Jus the other night, I had the divine pleasure of bailing out of my burning Volvo. Apparently (according to firemen and my mechanic) the seat heater unit malfunctioned/shorted out and set the driver's seat on fire. This resulted in the loss of the entire driver's seat, as well as damage to the center console and carpets. Now I was hoping that somebody could help me find out if there's any way to get Volvo to either repair the damage or give me some monetary help, as it was their defective part that started the fire. If you have any information, please let me know. Thanks.

I don't think Volvo will help you at all.I have heard of this happening a couple of times and Volvo refused to help.Sorry it happened to you I don't think there is much they will do about it.

That seems to be the consensus from the people I've talked to.... What I'm hoping is that the insurance adjuster will find out if there is anything that Volvo can do, and then he'll get back to me.... But thanks for the input. :)

Thats a good idea let him do the leg work it might get you further.

Volvo generally make a good car. However they are terrible on admitting that they have some responsibility for poor designs.

In 1993 when Volvo first introduced the 5 cylinder engine in US the timing belts were failing because the were too narrow. Changed the design in 1994 and up, but they wouldn't help on any of the cost of repairing the $3500 head damage the failed belts caused.

Same with seat heaters. File a complaint with NHTSA for an unsafe condition. If they receive enough complains they will investigate and possibly issue a recall to fix the problem. If that happens they will also be forced to make good on all past repair cost.

That problem seems to fit the bill for hazardous condition. Good luck

I'm not to sure on the details of the instance, but as you know by now there was a recall on the seat heaters for the 850. If this is a pre countermeasure part and you didn't take it in for upgrade, then Volvo is not responsible as they would have notified you to bring it in for the repair, its law. On the other hand, if the repair was carried out and you had a fire, that is major! what we call a safety A issue, stemming from the seat heater element, go directly to NHTSA if you are in the US or you vehicle safety regulatory office if in another country (have list if you need) and report it, then go back to Volvo (not your local dealer, go to the HQ) with the lodged complaint, and see if they can ignore it then. I work in quality control for Honda, and trust me if you push hard enough on the right buttons, the earth will move.. Nothing attracts more attention than smoke & fire!

Cheers

Oz

burning seat...?
Burning Seat...?
BURNING SEAT...???

Yes but also a part of the recall is that if the seat doesn't work when the car is brought in for the recall it cannot be performed.The customer has to pay for the repair before the recall can be performed.

On some cars the wires were pulling out of the elements from age.The recall cannot be performed if the seat is not in working order before hand.