NHTSA Complaint #10464832 — 2002 VOLVO S60

PURCHASED USED S60 IN NOVEMBER 2011 WITH 137,000 MILES. A FEW WEEKS LATER VARIOUS PROBLEMS MANIFESTED: SCRAMBLED LETTERS IN DASHBOARD MESSAGE, DRIVER DOOR LOCKS INTERMITTENTLY WORKED, RADIO SELF TUNED TO DIFFERENT STATION, SPEEDOMETER GIVING FALSE READINGS OR STUCK AT CURRENT SPEED OR READING ZERO, FUEL GAUGE MALFUNCTION, ALL INSTRUMENTS ON PANEL FLICKERED, ALL INSTRUMENTS WENT "DARK" WHILE DRIVING. AT FIRST RESTARTING CAR WOULD CLEAR PROBLEM. THEN FREQUENCY BETWEEN FAILURES INCREASED. JUST BEFORE COMPLETE FAILURE - CAR NEEDED TO BE "COLD" FOR INSTRUMENTS TO WORK - WITH INSTRUMENTS FAILING ONCE ENGINE WARMED. FINALLY IN FEBRUARY 2012 AT ABOUT 147,021 MILES THE PANEL COMPLETELY FAILED WHILE DRIVING - GIVING DRIVER NO READINGS (SPEED, FUEL, TEMP, MILEAGE, OR WARNING INDICATORS) AND WOULD NOT RESET. INTERNET FORUMS OF VOLVO OWNERS SUGGESTED IT WAS A DRIVER INFORMATION MODULE FAILURE. OWNERS FORUMS PINPOINTED 3 PROBABLE CAUSES OF A DIM FAILURE - 1. LOOSE CONNECTION OF THE MOTOROLA MICROCHIP, 2. LOOSE CAPACITOR/RESISTOR 3. LACK OF PROTECTION FROM HEAT/HEAT TRANSFER TO INDIVIDUAL PRONGS IN MICROCHIP OR BETWEEN CAPACITOR/RESISTOR AND THE CIRCUIT BOARD. SOME ELECTRICALLY SAVVY OWNERS FIXED BY REFLOWING/RESOLDERING/HEAT PROTECTING SAID COMPONENTS. OUR LOCAL VOLVO DEALER CONFIRMED DIM FAILURE AND QUOTED APROX. $1500 FOR A NEW INSTRUMENT CLUSTER AND 3 HRS. LABOR. WE CHOSE TO SEND DIM/INSTRUMENT CLUSTER OUT FOR A REFURBISHMENT TO BAA REMANUFACTURING INC. ON REINSTALLATION WARNING MESSAGE READ "SRA/AIRBAG-SERVICE URGENT". ASKED DEALER TO CLEAR DIM CODE FIRST, THEN FROM SRS MODULE PER BAA-REMAN INSTRUCTIONS. DEALER JOB DESCRIPTION/RECEIPT STATED THEY CLEARED CODES DIM 0001, 0003, 0005, 0006, E003, SRS 00D4, E003. NO PROBLEMS WITH LOCKS/RADIO/INSTRUMENT CLUSTER SINCE REMANUFACTURE IN THE LAST 10,000 MILES/5 MONTHS. VOLVO'S ORIGINAL DIM CIRCUIT BOARD POORLY DESIGNED/ASSEMBLED. *TR