CONCERN: Volvo cars’ sunroofs are negligently designed, allowing sunroof drain obstructions to flood the vehicle’s internal electronics. This results in catastrophic and simultaneous system failures, including brake loss, airbag failure, and disabled traction control—posing an extreme and imminent safety risk. SUMMARY OF EVENTS: While driving at speed, I received a “BRAKE FAILURE / PLEASE STOP SAFELY” warning, followed by “ABS / ESC” and “SRS Airbag” failure messages. This led to a sudden and dangerous loss of braking power and airbag system failure, forcing me to pull over in an emergency maneuver. Diagnostics confirmed that water leaked into the car’s critical electronic systems via the sunroof. Like other manufacturers, Volvo sunroofs degrade over time and require drainage. However, Volvo’s design is fatally flawed—clogged drains lead to direct water ingress into the electronics, causing total vehicle system failure while in motion. No warning is provided before catastrophic failure occurs. This is not an isolated case. An identical failure occurred in our second Volvo (2020 V90 Cross Country), owned and operated in California. This proves a systematic design defect—the same critical safety failure occurred in two separate vehicles, in different environments, under identical circumstances. I am deeply alarmed by Volvo’s negligent sunroof drainage design, which puts drivers and the public at severe risk of fatal system failures. I am reporting this to NHTSA because I believe this fundamental design flaw in Volvo sunroofs endangers lives and demands urgent regulatory action. Thank you for your attention to this urgent safety issue.
- NHTSA ID
- 11644397
- Incident
- Feb 16, 2025