2004 Volvo S40

TL*THE CONTACT OWNS A 2004 VOLVO S40. WHILE DRIVING LESS THAN 50 MPH, THE CONTACT CRASHED INTO THE REAR OF THE PRECEDING VEHICLE. THE PASSENGER SIDE AIR BAG DEPLOYED, BUT THE DRIVER'S SIDE AIR BAG DID NOT. A POLICE REPORT WAS FILED. THE DRIVER WAS TRANSPORTED TO THE HOSPITAL AND RELEASED WITH NO MAJOR INJURIES. THE MANUFACTURER STATED THAT THEY PERFORMED A COMPLETE SAFETY INSPECTION ON THE VEHICLE PRIOR TO SELLING IT TO HER, AND THE DIAGNOSTIC DID NOT INDICATE ANY FAILURE WITH THE AIR BAG. THE FAILURE AND CURRENT MILEAGES WERE LESS THAN 40,000.

DEAR SIR OR MADAM, I BOUGHT THE VOLVO S40 FOR ITS SAFETY RECORD. THIS ONE IS A 2004 VOLVO S40. AT THAT TIME, IT HAD ABOUT 43K MILES ON IT. NOW, IT HAS 53K MILES ON IT. ON 23RD FEBRUARY 2009, THE STEERING WHEEL COMPLETELY FROZE UP ON THE INTERSTATE MAKING IT VERY DIFFICULT TO CHANGE LANES, ETC. WITH GREAT DIFFICULTY, WE MANAGED TO BRING IT HOME. THE NEXT DAY, IT WAS STILL FROZEN AND WE COULD NOT TURN THE STEERING WHEEL AT ALL. I BELIEVE THIS MAY BE A SAFETY ISSUE SINCE I TRAVEL WITH MY KIDS IN THIS CAR. I WANT TO BRING THIS TO YOUR ATTENTION TO SEE IF: 1. VOLVO SHOULD BE ASKED TO RECALL AND FIX THIS PROBLEM IF IT PERTAINS TO ALL THEIR CARS. 2. A SAFETY WARNING SHOULD BE ISSUED TO ALERT THE PUBLIC. I HAVE HAD THE CAR TOWED TO A REPAIR SHOP AND THEY DON'T SEEM TO UNDERSTAND HOW OR WHY IT HAPPENED. I SEARCHED ONLINE BUT FOUND VERY LIMITED REFERENCES TO THIS TYPE OF PROBLEM. I AM REQUESTING YOU TO KINDLY TAKE THE NECESSARY ACTION AT YOUR EARLIEST CONVENIENCE IN ORDER TO PREVENT ANY UNTOWARD INCIDENT FROM OCCURRING BECAUSE OF THIS PROBLEM. *TR

TL*THE CONTACT OWNS A 2004 VOLVO S40. WHILE DRIVING 30 MPH, THE VEHICLE RAPIDLY ACCELERATED AUTOMATICALLY. THE VEHICLE WOULD NOT SLOW DOWN WHEN THE BRAKE PEDAL WAS DEPRESSED. THE CONTACT HAD A DIFFICULT TIME PULLING THE VEHICLE OVER TO THE SIDE OF THE ROAD. THE VEHICLE BEHIND HER NOTIFIED HER THAT THE VEHICLE WAS ON FIRE. FLAMES APPEARED WHILE ATTEMPTING TO PULL OVER THE VEHICLE. THE POLICE DEPARTMENT WAS NOTIFIED. THE VEHICLE WAS TOWED TO HER RESIDENCE AND THEN TO THE VOLVO DEALER. THE TIRES AND OTHER EQUIPMENT WERE DAMAGED BY THE FLAMES. THE VEHICLE IS CURRENTLY BEING DIAGNOSED BY THE DEALER. THE FAILURE AND CURRENT MILEAGES WERE 65,000.

TL*THE CONTACT OWNS A 2004 VOLVO S40. WHILE ATTEMPTING TO PARK THE VEHICLE WITH THE BRAKE PEDAL DEPRESSED, THE VEHICLE ACCELERATED ON ITS OWN AND CRASHED INTO A TELEPHONE POLE. THE CONTACT WAS UNINJURED. THE VEHICLE WAS TAKEN TO THE DEALER AND THEY REPAIRED THE DAMAGES AT THE COST OF $8,000. THE CAUSE OF THE FAILURE COULD NOT BE DETERMINED. THE FAILURE MILEAGE WAS 37,171 AND CURRENT MILEAGE WAS 38100 UPDATED 1/5/09 *CN UPDATED 01/09/09.*JB

TL*THE CONTACT OWNS A 2004 VOLVO S40. WHILE DRIVING 60 MPH, THE CONTACT EXPERIENCED EXTREME DIFFICULTY STEERING THE VEHICLE. THE FIRST TIME HE TOOK THE VEHICLE TO THE DEALER, THEY STATED THAT HARD STEERING WAS A COMMON CHARACTERISTIC OF THAT MODEL VEHICLE. HE TOOK THE VEHICLE BACK TO THE DEALER AND WAS INFORMED THAT THE STEERING RACK AND PINION WOULD HAVE TO BE REPLACED AT HIS OWN EXPENSE BECAUSE THE WARRANTY EXPIRED. THE VEHICLE HAS NOT BEEN REPAIRED. THE ENGINE SIZE WAS UNKNOWN. THE FAILURE MILEAGE WAS 18,971 AND CURRENT MILEAGE WAS 41,602. REMAILED 04/24/08. *LJ

DASHBOARD WENT CRAZY, FADING IN AND OUT. ALL PANELS WERE UNREADABLE, SPEEDOMETER, RADIO, TEMPERATURE GAUGE. CAR ACCELERATED ON ITS OWN, WITHOUT MY FOOT ON THE PEDAL. CD WAS SHOT INTO THE BACKSEAT LANDING IN MY CHILD SAFETY SEAT. ALL OF THIS OCCURRED WHILE DRIVING ON THE HIGHWAY. IN ALL 3 INSTANCES THE MESSAGE INDICATOR STATED TO NOT DRIVE THE CAR. I HAD THE CAR TOWED TO 2 DIFFERENT DEALERS. THE FIRST TIME THEY SAID IT WAS THE SOFTWARE AND REINSTALLED. THE SECOND TIME, THEY REPLACED THE ALTERNATOR AND THE CAR WAS IN THE SHOP FOR OVER A WEEK, THE THIRD TIME, THE REPLACE THE CEM MODULE AND RADIO. THE THE FOURTH TIME THE CAR WOULDN'T READ THE KEY AND HAD TO BE TOWED AND THEY REPLACED THE STEERING MODULE. THIS CAR HAS BEEN IN THE SHOP 3 TIMES IN LESS THAN 6 MONTHS FOR 3 ELECTRICAL RELATED ISSUES THE CAR ONLY HAS 42,000 MILE. *TR

CAR WAS SERVICED ON 25-OCT AT ~49K MILES. NO COMPUTER UPDATES WERE DONE TO THE VEHICLE. 12-DEC, I HAD NEW TIRES PUT ON THE CAR. 13-DEC THE CAR REPORTED "REDUCED ENGINE PERFORMANCE" AND OIL LIGHT CAME ON. PULLED OVER, STOPPED CAR, WAITED A FEW MINUTES AND RESTARTED WITH NO PROBLEM/LIGHTS. DROVE A FEW MILES, SAME EXACT THING HAPPENED AGAIN. THEN DROVE FOR ~45 MINUTES WHEN THE CAR REPORTED SOMETHING LIKE A "SYSTEM ENGINE FAILURE" AND THE CHECK ENGINE LIGHT CAME ON. CAR WAS SPUTTERING WITH NO RESPONSE FROM THE GAS PEDAL. WAS TOWED TO MY DEALERSHIP. SM INFORMED ME THAT THE "MAIN" COMPUTER HAD FAILED, "TWO OTHER COMPUTERS" HAD "STOPPED COMMUNICATING" AND THE "THROTTLE MODULE" FAILED. HE TOLD ME THEY COULD FIX THE CAR FOR ~$300 WITH COMPUTER UPGRADES. HE DIDN'T KNOW IF THAT WOULD FIX THE THROTTLE MODULE AS WELL. IT WAS FIXED IN THEIR OPINION AFTER THEY ROAD TESTED IT FOR ~7 MILES. HE SAID AVAILABLE COMPUTER UPGRADES ARE ALWAYS APPLIED AT THEIR DEALERSHIP WHEN THE CAR IS UNDER WARRANTY BUT NEVER WHEN THE CAR IS OUT OF WARRANTY UNLESS THERE'S A PROBLEM. WAS TOLD MY EXTENDED WARRANTY DID NOT COVER THE UPGRADES AND WAS CHARGED ~$300. I ASKED IF THE UPGRADES COULD HAVE BEEN APPLIED 25-OCT SINCE I WAS UNDER WARRANTY. HE FELT THAT THEY COULD HAVE BEEN, ASSUMING THE UPGRADES WERE AVAILABLE THEN BUT COULDN'T TELL ME IF THEY WERE. SPOKE WITH THE SM AT THE DEALERSHIP WHERE I WAS ON 25-OCT AND HE SAID THEY NEVER APPLY COMPUTER UPGRADES UNLESS THERE'S A PROBLEM WITH THE CAR, WARRANTY OR NOT. DROVE THE CAR HOME ON 13-DEC AND NOTICED "ELECTRICAL" ISSUES. DROVE THE CAR ON THE MORNING OF 14-DEC AND A HEADLIGHT WENT OUT AND CAME BACK ON LATER IN THE DAY. CAR FAILED AGAIN THAT DAY IN TRAFFIC. FILED A CASE WITH VOLVO CUSTOMER CARE. *JB DEALERSHIP HAS CLEANED THE THROTTLE MODULE BUT PROBLEM PERSISTS. THEY ORDERED A NEW ETM AT ~$800. I WAS TOLD THAT THEY WILL USE THE $300 AS A 25% PAYMENT ON THE PARTS/LABOR FOR THE ETM REPLACEMENT AND THERE WILL BE NO ADDITIONAL COST TO ME.

I WAS DRIVING HOME AT NIGHT WHEN ALL OF THE GAUGES IN MY CAR WENT OUT COMPLETELY. I HAD NO SPEEDOMETER, NO GAS READING, NO ENGINE HEAT METER, THE MESSAGE CENTER WAS OUT, NO TURN SIGNALS. THIS IS A 2 YEAR OLD VEHICLE THAT WAS PURCHASED BRAND NEW FROM VOLVO IN 2004. I HAD TO DRIVE HOME 60 MILES ON AN EXTREME;Y DARK ROAD WITH NO SAFETY GAUGES- I COULDN'T CALL FOR ROADSIDE AS I WAS ALONE AND AM A WOMAN- I WASN'T GOING TO STOP ON THE SIDE OF THE ROAD TO WAIT FOR ROADSIDE. I WAS TOLD BY VOLVO THAT IT WAS THE DDM MODULE AND THE WIRING HARNESS- MY ELECTRICAL /COMPUTER SYSTEM WENT BAD. HOW IS THAT POSSIBLE IN A BRAND NEW CAR? FURTHERMORE, I WAS 1,000 MILES OVER THE MANUFACTURER'S WARRANTY OF 50,000 MILES- THUS VOLVO CHARGED ME $1,645.00. WITHIN IN MINUTES OF DRIVING THE CAR AFTER IT WAS REPAIRED- THE SERVICE ENGINE LIGHT CAME ON. I WAS TOLD THAT MY SOFTWARE HAD TO BE UPGRADED AND MY THROTTLE CLEANED? I BELIEVE THAT THE ELECTRICAL/COMPUTER SYSTEMS IN THESE CARS ARE NO GOOD. *NM