2002 Volvo S80

The contact owns a 2002 Volvo S80. The contact stated while driving at various speeds, the odometer would go black. The contact stated that the electrical system of the vehicle would fail causing all of the functions to start flashing, the brakes to stutter, and the transmission to fail. The contact stated no warning lights would be illuminated as the control panel would go black. The vehicle was not taken to a local dealer or independent mechanic to have it diagnosed. The vehicle was not repaired. The manufacturer had been informed of the failure and informed the contact that they could not assist. The failure mileage was approximately 220,000.

The contact owns a 2002 Volvo S80. The contact stated that the instrument panel malfunctioned and failed to illuminate while driving. The contact also stated that the vehicle failed to accelerate above 20 MPH while the accelerator pedal was depressed. There was no warning light illuminated. The vehicle was taken to the dealer to be diagnosed. The contact was informed of an electrical failure that affected the brakes and the transmission. The vehicle was not repaired. The manufacturer was made aware of the failure but provided no assistance. The contact also mentioned that she had received NHTSA Campaign Number: 20V681000 (Air Bags) however, the part was not yet available. The approximate failure mileage was 100,000.

TL* THE CONTACT OWNS A 2002 VOLVO S80. THE CONTACT STATED THAT THE VEHICLE STALLED AND FAILED TO START WHEN THE KEY WAS TURNED IN THE IGNITION. THE CONTACT ALSO STATED THE VEHICLE HESITATED TO START EVEN WITH A FULL TANK OF FUEL. THE CONTACT NOTICED A FUEL LEAK AND THE CHECK ENGINE WARNING INDICATOR ILLUMINATED. THE VEHICLE WAS NOT DIAGNOSED OR REPAIRED. THE CONTACT REFERENCED NHTSA CAMPAIGN NUMBER: 09V483000 (FUEL SYSTEM, GASOLINE), BUT THE VIN WAS NOT INCLUDED. THE FAILURE MILEAGE WAS 248,000.

THE CARS AUTOMATIC TRANSMISSION WILL SHIFT TO THE REVERSE POSITION WITHOUT GIVING ANY WARNING UNDER THE NORMAL DRIVING CONDITION IN ITS DRIVE POSITION. WHEN IT SHIFTS TO REVERSE BY ITSELF ON THE FREEWAY I NOTICE THE NOSE OF THE CAR WILL DROP LOWER AND IF MY FOOT PRESS ON THE GAS PADDLE THE CAR WILL ACT AS BRAKING AND ENGINE IS MAKING NOISE. I NOTICE ON THE DASHBOARD AND SHIFTER THE GEAR SIGN INDICATION IS TOGGLE IN BETWEEN 'D' AND 'R', WHEN I PRESS ON THE GAS PADDLE THE SIGN WILL CHANGE TO 'R' AND AS I RELEASE MY FOOT OFF THE GAS PADDLE THE SIGN WILL CHANGE BACK TO 'D'. THE CAR IS COMPLETELY OUT OF CONTROL I ALMOST GOT IN A MAJOR ACCIDENT, LUCKILY I WAS TRAINED ON MANUAL TRANSMISSION FOR MY DRIVING LESSON, SO I PUT THE CAR TO 'N' AND SHIFT BACK TO 'D' FOR THE 1ST 3 TIMES I SWITCH BACK TO 'D' THE GEAR INDICATION SIGN IS STILL SHOW 'R' WHEN I PUT TO 'D' ONLY ON THE 4TH TRY ITS RETURN BACK TO NORMAL CONDITION. WHEN ALL THIS HAPPEN I WAS CLAIMING A HILL ON I-580 BEFORE I-680 JUNCTION JUST PASS HAYWARD, CA. TRY TO IMAGING DRIVING AT 65MPH ON A HILL AND TRANSMISSION SWIFT TO REVERSE THE CAR WILL DROP FROM 65MPH TO 10MPH VERY FAST AND THE CARS BEHIND ME ALMOST CRASH INTO ME. ACCORDING TO MY MECHANIC THE CAR SUPPOSE TO SWITCH TO 'SAFE MODE' AND TRANSMISSION SHOULD STAY IN 3RD GEAR. IT IS STRANGE THE CAR THINK ITS MALFUNCTION IS NORMAL AND DID NOT ENGAGE TO 'SAFE MODE'. MY MECHANIC DIAGNOSES THE CAR AND TELLS ME THE PROBLEM TRACE TO A NEUTRAL SWITCH (PNP SWITCH) INSIDE THE TRANSMISSION. AND AFTER CONTACT NEAREST DEALER FREMONT MOTOR CARS THE PARTS DEPARTMENT CONFIRM THAT THE PNP SWITCH IS BUILD INSIDE THE TRANSMISSION AND WOULD NEED A NEW TRANSMISSION. THE GM-SOURCED 4T65EV/GT TRANSMISSIONS USUALLY SHOW SYMPTOMS OF FAILURE BY SUDDENLY SLIPPING WHILE IN GEAR. THERE HAS NOT BEEN A RECALL FOR THIS ISSUE, BUT THE FAULTS ARE WIDELY KNOWN AND DOCUMENTED. THIS CAR IS STILL DRIVABLE IT'S NOT BAD, IF DON'T ACTED UP. IT STILL THINKS IT HAS NO PROBLEM AT ALL WHICH IS VERY DANGERS. *TR