Yahoo Autos Volvo Is Fully Refunding Customers Of Its Coolest New EV Due To Disastrous Software
Update July 2, 2024, 1:20 PM: Volvo reached out to Jalopnik to clarify that, while some customers have returned vehicles for a refund, the EX30 remains on sale in the UK. A company representative stated: “The EX30 continues to be sold in the UK and with more than 4,500 already delivered to customers this year, it is proving popular, backed by a strong order book. In a very small number of cases in the UK, customers have chosen to exercise their consumer rights to return their cars. Volvo Cars strives and continues to support its customers throughout the ownership journey, and overall we continue to be encouraged by the positive feedback we are receiving from owners.”
The Volvo EX30 is a very fun, very reasonably priced little electric crossover. It’s also delayed in the U.S. thanks to new tariffs on Chinese-built cars, and it seems the problems get worse from there: Volvo has halted sales on the model abroad after a wave of software issue reports from customers.
Autocar spoke with EX30 owners, who reported myriad issues with the car. In an effort to keep up appearances, Volvo is halting all sales until updates can be pushed to solve some of these errors. From Autocar:
These issues, owners have told Autocar, range from screens going black and steering-wheel buttons not responding to cars not charging and even emergency braking systems randomly activating.
Owners have also shared stories and images online of bricked infotainment touchscreens, incorrect information displayed (such as time and range), profiles reverting back to factory settings and driver aids failing.
Some issues have been so crippling that owners have returned their cars to Volvo for full refunds, Autocar has been told.
Of course, these issues are less likely to affect buyers here in the United States. We won’t be getting the car until 2025 at the earliest, when Volvo spins up production in Belgium to dodge U.S. tariffs. Volvo has over a year to correct those software issues before we ever see a single example on our shores, and likely won’t take that long to get things fixed up — it’s hard to imagine the company keeping the EX30 off the market abroad for such a period of time. Still, when the car shows up in the States, it might be worth looking into what kind of warranties Volvo is offering on the showroom floor.
