NHTSA Complaint #10148047 — 2001 VOLVO S60

(1) AT AROUND 6:30AM, SATURDAY, JANUARY 7, 2006, I WAS DRIVING IN SAN FRANCISCO GOING DOWNHILL. ONCE I HIT THE BOTTOM OF THE HILL, I BEGAN TAKING A LEFT TURN. (2) IN THE PROCESS OF CONDUCTING MY LEFT TURN, MY CAR COMPLETELY STALLED AND ALL POWER STEERING WAS LOST. HAD THERE BEEN PARKED CARS ON THE ROAD THAT MORNING, I WOULD HAVE DIRECTLY HIT THEM DUE TO THE LACK OF POWER STEERING AS I SLAMMED ON MY BRAKES TO STOP FROM HITTING THE SIDEWALK. IMMEDIATELY, THE "REDUCED PERFORMANCE" LIGHT CAME ON AND FORTUNATELY, AFTER 10 MINUTES OF LEAVING MY CAR IN THE MIDDLE OF THE ROAD BECAUSE IT WOULD NOT START, I WAS ABLE TO START IT AGAIN AND DRIVE IT BACK TO MY HOME. (3) I TOOK THE CAR TO ROYAL MOTORS, 1525 HOWARD STREET, SAN FRANCISCO, CA AND THEY INFORMED ME THAT THERE HAD BEEN AN EXTENDED WARRANTY ASSOCIATED WITH THE ETM FAILURE. HOWEVER, VOLVO HAD INSTRUCTED THEM TO FIRST ATTEMPT TO CLEAN THE ETM AND SEE IF THERE ARE ANY FAILURES AFTER CLEANING. I TOLD THE REPRESENTATIVE THAT IF THIS HAPPENS AGAIN, I MAY NOT BE IN SAN FRANCISCO AS I COMMUTE ON THE FREEWAY TO WORK IN PALO ALTO EACH DAY. THEY SAID THIS IS THE ONLY WAY TO HAVE VOLVO PAY FOR THE ETM FAILURE. SO, I SIMPLY SAID OKAY AND RECEIVED MY CAR BACK THE NEXT DAY. *NM