NHTSA Complaint #10164035 — 2001 VOLVO S60

AT 53,000 MILES (FEBRUARY 2006) MY CHECK ENGINE LIGHT, SERVICE TRANSMISSION LIGHT AND URGENT SERVICE WARNING LIGHTS CAME ON AT THE SAME TIME. HOWEVER, I WAS I NOT EXPERIENCING ANY NOTICEABLE DRIVABILITY ISSUES. (WITH THE EXCEPTION OF SOME SLIGHTLY ROUGH GEAR SHIFTING - BUT I DIDN'T THINK MUCH OF IT). THE DEALER TOLD ME THAT THE FAULT CODE WAS RELATED TO MY TRANSMISSION AND THAT I NEED A SOFTWARE UPGRADE TO MY TCM (TRANSMISSION CONTROL MODULE). IF THE FAULT CODE RETURNED AFTER THE UPGRADE, MY TRANSMISSION WOULD HAVE TO BE REPLACED. AND THAT MOST LIKELY (99.9%) THE SOFTWARE UPGRADE WOULD CORRECT THE PROBLEM. IN ADDITION, I HAD TO PAY $340 FOR THE SOFTWARE UPGRADE BECAUSE I WAS 6 MONTHS / 3,000 MILES OUT OF WARRANTY AND SOFTWARE ISSUES WHERE NOT COVERED BY THE EXTENDED WARRANTY (3RD PARTY - EASYCARE -[VIA FORD]). A FEW WEEKS LATER (3/5/06), THE CHECK ENGINE COMES ON AGAIN AND THE DRIVABILITY DETERIORATES RAPIDLY ON MY TRIP HOME FROM WORK. HIGH RPM'S - LITTLE POWER - ABRUPT SHIFTING. FORTUNATELY, I WAS CLOSE TO HOME (WITHIN 1 MILE). IT FELT LIKE THE TRANSMISSION FELL APART. I BROUGHT IT TO THE DEALER (3/8/06), AFTER TWO DAYS OF 'TESTING', I'M TOLD THE ETM WAS REPLACED AT NO CHARGE AND TO COME PICK UP THE CAR. I PICKED IT UP AND COULD NOT LEAVE THE DEALER DRIVEWAY. THEY APOLOGIZED PROFUSELY AND SAID THE ETM WAS REPLACED BUT NOTICED THAT THERE IS STILL A PROBLEM. AFTER A FEW DAYS OF TROUBLESHOOTING BY THE DEALER, I WAS INFORMED THAT THE CAR NEEDED A NEW TRANSMISSION (AND I HAD TO PAY AN ADDITIONAL $200 FOR EXTENDED WARRANTY CO-PAY). *NM