Toronto Volvo owner warning drivers after XC90 SUV catches fire in rainstorm

TORONTO — Laurie Guttman had just dropped off his children and their friends at school when he wheeled into a North York drive-through for a coffee last week.

He said he was happy to be inside the car because of an intense rainfall, but another driver suddenly pulled up beside Gutmann, honked her horn and rolled down the window.

“She said your bumper’s on fire,” Gutmann recalled, adding that he then found the tail light assembly of his 2007 XC90 on fire.

“It was shock, disbelief, I was completely scared,” Gutmann told Global News, adding that he was concerned that the fire near his fuel tank could be catastrophic.

“I am so blessed and so lucky no one was hurt.”

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His partner, Jody Steinhauer, said the incident has caused her to question the company’s safety pledge.

“From a car company preaching safety, their job is to make clients feel safe: I don’t feel safe,” she said.

Volvo sent a technician to look into what caused the fire and the company concluded it was not the manufacturer’s fault.

Volvo declined to be interviewed by Global News, but provided a statement.

“Volvo Cars of Canada has inspected the customer’s vehicle and, based on the inspection, has found no product related failure or product defect,” the statement read.

“Though the incident is unfortunate, it should be noted that the vehicle’s history shows that in recent years it has not been regularly serviced at Volvo retailers by trained Volvo technicians.”

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Volvo recalled the 2005 model year of XC90s because of electrical problems.

Steinhauer and Gutmann said, in the absence of a proper explanation about the tail light fire, they’re not satisfied with Volvo’s response — and wanted to warn other Volvo owners.

“It makes me question how safe is this really?” said Gutmann. “Or is this just marketing fluff?”