2010 Volvo XC60: Recall

Wait a second!! Aren't Volvo's anchored on their reputation of being safe? This is a big gaffe. Good post IL.

I believe Acura took Volvo's legendary safety crown.

"I believe Acura took Volvo's legendary safety crown."

Well at least they have one thing going for them, since they dont have any other merit these days.

"Aren't Volvo's anchored on their reputation of being safe? This is a big gaffe."

No kidding! But not as big a gaffe as a certain reputation-driven company recalling 4 million cars for unintended acceleration.

@hondacura4-

I really do respect Acura's recent achievements, but they claimed "only brand with 5-star ratings for its entire lineup" on a technicality. They also happen to be the only luxury brand whose entire lineup is cheap enough that the government and IIHS will test them.

Volvos, Audis and Benzes often outscore Acuras in safety tests when reading the subjective comments, but because of cost only a fraction of their lineups are formally safety tested: for Volvo only the S40, S60, and XC60 are, for Audi only the A3, A4 and A6 are and for MB only the C, E, and GLK are. This isn't to say Acuras aren't extremely safe cars and some of the world's best, but their lack of cutting-edge safety technology that abounds on Volvos, Audis, and Benzes makes it hard for me to consider them the safety leaders that their marketing department is trying to convey.

+1 scorp76

Good call! or perhaps the failing trannies of a certain "Godzilla" coupe and its smaller brotheren? I've been very impressed with the domestic cars as of late for both their injection of soul and quality builds. The Fusion and the Mustang are both examples that I enjoy.

@ Mercedesfan

"they claimed "only brand with 5-star ratings for its entire lineup" on a technicality. They also happen to be the only luxury brand whose entire lineup is cheap enough that the government and IIHS will test them."

You may need to clarify that comment. If acura claimed that their entire line up met the 5 star rating, how is that a technicality? Isn't government crash testing the price of admission for any manufacturer who wants to sell automobiles in this country? I can't believe that there are mercedes, volvo, or audi models going on sale in this country that don't have to be submitted for government crash testing simply because of their price. The IIHS testing is a different matter. But the government star rating system is something that all manufacturers have to submit to as far as I know. So in that regard, its not a technicality for acura.

that's a pretty serious engineering or manufacturing "oops".

Yeah, but the inside sure does look nice!

Oh and "has no reports of this condition occurring outside a laboratory environment,"

I dont think it is that big of a gaffe. It hasent happened to anybody yet and Volvo is fixing it ASAP. There is one huge thing that Volvo has over Acura. GOOD LOOKING CARS! There are no uglier cars on the road including, yes, the Sebring than new Acuras. They used to be smooth and sleek with handsome lines. Now they are so desperate to be different they are really disgusting. And from their sales figures I am not the only one who thinks so.

@crowb-

That is actually not true. Many manufacturers conduct safety testing on their own and have the results checked with the government. If the government accepts the testing procedure (which it always does for MB and Audi, at least, because they have the most rigorous in-house testing of all automakers) then the cars are green-lighted as meeting Federal Safety standards.

To avoid skewing results the government only formally safety tests (star rates) vehicles it purchases (they are NOT supplied by the manufacturer). Therefore, they only choose high-volume cars which never cost more than $50K. As a result, the MB S-Class and Audi A8, for example, have never been formally tested by the NHTSA for safety. Not even once. Therefore MB and Audi could never possibly claim what Acura has been even if all of their tested models did better than the Acuras because their flagships will never have formal "star ratings". It's a great marketing move by Acura, but not very meaningful in reality.

@mercedesfan

I am not an expert on the matter, but are you telling us that if Mercedes and Audi were to give the Government S-Classes and A8s, they would not test them?

"I believe Acura took Volvo's legendary safety crown."

That is a pretty funny joke. Acura/Honda will never have the safety reputation as Volvo, period.

A Volvo engineer invented the 3-point seat belt. That invention has saved more lives than any other invention in the world. Acura will never be able to claim that.

When you ask the average person to describe Volvo, they will say "Safe". When you ask the average person to describe Acura, they will say, "Uhhhhhhh, fancy Honda" or "Ugly beak".

@hansverner,

I'm really not sure. I have read on multiple occasions that the NHTSA will only test cars it buys because that way they can ensure that the manufacturers don't add any extra equipment to inflate their results. That would lead me to believe that, yes, they wouldn't test it. However, I can't say that with any certainty.

@drewsrx,

"A Volvo engineer invented the 3-point seat belt. That invention has saved more lives than any other invention in the world. Acura will never be able to claim that."

Volvo also was one of the first companies (if not THE first) to offer side airbags - the 850 had them in *1995*.

I don't think Acura has a particular reputation for anything.

@bimmerjay and drewsrx

So what you're both saying is that if a car company invents something, they then do it better than anybody? Volvo may have been the first to offer a side air bag, but that does not imply they have the best side air bags in the bossiness.

I like both Volvo and Acura, but I have never seen so much Acura hate. Ok, so their design is slightly awkward these days. They still make very nice cars that undercut rivals in price by thousands of dollars.