Swedish automaker Volvo has just issued a voluntary recall on all its China-made EX30 electric SUVs due to a software issue that obscures the speedometer, increasing the risk of a crash.
Issue
According to The Wall Street Journal, the discovered software glitch causes the EX30’s speedometer to enter test mode upon startup.
Volvo also reportedly explained the issue in a press release on Monday, saying that the software bug causes the EX30 units to unintendedly throw up a “test screen” on the center monitor. In effect, it obscures the normal driving statistics displayed on the screen, including the speedometer and infotainment features.
The software issue prompted Volvo to launch a safety recall on every EX30 EV it has produced to date.
According to The Register, the issue initially occurred in May when the Swedish automaker imposed a safety recall for 1,255 EX30s in the Australian market.
“Due to a software error, the infotainment unit screen may enter a test mode during startup of the vehicle. This may prevent key information such as the vehicle’s speed from being displayed. Failure to display key information may potentially increase the risk of injury or death to vehicle occupants and other road users.”
The Australian recall indicated
Affected models
As mentioned, the affected models include all the EX30 models Volvo has produced so far since January.
The total number of electric SUVs with the said software defect reached 71,956 units.
Fortunately, Volvo guaranteed that the software issue did not affect any other EV models. It also did not receive any reports of accidents or injuries associated with the software bug.
Remedy
Volvo plans to roll out an over-the-air software update to fix the software issues that plagued its 71,956 EX30 electric SUVs.
The Swedish automaker offers two options to affected owners for the OTA software update. First, they can initiate the software update on their own. Second, they can bring their EX30s to the nearest dealership, where they can receive the OTA update for free.
The company has already released notices to EX30 owners, stating that it would “ensure that I (the EX30 owner) continue to use a safe and reliable vehicle.”
This recent safety recall implies the challenges Volvo is facing with the new EX30 EV. For context, it is already the second time that a software issue has hit the new electric SUV since its launch in January. The first time was when Volvo delayed its launch primarily because the software was not yet ready. Hopefully, it will be the last software issue the EX30 faces.
