My car gives off a strong gas/fuel smell, which is not coming from under the hood, but can be smelled both inside and outside the car. It has about 74,000 miles on it, and is less than 8 years old. I noticed the smell now for many months, which continues to get stronger. I saw that there is a recall for the cars in Arizona and Nevada, but I live in Florida, where it can get pretty hot as well. I believe the problem is with the fuel pump. This problem must be happening quite often with other Volvo S60S. The problem may stem from a poorly designed plastic pump housing. I took the car in for the Volvo ETM warranty program on 08/15/07 thinking that the fuel smell would be corrected when they fixed the emission system problem. The dealer's receipt indicates they performed a fuel induction service because of throtle body dirt, but the fuel smell has only gotten worse. I don't want to have to spend $$$ to have it repaired, when it is a manufacturing defect. What can I do?

- Fort Lauderdale, FL, USA

My 2001 Volvo S60, at 68K miles, had cracks in the fuel pump, causing a strong gas smell due to the leaks. This appears to be a widespread problem with the S60 in particular, since numerous postings have been seen regarding this same problem. When I called the Volvo dealership, they knew immediately what the problem was. This is a $1000 repair that is nearly certain from what I have been able to tell. Apparently Volvo has issued a recall on this problem, but only in Arizona and Nevada. The idea that the car develops this problem upon entering these states seems amusing. This appears to be an S60 issue, regardless of location. Perhaps the recall needs to be expanded to cover all affected models/cars? joel miller

- Owens Cross Roads, AL, USA

On certain vehicles originally sold in or currently registered in the states of Arizona and Nevada, due to the combination of fuel quality and climate conditions, the fuel pump may, in certain cases, experience a reduced functionality. The most common symptoms would be fuel odor. I live in Tennessee and my car does the same thing. We have had over 3 weeks of 100 plus degree temps here. The consumer stated tried replacing the fuel filter, unfortunately that did not solve the problem. The consumer further stated there is evidence of a fuel leak in the gas tank and the vehicle is very hard to start. Updated 09/26/07 perm granted via email to release info to mfr on 09/28/2007.pco

- Nashville, TN, USA