The trouble with a recall is that it only works if the fix arrives before the thing you were trying to prevent. Three months after Volvo pulled more than 40,000 electric EX30s worldwide over a battery fire risk, Thailand’s consumer protection authority has sued the automaker following two local fires.

Earlier this week, the Office of the Consumer Protection Board (OCPB) met with officials from Volvo following two high-profile fires involving the electric crossover. The first fire occurred around March 25 in Bangkok, while the second occurred on May 15, when an EX30 was plugged in and charging at the owner’s home. The fire quickly spread to a Ford Ranger parked next to the Volvo and also damaged the building.

Read: Volvo Pulls 40,000 EVs Back For Costly Battery Replacement

According to the recall Volvo issued in February, both EX30s that caught fire in Thailand had been charged beyond the 70 percent limit Volvo had recommended as a temporary safety measure. This explanation hasn’t satisfied local authorities, who have filed a civil suit and are seeking damages and refunds for owners.

A total of 1,668 EX30s in Thailand are impacted by the recall. Volvo says replacement battery packs have recently arrived in the country from China and will be installed in customers’ cars from May 22. The OCPB isn’t happy that it took three months for these batteries to arrive after the recall was announced and has asked Volvo how it intends to compensate those owners who’ve been unable to use their vehicles normally over this period.

Owners Want Refunds

Speaking with Reuters, a local EX30 owner, Tanchanok Nowsuwan, has suggested that most owners don’t want a battery replacement, and instead want a full refund. The EX30 recall impacts both Single-Motor Extended Range and Twin-Motor Performance models.

In a statement issued online, Volvo Car Thailand noted that it will take approximately 3 days to replace the battery packs on each affected model.

“Volvo Car Thailand would like to express our sincere concern regarding the two recent fire incidents involving Volvo EX30 vehicles,” it wrote. “We have closely monitored and thoroughly investigated each case and have promptly provided appropriate support and remediation to those affected.”

That didn’t take long. Just a couple of months after Volvo confirmed it was pulling the EX30 from the US after the 2026 model year, the Swedish automaker has said it is already working on a replacement for its most affordable electric model.

Volvo Cars America president Luis Rezende dropped the news to reporters at the US launch of the larger EX60. While he stopped short of giving real specifics, he did confirm the new model will be priced in the same territory as the EX30. That matters, because the EX30 was originally meant to start at $34,950 before tariffs forced Volvo to add roughly $10,000 to the sticker.

Read: After Just Two Years, Volvo Drops Its Cheapest EV From America

“Very similar, I would say,” Rezende said when asked how the new model would compare to the EX30 on price, though it is not clear whether he meant the pre-tariff figure or the post-tariff one. “It’s going to be an EV that will deliver a lot of good things in a bigger space, but it will also be fun to drive, I can promise you.”

That last bit is the interesting part. The Verge reports that Rezende did not name the model, but evidence points to the next-generation EX40, which is already in development and will ride on the SPA3 platform shared with the EX60. The promise of “a bigger space” also lines up with what we know about the next EX40, which is set to grow over the outgoing car.

What Will It Cost?

Pricing will be key. The current EX40 starts at around $56,000, which barely undercuts the brand-new EX60 at $58,400 before destination. Volvo will have to slash costs significantly if it wants the future EX40 or whatever else it names it to be priced around the same mark as the EX30. Either that, or it’ll have to be a stripped-out, back-to-basics model like the base versions of the Tesla Model 3 and Model Y. Alternatively, it could be an all-new model that we don’t yet know about.

Either way, Rezende confirmed that the new model will launch in the US next year, so its development must have been underway for quite some time. Volvo is not going to leave the slot empty for long if it can help it.