Owners of the EV have been asked to limit charging the battery to 70% until it's repaired—a lawsuit says that's not acceptable

According to documentation Volvo submitted to the U.S. National Highway Traffic Safety Administration (NHTSA), the recalled EX30s are equipped with batteries supplied by Chinese manufacturer Shandong Geely Sunwoda Power Battery, and installed in the EX30 through October 25, 2025. Volvo says models built after that date are not affected.

All 2025-model-year trims of the compact EV are affected, including the two-wheel-drive (Single-Motor Extended Range) and the four-wheel-drive (Twin-Motor Performance) versions. The range of these two configurations varies from 327 to 420 kilometres. Charging them to only 70% of their capacity reduces the total driving range by roughly 125 km.

Stefani received a letter from Volvo in March informing her that the high-voltage battery in her EV might be affected by a safety defect, says the lawsuit. No repair date was mentioned at that time. Several emails followed from the manufacturer, first informing her that corrective measures were being developed; then that replacement parts, specifically new battery modules, were not available.

The most recent email, from September 30, informed Stefani replacement parts were becoming available, but in limited quantities. As of October 2, Stefani had still not received specific information about when her Volvo EX30 would be repaired.

Regarding the EX30 battery recall, the fix consists of replacing the battery modules containing the affected cells free of charge. All affected customers have been contacted regarding the issue and retailers will contact customers as soon as the parts are available for their cars. Until then, customers should continue to limit their charge level to 70% until their car is inspected and fixed.

The plaintiffs in the lawsuit cite several provisions of the Quebec Consumer Protection Act in arguing that a “reasonable consumer would not have purchased or leased a luxury electric vehicle if they had known that its range was significantly reduced, that it could catch fire even while parked, and that the parking precautions would limit normal use.”

In addition to punitive damages of $5,000, the lawsuit seeks compensatory damages in an amount to be determined “once the safety defect has been repaired”; or cancellation of the purchase or lease agreement.

If you leased or purchased a 2025 Volvo EX30, the attorneys at ML Kaufman law firm, Jack Kermezian and Albert Greenspoon, invite you to contact them.

Until the situation is resolved, Volvo recommends taking the following steps to set the maximum charge level to 70%.

1. Tap the vehicle icon on the bottom bar of the centre display and go to “Settings”
2. Go to “Charging” → “Target Battery Level”
3. Set your charge level to 70%

According to Volvo, if overheating were to occur, “it would trigger a warning message on the dashboard.”

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