NHTSA Complaint #10203935 — 2004 VOLVO XC90

ON JUNE 15, 2007, WHILE ON A HIGHWAY TRAVELING 65 MPH, MY 2004 VOLVO XC90 MADE A JERK, AS IF IT HAD SUDDENLY FALLEN OUT OF GEAR. ABOUT 5 MINUTES LATER, THE SAME THING HAPPENED. IT FELT AS IF SOMETHING LOCKED THE TIRES FOR AN INSTANT, THEN LET GO. ABOUT ANOTHER 5 MINUTES LATER, WE RECEIVED AN ERROR MESSAGE THAT SAID "BRAKE FAILURE, STOP SAFELY". MOMENTS LATER, WE LOST ALL CONTROL OF THE CAR - TOTAL ELECTRONIC SHUTDOWN. NO LIGHTS, NO HAZARDS, NO POWER STEERING, NO BRAKES. MY HUSBAND WAS ABLE TO GLIDE TO THE BREAKDOWN LANE, AND WE ROLLED UNTIL THE CAR STOPPED. WE HAD OUR TWO YOUNG CHILDREN IN THE CAR, ON THE SIDE OF THE HIGHWAY, IN THE DARK. IT WAS A TERRIFYING PREDICAMENT, AND WE COULDN'T LEAVE THE CAR DUE TO THE DANGER OF NOT BEING SEEN. WE HAD THE CAR TOWED, AND A FEW DAYS LATER, THE VOLVO DEALER SAID IT WAS A $60 SOFTWARE UPGRADE THAT NEEDED TO BE DONE. AFTER THE CAR WAS RETURNED TO US, WE TOOK IT TO ANOTHER VOLVO DEALER AND HAD THEM PERFORM A 45K CHECK-UP, HAD THEM REEVALUATE THE SITUATION, AND ALSO HAD A VA STATE INSPECTION DONE, AND THEY TOLD US EVERYTHING WAS FINE. JUST BARELY 3 MONTHS LATER, IN EXACTLY THE SAME SCENARIO, THE SAME EXACT THING HAPPENED. ON 9/21/07, WE WERE ON A HIGHWAY AT NIGHT, AND ONCE AGAIN FELT THE CAR JERKING, FOLLOWED A FEW MINUTES LATER BY TOTAL ELECTRONIC FAILURE. NO LIGHTS, NO HAZARDS, NOTHING. ONCE AGAIN, WE MANAGED TO GET OFF THE HIGHWAY SAFELY, BUT I FEAR THE NEXT TIME THIS HAPPENS, WE MAY NOT GET SO LUCKY. ALL 3 DEALERS THAT HAVE LOOKED AT THIS CAR HAVE NEVER HEARD OF THIS PROBLEM BEFORE, WHICH IS VERY UNSETTLING, AS I CAN NEVER BE CONVINCED IT IS FIXED. I AM TERRIFIED TO EVER DRIVE MY CAR AGAIN, EVEN IF THEY DO "FIX IT". THE CAR IS CURRENTLY STILL BEING EVALUATED, SO WE DO NOT KNOW THE LATEST PROGNOSIS FOR IT. *TR