2017 Volvo XC90

TL* THE CONTACT OWNED A 2017 VOLVO XC90. WHILE DRIVING APPROXIMATELY 35 MPH, THE VEHICLE SUDDENLY SHUT OFF AND CAUSED THE STEERING WHEEL TO SEIZE AND THE ELECTRONIC GAUGES TO SHUT OFF. THE DRIVER LOST CONTROL OF THE STEERING AND CRASHED INTO A POND. THE FRONT END WAS SEVERELY DAMAGED AND THE VEHICLE WAS DEEMED DESTROYED, BUT THE AIR BAGS DID NOT DEPLOY. THERE WERE NO INJURIES. A POLICE REPORT WAS FILED. THE VEHICLE WAS TOWED. THE CAUSE OF THE FAILURE WAS NOT DETERMINED. THE MANUFACTURER AND LOCAL DEALER (WEAVER BROTHERS VOLVO, 4409 CAPITAL BLVD, RALEIGH, NC) WERE NOTIFIED OF THE FAILURE. THE FAILURE MILEAGE WAS 10,000.

WHILE DRIVING WITH TWO YOUNG CHILDREN IN CAR, VOLVO HOOD STARTED TO SMOKE. NO WARNING LIGHTS OR SIGNALS WENT OFF. WE PULLED OVER, TURNED ENGINE OFF, REMOVED KIDS FROM THE CAR, AND WITHIN A FEW MINUTES, THE ENTIRE HOOD OF THE CAR WAS IN FLAMES. THE CAR WAS COMPLETELY DESTROYED, EVEN THOUGH FIREFIGHTERS EXTINGUISHED THE FIRE. WE HAVE NO INFORMATION AS TO THE CAUSE OF THE FIRE - ENGINE, ELECTRICAL, ETC - BUT THE CAR ONLY HAD 18,000 MILES ON IT. VOLVO HAD ALREADY REPLACED THE ROTORS TWICE IN TWO YEARS - HIGHLY UNUSUAL - BUT OTHERWISE WE HAD NO REASON TO SUSPECT A PROBLEM. WE WERE VERY LUCKY WE WERE ON CITY STREETS AND NOT ON THE HIGHWAY WHERE IT WOULD HAVE BEEN DIFFICULT TO IMPOSSIBLE TO PULL OVER.

ON 2018-09-17, THE VEHICLE, A 2017 VOLVO XC90 T8 HYBRID, REPORTED AN ERROR STATING "REDUCED PERFORMANCE" WITHIN THE INSTRUMENT GAUGE. THE VEHICLE CONTINUED TO DRIVE, WITHOUT THE HYBRID SYSTEM, ONLY WORKING ON THE GAS ENGINE. THE VEHICLE WAS DRIVEN APPROXIMATELY 3 MILES AFTER THE ERROR MESSAGE APPEARED. THE NEXT DAY, 2018-09-18, THE VEHICLE WAS STARTED, WITH THE SAME ERROR. AFTER DRIVING LESS THAN A QUARTER OF A MILE, THE VEHICLE ABRUPTLY HALTED IN THE MIDDLE OF AN INTERSECTION, AND THEN LIMITED THE VEHICLE SPEED TO 17 MILES PER HOUR. THE VEHICLE WAS RETURNED TO IT'S ORIGIN, UNABLE TO EXCEED THE 17 MPH RESTRICTION, AND A TOW TRUCK WAS CALLED IN. THE VEHICLE WAS AT THE NEAREST VOLVO DEALER FOR REPAIRS FOR 20 DAYS UNDERGOING REPAIRS. AS OF 2018-10-15, THE VEHICLE HAS BEGIN TO EXHIBIT A SIMILAR PROBLEM AS WAS ORIGINALLY REPORTED WITH 2 MONTHS OF VEHICLE PURCHASE IN SEPTEMBER, 2017, AND WHAT LED TO A MULTI-DAY REPAIR IN EARLY SEPTEMBER, 2018, PRIOR TO THIS INCIDENT OCCURRING IN MID SEPTEMBER, 2018.

TL* THE CONTACT OWNS A 2017 VOLVO XC90. WHILE DRIVING 15 MPH, THE CONTACT REAR ENDED ANOTHER VEHICLE BECAUSE THE LOW SPEED AUTO EMERGENCY BRAKING/FORWARD COLLISION AVOIDANCE INDICATOR DID NOT ILLUMINATE. THE AIR BAGS DID NOT DEPLOY. A POLICE REPORT WAS FILED. THERE WERE NO INJURIES. THE VEHICLE WAS TAKEN TO LOWE PEARSON VOLVO BOISE (7805 W GRATZ DR, BOISE, ID 83709, 208-377-3900) WHERE IT WAS DIAGNOSED, BUT THE FAILURE COULD NOT BE DUPLICATED. THE VEHICLE WAS NOT REPAIRED. THE MANUFACTURER WAS NOTIFIED OF THE FAILURE AND INFORMED THE CONTACT THAT NOTHING COULD BE DONE TO ASSIST. THE FAILURE MILEAGE WAS APPROXIMATELY 10,000.

SOME MY16/17 XC90 OWNERS HAVE COMPLAINED ON SWEDESPEED ONLINE FORUM THAT THEIR COOLANT HOSE BROKE: HTTP://FORUMS.SWEDESPEED.COM/SHOWTHREAD.PHP?514873-ENGINE-COOLANT-PROBLEM FOR SOME CUSTOMER THE COOLANT HOSE BREAKS WHILE DRIVING ON THE HIGHWAY. IF THE COOLANT HOSE BREAKS, COOLANT LEAKS QUICKLY AND THE CAR WILL SHOW "STOP IMMEDIATELY" ON THE INSTRUMENT PANEL, WHICH MAY RESULT IN EMERGENCY MANEUVERS THAT ARE UNSAFE TO DO ON HIGHWAYS. IF ALL COOLANT IS LOST BEFORE THE CUSTOMER HAS A CHANCE TO STOP SAFELY, ENGINE MAY OVERHEAT AND FAIL, RESULTING IN THE CAR LOSING POWER, WHICH WILL ALSO BE DANGEROUS ESPECIALLY ON HIGHWAYS. VOLVO UPDATED THE COOLANT HOSE DESIGN. I CONTACTED VOLVO CUSTOMER CARE BUT THEY REFUSED TO ISSUE A SERVICE CAMPAIGN TO PROACTIVELY INSTALL THIS CRUCIAL UPDATED PART FOR THE REST OF US. NOTE THAT THIS HAS NOT HAPPENED TO ME YET, BUT I'M HOPING THAT VOLVO COULD ISSUE A SERVICE CAMPAIGN TO PREVENT THIS FROM HAPPENING TO MORE OWNERS.

ON 7 DIFFERENT OCCASIONS, THE VEHICLE AUTOMATICALLY AND AGGRESSIVELY BRAKED ON ITS OWN. THE COLLISION AVOIDANCE SYSTEM SENSED THAT I WAS ABOUT TO GET INTO AN ACCIDENT EVEN THOUGH THERE WAS ABSOLUTELY NOTHING IN FRONT OF ME. THE COLLISION AVOIDANCE SYSTEM IS DEFECTIVE ON THIS MODEL. IT WAS A MIRACLE THAT I DIDN'T GET REAR ENDED AS THE 7 INSTANCES ALL HAPPENED ON HIGHWAYS. MANY OTHER PEOPLE HAVE HAD THE SAME PROBLEM. VOLVO HAS AGREED TO REPURCHASE MY VEHICLE. THIS IS A MAJOR SAFETY PROBLEM THAT NEEDS TO BE FIXED BEFORE SOMEONE GETS KILLED.