Complaint 1479954

Complaint Summary

ELECTRICAL SYSTEM

Owner Narrative

SIMILAR TO MANY OTHERS, WHILE DRIVING OUR 2004 VOLVO XC90, WE HEAR A CLICK, THEN THE CLIMATE, RADIO AND WINDSHIELD WIPERS (IF ON) SHUT OFF AND THEIR DISPLAY LIGHTS BLACK OUT, THEN ANOTHER CLICK IN A FRACTION OF A SECOND AND THEY COME BACK ON. THIS WAS HAPPENING RANDOMLY, AND NOTHING ELSE WAS AFFECTED, UNTIL THIS WEEKEND, WHILE ON A TRIP. WE WERE DRIVING ON HIGHWAYS, OUTSIDE TEMP IN THE 80'S, NO RAIN, AVERAGE SPEED ABOUT 70MPH. IT HAPPENED A FEW TIMES OVER ABOUT 45 MINUTES, THEN BEGAN HAPPENING EVERY 5 MILES OR SO. WHEN I TURNED UP THE AC FAN, WITHIN ABOUT A MINUTE IT CLICKED AND WE LOST THE USUAL THINGS, BUT THEY DID NOT COME BACK ON. THEN WE HEARD ANOTHER CLICK AND LOST ALL DASHBOARD LIGHTING AND CONTROLS; WE COULD NOT SEE THE INSTRUMENT PANEL, THE CLIMATE CONTROL WAS BLOWING HOT AIR AND COULD NOT BE SHUT OFF OR TURNED DOWN, AND WE HAD NO IDEA WHAT SPEED WE WERE GOING AS IT WAS NIGHTTIME. EXTREMELY FRIGHTENING AND DANGEROUS. WE MADE IT TO THE FIRST EXIT THAT HAD A GAS STATION AND STOPPED. THE CAR WAS VERY HARD TO ACCELERATE WHEN WE GOT OFF AT THE EXIT AS WELL. I WAS ABLE TO OPEN THE WINDOWS BUT WHEN I OPENED THE MOON ROOF, IT STOPPED HALF WAY AND THEN WOULD NOT CLOSE OR OPEN. WE WERE STRANDED FOR HOURS AWAITING A FAMILY MEMBER TO COME GET US AND THEN HOURS LONGER WAITING FOR THE VEHICLE TO BE TOWED. OUR MECHANIC RESEARCHED THIS AND ENCOURAGED ME TO REPORT, AS HE SAID THERE SEEM TO BE HUNDREDS OF REPORTS OF SIMILAR THINGS HAPPENING WITH THIS YEAR, MAKE AND MODEL VEHICLE.

Owner-submitted narrative on file with NHTSA. Complaint narratives are self-reported and have not been verified.