Volvo: A Brand That Fails Its Own Standards (ACB Zaventem)
I finally managed to buy a Volvo, something I had been looking forward to for years. It was supposed to be a long-awaited milestone—but it turned out to be the wrong choice!
From the very first day, my car had a strange noise coming from the engine area, something that was clearly not normal. When I reported it, Volvo initially refused to carry out any repairs, blaming it on software errors. Seriously? A mechanical issue passed off as a software glitch? That was their first excuse.
After insisting, they finally did a check-up and – surprise! – there was an actual problem. They scheduled a repair, only for the car to come back with the exact same issue. I now seriously doubt they even replaced any parts, and if they did, I question whether they replaced the right ones.
To make matters worse, the car now has software issues. The software was fully updated and everything was working fine—until the car came back from the workshop. Suddenly, there are sensor errors on the collision avoidance system, and the braking system is malfunctioning, failing to hold the car properly.
Is this the safety Volvo promotes? A car that is barely three months old and already plagued with serious issues?
And if that wasn’t bad enough, the level of disorganization throughout this process has been shocking. Every time I needed a check-up or the so-called "repair", the chaos was evident: staff had no idea about the replacement car, whether the parts would actually be changed, or even if the repairs would be covered under warranty. Total incompetence.
What’s even more outrageous is their attitude: trying to gaslight the customer into believing nothing is wrong. Any reasonable person can tell that the noise is not normal—especially when the test drive car and other models of the same type do not make that noise!
Is this the professionalism Volvo claims to uphold? For them, it’s just another sale, another profit. But for those driving their cars—especially with children on board—it’s a constant source of stress and risk.
Unacceptable. Volvo, never again!