Volvo Trucks North America has told the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration that it voluntarily would recall about 42,000 Volvo VN and VHD model trucks manufactured from November 2002 to January 2006 and equipped with the Volvo D12D engine. Volvo Trucks is sending letters to all affected truck owners telling them what precautions to take until a repair is made, and how and when to obtain the repair from their Volvo Trucks dealer.
Volvo found that the inlet pipes connecting the exhaust gas recirculation valve to the cooler could crack or break. If the pipes are not repaired, the air cleaner and inner fender could be subject to hot exhaust gases. There have been two confirmed instances of a fire caused by this condition, Volvo said. Volvo also has reports of a number of trucks suffering heat damage to the inner fender or air cleaner because of these failures. No one has been injured in any of these instances, Volvo said.
Volvo will inspect the pipes, replace any defective parts and install protective heat shields on all the trucks. The shields deflect direct exhaust gas if the pipes fail. Repairs will be made by Volvo’s dealer organization and by warranty-certified fleets. The total repair time is expected to be about one hour.
Affected truck owners can continue to operate their vehicles normally until the repair is made, but if they hear an exhaust leak or noise under the hood, they should stop immediately and inspect the pipes. Volvo Trucks also urges customers to check the pipes for cracks or loose sealing during their pre-trip inspections.
