NHTSA Complaint #10297250 — 2005 VOLVO XC90

I AM WRITING THIS LETTER TO NOTIFY THE NHTSA OF A TOTAL SYSTEM FAILURE OF MY 2005 VOLVO XC90 THAT I BELIEVE WAS DUE TO A MANUFACTURER DEFECT WHICH SHOULD BE PART OF A RECALL. AFTER DRIVING ON THE INTERSTATE (IN EXTREME RAINY CONDITIONS) FOR APPROX 2 HRS, THE CAR DISPLAYED A WARNING MESSAGE THAT READ ?ANTI-SKID DISABLED? AND THEN ?BRAKE SYSTEM FAILURE? AT WHICH POINT WE EXPERIENCED TOTAL BRAKE FAILURE. W/IN A MINUTE OF THIS HAPPENING, THE ENTIRE CONTROL PANEL ILLUMINATED THEN WENT BLANK AND ALL THE ELECTRONIC COMPONENTS IN THE CAR TURNED OFF, INCLUDING THE WINDSHIELD WIPERS. FORTUNATELY WE WERE ABLE TO MANEUVER THE CAR SAFELY TO SIDE OF THE ROAD (AFTER THE BRAKES REENGAGED)T. THE CAR WAS TOWED TO FREEDOM VOLVO IN VA BEACH, VA FOR INSPECTION AND REPAIR. UPON EXPLAINING THE INCIDENT TO THE SERVICE MGR, WE WERE INFORMED THAT THEY WERE WELL AWARE OF THE PROBLEM WE WERE DESCRIBING AS THEY HAD SEEN ?A RASH? OF THIS EXACT ISSUE A FEW YEARS BACK. I SUSPECT THAT MY CAR, WITH RELATIVELY LOW MILEAGE FOR A 2005 (32,000), WAS JUST CATCHING UP WITH THE OTHER 2005 XC90?S THAT HAD ALREADY EXPERIENCED THE PROBLEM. THE CAR WAS REPAIRED WITHOUT DELAY AND READY FOR PICK-UP WITHIN TWO DAYS. WE WERE TOLD THE PROBLEM STEMMED FROM WATER LEAKING IN ?OVER TIME? THROUGH THE ENGINE BAY HARNESS WHICH IN EFFECT CAUSED THE CENTRAL ELECTRONIC MODULE (CEM) TO SHORT OUT. AFTER ASKING THE SERVICE TECHNICIAN WHY THIS PROBLEM WAS NOT IDENTIFIED DURING THE RECOMMENDED MAINTENANCE CHECK-UPS (WHICH WAS COMPLETED ON OUR CAR JUST A FEW MONTHS PRIOR TO THIS INCIDENT), WE WERE INFORMED THAT THIS IS NOT SOMETHING THAT IS INSPECTED. HE DID GO ON TO STATE THAT HE HAS NOT SEEN ANY REPEAT PROBLEMS FOR THE VEHICLES THAT HE HAD COMPLETED THIS EXACT REPAIR. HE ALSO NOTED THAT THE ENGINE BAY HARNESS FOR THE XC90 WAS REDESIGNED AFTER '06. I REQUEST THAT THIS PROBLEM WITH THE ENGINE BAY HARNESS ON OLDER MODEL VOLVO XC90 BE INVESTIGATED. *TR