NHTSA Complaint #10345228 — 2004 VOLVO XC90

AFTER DRIVING 125 MILES WITHOUT INCIDENT, WE LEFT OUR 2004 VOLVO XC 90 T6 AWD PARKED FOR 4 HOURS BEFORE DRIVING AGAIN. AFTER LESS THAN A HALF MILE AT LOW SPEED, THERE WAS A "THUMP" FROM THE FRONT OF THE CAR, THE WIPERS CYCLED, THE GAUGES ALL WENT BLANK, SOME OF THE WINDOWS STOPPED WORKING, THE A/C WENT OUT (BLOWER STAYED ON). THE CAR STAYED ON, BUT SEEMED "STUCK" IN SECOND GEAR AND THE BRAKES BECAME "SPONGY," BUT OPERABLE. TURN SIGNALS WERE INOPERABLE AND THE POWER STEERING WENT OUT. THE INDICATOR LIGHT ON THE GEAR SHIFT WENT OUT AND THE CENTRAL LOCKING SYSTEM STOPPED FUNCTIONING. WE GOT OUT OF TRAFFIC AND INTO THE SHADE. I CHECKED ALL FUSES AND TRIED TO RESTART THE CAR. IT WOULD RESTART, BUT WITHIN SECONDS THERE WERE MULTIPLE "CLICKS" COMING FROM THE AREA NEAR THE FUSE BOX IN THE PASSENGER COMPARTMENT FOLLOWED BY THE ELECTRICAL FAILURES DESCRIBED ABOVE. AFTER LETTING THE CAR SIT FOR A COUPLE OF HOURS WE MOVED IT TO A SECURE LOCATION TWO MILES AWAY. DURING THAT DRIVE ALL OF THE ABOVE PROBLEMS HAPPENED AGAIN, INCLUDING THE ENGINE BEING "STUCK" IN SECOND GEAR. AFTER LETTING THE CAR SIT OVERNIGHT, IT STARTED AND RAN WITHOUT INCIDENT. HOWEVER, THE "CHECK ENGINE" LIGHT AND THE "SRS" LIGHT HAVE REMAINED ON. A REPAIR SHOP COULD NOT DIAGNOSE THE PROBLEM. PRIOR TO THIS INCIDENT, THE SAME THINGS HAPPENED TO MY WIFE IN THE SAME CAR. THE SYMPTOMS LASTED A FEW SECONDS AND DISAPPEARED. *TR