I have a 2004 V70 - my husband "allowed" me to buy it because of the seat warmers (he loves them - runs even in summer because of his bad back). This weekend we smelled a burning smell, saw smoke and discovered the driver's seat was on fire! Turned off the seat warmer and car, and let it sit for a while, then turned the car back on - seat warmer OFF

I saw this was an issue on the 850s way back when, but haven't seen a recall or safety advisory on this

I have the 100K extended warranty, due to expire in April (or in 4K more miles)

Covered?

Is it safe to drive?

 

Not without the seat warmers "on"!!! And maybe not even with them "off". You can't really know without knowing if the circuit is open or closed regardless of the position of the switch. But, I'd yank the fuse out to make as sure as I could that no power was feeding that circuit. Then take it to your local friendly Volvo dealer for a fix. Under warranty? Not sure, but I'd fight this one.

NHTSA.gov for reporting this dangerous event. You should. Interior fires are dangerous, just like underhood fires. Ask Ford about cruise control caused fires in parked vehicles inside attached garages. A seat fire would be no different -- actually safer if it slowly happens while driving than when its parked in an attached garage at night when the owner is sleeping.

 

I took your suggestion and posted it to the NHTSA. Thanks for the suggestion.