboard. The door doesn't swing open but has loosened and you can feel it rattle. This only happens with the top down, never when the top is up. I have to generally slow down/pull over and then open and slam my door shut. It can be very scary when driving at high speeds. It seems to be happening more and more frequently these days.

Incident: May 19, 2023 · Filed: May 29, 2023

This is not a singular incident; it has been persistent for five or so years at this point. Quite frequently, when I am driving with the top down for at least 20 minutes, one of the doors unlatches (a couple of weeks ago, this actually occurred six times in one hour or so trip, though such frequency is unusual). For the first year or so this occurred, it was only the driver's door, but then it started happening with both doors (though still more frequently the driver's door). To be clear, it unlatches -- it never has swung open, even if pressure is applied to it. Still, this is jarring when it occurs (all the more so at highway speeds), and I am left to wonder if at some point it will "graduate" to full door opening. I am also especially concerned given that I have a child with a driving learner's permit. I mentioned this in passing to a Volvo dealer service agent a couple of years ago, and he professed to be unaware of it and suggested I would need to bring it in for diagnosis etc. which I have not done. However, having been on the NHTSA site today and seen other complaints about this with this year, make, and model, I felt I should add my experiences to the record. And of course, given those observations, I would like to get it addressed without my having to incur the cost of doing so.

Incident: May 24, 2022 · Filed: June 3, 2022

The contact owns a 2013 Volvo C70. The contact stated that while driving at an undisclosed speed, the driver's and passenger's side front doors inadvertently opened. The dealer was made aware of the failure and informed the contact that the driver's and passenger's side front doors needed to be replaced. The vehicle was not repaired. The manufacturer was not made aware of the failure. The failure mileage was approximately 75,900.

Incident: April 24, 2022 · Filed: April 25, 2022

I noticed that driving with the top down (the car is a convertible) leads to premature and uneven tire wear. Subsequently the tires generate a lot of road noise and vibration, which is felt through the steering wheel. At 62000 miles I brought the situation to the attention of Volvo service and as a result they made some repairs / changes / updates to the rear suspension, (at my cost of over $2000). At that time I also purchased four new tires. At this point the car has around 72000 miles and the issue has come back (noise / vibration). It appears that the car has a design issue, which prohibits driving it with the top open, even though that is the main purpose of the car as a convertible.

Incident: April 24, 2022 · Filed: April 25, 2022

Within the last 6 months, (fall 2021 – spring 2022), one of the doors in my car has opened multiple times by itself, while I was driving the car. The door was closed properly when I started driving and I did not accidently pull on the door handle. This occurred so far only with the driver side door, while the top was down, (the car is a convertible), and while driving at highway or close to highway speed. Last time the door opened and closed multiple times, before I had a chance to pull over and close it. I noticed the door opening and closing as the interior light came on and off and window lowered down and went up several times, which occurs while the door is being opened. This leads to a dangerous and unpredictable situation.

Incident: October 18, 2021 · Filed: October 18, 2021

When top is down, at highway speeds, the driver-side door becomes ajar, interior light comes on and window goes down 1/2 inch. This seems to happen about 20 minutes into the drive. Will happen multiple times on long drives. This only seems to happen when the convertible top is down. Driving at highway speeds and having the door go ajar is not safe. Not sure why Volvo never took this seriously, as its reported by many others on the internet - same exact issue. Reported to Volvo (Leiken Volvo Cars Cleveland), they cannot reproduce and said everything looks correct. Offering to replace the lock mechanism. The issue is easy to reproduce, but just driving with the top down for longer than a 20 minute period.

Incident: December 18, 2019 · Filed: December 18, 2019

AFTER DRIVING AND I HAD PARK MY CAR DOORS WOULD NOT OPEN. I HIT THE UNLOCK BUTTON BUT I COULD NOT OPEN DOORS. I ROLLED DOWN THE WINDOW AND TRIED TO OPEN FROM THE OUTSIDE BUT DOORS WOULD NOT OPEN. I CONTINUE TO HIT THE UNLOCK BUTTON BUT WOULDN'T OPEN. I CLIMB OUT THE WINDOW AND TRIED TO OPEN FROM THE OUTSIDE STILL WOULD NOT OPEN. SO I CLIMB BACK INSIDE THROUGH THE WINDOW AND DROVE CAR HOME. WHEN I GOT HOME AND I HIT THE UNLOCK BUTTON I WAS ABLE TO GET OUT. THIS HAS HAPPEN A FEW TIMES. I TOOK IT TO THE DEALERSHIP AND EXPLAIN THE PROBLEM BUT THEY SAID THERE WAS NOTHING WRONG G WITH THE CAR. THIS IS AN NCONVENIENCE BECAUSE I NEVER KNOW WHEN IT WILL HAPPEN. THE LAST TIME IT HAPPEN WAS DECEMBER 18 2020. I DECIDED TO LOOK UP THIS ISSUE TO SEE IF OTHER CAR OWNERS HAVE HAD THIS PROBLEM AND DECIDED TO WRITE A COMPLAINT

Incident: August 23, 2019 · Filed: October 19, 2019

I BOUGHT A 2013 VOLVO C70 IN JULY OF 2018 AND BY AUGUST OF 2019 I WAS REPLACING THE ENGINE. I TAKE OWNERSHIP FOR MY OVERSIGHT IN NOT KNOWING TO CHECK THE COOLANT TANK REGULARLY AS THIS IS MY FIRST CAR. IT SEEMS LIKE NEGLIGENCE TAKING INTO ACCOUNT THAT MY VOLVO CAN TELL ME THE AMOUNT OF GAS IT HAS, THE MILES IT CAN TRAVEL ON THE AMOUNT OF GAS I HAVE, AND INDICATES I AM LOW ON GAS AFTER THE GAUGE HAS ALREADY ENTERED INTO THE RED. MY CAR CAN ALSO TELL ME WHEN I HAVE LOW TIRE PRESSURE SO I KNOW TO REFILL THEM. WHY ISN'T THERE A LOW COOLANT LIGHT ON MY CAR? ARGUABLY, THE LOW COOLANT LIGHT AND IMPENDING ENGINE OVERHEATING AND FAILURE TAKE PRECEDENCE OVER RUNNING OUT OF GAS OR GETTING A FLAT TIRE. AUGUST 23RD, 2019, MY CAR OVERHEATED DUE TO A LACK OF COOLANT. THE LACK OF COOLANT WAS DUE TO A CRACK IN THE COOLANT TANK. MY CAR NEVER INDICATED TO ME THAT IT WAS IN DISTRESS UNTIL I WAS ON THE 10E TO PICK UP MY BOYFRIEND FROM THE AIRPORT AND MY CAR OVERHEATED. ALL THE LIGHTS CAME ON AND THE DISPLAY READ "OVERHEATING, PULL OVER SAFELY". I HAD NO IDEA THAT WAS 2 MINUTES BEFORE I WOULD WARP MY ENGINE AND MY CAR COMPLETELY DIED. THERE IS CONSTRUCTION ON THE 10E SO THERE WAS NO SAFE PLACE FOR ME TO PULL OVER. EVERYTHING JUST TURNED OFF, EVEN MY BLINKERS TO NOTIFY THE 18 WHEELER BEHIND ME. THE POLICE WERE CALLED AND TRAFFIC WAS STOPPED AS HE PUSHED ME OFF THE ROAD TO THE SHOULDER I WAS TRYING TO GET TO BEFORE THE FAILURE. MAYBE BECAUSE I DO NOT TRAVEL FAR FROM MY HOME FOR WORK HAD MY ENGINE NOT OVERHEATED ON THOSE DRIVES. REGARDLESS, WITH ALL THE TECHNOLOGICAL ADVANCES ON CARS, A LOW COOLANT LIGHT SHOULD BE MANDATORY. ESPECIALLY BECAUSE $5000 LATER (WARRANTY COMPANY WON'T COVER IT), WHAT GOOD WERE MY GAS LIGHT AND GAUGE?

Incident: June 1, 2019 · Filed: June 2, 2019

WHEN DRIVING AT HIGHWAY SPEEDS WITH THE TOP DOWN, THE "DOOR OPEN" WARNING AND INTERIOR LIGHTS COME ON AND THE DOOR OPENS SLIGHTLY AJAR. CAN BE EITHER DRIVER OR PASSENGER SIDE. LOCKED OR UNLOCKED. DOORS ARE SECURELY CLOSED BEFOREHAND. HAVING RESEARCHED THIS EXTENSIVELY, I KNOW IT IS ALSO AN ISSUE FOR OTHER VOLVO OWNERS. I HAVE TRIED TO LUBE THE DOOR LATCHES AS SOME HAVE SUGGESTED, BUT THIS DOES NOT WORK. VOLVO AND THEIR DEALERS HAVE STATED THEY HAVE "NEVER HEARD" OF THIS HAPPENING BEFORE, MUCH TO MY FRUSTRATION. THIS IS A SERIOUS SAFETY ISSUE. A CAR DOOR SHOULD NOT POP OPEN WHILE DRIVING AT ANY SPEED LET ALONE ON A HIGHWAY.

Incident: June 4, 2018 · Filed: June 9, 2018

WHILE DRIVING, PERIODICALLY, BOTH DOORS (NOT SIMULTANEOUSLY BUT IT HAS OCCURRED IN BOTH DOORS MULTIPLE TIMES) WILL COME AJAR. MOST OFTEN, THIS OCCURS AT HIGHWAY SPEEDS AND WHEN A BUMP OCCURS TO SLIGHTLY JOLT THE CAR. THE DOOR DOES NOT COME ALL THE WAY OPEN BUT IT IS CLEARLY AJAR. A WARNING LIGHT COMES ON ON THE DASH AND THE INTERIOR LIGHTS COME ON. WHILE THE DOOR DOESN'T COME COMPLETELY OPEN, THIS CAUSES A DANGEROUS SITUATION AS IT DISTRACTS THE DRIVER, CAUSES YOU TO PULL OVER ON A HIGHWAY AND THEN RE-ENTER THAT HIGHWAY FROM THE SHOULDER. I ALWAYS KEEP A HAND ON THE DOOR IN CASE IT SWING COMPLETELY OPEN, WHICH MEANS I ONLY HAVE 1 HAND ON THE WHEEL. IN RESEARCHING THIS ISSUE, I HAVE NOTED IT REPORTED BY MULTIPLE PEOPLE ACROSS MULTIPLE MODEL YEARS. IT IS A CONSISTENT AND CONSTANT COMPLAINT WITH THE CAR. IT PRESENTS A DANGEROUS SITUATION AND IS AN OBVIOUS DESIGN FLAW. I'M SURE THE FIX IS RELATIVELY SIMPLY AND CAN'T BE TOO COSTLY AS THE CAR HAS BEEN OUT OF PRODUCTION FOR SEVERAL YEARS. VOLVO IS WELL AWARE OF THE ISSUE AND I AM DISAPPOINTED THAT A BRAND THAT ADVERTISES AND EMPHASIZES SAFETY HAS NOT TAKEN ACTION TO CORRECT THIS ISSUE. I'M CONFIDENT THAT OUR GOVERNMENT WILL PUT THE SAFETY OF THE CITIZENS FIRST AND FORCE VOLVO'S HAND IN FIXING THE DESIGN FLAW. IN MY AMATEUR OPINION, THE DOOR ON THIS CAR IS HEAVIER THAN MOST AND, WHEN BOUNCED, THE WEIGHT OF THE DOOR OVERPOWERS THE LATCH. THE HAS OCCURRED OVER 20, AND LIKELY OVER 25 TIMES IN THE 20,000 MILES THAT I HAVE OWNED THE CAR (APPROXIMATELY 18 MONTHS). I USED THE MOST RECENT OCCURRENCE FOR THE DATE ASKED FOR BELOW ("WHEN DID THIS HAPPEN"). THANK YOU FOR YOUR TIME AND ATTENTION TO THIS MATTER.