Eight Volvo models sold in Ireland have been recalled over safety fears.
The Swedish car company said nearly 8,000 Irish vehicles may be affected by the issue related to the effectiveness of seat belts.
A statement from the consumer watchdog said: "A safety issue has been identified whereby, potential breakage/fatigue of a flexible steel cable supporting the front seatbelt anchor point, which is mounted on the outboard side of the front seats inside a protective rubber sleeve, could occur during ingress under certain circumstances (dependant on how the driver enters and exits the car).
"If the steel cable is bent repeatedly over the seat structure in a critical height position single threads could be loaded locally beyond their yield strength, this may result in permanent elongation.
"Over time this may cause fatigue and in the end possible breakage of the steel cable.
"There are 7,826 vehicles affected on the Irish market."
The Competition and Consumer Protection Commission said the eight models were manufactured between 2006 and 2018.
Here are the affected models:
| MODEL | MANUFACTURING PERIOD |
| S80 | 07/02/2006 to 08/04/2016 |
| S60 | 21/05/2010 to 14/08/2018 |
| V70 | 14/03/2007 to 27/04/2016 |
| XC70 | 09/05/2007 to 30/05/2016 |
| S60CC | 13/04/2015 to 30/05/2018 |
| V60 | 22/06/2010 to 27/08/2018 |
| XC60 | 18/03/2008 to 22/04/2016 |
| V60CC | 14/12/2014 to 21/08/2018 |
The CCPC said Volvo Car Ireland Limited will be writing directly to affected consumers.
It added: "The letter will advise affected vehicle owners to contact their nearest Volvo dealer or authorised repairer where the vehicles will be inspected and repaired in line with the recall."
Those who believe their vehicle may be impacted by this recall can contact Volvo Car Ireland Limited on 01-4631220.
A spokesman for Volvo told the Irish Mirror more than 2.1million cars are affected globally but the company has not received any reports of accidents linked to the issue.
He said: "This recall concerns cars from previous generation Volvo models.
"Volvo Cars has not received any reports of accidents or injuries connected to this issue – this is a preventive recall to avoid any possible issues in the future.
"The issue is related to a steel cable connected to the front seat belts. The cable may, under certain rare circumstances and user behaviours, over time suffer from fatigue. This could eventually cause damages to the cable, resulting in reduced seat belt restraint function.
"Owners of concerned cars will be contacted by letter, asking them to contact their Volvo retailer to have their cars corrected free of charge.
"All concerned cars will be updated with a new component replacing the existing steel wire. This is a robust solution, eliminating the risk for the issue to occur in the future."
"Models affected are the Volvo S60, S60L, S60CC, V60, V60CC, XC60, V70, XC70, S80 and S80L, produced 2006-2019. No currently produced cars are affected by this recall."
