The chronology / December 2024 onward
From a new car for my growing family to repeated faults, failed handovers, and a dispute that kept going. This is the sequence of events.
I took possession of a new 2025 Volvo EC40 Black Edition leased from Carling Motors in Ottawa. My daughter was due soon. Safety and reliability were central to the decision.
The EC40 would not go into drive in a Walmart parking lot while my infant daughter and dog were with me. The display said the propulsion system required urgent service. It was a Saturday; the service department was closed. The SOS service could arrange a tow, but not a ride home. I rented a vehicle.
The first appointment offered was two weeks away, with no loaner available. After six calls and approximately three hours escalating to the Service Manager and General Manager, arrangements were made for the next day. My EC40 was towed in and I collected a gasoline loaner. The General Manager agreed to reimburse the weekend rental.
On May 1, May 6, and May 20, I was told the vehicle had not yet been assessed. I contacted Volvo Canada on May 20. On May 28, after Volvo Canada became involved, the dealership said it had been repaired and was undergoing further tests. I arranged collection for June 2.
I arrived to collect the car after being told it had been repaired and tested. The propulsion warning was still on the dash. I returned to the service desk without leaving the lot. The dealership addressed what it described as a software issue that afternoon. I took an Uber to a work meeting and collected the vehicle later that day.
Five days after collection, the warning returned. This time the car remained driveable, with reduced acceleration. I asked for a comparable loaner delivered to me, diagnostics and a plan by June 20, and a discussion about replacement if the vehicle required another protracted repair.
After a further escalation on June 12, the dealership arranged collection and an electric loaner. On June 19, I was told that the “Inverter High Voltage Axle was the culprit.” The EC40 was delivered on June 20 with an eCall service warning on its dashboard. A technician subsequently returned to my driveway to replace a component for the eCall unit.
The rental reimbursement promised on April 21 still had not arrived by June 25. It was finally delivered by courier on July 4. Volvo Canada separately agreed to compensation on July 22, with payment instructions to follow by email from J.P. Morgan. After no email arrived, I followed up on August 25 and August 30 and escalated further. My September 9 account recorded no response from those escalations.
At another service appointment, I was told corrosion on all four brake rotors was normal wear and tear and that repairs would cost $1,585 plus tax. The car was nine months old, had approximately 9,300 km on it, and was parked indoors. After I objected, the front rotors were replaced under warranty. The grinding vibration remained.
Listen to the recording ↗While my wife had the vehicle in Montreal, it displayed “Reconnect Error,” stopped accepting a charge, and locked the charging cable in the port. She used the emergency release to unplug it.
The EC40 returned to the dealership for the charging and noise concerns. My December 27 account reported no confirmed diagnosis or successful resolution, despite involvement from the Service Manager, Operations Manager, and General Manager. I continued making lease payments while using a gasoline loaner.
On November 5, Volvo Customer Care said it was working with a field technical specialist. On November 20, it said a part had been identified and ordered under Volvo Technical Support’s guidance. On November 29, I advised Volvo that I had written to my MP and MPP and updated CBC Go Public.
I made information requests under PIPEDA for service records and other relevant personal information. A complaint about Volvo’s handling of that request was later filed with the Office of the Privacy Commissioner of Canada, file PIPEDA-051797.
On December 4, Volvo said it would begin a repurchase process; it followed up on December 8. On December 9, I set out two proposed resolutions. Volvo’s December 19 response offered repurchase, return of the initial down payment, and $500 toward fuel, subject to a release. It said it could not accommodate my alternative proposals.
The publicly listed financial impact reached $31,055.29 across lease payments, insurance, fuel, the home charger, the down payment, the deposit, a lost incentive, and loaner maintenance. My ongoing lease payment is $543.79 every two weeks. My vehicle dispute and Carling Motors’ claim concerning the loaner are before the courts. The amounts claimed and the parties’ positions remain disputed.
I continue to report that the EC40 remains at Carling Motors and that a satisfactory resolution has not been reached. The parties disagree over the vehicle’s condition and the appropriate remedy. My photographs and chronology are published here so readers can examine the record.
Days without my EC40
Total loss of use · September 22, 2026
Across the vehicle’s service visitsThis is my cumulative reported loss of use across the EC40’s service visits, including its current stay at Carling Motors. The total increases while I remain without the vehicle.