Volvo Suspension: Lower Ball Joint

Volvo is recalling about 2,053 vehicles over a problem with the suspension. Failure of the ball joint may cause separation of the socket and a complete loss of steering, increasing the risk of a crash.

Campaign
16V095000
Manufacturer
Volvo Trucks North America
Reported
19 February 2016
Vehicles
2,053
Built between
Apr 2008 – Nov 2015
Models
3
Recall type
Vehicle
Initiated by
Manufacturer
Owners notified
21 April 2016
Repaired
84%
Unrepaired
326

Does this affect my vehicle?

This recall covers vehicles built between April 2008 and November 2015. If yours was built outside that window, it is not part of this recall.

  • 2016 Volvo VNLBuilt January 2015 to November 2015
  • 2016 Volvo VNMBuilt January 2015 to November 2015
  • 2009-2010 Volvo VTBuilt April 2008 to September 2009

Repair progress

326 of 2,053 vehicles in this recall had still not been repaired as of Q3 2017.

84% repaired — 1,727 of 2,053 reported

Manufacturers file these figures with NHTSA each quarter. Vehicles the manufacturer could not trace, or that have been scrapped or exported, are counted separately and are not included in the unrepaired figure.

What the defect is

Volvo Trucks North America (Volvo) is recalling certain model year 2009-2010 VT trucks manufactured from April 9, 2008, through September 24, 2009, and certain 2016 model VNL and VNM trucks manufactured from January 2, 2015, through to November 6, 2015. The affected vehicles are equipped with USK non-greasable drag links that may experience corrosion of the ball joints due to the seals being compromised, possibly resulting in accelerated wear and failure of the ball joint.

What could happen

Failure of the ball joint may cause separation of the socket and a complete loss of steering, increasing the risk of a crash.

What gets fixed

Volvo will notify owners, and dealers will replace the drag links, free of charge. The recall began on April 21, 2016.

Timeline

  1. Vehicles builtApril 2008 to November 2015
  2. Recall reported to NHTSA19 February 2016
  3. Owners notified21 April 2016
  4. Latest repair reportQ3 2017 — 84% repaired

Your rights

A safety recall repair is free. Under US federal law the manufacturer must fix a safety defect at no cost to you — no charge for parts, labor or diagnosis — whether or not you are the original owner. A dealer cannot charge you for recall work, and cannot require you to have bought the vehicle from them.

That entitlement is not unlimited. It applies where the vehicle was first sold less than 15 years before the recall was announced — 5 years for tires. Past that a manufacturer may still do the repair free of charge, and many do, but they are no longer obliged to. This recall was reported on 19 February 2016.

To arrange the repair, contact any franchised dealer for the brand. If a dealer refuses the work or tries to charge for it, you can report that to NHTSA at nhtsa.gov/recalls or on 1-888-327-4236.

Manufacturer contact

Owners may contact Volvo customer service at 1-800-528-6586. Volvo's number for this recall is RVXX1601. Note: This recall is an expansion of a previous recall 15V-651.

Official source

Manufacturer's recall number
RVXX1601
Recalling manufacturer
Volvo Trucks North America
Recall initiated by
MFR

Everything on this page — the models listed, the build dates and the repair figures — comes from the manufacturer's filing to NHTSA and describes the vehicle line as a whole, not any individual car. Only the manufacturer can confirm whether a specific vehicle is affected, and whether its recall work has already been carried out. Check yours by VIN and read the official notice at nhtsa.gov/recalls.

Additional notes

Owners may also contact the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration Vehicle Safety Hotline at 1-888-327-4236 (TTY 1-800-424-9153), or go to www.safercar.gov.

Check your own vehicle

This page describes the recall, not any one car. To see which recalls cover a specific vehicle, search by make, model and year.

A VIN lookup here identifies your vehicle and shows recalls issued for that make, model and year. It cannot tell you what is still open on your individual car - only the manufacturer knows that. Search by VIN instead, or check your VIN at nhtsa.gov for whether a recall is still open on your individual car.

Same component

Same brand