Volvo faces class action lawsuit alleging XC40 Recharge vehicles lurch and surge without warning

Volvo class action lawsuit overview:

• Who: Plaintiff Robert Becker, a Volvo XC40 Recharge owner, is suing the company.
• Why: Becker alleges Volvo concealed a safety defect in its XC40 Recharge vehicles.
• Where: The Volvo class action lawsuit was filed in California federal court.

A new class action lawsuit accuses Volvo of concealing a safety defect in its XC40 Recharge vehicles.

Plaintiff Robert Becker filed the class action complaint against Volvo Cars of North America LLC and Volvo Car USA LLC on June 26 in California federal court, alleging violations of state and federal consumer laws.

Becker’s class action lawsuit alleges Volvo knowingly concealed a defect in its 2020-2024 model year XC40 Recharge electric vehicles that causes sudden unintended acceleration, surging and lurching.

The alleged defect stems from flaws in the vehicles’ powertrain control system, Becker claims.

The plaintiff argues that Volvo knew about the defect from pre-release testing, early consumer complaints, dealership service reports, internal engineering assessments and data from the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration (NHTSA).

Becker claims Volvo failed to disclose the full scope and nature of the defect to consumers at the time of sale or lease and instead concealed its existence and severity.

Volvo’s recalls insufficient, class action argues

Volvo’s “piecemeal and unduly narrow recalls” were insufficient, serving only as partial remedies for certain symptoms while failing to cure the underlying systemic flaw, the Volvo class action alleges.

As a result of Volvo’s alleged deceptive and unlawful conduct, Becker and the proposed class members have suffered significant harm, the lawsuit says. They were deprived of the benefit of their bargain, having purchased or leased vehicles that are worth substantially less than the amount paid due to the undisclosed defect, Becker claims.

They have also incurred, or will incur, costs for attempted diagnosis and repair, experienced loss of use of their vehicles and face diminished resale value, the lawsuit argues.

Becker seeks to represent all persons or entities in the United States who purchased or leased a 2020-2024 model year Volvo XC40 Recharge electric vehicle.

He is suing for violations of the Consumers Legal Remedies Act, the Unfair Competition Law and the False Advertising Law, fraudulent concealment and unjust enrichment.

Becker demands a jury trial and is requesting compensatory and punitive damages, restitution and disgorgement and injunctive relief.

In May, a class action lawsuit filed in Pennsylvania federal court claimed that several Volvo plug-in hybrid models have a defect that can cause the high-voltage battery to short-circuit when fully charged and parked.

Have you ever experienced a safety issue with your Volvo XC40 Recharge vehicle? Let us know in the comments.

The plaintiff is represented by Jeffrey L. Fazio and Dina E. Micheletti of Fazio and Micheletti LLP and Keliang (Clay) Zhu, Andre Y. Bates and Yi Yao of DeHeng Law Offices P.C.

The Volvo class action lawsuit is Becker v. Volvo Cars of North America LLC, et al., Case No. 3:25-cv-05331, in the U.S. District Court for the Northern District of California.

Read About More Class Action Lawsuits & Class Action Settlements:

• Kroger class action alleges Simple Truth bars contain preservatives
• Vuse vapes draw class action lawsuit over false marketing claims
• Etsy class action alleges website uses trackers to collect users’ data
• ZaZa class action claims ‘gas station drug’ is opioid in disguise