My Volvo V40 Cross Country hits a pothole at high speed, tyre blows out

It was remarkable how poised the car remained despite a tear at those speeds & I was able to bring it to a graceful stop.

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50K update

So the car reached the 50k km milestone recently and did it with some drama.

So we were on our way back from Coimbatore to Chennai. You know the usual GST corridor, roads are certainly fine overall. We were doing some good speeds on the Tindivanam stretch at night, super smooth roads mostly and out of nowhere we hit a nasty pothole that we didn't even get to see as we were tailing another V40 CC ahead (tell me about the coincidence right?).

Lucky for him he managed to dodge the pothole, we had zero reaction time and we hit the pothole at a good triple-digit speed. We heard a nasty thud on the front left wheel and the next second I managed to pull over to the left as I immediately sensed vibrations due to the blown-out tyre. It was remarkable how poised the car remained despite a tear at those speeds, no drama whatsoever and I was able to bring the car to a graceful stop. Incredible sense of safety that the car reassured us.

Although it was scary as we had to pull over at a speeding section at night. We have had many potholes drive through in the past but this time around it was our turn to face it. The alloy was bent, and we had to switch to the space saver with the help of a local. That 45 minutes stop was scary as I had to move my family aside, place the warning triangle on the side of the road and make sure it was seen on top of the hazard lights.

Luckily I had my friend with me who got hold of a local and we managed to change the tire and got out of that place. Drove back at a speed no greater than 60 or 70 KMPH for a good 120+ KMS.

On returning, the hunt for the 225/45s started, as I literally called every tire dealer out here in Chennai to check on the Michelins or Contis as at least this time I wanted to switch from Pirellis (I find them noisy). No Michelins and they had Contis but I wasn't as fortunate in getting the tires as 225/45/18s are extremely difficult to get hold of (25k a tire, ouch!).

Meanwhile, I had to face an episode with the Volvo Service as they messed up the alloy wheel claim and delayed the tyre procurement as I exhausted all options from the market. I eventually had to get the wheel repaired after getting the new set of tires (had to replace all 4 as they were nearing their end of life).

Got the 50K service done and the service centre reported an unusual pull to the right from their road test. I verified it myself and found a noticeable pull to the right. For the first time in 4 years, I had a bitter experience with the Service centre as they took more than 20 days just to resolve the issue citing various reasons. I had to then really put my foot down and escalated the issue with Volvo India after which it was sorted.

I got the car out while waiting for the part and got the Alloy Wheel repaired. The shop did a decent job and was able to take care of the bend to the best extent possible. He did have a professional machine and reviews were reassuring. We also found a crack in the alloy after I noticed a loss of pressure in the tyre and he promptly sealed it. Was fairly happy with the outcome overall.

Meanwhile, I had to face an episode with the Volvo Service as they messed up the alloy wheel claim and delayed the tyre procurement as I exhausted all options from the market. I eventually had to get the wheel repaired after getting the new set of tires (had to replace all 4 as they were nearing their end of life).

Got the 50K service done and the service centre reported an unusual pull to the right from their road test. I verified it myself and found a noticeable pull to the right. For the first time in 4 years, I had a bitter experience with the Service centre as they took more than 20 days just to resolve the issue citing various reasons. I had to then really put my foot down and escalated the issue with Volvo India after which it was sorted.

I got the car out while waiting for the part and got the Alloy Wheel repaired. The shop did a decent job and was able to take care of the bend to the best extent possible. He did have a professional machine and reviews were reassuring. We also found a crack in the alloy after I noticed a loss of pressure in the tyre and he promptly sealed it. Was fairly happy with the outcome overall.

The bent alloy at the repair centre. Hard to notice the bend from this angle but it was prominent enough.

The Alloy Wheel Straightener machine

Had to again go for the Pirellis this time. They are rather noisy compared to the Michelins and Contis but what you get is excellent grip and traction at higher speeds. I hate the roar though!

They ultimately diagnosed the issue to be the faulty steering rack (mostly the ball joint) but they decided to change it under Extended Warranty. The part was incidentally available in India (sort of a miracle with Volvo) and they were able to get it in under a week.

Older rack removed

New rack installed

Got another alignment done after the steering rack was replaced.

After the steering rack change and the alloy wheel repair, the vehicle has been fine and the steering seems a lot more effortless and smoother (not sure if the older one already showed signs of issues that I wasn't paying attention to).

With our daily beater, the Tiago NRG

Chilling in Yercaud

Now I have decided to downgrade to 17 inchers once this new set of Pirellis wears out, for two clear reasons. One, this tyre spec is hard to get and two, the 18 inchers are more vulnerable to damage due to potholes. At least from the recent episode. I am more than willing to trade the grip levels for added comfort and peace of mind. That's all in the store for now!

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