As the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration considers a petition to look into problems with the front axles on Volvo trucks, one couple who took their complaint to the courts is urging others with problems to make their voices heard.

The Owner-Operator Independent Drivers Association recently filed a petition with NHTSA, asking the agency to investigate complaints from members about severe vibration, shaking and noise trouble steering, premature wear on steer tires and other front-end problems. Volvo has asked the agency to expedite its decision on whether to launch an investigation.
Nick and Gladys "Chee" Barber of Minot, N.D., have a keen interest in that investigation. The Barbers sued Volvo Trucks North America Inc., Ford Motor Credit Company and the Grande Truck Center in San Antonio. The suit was thrown out, and they are appealing.
The Barbers claim that their Volvo dealer knowingly sold them a Volvo 770 that exceeded its maximum weight limit on the front axle. In the owners manual, say the Barbers, Volvo warns about not exceeding the maximum front axle weight rating, which can cause instability, poor handling, failure of parts and accelerated wear. Yet their dealer added a 420-pound generator to the truck in order to make the sale, they say, without considering the fact that the generator might cause the truck to exceed that FAWR.
The Barbers discovered the problem five weeks after taking delivery on the truck, at a weigh station in North Dakota, which has more restrictive front axle weight restrictions than federal regulations.
"The lack of a standardized federal steer axle weight restriction has allowed manufacturers like Volvo to push or exceed the engineering design weight limits," Barber says, "allowing dealers to add equipment that places the vehicle in a front axle overweight condition."
Volvo contends that the weight problems were caused by equipment added to the truck after it was sold. The Barbers say the truck was 13,800 pounds on the front steer when the problem was discovered. Minus the weight of the generator and other options sold to them by the Volvo dealer, they say, it was still more than 13,200 pounds, higher than the FAWR of 12,349 pounds posted on the driver's door label and still higher than many states allow, the couple claims.
However, a federal judge agreed with Volvo, granting a motion for summary judgment. The couple is appealing the decision. They also urge Volvo owners with similar problems to report them to their dealers, to NHTSA's Office of Defect Investigation at 1-888-327-4236 and to OOIDA at (816) 229-5791.