NHTSA Complaint #10131053 — 1999 VOLVO V70

WE HAVE A 1999 V70 VOLVO STATION WAGON THAT ABOUT 1 YEAR AGO BEGAN LOSING POWER AND/OR STALLING WITHOUT WARNING WHILE I WAS DRIVING ON THE HIGHWAY. IT WOULD RE-START IF I WAS ABLE TO GUN IT AND GET THE CAR MOVING. VOLVO REPLACED THE THROTTLE SYSTEM AND THE ISSUE SEEMED TO BE RESOLVED. IN MAY 2005, THE ENGINE AGAIN BEGAN TO LOSE POWER AS I DECELERATED WHILE DRIVING ON THE HIGHWAY (E.G. WHEN APPROACHING A TOLL OR IN TRAFFIC) AND THEN WOULD COMPLETELY STALL ONCE I EXITED THE HIGHWAY ONTO THE LOCAL ROADS AND WAS DRIVING AT A SLOWER SPEED. IT APPEARED TO HAPPEN MORE FREQUENTLY WHEN I HAD A FULL TANK OF GAS AND/OR THE AIR CONDITIONER WAS ON. IT WOULD RE-START FAIRLY EASILY. THE VOLVO DEALER WHERE WE PURCHASED THE CAR (SUMMIT, NJ) LOOKED AT THE CAR IN MAY AND COULD FIND NOTHING WRONG, AS THE COMPUTER DID NOT REGISTER ANY FAILURE; THEY RETURNED THE CAR TO US AS IS. IT CONTINUED TO HAPPEN PERIODICALLY AND EVENTUALLY WOULD NOT RE-START. ON MONDAY, JUNE 13 I HAD IT TOWED TO A LOCAL REPAIR SHOP IN JERSEY CITY WHO COULD FIND NOTHING WRONG; THEY RETURNED THE CAR TO US AS IS. ON FRIDAY, JUNE 17, WE THEN BROUGHT IT TO ANOTHER VOLVO DEALER (MONTCLAIR, NJ) WHERE THREE MECHANICS LOOKED AT IT OVER THE COURSE OF ONE WEEK AND COULD FIND NOTHING WRONG, AGAIN CITING THAT THE COMPUTER DID NOT REGISTER ANY FAILURES. IT HAS HAPPENED A FEW MORE TIMES, SO NOW IT IS AT ANOTHER LOCAL REPAIR SHOP (GARWOOD, NJ) WHERE THE MECHANIC CAN FIND NOTHING WRONG. I HAVE NOT DRIVEN THE CAR SINCE MID-JUNE AS I HAVE TWO SMALL CHILDREN AND DO NOT FEEL SAFE DRIVING A CAR THAT CAN STALL WITHOUT WARNING IN HIGHWAY TRAFFIC AND BE SLAMMED FROM BEHIND. *NM