The Issue
I own a 2018 Volvo XC60 (VIN: YV4BR0DM5J1009118), and I took my car to Volvo Cars Demontrond for a charging issue. Initially, the car was charging fine for about a month using the original Volvo OEM charger that came with the car. However, at some point, the charging port pin stopped retracting properly, preventing the car from charging.
I suspected the onboard charger was the issue, and after explaining the problem to the dealer, they replaced the onboard charger under warranty. However, after replacing it, they suddenly told me that the charging port lock was also damaged and needed to be replaced for $1,090.85 + tax.
Dealership’s First Excuse: “Aftermarket Charger Caused Damage”
They claimed the damage was caused by an aftermarket charger I used, and therefore, it would not be covered under warranty. However, this was completely false for two reasons:
1. I was using the OEM Volvo charger the entire time before the failure happened.
2. I did purchase an aftermarket charger, but only to test if my original charger was broken—I never actually charged the car with it.
Dealership’s Second Excuse: “You Bought the Car Used”
When I showed them proof that the charging port was already faulty before I even bought the aftermarket charger, they changed their reasoning and said:
“You bought the car used, so you don’t know what happened to it before.”
This is completely irrelevant because:
• The car was charging fine for a month after I bought it.
• The charging lock failure happened while using an OEM charger, meaning it was Volvo’s part that failed—not any external factor.
Dealership’s Third Excuse: “Low Voltage Parts Are Not Covered”
After I escalated the issue further, I spoke to a supervisor at the dealership, who now gave a third reason why Volvo won’t cover it:
“The charging lock pin is a low-voltage component, and Volvo does not cover low-voltage components under the battery warranty.”
This makes no sense because:
• The charging lock is part of the charging system, and without it functioning, the car cannot charge at all.
• If this part is not covered, Volvo should state this clearly in their warranty terms—which they don’t. Even though it is, why they had to bring 2 other excuses and blame me using aftermarket charger.
Dealership’s False Diagnosis: “The Aftermarket Charger’s Locking Mechanism Was Too Big”
The dealership’s final excuse, as written in their official service report, claims:
“Inspected customer’s aftermarket cable and found that the locking mechanism on the cable is too big and is jamming the lock, causing damage.”
However, there’s a huge problem with this statement:
• The dealership never even saw my aftermarket charger.
• They only had my original Volvo charger when they made this claim.
• They made this diagnosis without even inspecting the actual charger they blamed.
This proves they were not being honest about their assessment and were looking for an excuse to deny the warranty claim.
What I Did Next
After realizing that the dealership kept changing their reasoning and making false claims, I contacted Volvo USA Headquarters and opened a case with them. I sent them evidence, including:
Photos of my original Volvo charger proving it was not aftermarket
Timestamped images showing that the charging lock pin was already faulty before I even tested the aftermarket charger
The dealership’s false claim in their service report
1. The dealership misrepresented facts to avoid covering the repair.
2. They changed their reason for denying the warranty three times.
3. They wrote a false inspection report claiming they checked my aftermarket charger when they never even saw it.
4. Volvo should clarify whether this component is covered under warranty, as it is a crucial part of the charging system.
What I Need Advice On
• Has anyone else faced similar warranty issues with Volvo?
• Should I escalate this further if Volvo USA does not resolve it?
• Does anyone have experience dealing with dealerships misrepresenting facts in service reports?
I will update this post once I receive a response from Volvo USA.
Also photos that showing that I bought aftermarket charger after my charging port was already damaged you can see date on the photos I took and screenshot of aftermarket charger bought.
I also have a video recorded on February 16th that clearly shows my original Volvo charger was not charging the car and was stuck in the charging port. This further proves that the charging port issue existed before I ever purchased or tested the aftermarket charger.