NHTSA Complaint #10479236 — 2006 VOLVO S40

DRIVING IN RAIN, BRAKE FAILURE MESSAGE BEGAN FLASHING ON DASH, THEN AIRBAG FAILURE. SLOWED TO A STOP AND TURNED OFF CAR, TURNED BACK ON AND DROVE SLOWLY HOME. MESSAGES CONTINUED TO FLASH. DROVE TO SERVICE CENTER AND MESSAGES WERE NO LONGER FLASHING , MECHANIC SAID IT WOULD NEED TO BE ACTIVE TO FIND PROBLEM. SAME SCENARIO MANY TIMES SINCE AND THE PROBLEM HAS BECOME WORSE, DRIVING DOWN HIGHWAY AND MESSAGES APPEAR THEN ALL GAUGES ON PANEL FAIL AND GO TO ZERO, WINDOWS FAIL, BLINKERS, BRAKE LIGHTS FAIL, ENTIRE INSTRUMENT PANEL WENT DARK. BACK TO MECHANIC, HE DROVE IT SAME THING HAPPENED THEN STOPPED BEFORE RETURNING TO SHOP SO COULD NOT DIAGNOSE.EXTREMELY DANGEROUS AS SEVERAL TIMES DRIVING IN RAIN AND IN HIGH TRAFFIC AREAS AND ON FREEWAYS WITH HIGH SPEEDS AND THEN IN CONSTRUCTION ZONES BUMPER TO BUMPER WITH NO BRAKE LIGHTS OR ABILITY TO USE TURN SIGNALS. HAS BEEN OUT FOR FIVE TO THIRTY MINUTES AT A TIME THEN APPEARING TO WORK AGAIN BEFORE REPEATING THE SAME FAILURE PROBLEM. NEVER ANY WARNING, IT JUST HAPPENS SUDDENLY. TO MECHANIC AGAIN, CODES READ AND PRINTED OUT PAGES OF SIGNAL FAILURES, NONE ACTIVE AT TIME SO UNABLE TO DETERMINE PROBLEM. CHECK ENGINE LIGHT HAS ALSO APPEARED AND WHEN CHECKED NOTHING ACTIVE FOUND AT TIME OTHER THAN PAGES OF SIGNAL FAILURES IN SYSTEM. *TR