2000 Volvo S40

I WAS PULLING INTO MY PARKING GARAGE AND MY 2000 VOLVO S40 BEGAN TO ACCELERATE ON ITS OWN. IT REVVED UP TO 3000 RPMS AND I HAD TO PRESS HARD ON THE BRAKE FOR IT TO STOP. I PULLED OVER IN THE GARAGE AND PLACED THE CAR IN PARK. THE CAR CONTINUED TO REV. I STEPPED ON THE GAS A COUPLE OF TIMES AND AFTER ABOUT 4 MINUTES IT RETURNED TO ITS NORMAL OPERATING RPM AFTER WHICH I WAS ABLE TO PARK THE CAR. *TR

TL* THE CONTACT OWNS A 2000 VOLVO S40. THE CONTACT STATED THAT THE VEHICLE WOULD SPORADICALLY ACCELERATE INDEPENDENTLY. THE CONTACT STATED THAT THE THROTTLE WAS REPLACED IN 2008 AND THE FAILURE DID NOT RECUR UNTIL 2010. MOST RECENTLY, THE CONTACT WAS ENTERING A PARKING LOT WHEN THE VEHICLE ABNORMALLY ACCELERATED. THE CONTACT WAS ABLE TO STOP THE VEHICLE BY SHIFTING INTO PARK. THE MANUFACTURER WAS NOTIFIED AND THE CONTACT WAS INFORMED THAT HER MODEL WAS NOT INVOLVED IN ANY RECALLS THEREFORE ANY REPAIRS WOULD BE AT HER EXPENSE. THE VEHICLE WAS NOT REPAIRED. THE VIN WAS NOT AVAILABLE. THE FAILURE MILEAGE WAS APPROXIMATELY 88,000 AND THE CURRENT MILEAGE WAS APPROXIMATELY 98,000.

MY 2000 VOLVO S40 HAD ANOTHER UNINTENDED ACCELERATION EPISODE ON APRIL 12, 2010 (I FILED A PREVIOUS COMPLAINT #10288666 IN OCT 2009). ON THE HIGHWAY IT WOULD GO 60 MPH WITHOUT DEPRESSING THE GAS PEDAL (AND NO IT WAS NOT STUCK AND THERE WAS NO FLOOR MAT IN THE WAY). THE LAST TIME THIS OCCURRED WAS SIX OR SEVEN MONTHS EARLIER. THE ECT SENSOR WAS REPLACED AT THAT TIME. THIS LAST TIME THE VOLVO MEMPHIS DEALERSHIP REPLACED THE ECT SENSOR AND IT HAS NOT OCCURRED AGAIN.....YET. THIS WAS THE THIRD ECT SENSOR REPLACED IN ABOUT A YEAR'S TIME. I ASKED THAT VOLVO CORPORATE BE INVOLVED TO CHECK OUT WHY THIS WAS HAPPENING. THEY HAD A FIELD TECHNICIAN RIDE IN THE CAR WITH ME AND CHECK IT OUT. BASICALLY THEY SHARED NO REASON FOR THE RECURRENT REPLACEMENT OF THE ECT SENSOR AND EVEN THOUGH I CONTINUED TO TRY TO GET AN ANSWER (AND REIMBURSEMENT FOR THE REPEAT REPAIRS). THIS IS ONE OF THE EMAILS I RECEIVED FROM THE VOLVO INVESTIGATOR AFTER THEIR INSPECTION AND MY CONTINUED DISSATISFACTION WITH NOT IDENTIFYING A ROOT CAUSE ---- "[XXX] , I CAN CERTAINLY UNDERSTAND YOUR DISAPPOINTMENT IN HAVING TO REPLACE THE SAME PART THREE TIMES. AS STATED, IF THE SYMPTOMS REOCCUR, PLEASE EITHER CONTACT ME DIRECTLY, OR CONTACT THE SERVICE MANAGER AT VOLVO OF MEMPHIS, RANDY PEARSON, SO THAT WE MAY GET BEEN INVOLVED ONCE AGAIN TO REVIEW YOUR CONCERNS REGARDING YOUR VEHICLE. TO DATE, YOUR VEHICLE IS PERFORMING AS DESIGNED. THANK YOU FOR ALLOWING US THE OPPORTUNITY TO INSPECT YOUR VEHICLE. ERICA KIRSCH PRODUCT INVESTIGATION COORDINATOR VOLVO CARS OR NORTH AMERICA" I AM NOT INTERESTED IN CONTINUING TO PURSUE THIS JUST BECAUSE OF REPAIR COSTS I FEEL SHOULD BE COVERED BY VOLVO. THE SYMPTOMS I HAVE REPEATEDLY EXPERIENCED ARE SCARY AND A HUGE SAFETY ISSUE. I ALSO SAW AN ON COMPLAINT #10288666 FILED ON FEB 18 2010 THAT SOUNDS LIKE THE SAME ISSUE AS MINE. INFORMATION REDACTED PURSUANT TO THE FREEDOM OF INFORMATION ACT (FOIA), 5 U.S.C. 552(B)(6). *TR

UNINTENDED ACCELERATION OCCURRED WITH CAR IN DRIVE. CAR BEGAN TO ACCELERATE SLOWLY INCREASING SPEED WITH FOOT OFF ACCELERATOR. PULLED UP ON ACCELERATOR WITH NO RESULTS. PUT CAR INTO NEUTRAL AND RPM INCREASED TO 6000 RPM THEN BACK TO 750 IDLE SPEED. BACK INTO DRIVE AND ENGINE ACCELERATED AGAIN. ENGINE SHUT OFF VIA KEY THEN IT WOULDN'T START AGAIN. CRANKED BUT WOULD NOT TURN OVER. DEALER REPLACED ECT BECAUSE OF FAILURE OF PART. *TR

TURN SIGNALS WILL STOP WORKING INTERMITTENTLY. WHEN IT HAPPENS NEITHER LH NOR LH TURN SIGNAL WILL ILLUMINATE AND NEITHER EXTERIOR BULB NOR DASH INDICATOR WILL ILLUMINATE. TURNING ON THE HAZARD LIGHTS WILL JUMP START THE TURN SIGNALS TO WORK AGAIN. TURN SIGNAL RELAY (UNDER DASH NEAR DRIVER KICK PANEL) HAS BEEN REPLACED WITH NO IMPROVEMENT. USED TO ONLY HAPPEN ON VERY HOT DAYS. NOW HAPPENS REGARDLESS THE AMBIENT TEMP. *TR

UNINTENDED ACCELERATION ON MY 2000 VOLVO S40. ACCELERATING IN TRAFFIC WITHOUT PRESSING PEDAL. MUST PRESS BRAKE HARD TO STOP. CONTINUES TO REV HIGH. THIS HAS HAPPENED TWICE IN THE LAST MONTH. AFTER THE FIRST TIME, MY SERVICE SHOP REPLACED THE IDLE AIR CONTROL VALVE BUT IT OCCURRED AGAIN ABOUT A WEEK AND A HALF AFTER THAT. SERVICE TECHNICIAN HAS INDICATED HE CANNOT POTENTIALLY DIAGNOSE UNLESS IT IS OCCURRING WHEN HE CAN DRIVE AND LOOK AT IT. IT IS A SERIOUS RISK FOR CRASH OR INJURY. *TR

ON 3/4/2009, WHILE DOING OTHER WORK TO THE CAR, A MECHANIC DISCOVERED THAT THE REAR PASSENGER SIDE COIL SPRING WAS BROKEN. IT WAS BROKEN AT THE LOWEST POINT AND THE CAR STILL SAT LEVEL, SO I WAS NOT EVEN AWARE. I DO NOT KNOW HOW LONG IT WAS BROKEN. IT LOOKED LIKE IT JUST DETERIORATED OVER TIME. ALTHOUGH OVER 9 YEARS OLD, THE CAR HAS LESS THAN 64,000 MILE, SO I WOULD NOT EXPECT A COIL SPRING TO DETERIORATE LIKE THAT. THE DEALER REPLACED BOTH REAR COIL SPRINGS FOR $773. *TR

1. EVENTS = REGULAR TIRE ROTATION IN SEPTEMBER 2008. TECHNICIAN POINTED OUT TO ME THE CORROSION AND CRACK/FAILURE IN BOTH REAR COIL SPRINGS. MILEAGE ON THE VEHICLE ABOUT 68,000 AT TIME OF DISCOVERY ON MY 2000 VOLVO S40. 2. CORRODED AND CRACKED REAR COIL SPRINGS (BOTH). THE CORROSION AND CRACK WERE ALMOST IN THE SAME LOCATION WITH THE SAME AMOUNT OF CORROSION NEAR THE BOTTOM (THE FIRST HALF-MOON CURVE) OF BOTH SPRINGS WHERE THEY ARE SEATED/BRACED. 3. OCTOBER 2008 - TOOK VEHICLE TO LOCAL VOLVO DEALER FOR EVALUATION. THEY ORDERED NEW REAR COIL SPRINGS. I RETURNED A WEEK LATER TO HAVE THE NEW COIL SPRINGS INSTALLED AT THE COST OF APPROXIMATELY $550, PLUS ALIGNMENT. THE COST OF THE COIL SPRINGS WAS APPROXIMATELY $220 FOR BOTH. THE REMAINDER WAS LABOR. I WROTE A LETTER TO VOLVO OF NORTH AMERICA ABOUT THIS CONDITION. I INCLUDED PHOTOS, AND I REQUESTED A REFUND. VOLVO CUSTOMER SERVICE OF NORTH AMERICA CALLED ME ON NOVEMBER 6, 2008, AND DENIED MY REQUEST. I WAS TOLD THAT MY CAR WAS OUT OF WARRANTY, AND THE ENGINEERS DESCRIBED THE PROBLEM AS AN "ANOMALY," NOT A DEFECT. SINCE I HAVE A LOW MILEAGE VEHICLE, I LIVE IN A "SALT STATE," AND CERTAIN SAABS IN SALT STATES ARE BEING INVESTIGATED FOR FRONT COIL SPRING FAILURE, IT WOULD BE INTERESTING TO KNOW WHETHER THERE IS A CONNECTION WITH THESE VEHICLES AND THE REAR COIL SPRINGS. I HAVE LOANED THE FAILED REAR COIL SPRINGS TO A PROFESSOR OF AUTOMOTIVE ENGINEERING TO USE IN HIS UPPER LEVEL DESIGN CLASS TO USE AS AN EXAMPLE OF A FAILURE. I COULD LIKELY GET THE PARTS BACK, IF NEEDED. *TR