Car market, Estonia, Security, Transport

he recall was announced to address a potential issue with cables attached to the cars' front seat belts, which may, under certain rare circumstances and user behaviors, over time suffer from fatigue. This could eventually cause damage to the cable, resulting in reduced seat belt restraint function, the company said.

Tiit Lillipuu, marketing director for Volvo's Baltic importer Volvax Baltic, told the daily Postimees that the service call for car seat belt cables is currently in a very fresh phase and the company has not yet received all the necessary information from the factory.

According to Volvax, the recall concerns 4,318 Volvo vehicles in Estonia. "However, given that Volvo is one of the most popular imported passenger car brands in Estonia, it can be assumed that the actual number is significantly higher, as a significant part of the imported older vehicles have never visited a Volvo authorized service center," Lillipuu said. "The owners of these cars will also hopefully be reached in cooperation with the Road Administration. We will inform Volvo customers in Estonia during the summer in order to arrange Volvo service visits."

It is currently known that the factory will supply the necessary parts to replace any defective seat belt fastenings at Volvo's expense at its dealerships, starting in November. In the meantime, Volvo owners can continue to use their vehicles.

"In the coming days, we will announce on the Volvo and Info-Auto websites and social media channels what to look for when using your Volvo front seat belts and what to do to be informed if your vehicle is among those recalled," Lillipuu said..

The carmaker, which introduced the modern three-part seat belts in 1959, said it had not received any reports of accidents or injuries connected to the flaw and that the move was preventative to avoid any possible issues in the future.

The recall concerns 2,183,701 cars worldwide, the defective component of which will be replaced. The affected models include the Volvo S60, V60, XC60, V70, XC70 and S80, produced between 2006 and 2019.