2006 Volvo S40

DRIVING IN RAIN, BRAKE FAILURE MESSAGE BEGAN FLASHING ON DASH, THEN AIRBAG FAILURE. SLOWED TO A STOP AND TURNED OFF CAR, TURNED BACK ON AND DROVE SLOWLY HOME. MESSAGES CONTINUED TO FLASH. DROVE TO SERVICE CENTER AND MESSAGES WERE NO LONGER FLASHING , MECHANIC SAID IT WOULD NEED TO BE ACTIVE TO FIND PROBLEM. SAME SCENARIO MANY TIMES SINCE AND THE PROBLEM HAS BECOME WORSE, DRIVING DOWN HIGHWAY AND MESSAGES APPEAR THEN ALL GAUGES ON PANEL FAIL AND GO TO ZERO, WINDOWS FAIL, BLINKERS, BRAKE LIGHTS FAIL, ENTIRE INSTRUMENT PANEL WENT DARK. BACK TO MECHANIC, HE DROVE IT SAME THING HAPPENED THEN STOPPED BEFORE RETURNING TO SHOP SO COULD NOT DIAGNOSE.EXTREMELY DANGEROUS AS SEVERAL TIMES DRIVING IN RAIN AND IN HIGH TRAFFIC AREAS AND ON FREEWAYS WITH HIGH SPEEDS AND THEN IN CONSTRUCTION ZONES BUMPER TO BUMPER WITH NO BRAKE LIGHTS OR ABILITY TO USE TURN SIGNALS. HAS BEEN OUT FOR FIVE TO THIRTY MINUTES AT A TIME THEN APPEARING TO WORK AGAIN BEFORE REPEATING THE SAME FAILURE PROBLEM. NEVER ANY WARNING, IT JUST HAPPENS SUDDENLY. TO MECHANIC AGAIN, CODES READ AND PRINTED OUT PAGES OF SIGNAL FAILURES, NONE ACTIVE AT TIME SO UNABLE TO DETERMINE PROBLEM. CHECK ENGINE LIGHT HAS ALSO APPEARED AND WHEN CHECKED NOTHING ACTIVE FOUND AT TIME OTHER THAN PAGES OF SIGNAL FAILURES IN SYSTEM. *TR

WHILST DRIVING, THE INSTRUMENTS ON THE INSTRUMENT CLUSTER DROPPED TO ZERO AND THE WARNING LIGHTS STARTED FLASHING. AFTER SHUTTING DOWN THE CAR, AND THEN RESTARTING, THE FAULT CLEARED. EVER SINCE, THE ELECTRIC WINDOWS AND DOOR LOCKS HAVE WORKED ONLY INTERMITTENTLY. VOLVO DIAGNOSED THE PROBLEM TO THE A-PILLAR CONNECTORS, WHICH THEY SAID WERE OLD, AND NEWER ONES HAD BEEN MADE. VOLVO WILL NOT PAY FOR THE REPLACEMENT SINCE THE CAR'S WARRANTY HAS EXPIRED. AFTER DOING SOME RESEARCH, I FOUND OUT THAT VOLVO HAD ISSUED A SERVICE BULLETIN ADDRESSING THE A-PILLAR CONNECTORS, AND I ALSO FOUND QUITE A FEW VOLVO OWNERS THAT EXPERIENCED THE SAME PROBLEM.VOLVO KNOWS THEY HAVE DEFECTIVE A-PILLAR CONNECTORS IN SOME OF THEIR CARS, WHY HAS A RECALL NOT BEEN ISSUED?

2006 VOLVO S40, FWD T5: MY WIFE WAS DRIVING ON THE INTERSTATE AROUND MIDNIGHT GOING APPROX. 75-80 MPH WHEN ALL OF A SUDDEN HER CAR SHUT OFF. WHEN I SAY SHUT OFF I MEAN THE HEADLIGHTS, DOME LIGHTS, ENGINE....ANYTHING THAT WAS ELECTRICAL COMPLETELY SHUT OFF. THIS WOULD INCLUDE THE STEERING WHEEL LOCKING UP. SO IMAGINE DRIVING IN THE MIDDLE OF THE NIGHT AT 80 MPH WITH TRAFFIC AROUND YOU AND YOU'RE LIGHTS GOING OUT, STEERING WHEEL LOCKING AND HAVING NO WAY TO CONTROL THE VEHICLE. TO ME THIS SOUNDS LIKE A 80 MPH INVISIBLE TORPEDO THAT COULD HAVE KILLED A FEW PEOPLE INCLUDING MY WIFE. I HAD THE VEHICLE TOWED TO THE NEAREST DEALERSHIP WHICH WAS A FORD DEALERSHIP AND THE NEXT MORNING THEY DIAGNOSED IT AS A DEAD BATTERY, WHICH THEY WERE CORRECT. NOW I'M NO ROCKET SURGEON BY ANY MEANS BUT TO ME THIS SOUNDS LIKE A FLAW IN THE SAFETY DEPT. SOMEWHERE. SOMETHING AS TRIVIAL AS A DEAD BATTERY WOULD CAUSE A CATASTROPHIC FAILURE LIKE THAT? I THINK IT'S SOMETHING THAT NEEDS TO BE BROUGHT TO THE ATTENTION OF THE MANUFACTURER AND SOME SORT OF QUALITY CONTROL AS WELL. *TR

TL* THE CONTACT OWNS A 2006 VOLVO S40. WHILE DRIVING APPROXIMATELY 5 MPH AND APPLYING PRESSURE TO THE BRAKE PEDAL, THE VEHICLE ABNORMALLY ACCELERATED. THE CONTACT CONTINUED TO APPLY PRESSURE TO THE BRAKE PEDAL AND WAS ABLE TO STOP THE VEHICLE. THE FAILURE RECURRED TWO DIFFERENT TIMES. THE SECOND TIME THE FAILURE RECURRED, THE VEHICLE CRASHED INTO A CONCRETE WALL. THE VEHICLE WAS TOWED TO THE DEALER FOR INSPECTION YET THE TECHNICIAN STATED WAS UNABLE TO DIAGNOSE THE FAILURE. THERE WERE UPDATES MADE TO THE VEHICLE COMPUTER BUT NO FURTHER REPAIRS. THE CONTACT STATED THAT THE FAILURE HAD NOT RECURRED SINCE THE COMPUTER UPDATE BUT SHE DID NOT FEEL SAFE DRIVING THE VEHICLE. THE APPROXIMATE FAILURE MILEAGE WAS 69,500. THE VIN WAS NOT AVAILABLE. UPDATED 03/31/11*LJ UPDATED 12/28/2011 *LN

MY 2006 VOLVO S40 HAS HAD NUMEROUS AND INTERMITTENT ELECTRICAL ISSUES INCLUDING GAUGES THAT GO HAYWIRE, FALSE AIRBAG FAILURE OR BRAKE FAILURE MESSAGES, LOCKS THAT DON'T ENGAGE OR DISENGAGE AND TRACTION CONTROL THAT SEEMS TO STICK OR MALFUNCTION. ON A FEW OCCASIONS THE SPEEDOMETER AND RPM READOUT GO COMPLETELY DEAD WHILE I'M GOING 70 MILES PER HOUR ON THE HIGHWAY. THESE ISSUES ARE INTERMITTENT BUT THEY TEND TO BE MORE PERTINENT DURING THE WINTER MONTHS, AND ON DECEMBER 6, 2010 ALL THESE FALSE READOUTS WERE HAPPENING ONE AFTER ANOTHER, FOLLOWED BY A "REDUCED POWER" READING AND THE ENGINE BRIEFLY DECELERATED. VOLVO DEALERS HAVE BEEN UNABLE TO DIAGNOSE OR FIX THE ISSUES IN THE PAST AND I'M HESITANT TO SPEND HUNDREDS MORE ONLY TO BE TOLD THAT "NO CODES WERE FOUND." *TR

TL*THE CONTACT OWNS A 2006 VOLVO S40. THE CONTACT WAS DRIVING UP AN INCLINE AT APPROXIMATELY 35 MPH, THE ENGINE REVVED EXCESSIVELY AND BEGAN TO BUCK. SUDDENLY THE ENGINE STALLED AND RESTARTED. THE VEHICLE RESUMED FOR FIFTEEN SECONDS BEFORE THE FAILURE RECURRED. THE FAILURE WOULD OCCUR EVERY 100 TO 200 MILES. THE VEHICLE WAS DIAGNOSED AT AN INDEPENDENT MECHANIC WHERE THEY INFORMED THAT THE FAILURE WAS CONTRIBUTED TO THE FUEL PUMP. THE RECENT FAILURE REQUIRED THE VEHICLE TO BE TOWED TO A DEALER. THE TECHNICIAN ADVISED THE FUEL PULP WOULD NEED TO BE REPLACED AT THE COST OF $ 1,300. THERE WAS A RECALL UNDER NHTSA CAMPAIGN ID NUMBER 08V033000 (FUEL SYSTEM, GASOLINE: DELIVERY: FUEL PUMP). THE VIN WAS EXCLUDED FROM THE RECALL DEFECT. THE VEHICLE WAS IN THE PROCESS OF BEING REPAIRED AT THE TIME OF THE COMPLAINT. THE FAILURE MILEAGE WAS 80,000.

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

ALL GAUGES AND READINGS GO TO ZERO. FOUR WARNING APPEAR ON THE MESSAGE BOARD. AFTER STOPPING AND TURNING OFF IGNITION THE CAR WILL RESTART WITH INTERMITTENT WARNINGS, OR NO WARNINGS AT ALL. UPON HITTING A BUMP THE ERROR MESSAGES CHANGES AND THE GAUGES WORK OR DON'T WORK. THE CAR HAS BEEN IN FOR COMPUTER "FIXES" THREE TIMES SINCE LATE 2005. *TR