Woman Sues Volvo After Power Tailgate Allegedly Closes On Her Head
by AutoExpert | 10 December, 2025
A woman from New Jersey is suing Volvo Car USA and one of the company’s employees after she says a power tailgate on a Volvo SUV unexpectedly shut on her head and left her with a traumatic brain injury. The incident happened during a hiking trip in October 2023, when Megan Kohr was standing behind the vehicle with the tailgate open.
The lawsuit claims a dog walked underneath the SUV's rear bumper and activated the vehicle's hands-free tailgate sensor. The system is designed to open and close with a simple kicking motion when the owner has the key within reach.
Kohr claims the tailgate misinterpreted the dog's movement as that command and closed on her, striking her hard enough to create long-term balance problems, vision issues, and sensitivity to light. She's seeking financial damages for medical bills, lost wages, and long-term consequences.
Her claim argues that the tailgate system is too easy to trigger accidentally and that it didn’t stop or reverse when it made contact - something Volvo says its “pinch protection” should prevent. The employee involved, who was driving the company vehicle that day and owns the dog, is also accused of negligence for letting the dog wander near the sensor.
Volvo wants the case against the company dismissed. Its position is that the employee was off duty and using the vehicle for personal reasons. The automaker also argues that the lawsuit doesn’t clearly outline what responsibility Volvo had toward Kohr and that the claims are too broad.
As vehicles increasingly become equipped with hands-free doors, power tailgates and gesture-activated features, incidents such as this bring up a larger issue: these systems need to work not just in perfect conditions, but in the imperfect world we live in.
Consumers want to know how they perform when there is everyday chaos in the way, such as animals running across the road or children playing by the bumper. Any other distractions that might throw off a sensor can be useful to know.
