Volvo Class Action Alleges Automaker Concealed Piston Defect

Volvo Piston Defect Class Action Lawsuit Overview: 

• Who: A group of car owners filed a class action lawsuit against Volvo Car USA, LLC.
• Why: Car owners claim Volvo fails to disclose to 2013-2016 Volvo vehicle owners that the cars contain defective pistons. 
• Where: The class action lawsuit was filed in New Jersey federal court.

Volvo Car USA failed to disclose to its customers that its model year 2013-2016 Volvo vehicles contained defective pistons, a new class action lawsuit alleges. 

A group of Volvo owners claim their Volvo vehicles were equipped with faulty 2.0L 4-cylinder or 2.5L 5-cylinder engines on account of a piston defect. 

The owners claim Volvo intentionally conceals the issue, which is caused by a design defect in the piston rings and/or piston heads located in the vehicles’ engine. 

“The piston rings cannot properly clear engine oil off the side of the cylinder wall during the downstroke and instead push that oil up where it can coat the top of the piston head, enter the combustion chamber and ignite,” the Volvo class action states. 

Vehicle owners claim that, over time, the defect damages the pistons and other engine components, ultimately leading to a loss of power. 

Volvo Class Action Claims Vehicle Owners Must Pay Out Of Pocket For Engine Repairs

The piston defect injures vehicle owners who must pay out of pocket to either repair or replace the damaged engine parts of the engine in its entirety, the Volvo class action alleges. 

“A replacement of the piston rings and/or pistons costs thousands of dollars, and the cost for replacing a Subject Engine is well over $10,000,” the lawsuit states. 

Vehicle owners argue that the piston defect also presents a safety risk for drivers who may have to deal with their engine suddenly losing power, putting themselves, their passengers and pedestrians at risk. 

“A sudden loss of power poses a clear-cut safety risk – it can prevent the driver from accelerating, maintaining speed, engaging the brakes and even adequately controlling the steering wheel, all of which drastically increase the risk of collisions,” the Volvo class action states. 

Volvo owners claim Volvo is guilty of fraudulent omission, breach of express warranty, the Magnuson-Moss Warranty Act and a number of state-specific acts. 

Volvo owners want to represent a nationwide class and multistate subclass of consumers who purchased or leased a 2013-2016 Volvo containing the piston defect. 

Plaintiffs are demanding a jury trial and requesting declaratory relief along with compensatory, exemplary and statutory damages for themselves and all class members. 

Volvo recalled more than 460,000 of its older vehicles in November after discovering that their airbags can explode and send shrapnel flying into the cabin. 

Did you purchase or lease a 2013-2016 Volvo containing a defective engine? Let us know in the comments! 

The plaintiffs are represented by Russell D. Paul, Abigail J. Gertner, Natalie Lesser and Amey J. Park of Berger Montague PC and Tarek H. Zohdy, Cody R. Padgett and Laura E. Goolsby of Capstone Law APC.  The Class Action Lawsuit is Buchanan, et al. v. Volvo Car USA, LLC, et al., Case No. 2:22-cv-02227, in the U.S. District Court for the District of New Jersey.

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