The Catch-up: Volvo recalls 70,000 cars over fire risk
What happened?
Volvo has recalled almost 70,000 cars in the UK due to a fire risk caused by an engine fault. A spokesman for the Swedish company said it has received reports of “a very small number” of cars catching fire, but no-one has been injured. The firm’s investigations found that “in very rare cases” a piece of plastic fitted as part of the engine can melt, causing a fire “in the most extreme cases”.
Is your car affected?
The affected models have four-cylinder diesel engines and are 2014-2019 versions of: S80, S60, V70, XC70, S60 Cross Country, V60, XC60, V60 Cross Country, S90, V90, V90 Cross Country, XC90, V40 and V40 Cross Country. Volvo is contacting all customers who have bought the vehicles to alert them.
Are the cars safe to drive?
Volvo says it is safe to continue driving the affected cars if there have not been any signs of a problem, such as an engine warning light illuminating, a lack of power or an “unusual smell”. The manufacturers said it notified the relevant authorities about the issue “as soon as it was identified”.
Read more
Volvo recalling 500,000 cars worldwide over faulty engine component (Sky News)
How can Britain's drivers go electric? (The Independent)
European car sales drive into a ditch amid a severe sector-wide slowdown (Evening Standard)
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500,000
That's the number of tumble dryers Whirlpool has recalled over fire risk fears. The issue centres around a fault that allows fluff from clothes to reach heating elements. Last month, the Office for Product Safety and Standards took the "unprecedented" step of ordering a non-governmental affiliated company to recall the products. Anyone with an affected dryer must unplug it immediately and stop using it. (Yahoo Finance UK) (The Independent)
