Volvo adds to unintended acceleration with 135 cars in South Africa

The truth is I didn’t want to write yet again about another case of unintended acceleration, this new phenomenon started by Toyota and which seems to have spread to some other brands in different parts of the world. But this case of Volvo is quite strange, because this time it has to do with an unexpected factor, which is the engine oil level.

You’re surely wondering what the accelerator has to do with the oil level of the machine. The answer has been provided by some Volvo diesel engines, with 135 cars reported in South Africa, which accelerate on their own due to overfilling the oil, which could enter the combustion chamber, acting as additional fuel for the engine and leaving the engine accelerated.

Volvo has issued an official statement on the case saying the models involved are not all diesels, but only certain series of the Volvo S40/V50 (2006-2010), S80 (2007-2009), XC70 (2008-2009) and the 2009 XC60. To safeguard the safety of the other models in the rest of the world, mainly in Europe where the most diesels are sold, the Swedish brand is considering a mass recall. For the time being, Volvo’s recommendation has been to keep the engine oil level no higher than its maximum level (not to add more oil than the engine should contain) and to take the car to the workshop immediately at the slightest engine acceleration.

The strange thing about all this is that it is virtually impossible for the oil to get into the petrol, unless the engine is already on its last legs. Volvo has also explained this phenomenon, saying the excess oil ends up in the particulate filters and may return to the combustion chamber.

Via | Motoring