My EX30 dodged the battery recall because it isn’t an Extended Range model, so no 70% charging cap for me. So you can imagine my excitement on finding out it’s been recalled anyway. And how did I find out? Not from Volvo. No letter, no email, nothing in the app. A Reddit notification made me check my car on the DVSA recall checker, and sure enough – there it was. Bloody wonderful!
The recall
Recall number: R/2026/386 (Volvo’s own reference is R10396)
Recall date: 21 October 2026
Recall type: Safety recall
UK vehicles affected: 26,909
On affected vehicles there is a potential issue with insufficient fastenings on the front seat head cushions. This means that there is a risk that in the event of an impact the head cushions may not perform as expected and could pose a risk of injury.Corrective action: Reinforce the head restraint cushion attachment.
In plain English, the padded cushion on the front headrests isn’t fixed on well enough. The cushion itself isn’t faulty, but in a bad crash it could come away from the headrest, which is exactly when you need it to stay put. Volvo’s US filing says the risk is in severe, high-speed crashes with impacts from more than one direction, and that it doesn’t know of anyone being injured.
This isn’t just a UK thing either. Reports put the global figure at around 234,000 EX30s, which is pretty much every one they’ve built. In the US, the filing covers EX30s built between September 2023 and July 2026, plus some EX30 Cross Country models built up to August 2026.
The work is free, and you book it through your Volvo dealer.
Same old Volvo
In usual Volvo style, they’ve dropped the ball again. Not only did I have to find out on Reddit that my own car was recalled, it also looks like some dealers are damaging the headrests while fixing them.
Maybe I’m just being overly critical as usual, but it’s been over 2 weeks, and it’s not hard to get the contact details for owners. My dealer, Marshalls Volvo Grantham, has my email address.
They aren’t replacing the headrest. It’s a reinforcement job: according to Volvo’s US filing, technicians put a two-part epoxy adhesive on three attachment points in each front headrest to hold the cushion in place. No new seat, no new headrest. Just glue.
Owners are being told it takes anything from 45 minutes to a couple of hours, partly because the epoxy needs about an hour to cure. Some dealers have been waiting on parts, and at least one person on Reddit is grumbling about getting no courtesy car while it’s done.
That’s fine when it goes well, and plenty of owners say they can’t see any sign the work was done. But one owner in Poland got their car back with holes in the fabric on both front headrests. When they complained, they were told it would “heal itself”. Funnily enough, it didn’t. Then staff tried to sort it on the spot and made it worse. According to the owner, a manager there later admitted it wasn’t the first time it had happened and told them to put in a formal request for new seats.
Another owner in Portugal with the white interior says there are tiny marks you can see if you shine a torch on them. Not the end of the world, but not nothing either. And if you’ve got the faux leather seats, a hole there is going to be a lot more obvious than on the knit.
We haven’t seen anything like that in our usual Facebook groups yet, but I’m sure it’s only a matter of time.
The Damage
Here are some photos taken from the Reddit threads showing the damage done.
What I’m doing about it
I’ll be calling Marshall Volvo in Grantham tomorrow to get mine booked in. I’ll photograph both headrests before it goes in and again when it comes back, so if anything happens to them there’s no arguing about it. I’ll check them over properly before I drive away, in daylight, not in a dark car park.
If you’ve got an EX30, don’t wait for Volvo to tell you. Check your reg on the DVSA recall checker yourself: https://www.check-vehicle-recalls.service.gov.uk
Let’s hear from you
Have you had your head rest replaced? Has yours been damaged? Let us know in the comments below
Credits
Full image credit to the poster on the EX30 sub Reddit. I won’t name names but you will find them on there.
