2012 Volvo Bus 9700: complaints, problems and recalls

Reported: 2012-05-08 (May 8, 2012)

PREVOST CAR INC. (PREVOST) IS RECALLING CERTAIN MODEL YEAR 2009-2013 VOLVO 9700 MOTOR COACHES. ON SOME VEHICLES, THE QUANTITY OF EMERGENCY EXIT WINDOWS IS INSUFFICIENT TO COMPLY WITH THE REQUIREMENTS OF FEDERAL MOTOR VEHICLE SAFETY STANDARD NO. 217, “BUS EMERGENCY EXITS AND WINDOW RETENTION AND RELEASE.”

Consequence: IN THE EVENT OF AN EMERGENCY, PASSENGERS MAY BE DELAYED IN EXITING THE VEHICLE DUE TO LIMITED EMERGENCY WINDOWS, INCREASING THE RISK OF PERSONAL INJURY.

Remedy: PREVOST WILL NOTIFY OWNERS, AND DEALERS WILL INSTALL AN ADDITIONAL EMERGENCY EXIT WINDOW, FREE OF CHARGE. AN INTERIM NOTIFICATION WILL BE COMPLETED BY MID-JULY 2012. THE SAFETY RECALL BEGAN ON SEPTEMBER 27, 2012. OWNERS MAY CONTACT PREVOST CAR INC. AT 1-866-870-2046 OR 1-418-883-2888.

Reported: 2012-06-26 (June 26, 2012)

PREVOST IS RECALLING CERTAIN MODEL YEAR 2009-2012 VOLVO 9700 MOTOR COACHES. DUE TO A SOFTWARE ERROR, THE VEHICLES MAY COME TO A SUDDEN STOP BY BRAKE APPLICATION IF THE SENSOR READS THAT THE WHEELCHAIR LIFT DOOR IS NOT COMPLETELY CLOSED.

Consequence: IF THIS OCCURS, THE VEHICLE MAY SUDDENLY STOP WITHOUT WARNING, INCREASING THE RISK OF A CRASH.

Remedy: PREVOST WILL NOTIFY OWNERS AND DEALERS WILL UPDATE THE SOFTWARE, FREE OF CHARGE. THE SAFETY RECALL BEGAN ON JULY 13, 2012. OWNERS MAY CONTACT PREVOST CAR INC., SERVICE DEPARTMENT TOLL-FREE AT 1-866-870-2046 OR 1-418-831-2046.

Reported: 2012-09-13 (September 13, 2012)

Prevost is recalling certain model year 2009-2013 Volvo Bus 9700 coaches. The pipe that carries hydraulic fluid to the fan drive may crack allowing oil to spray on hot engine components.

Consequence: Hydraulic oil sprayed onto hot engine components may result in a vehicle fire.

Remedy: Prevost will notify owners, and dealers will add a rubber skirt to the hydraulic pipe, free of charge. The safety recall began on October 22, 2012. Owners may contact Prevost at 1-418-883-2888.

Reported: 2012-11-15 (November 15, 2012)

Prevost is recalling certain model year 2009-2013 Volvo Bus 9700 coaches manufactured from April 2009 through June 2012. The wheelchair lift may be missing maintenance safety pins and/or the wheelchair lift cylinders may not be the proper length, preventing the proper use of maintenance safety pins.

Consequence: With either the maintenance safety pins missing or not able to be used, the wheelchair lift may not be safely stowed in place, increasing the risk of injury to those working on, or around, the lift.

Remedy: Prevost will notify owners, and dealers will add the safety pins and/or verify that they work properly, as needed, free of charge. The safety recall began on February 8, 2013. Owners may contact Prevost at 1-418-883-2888.

Reported: 2013-05-01 (May 1, 2013)

Volvo Bus Corporation is recalling certain model year 2009-2013 9700 coaches manufactured from August 28, 2008, through April 19, 2013. Certain conditions may cause the affected coaches to go into a software controlled mode that would result in the throttle signal being fixed at 1750rpms regardless of throttle pedal input from the driver.

Consequence: The driver may lose the ability to control the bus's speed, increasing the risk of a crash.

Remedy: Volvo Bus will notify owners and dealers will remedy the software calibrations in the affected coaches, free of charge. The recall is expected to begin by July 1, 2013. Owners may contact Volvo Bus at 1-336-393-2000. Volvo Bus's recall campaign number is SR13-80.

Reported: 2014-03-04 (March 4, 2014)

Volvo Bus Corporation (Volvo) is recalling certain model year 2009-2014 9700 coaches equipped with a wheelchair lift. In the affected vehicles,the sliding seats, which can be moved to make room for wheelchair passengers, have lock down handles which can be forced to latch in an incorrect location. Locking the seats incorrectly may cause damage to the handle and allow the seat to not latch properly.

Consequence: If the sliding seat is not locked in place, the seat may move forward and backwards on the track, increasing the risk of injury to the seat passenger if the coach is involved in a crash.

Remedy: Volvo will notify owners, and dealers will install plates along the sliding seat rail to show correct locking positions and provide an addendum to the operator's manual. The recall began on April 28, 2014. Owners may contact Volvo at 1-800-528-6586. Volvo's number associated with this recall is SR14-82.

Reported: 2015-09-28 (September 28, 2015)

Volvo Bus Corporation (Volvo) is recalling certain model year 2009-2013 Volvo 9700 buses manufactured August 28, 2008, to December 21, 2012. In the affected vehicles, the exhaust clamp at the turbocharger may fail, allowing hot exhaust gas to contact materials in the engine compartment.

Consequence: If hot exhaust gas contacts other components or materials, it can increase the risk of a fire.

Remedy: Volvo will notify owners, and dealers will replace the exhaust clamp, free of charge. The recall began on November 11, 2015. Owners may contact Volvo Bus at 1-866-870-2046. Volvo's number for this recall is SR15-85.

Reported: 2016-11-18 (November 18, 2016)

Volvo Bus Corporation (Volvo Bus) is recalling certain model year 2008-2017 9700 buses manufactured January 7, 2008, to August 25, 2016. The affected vehicles are equipped with a power feed relay for the engine and transmission which may be undersized for the application, causing the relay to fail and the engine to stall.

Consequence: An unexpected engine shutdown increases the risk of a crash.

Remedy: Volvo Bus will notify owners, and dealers will replace the existing relay with a larger, more robust, relay, free of charge. The recall began on December 20, 2016. Owners may contact Volvo Bus customer service at 1-877-773-8678. Volvo Bus' number for this recall is SR16-86.

Reported: 2021-08-02 (August 2, 2021)

Volvo Bus Corporation (Volvo Bus) is recalling certain 2009-2021 Volvo 9700 vehicles equipped with wheelchair lifts. When the lift's outer barrier is fully deployed, it may not withstand a sufficient amount of force, which could cause it to fail. As such, these vehicles fail to comply with the requirements of Federal Motor Vehicle Safety Standard numbers 403, "Platform Lift Systems" and 404, "Platform Lift Installations."

Consequence: In the event that a mobility device pushes into the outer barrier, the barrier may fail, increasing the risk of injury for the lift occupant.

Remedy: Volvo Bus will reinforce the outer barrier with additional supports, free of charge. Interim owner notification letters were mailed on September 28, 2021. Owner notification letters were mailed on March 18, 2022. Owners may contact Volvo Bus customer service at 1-866-870-2046.

Reported: 2021-09-15 (September 15, 2021)

Volvo Bus Corporation (Volvo Bus) is recalling certain 2008-2021 9700 vehicles. The headlights may not have the correct amount of light output, and either be too bright, or too dim. As such, these vehicles fail to comply with the requirements of Federal Motor Vehicle Safety Standard number 108, "Lamps, Reflective Devices, and Associated Equipment."

Consequence: Excessively bright or dim headlights may reduce visibility, increasing the risk of a crash.

Remedy: Dealers will replace of the headlight assembly or the bulbs, free of charge. Owners notification letters were mailed September 1, 2023. Owners may contact Volvo Bus' customer service at 1-866-870-2046.

Reported: 2026-09-18 (September 18, 2026)

Volvo Bus Corporation (Volvo Bus) is recalling certain 2009-2025 Volvo 9700 buses. The emergency exit label on the entrance door is missing the exit operating instructions. As such, these vehicles fail to conform to Federal Motor Vehicle Safety Standard (FMVSS) number 217, "Bus Emergency Exits and Window Retention and Release."

Consequence: The missing information may prevent or delay the use of the emergency exit, increasing the risk of injury.

Remedy: Prevost will replace the emergency exit identification labels, free of charge. Owner notification letters are expected to be mailed November 3, 2026. Owners may contact Prevost's customer service at 1-866-870-2046. Prevost's number for this recall is SR26-84. Vehicle Identification Numbers (VINs) involved in this recall will be searchable on NHTSA.gov beginning September 25, 2026.