NHTSA Complaint #10458080 — 2005 VOLVO XC90

I ATTEMPTED TO PASS ANOTHER CAR AND THE ENGINE REVVED VERY HIGH WHILE THE TRANSMISSION WAS SLIPPING AND COULD NOT GO INTO GEAR. THIS PUT MY CHILDREN AND I IN A VERY DANGEROUS SITUATION WITH ONCOMING TRAFFIC. ALTHOUGH I WAS ABLE TO SWERVE BACK INTO MY OWN LANE IN TIME, IT WAS A VERY SCARY 10 OR 15 SECONDS. I HAVE BEEN AFRAID TO DRIVE IT UNTIL I CAN GET IT INTO THE REPAIR SHOP, BUT HAVE DRIVEN IT ON SHORT TRIPS AROUND TOWN. THE TRANSMISSION CONTINUES TO SLIP SOME IN NORMAL DRIVING. I'M TAKING IT TO VOLVO SERVICE TOMORROW BUT SOME QUICK RESEARCH FOUND THAT THIS IS A VERY COMMON ISSUE WITH THIS SUV, AND THAT VOLVO IS COMPLETELY AWARE OF IT. IN FACT, THE CUSTOMER SERVICE PERSON I SPOKE WITH FROM VOLVO N.AM SAID "IT'S AN EPIDEMIC", AND THE SERVICE WRITER FOR NORTHPOINT VOLVO HAS SEEN IT MANY, MANY TIMES. IT LOOKS LIKE I'M IN FOR AS MUCH AS $8500 FOR A TRANSMISSION, AND EVEN MORE FOR POSSIBLE DAMAGE TO THE AXLES AS WELL AS A NEW RADIATOR, WHICH SEEMS TO BE THE CAUSE OF THE WHOLE PROBLEM DUE TO FLUID CONTAMINATION (GLYCOL INTO THE TRANSMISSION FLUID). I WASN'T AWARE OF THE PROBLEM UNTIL NOW, BUT I HAD CERTAINLY WONDERED WHY MY $48,000 VEHICLE HAD PLUMMETED IN VALUE COMPARED TO OTHER CARS! THIS IS NOT ONLY A SERIOUS SAFETY HAZARD BUT ALSO A FINANCIAL HARDSHIP ON THE MANY PEOPLE WHO PURCHASED THIS SUV BASED ON AN EXPECTATION OF QUALITY AT LEAST IN LINE WITH MINIMUM INDUSTRY STANDARDS. CLEARLY THIS COMPANY IS NOT STANDING BEHIND THEIR PRODUCT AND A RECALL IS IN ORDER. *TR