2012 Volvo S60 Speed Control & Cruise Problems

Volvo arrived at the hiking trailhead parking lot at approximately 10 miles an hour, slowed down more to select parking space then turn right into space in front of a cement outhouse. Space had a cement parking block. As the car was about to come to a complete stop in the space, it suddenly accelerated on its own as if the accelerator was press all the way overcoming the cement block and crashing into the outhouse. Both driver and passenger airbags were deployed. The driver never took the foot off the brake when the car accelerated. The automated braking system never deployed. Prior to the accident, the low battery warning light was on but the battery was checked out by a professional to be fully charged. We walk away from the accident bruised with back and chest pains from the seat belt but considered ourselves lucky. Had we not parked with a cement outhouse five feet in front of us two spaces over, we would have accelerated into an open field and into a forest of trees.

ON THE APRIL 23, 2014, MY HUSBAND WAS DRIVING AND THE CAR SHOT OUT AT HIGH SPEED HE DIDN'T REALIZE WHAT HAPPENED. ON APRIL 24, 2014, I WAS IN MY DRIVEWAY IN PARK AS I PUT THE CAR IN DRIVE TO SLOWLY ENTER MY GARAGE THE CAR TOOK OFF AT HIGH SPEED TIRES SPUN LEFT TIRE MARKS ON MY PAVEMENT AND I HIT THE BRAKES IN GARAGE NOT TO HIT THE WALL AND LEFT MARKS THERE AS WELL. MY NEIGHBORS WERE RIGHT THERE WITNESSING THIS SCARY EXPERIENCE. I CALLED CORPORATE IMMEDIATELY THEY TOLD ME TO GET IT TO THE DEALER. I CALLED A TOW TRUCK AND THE TOW TRUCK DRIVER TOOK THE KEYS TO SLOWLY DRIVE IT ONTO THE FLATBED AND THE CAR AGAIN TOOK OFF AT HIGH SPEED AND ALMOST FLEW OFF THE TOW TRUCK! ALSO, THE PUSH BUTTON START BUTTON WAS A PROBLEM, EVER SINCE THE VEHICLE WAS LEASED. UPDATED 07/28/14 UPDATED 10/27/2014 *JS

THIS IS THE SECOND OCCASION ON WHICH THIS DEFECT HAS APPEARED, THE PRIOR INCIDENT HAPPENING IN APPROXIMATELY MARCH 2012, AT A MILEAGE OF APPROXIMATELY 5000 MILES. I HAVE OWNED THE CAR FOR JUST UNDER SIX MONTHS. I LIVE IN A SOUTHEASTERN US STATE AND TRAVELLED TO MY SECOND HOME IN FLORIDA. THE CAR HAS BEEN PARKED IN FLORIDA FEWER THAN 20 TOTAL DAYS. ON BOTH OF THE LAST TWO OCCASIONS DURING WHICH THE VEHICLE WAS PARKED IN FLORIDA, AN ANIMAL WAS APPARENTLY ABLE TO CLIMB DEEP INTO THE UNDERBODY OF THE CAR AND CHEW ON WIRES CONTROLLING THE DYNAMIC TRACTION STABILITY CONTROL SYSTEM, THE ANTILOCK BRAKING SYSTEM, THE CRUISE CONTROL SYSTEM, AND THE VOLVO CITY SAFETY CRASH AVOIDANCE SYSTEM. ON BOTH OCCASIONS, THE INTERNAL CAR ALERT SYSTEM DETECTED THE PROBLEM, ALERTED ME, AND VOLVO AGREED TO COVER THE COST OF THE REPAIRS, THOUGH TODAY, ON THE SECOND OCCASION, VOLVO INDICATED THEY WILL NOT COVER THIS FORM OF DAMAGE IN THE FUTURE. I PROPOSED TO BOTH MY VOLVO DEALERSHIP AND TO THE NATIONAL VOLVO CUSTOMER CARE CENTER THAT AN APPROPRIATE FORM OF SHIELDING SHOULD BE ADDED TO COVER THE WIRES CONTROLLING THESE SYSTEMS TO PREVENT AN ANIMAL'S ACCESS TO THEM. TO THE BEST OF MY KNOWLEDGE, THIS SUGGESTION WAS IGNORED, AS NO SPECIAL SHIELDING WAS DESCRIBED/OFFERED, DESPITE THE CRITICAL NATURE OF THESE SYSTEMS. THIS PROBLEM HAS NEVER OCCURRED WITH EITHER OF THE OTHER TWO VEHICLES WHICH I REGULARLY TAKE TO THE SAME LOCATION, THUS, I BELIEVE THIS IS A DESIGN FLAW IN WHICH EITHER THE MATERIALS USED IN THESE WIRING SYSTEMS ARE PARTICULARLY ATTRACTIVE TO WHATEVER ANIMAL CHEWED THE WIRES (E.G. SOY-BASED WIRE COATING POLYMERS PERHAPS), OR MORE LIKELY, THE WIRES ARE NOT SUFFICIENTLY SHIELDED/JACKETED TO PREVENT SUCH DAMAGE. IN EACH CASE, SINCE THERE WAS NOT A NEARBY VOLVO DEALERSHIP, I DROVE MY VEHICLE BACK TO THE DEALERSHIP FROM WHICH I PURCHASED IT WITHOUT FUNCTIONAL SAFETY SYSTEMS.