2000 Volvo S40

This is to describe airbag injuries. My car performed well. If not for the airbag and good construction of this Volvo I would not be here to ask for your help. I am wondering why we still use explosive materials and a device that causes so many injuries. There has to be another device to absorb the force of impact than an explosive device that injures, maim, and can kill people. I want to send images of my injuries which are extensive. Is this what happens each time the airbags ignite? I was close due to my small stature. The bag hit me in the chest and face. Volvo is a safe car. I was traveling at 55mph, a woman stopped her car in the passing lane feet in front of me, everyone was doing 55 mph and more. There was nowhere to go to escape the impact. Frederick, MD Hwy 15 South at 7th Street has many oncoming ramps, there needs to be warning about oncoming and stopped vehicles. The speed limit is 65mph before these fast-moving on-ramps. A flashing light would also help.

THE CAR HAS PROBLEMS STARTING AND TAKES A FEW TRIES BEFORE STARTING UP. HAVE ALSO HAD A PROBLEM WHERE THE CAR WAS IN PARK WITH THE PARKING BRAKE ENGAGED AND THE CAR WAS REVVING ON ITS OWN. THERE HAVE ALSO BEEN PROBLEMS WHILE THE CAR HAS BEEN SLOWING DOWN ON THE FREEWAY, SPECIFICALLY WHEN THE BRAKES ARE BEING ENGAGED THE CAR WILL ATTEMPT TO MOVE FORWARD AS THOUGH IT IS TRYING TO PUSH PASS THE FACT THAT THE BRAKES ARE BEING ENGAGED. AS WELL AS THE CAR WILL ACCELERATE FASTER THAN THE GAS PEDAL IS BEING PUSHED E.G WHEN THE GAS PEDAL IS SLIGHTLY PUSHED THE CAR WILL ACCELERATE QUICKLY AS THOUGH THE GAS PEDAL WAS BEING PUSHED UPON FIRMLY.

THIS HAPPENED YESTERDAY 1/28/16 AND IN APRIL 2015 (THE DEALERSHIP "FIXED IT" BUT IT DIDN'T WORK!!!!) YESTERDAY, WHILE DRIVING HOME FROM WORK, THE CAR DID THE SCARIEST THING I'VE EVER EXPERIENCED WHILE DRIVING. ALL THE LIGHTS ON THE DASH, ALL THE WARNING LIGHTS FLASHED SEVERAL TIMES AND THE CAR CAME TO A COMPLETE STANDSTILL. NO POWER AT ALL. IT DIDN'T SLOW TO A STALL, NO WEIRD SOUNDS...IT JUST LITERALLY STOPPED IN IT'S TRACKS. RIGHT THERE, IN THE ROAD. ALL OF A SUDDEN MY CAR SHUT OFF. WHEN I SAY SHUT OFF I MEAN THE HEADLIGHTS, DOME LIGHTS, ENGINE....ANYTHING THAT WAS ELECTRICAL COMPLETELY SHUT OFF. THIS WOULD INCLUDE THE STEERING WHEEL LOCKING UP. IMAGINE DRIVING ON THE FREEWAY/HIGHWAY IN THE MIDDLE OF THE NIGHT WITH TRAFFIC AROUND YOU AND YOUR LIGHTS GOING OUT, STEERING WHEEL LOCKING AND HAVING NO WAY TO CONTROL THE VEHICLE. THIS COULD HAVE KILLED ME AND MY BABY. LAST NIGHT, I HAS NIGHTMARES ALL NIGHT LONG OF THAT HAPPENING ON THE FREEWAY OR THE TRESTLE WITH MY BABY. WHERE I DRIVE FREQUENTLY. HAD THAT HAVE HAPPENED THERE, I COULD HAVE BEEN KILLED ESPECIALLY IF A SEMI TRUCK WAS BEHIND ME, AS IS OFTEN THE CASE. THEY CAN'T STOP THAT FAST. MOST PEOPLE CAN'T STOP THAT FAST GOING 55-75 MPH. I HAD BEEN ON THE TRESTLE ABOUT 15 MINUTES BEFORE IT HAPPENED. AND I AM PETRIFIED TO THINK WHAT COULD HAVE HAPPENED SINCE I OFTEN HAVE MY BABY IN THE CAR. THE CAR IS AT THE DEALERSHIP IN SERVICE. THEY CANNOT FIND ANYTHING WRONG WITH IT. THE CHECK ENGINE LIGHT DIDN'T COME ON, SO THERE ARE NO CODES. THEY CANNOT GET IT DO IT AGAIN.

TL* THE CONTACT OWNS A 2000 VOLVO S40. THE CONTACT STATED THAT WHILE DRIVING AT VARIOUS SPEEDS, THE VEHICLE ACCELERATED INDEPENDENTLY WITHOUT WARNING. THE CONTACT MENTIONED THAT THE BRAKE PEDAL WAS DEPRESSED IN ORDER TO SLOW DOWN OR STOP THE VEHICLE. THE FAILURE OCCURRED ON MULTIPLE OCCASIONS. THE VEHICLE WAS NOT DIAGNOSED OR REPAIRED. THE MANUFACTURER WAS NOTIFIED OF THE FAILURE. THE APPROXIMATE FAILURE MILEAGE WAS 99,900.

I WAS STOPPED AT A RED LIGHT BEHIND SEVERAL CARS. THE LIGHT TURNED GREEN AND I TOOK MY FOOT OFF THE BRAKE, BUT DID NOT PUT MY FOOT ON THE ACCELERATOR. THE CAR ENGINE REVVED UP AND LURCHED FORWARD DESPITE ME ATTEMPTING TO BRAKE HEAVILY. THE BRAKES WOULD NOT FULLY DECOMPRESS CAUSING ME TO REAR END THE VEHICLE IN FRONT OF ME. I PURCHASED THE CAR USED WITH 134,100 MILES. I NOTICED ABOUT 5 MONTHS AFTER PURCHASE THAT THE ENGINE WOULD REV AND THE RPM'S WOULD REMAIN HIGH WITHOUT PRESSING ON THE ACCELERATOR AND THE CAR WILL MOVE APPROXIMATELY 10-15 MPH WITHOUT PRESSING ON THE ACCELERATOR. WHEN ROADS ARE WET OR WHEN IT HAS BEEN RAINING, THE CAR IS DIFFICULT IN BRAKING AND THE BRAKES OFTEN "FREEZE" WHERE THE BRAKE PEDAL CANNOT BE DEPRESSED. BRAKES WERE REPLACED, BUT THE ISSUE PERSISTS. ALSO, AT TIMES, THE CAR ENGINE CONTINUES TO REV WHEN PRESSING ON THE BRAKES. LASTLY, THE ENGINE LIGHT CAME ON, IT WAS INDICATED VIA A DIAGNOSTIC TEST THAT THERE WAS A MISFIRE WITH ONE OF THE SPARK PLUG COILS. ALL SPARK PLUGS AND COILS/IGNITION COILS WERE REPLACED, ENGINE LIGHT PERSISTED. AT THE TIME THE TEMP SENSOR AND THE THERMOSTAT WAS REPLACED AS THE IGNITION COILS AND SPARK PLUGS DID NOT ALLEVIATE THE ISSUE. WHEN A FOLLOWING DIAGNOSTIC TEST WAS PERFORMED INDICATED THAT THE COOLANT TEMP SENSOR HAS LOW VOLTAGE. SOMETIMES THE CAR ENGINE WILL TURN, BUT THE CAR WILL NOT FULLY TURN ON AND I NEED TO WAIT ABOUT 10 MINUTES (OR UNTIL THE FAN TURNS OFF) BEFORE BEING ABLE TO ATTEMPT TO START THE CAR. DUE TO THE ISSUES WITH THE CAR, THE CAR CANNOT GET AN INSPECTION STICKER, AND IT DOES NOT SEEM SAFE TO DRIVE. DUE TO MASSACHUSETTS CAR LAWS, WE CANNOT SELL THE CAR DUE TO LEMON LAW AND THE CAR IS WORTH MORE THAN SCRAPING. WE ALSO HAD A BROKEN AXEL AND COIL THAT WERE REPLACED AFTER HITTING A POTHOLE. *TR

TL* THE CONTACT OWNS A 2000 VOLVO S40. THE CONTACT STATED THAT WHILE TRAVELING 30 MPH THE VEHICLE'S SPEED ERRONEOUSLY INCREASED TO 55 MPH. THE CONTACT FIRMLY DEPRESSED THE BRAKE PEDAL TO STOP THE VEHICLE. THE CONTACT MERGED TO THE SIDE OF THE ROAD TO RESTART THE VEHICLE. THE VEHICLE THEN FUNCTIONED AS NORMAL. THE VEHICLE WAS TAKEN TO A MECHANIC WHERE IT WAS FOUND THAT THE COOLANT TEMPERATURE SENSOR HAD FAILED. THE VEHICLE WAS REPAIRED. THE FAILURE RECURRED SEVERAL TIMES AFTER THE REPAIR. THE FAILURE MILEAGE WAS 95,000 AND THE CURRENT MILEAGE WAS 96,828. UPDATED 11/13/12 *CN THE IDLE CONTROL VALVE AS REPLACED TO CORRECT THE PROBLEM. HOWEVER, THE CONSUMER CONTINUED TO EXPERIENCE PROBLEMS. UPDATED 11/19/12

IT WAS CLOSE TO 9PM. I HAD EXITED THE FREEWAY TO STOP IN A PARKING LOT TO CHECK DIRECTIONS. I HAD BEEN DRIVING FOR ABOUT AN HOUR, SO I GOT OUT TO WALK AROUND AND BUY A CUP OF COFFEE. I CAME BACK A FEW MINUTES LATER AND DROVE OUT OF THE LOT. THE ON RAMP WAS ABOUT 200 YARDS AWAY AND THERE WAS A RED LIGHT AT THE INTERSECTION, SO I WAS ONLY MOVING AT AROUND 20MPH. I WAS THE ONLY CAR IN MY LANE, SO ABOUT 100 FEET AWAY FROM THE INTERSECTION I PRESSED DOWN ON MY BRAKE PEDAL, BUT THE FOR SOME REASON IT THE CAR KEPT ROLLING. I TRIED AGAIN, BUT THE BRAKES WERE NO HELP AS I KEPT ROLLING. FRANTICALLY, I STOMPED HARD, FLOORED THE BRAKES, AND MY CAR STARTED TO SLOW DOWN A LITTLE, BUT THAT TIME IT WAS TOO LATE. I TRIED TO TURN TO THE RIGHT TO AVOID THE FLOW OF TRAFFIC, BUT AN INSTANT LATER I HAD HIT AN ONCOMING CAR. I DON'T KNOW WHAT WENT WRONG. I AM PRETTY GOOD AT MAINTAINING THE CAR AND IT HAD BEEN SERVICED AT THE VOLVO DEALER FAIRLY RECENTLY. IT'S ONLY GARAGED ABOUT HALF THE TIME, BUT I LIVE IN SOUTHERN CALIFORNIA SO IT'S NEVER BEEN EXPOSED TO AN EXTREME CLIMATE OR ANYTHING. THERE WAS A THUNDERSTORM THAT MORNING, AND THE ROADS WERE VERY WET EARLIER IN THE DAY, BUT THE STORM BROKE AROUND NOON: 7 OR 8 HOURS BEFORE I LEFT HOME THAT NIGHT. BY THAT TIME ALL OF THE ROADS HAD DRIED. *TR

TL* THE CONTACT OWNS A 2000 VOLVO S40. THE CONTACT STATED THAT THE VEHICLE WOULD ACCELERATE ABNORMALLY WITHOUT DEPRESSING THE ACCELERATOR PEDAL. THE FAILURE OCCURRED INTERMITTENTLY WHETHER DRIVING IN REVERSE OR GOING FORWARD, AS WELL AS WHEN SITTING AT A COMPLETE STOP. THE VEHICLE WAS TAKEN TO THE DEALER WHO ADVISED THAT THEY NEED TO REPAIR THE ELECTRONIC THROTTLE CONTROL, IDLE CONTROL VALVE AND THE BRAKE SYSTEM. THE REPAIRS WERE NOT COMPLETED. THE MANUFACTURER WAS NOT NOTIFIED OF THE FAILURE. THE FAILURE MILEAGE WAS 74,000.

TL* THE CONTACT OWNS A 2000 VOLVO S40. THE CONTACT STATED WITH HIS FOOT ON THE BRAKE PEDAL THERE WAS AN INCREASE IN ENGINE RPMS AND THE VEHICLE LUNGED FORWARD. THE VEHICLE WAS NOT TAKEN TO THE DEALER FOR DIAGNOSTIC TESTING. THE MANUFACTURER WAS NOT MADE AWARE OF THE FAILURE. THE VEHICLE WAS NOT REPAIRED. THE FAILURE AND CURRENT MILEAGE WAS 130,000.

I WAS PULLING INTO MY PARKING GARAGE AND MY 2000 VOLVO S40 BEGAN TO ACCELERATE ON ITS OWN. IT REVVED UP TO 3000 RPMS AND I HAD TO PRESS HARD ON THE BRAKE FOR IT TO STOP. I PULLED OVER IN THE GARAGE AND PLACED THE CAR IN PARK. THE CAR CONTINUED TO REV. I STEPPED ON THE GAS A COUPLE OF TIMES AND AFTER ABOUT 4 MINUTES IT RETURNED TO ITS NORMAL OPERATING RPM AFTER WHICH I WAS ABLE TO PARK THE CAR. *TR

MY 2000 VOLVO S40 HAD ANOTHER UNINTENDED ACCELERATION EPISODE ON APRIL 12, 2010 (I FILED A PREVIOUS COMPLAINT #10288666 IN OCT 2009). ON THE HIGHWAY IT WOULD GO 60 MPH WITHOUT DEPRESSING THE GAS PEDAL (AND NO IT WAS NOT STUCK AND THERE WAS NO FLOOR MAT IN THE WAY). THE LAST TIME THIS OCCURRED WAS SIX OR SEVEN MONTHS EARLIER. THE ECT SENSOR WAS REPLACED AT THAT TIME. THIS LAST TIME THE VOLVO MEMPHIS DEALERSHIP REPLACED THE ECT SENSOR AND IT HAS NOT OCCURRED AGAIN.....YET. THIS WAS THE THIRD ECT SENSOR REPLACED IN ABOUT A YEAR'S TIME. I ASKED THAT VOLVO CORPORATE BE INVOLVED TO CHECK OUT WHY THIS WAS HAPPENING. THEY HAD A FIELD TECHNICIAN RIDE IN THE CAR WITH ME AND CHECK IT OUT. BASICALLY THEY SHARED NO REASON FOR THE RECURRENT REPLACEMENT OF THE ECT SENSOR AND EVEN THOUGH I CONTINUED TO TRY TO GET AN ANSWER (AND REIMBURSEMENT FOR THE REPEAT REPAIRS). THIS IS ONE OF THE EMAILS I RECEIVED FROM THE VOLVO INVESTIGATOR AFTER THEIR INSPECTION AND MY CONTINUED DISSATISFACTION WITH NOT IDENTIFYING A ROOT CAUSE ---- "[XXX] , I CAN CERTAINLY UNDERSTAND YOUR DISAPPOINTMENT IN HAVING TO REPLACE THE SAME PART THREE TIMES. AS STATED, IF THE SYMPTOMS REOCCUR, PLEASE EITHER CONTACT ME DIRECTLY, OR CONTACT THE SERVICE MANAGER AT VOLVO OF MEMPHIS, RANDY PEARSON, SO THAT WE MAY GET BEEN INVOLVED ONCE AGAIN TO REVIEW YOUR CONCERNS REGARDING YOUR VEHICLE. TO DATE, YOUR VEHICLE IS PERFORMING AS DESIGNED. THANK YOU FOR ALLOWING US THE OPPORTUNITY TO INSPECT YOUR VEHICLE. ERICA KIRSCH PRODUCT INVESTIGATION COORDINATOR VOLVO CARS OR NORTH AMERICA" I AM NOT INTERESTED IN CONTINUING TO PURSUE THIS JUST BECAUSE OF REPAIR COSTS I FEEL SHOULD BE COVERED BY VOLVO. THE SYMPTOMS I HAVE REPEATEDLY EXPERIENCED ARE SCARY AND A HUGE SAFETY ISSUE. I ALSO SAW AN ON COMPLAINT #10288666 FILED ON FEB 18 2010 THAT SOUNDS LIKE THE SAME ISSUE AS MINE. INFORMATION REDACTED PURSUANT TO THE FREEDOM OF INFORMATION ACT (FOIA), 5 U.S.C. 552(B)(6). *TR

UNINTENDED ACCELERATION OCCURRED WITH CAR IN DRIVE. CAR BEGAN TO ACCELERATE SLOWLY INCREASING SPEED WITH FOOT OFF ACCELERATOR. PULLED UP ON ACCELERATOR WITH NO RESULTS. PUT CAR INTO NEUTRAL AND RPM INCREASED TO 6000 RPM THEN BACK TO 750 IDLE SPEED. BACK INTO DRIVE AND ENGINE ACCELERATED AGAIN. ENGINE SHUT OFF VIA KEY THEN IT WOULDN'T START AGAIN. CRANKED BUT WOULD NOT TURN OVER. DEALER REPLACED ECT BECAUSE OF FAILURE OF PART. *TR

UNINTENDED ACCELERATION ON MY 2000 VOLVO S40. ACCELERATING IN TRAFFIC WITHOUT PRESSING PEDAL. MUST PRESS BRAKE HARD TO STOP. CONTINUES TO REV HIGH. THIS HAS HAPPENED TWICE IN THE LAST MONTH. AFTER THE FIRST TIME, MY SERVICE SHOP REPLACED THE IDLE AIR CONTROL VALVE BUT IT OCCURRED AGAIN ABOUT A WEEK AND A HALF AFTER THAT. SERVICE TECHNICIAN HAS INDICATED HE CANNOT POTENTIALLY DIAGNOSE UNLESS IT IS OCCURRING WHEN HE CAN DRIVE AND LOOK AT IT. IT IS A SERIOUS RISK FOR CRASH OR INJURY. *TR

WHILE DRIVING THE VEHICLE THE REAR OF THE VEHICLE SWAYED & THERE WAS A CLUNKING SOUND THAT WAS HEARD. UPON INSPECTION THE REAR COIL SPRINGS WERE BROKEN ON BOTH SIDES. WHILE DRIVING THE CAR LAST WEEK WITH JUST 130,000 MILES THE FRONT END STARTED CLUNKING. UPON INSPECTION THE FRONT COIL SPRINGS WERE ALSO FOUND BROKEN.

LUGNUTS CAME LOOSE ON RIGHT FRONT WHEEL, CAR IS ALWAYS SERVICED HERE AND WE ALWAYS HAND TORQUE LUG NUTS. ODD THIN IS THIS IS THE 2ND 2000 VOLVO S40 WE HAVE SEEN DO THIS AND I ASSUME MANY ARE NOT REPORTED AND CONSIDERED INSTALLER ERROR. *TR

ON 3/4/2009, WHILE DOING OTHER WORK TO THE CAR, A MECHANIC DISCOVERED THAT THE REAR PASSENGER SIDE COIL SPRING WAS BROKEN. IT WAS BROKEN AT THE LOWEST POINT AND THE CAR STILL SAT LEVEL, SO I WAS NOT EVEN AWARE. I DO NOT KNOW HOW LONG IT WAS BROKEN. IT LOOKED LIKE IT JUST DETERIORATED OVER TIME. ALTHOUGH OVER 9 YEARS OLD, THE CAR HAS LESS THAN 64,000 MILE, SO I WOULD NOT EXPECT A COIL SPRING TO DETERIORATE LIKE THAT. THE DEALER REPLACED BOTH REAR COIL SPRINGS FOR $773. *TR

CUSTOMERS CAR BROKE DOWN, LOST STEERING CONTROL, INNER AND OUTER TIE-ROD END CAME APART AT THREADS, NO APARENT DAMAGE TO PARTS, REPLACED BOTH PARTS, SAVED OLD PARTS. *TR

TIRES ON VEHICLE FAILED. BELTS BROKEN CAUSING IMPAIRED DRIVABILITY. TIRES WITH LESS THAN 10K MILEAGE W/95+ % TREAD LEFT. *TR

NOTICED DECREASED VISIBILITY DRIVING AT NIGHT. THE AIMING MECHANISM ON BOTH HEADLAMPS HAS DISINTEGRATED CAUSING LOSS OF THE HEADLAMP CALIBRATION AND ALLOWING THE HEADLAMPS TO AIM DOWNWARD TO A POINT APPROXIMATELY 30' IN FRONT OF THE VEHICLE. THE FAILURE IS CONTINUOUS, RESULTS IN REDUCED VISIBILITY. NOTHING HAS BEEN DONE TO CORRECT THE PROBLEM. REPLACEMENT PARTS ARE PROHIBITIVELY EXPENSIVE AND VOLVO CUSTOMER SERVICE HAS DISAVOWED ANY RESPONSIBILITY FOR THE FAILURE DUE TO THE AGE AND MILEAGE OF THE VEHICLE, (2000 S40 WITH 130K MI.) THE SERVICE MANAGER AT MY LOCAL VOLVO DEALERSHIP HAS SAID THAT HE HAS SEEN THIS FAILURE ON OTHER VOLVOS OF SIMILAR AGE AND MILEAGE INCLUDING ONE OWNED BY HIS SON. *TR

1. EVENTS = REGULAR TIRE ROTATION IN SEPTEMBER 2008. TECHNICIAN POINTED OUT TO ME THE CORROSION AND CRACK/FAILURE IN BOTH REAR COIL SPRINGS. MILEAGE ON THE VEHICLE ABOUT 68,000 AT TIME OF DISCOVERY ON MY 2000 VOLVO S40. 2. CORRODED AND CRACKED REAR COIL SPRINGS (BOTH). THE CORROSION AND CRACK WERE ALMOST IN THE SAME LOCATION WITH THE SAME AMOUNT OF CORROSION NEAR THE BOTTOM (THE FIRST HALF-MOON CURVE) OF BOTH SPRINGS WHERE THEY ARE SEATED/BRACED. 3. OCTOBER 2008 - TOOK VEHICLE TO LOCAL VOLVO DEALER FOR EVALUATION. THEY ORDERED NEW REAR COIL SPRINGS. I RETURNED A WEEK LATER TO HAVE THE NEW COIL SPRINGS INSTALLED AT THE COST OF APPROXIMATELY $550, PLUS ALIGNMENT. THE COST OF THE COIL SPRINGS WAS APPROXIMATELY $220 FOR BOTH. THE REMAINDER WAS LABOR. I WROTE A LETTER TO VOLVO OF NORTH AMERICA ABOUT THIS CONDITION. I INCLUDED PHOTOS, AND I REQUESTED A REFUND. VOLVO CUSTOMER SERVICE OF NORTH AMERICA CALLED ME ON NOVEMBER 6, 2008, AND DENIED MY REQUEST. I WAS TOLD THAT MY CAR WAS OUT OF WARRANTY, AND THE ENGINEERS DESCRIBED THE PROBLEM AS AN "ANOMALY," NOT A DEFECT. SINCE I HAVE A LOW MILEAGE VEHICLE, I LIVE IN A "SALT STATE," AND CERTAIN SAABS IN SALT STATES ARE BEING INVESTIGATED FOR FRONT COIL SPRING FAILURE, IT WOULD BE INTERESTING TO KNOW WHETHER THERE IS A CONNECTION WITH THESE VEHICLES AND THE REAR COIL SPRINGS. I HAVE LOANED THE FAILED REAR COIL SPRINGS TO A PROFESSOR OF AUTOMOTIVE ENGINEERING TO USE IN HIS UPPER LEVEL DESIGN CLASS TO USE AS AN EXAMPLE OF A FAILURE. I COULD LIKELY GET THE PARTS BACK, IF NEEDED. *TR