NHTSA Complaint #10509963 — 2005 VOLVO XC90

2006 VOLVO XC90 T6 AWD APRIL 21, 2013 APPROX 8:30 PM DRIVING AT APPROX 8:30 PM, TRAVELING AT ABOUT 55 MILES PER HOUR, REMOTE 2-LANE HIGHWAY (US191, EASTERN ARIZONA) ON TWISTY MOUNTAINOUS ROAD, SWITCHED FROM HIGH-BEAM TO LOW-BEAMS TO ACCOMMODATE ONCOMING VEHICLE APPROACHING AROUND A BEND. A MOMENT OR TWO AFTER SWITCHING TO LOW BEAMS, THE VOLVO'S HEADLIGHTS LIGHTS FLICKERED AND WENT OUT ALL-TOGETHER. ERROR MESSAGE READING SOMETHING TO THE EFFECT OF "LOW BEAM BULB FAILURE" APPEARED ON MESSAGE SCREEN. HIGH-BEAMS DIDN'T APPEAR TO BE OPERABLE EITHER. I ACTIVATED FOG LAMPS AND PROCEEDED CAUTIOUSLY TO DESTINATION (APPROX 25 MILES AWAY). APPROX 15 MILES FROM THAT POINT, I WAS PULLED OVER BY DPS PATROL ADVISING I HAD NO HEADLIGHTS...AND THAT MY LICENSE PLATE LIGHT WAS ALSO NOT OPERATING. THE NEXT MORNING, INVESTIGATED FURTHER, DISCOVERED THERE WERE NO ISSUES WITH THE HEADLIGHT BULBS (LOW BEAM AND HIGH BEAM) OR WITH LICENSE PLATE BULBS SPECIFICALLY (THEY WERE NOT BURNT OUT), NOR WERE THERE ANY ISSUES WITH ANY BLOWN FUSES RELATED TO THOSE EXTERIOR LIGHTS. I DID DISCOVER THAT THE DRL (DAYTIME RUNNING LIGHTS) WERE STILL OPERATING AS NORMAL (WHICH UTILIZE THE SAME BULB AS THE LOW HEADLIGHTS) CONFIRMING THAT THERE WERE NO ISSUES WITH THOSE BULBS. ALL RESEARCH SINCE THIS EVENT IS POINTING ME TO CONCLUSION THAT THIS MONUMENTALLY UNSAFE CONDITION WAS CAUSED BY A BAD/FAULTY CEM DESIGN BY VOLVO (ONLINE RESEARCH, SPEAKING WITH VOLVO MECHANICS AND REVIEWING SIMILAR NHTSA COMPLAINTS). THERE IS NO PREVENTATIVE MAINTENANCE THAT I COULD HAVE DONE TO PREVENT THIS FROM HAPPENING. THIS IS NOT AN OWNER MAINTENANCE ISSUE, THIS IS A DESIGN OR MATERIALS ISSUE. VOLVO SHOULD BE REQUIRED TO RECALL & REPAIR TO PREVENT THIS SAFETY ISSUE. I REQUEST NHTSA OPEN (RE-OPEN?) INVESTIGATION INTO THIS ISSUE, AS THIS VERY DANGEROUS SAFETY ISSUE THAT NEEDS ADDRESSING BEFORE MUCH WORSE CONSEQUENCES RESULT. *TR