Recalls. We love to hate them. But in any business as complex, intricate, and high-volume as the auto industry, they're bound to happen. The latest to come clean on a manufacturing mishap: Volvo, which is recalling certain 2010-2011 C30s, 2010 S40s, and 2010 V50s for faulty shift linkages that could leave you stuck in gear or unable to get into gear, increasing the risk of a crash.

The problem is simple: the gearshift lever stud may not have been tightened correctly, which could result in the shift cable of stud assembly coming loose. This then makes it impossible to get out of gear if you were in gear, or to get into gear if you were in neutral when the linkage failed.

Solving the problem is just as straightforward. Dealers will tighten down the gearshift lever stud to the correct spec and send affected Volvo owners on their way, free of charge.

For more information on the recall, or to see if your vehicle is one of those affected, you can contact Volvo directly at 1-800-458-1552 or the NHTSA at 1-888-327-4236.

[NHTSA ODI]

Per ora sembra che il problema sia solo per i modelli USA, ma attendiamo conferme o smentite da Volvo Europa ed in particolare Italia

Richiami estesi anche ai modelli Europei per C30,S40 e V50, con cambio Geartronic e Manuale a 6 rapporti!

Volvo announced on Monday that it will recall 29,299 cars worldwide of which 536 were sold in the USA and around 6,700 in Britain, over a problem with the gearshift lever. The cars in question are certain 2010-2011MY C30s and 2010MY S40 and V50 models equipped with 6 speed manual transmissions.

According to the company, the gearshift lever stud assembly may not have been tightened to the correct specification during assembly which may lead to the ball-joint coming loose. If this occurs, it may not be possible to engage, disengage or shift gears.

Volvo said that its dealers will torque the gearshift lever stud assembly to the correct specification free of charge. The safety recall is expected to begin this month. U.S. owners of the affected vehicles may contact Volvo at 1-800-458-1552 or customercare@volvoforlife.com for more information.

Via Carscoop