2004 Volvo S40 Steering Problems

“Dear sir or madam, I bought the Volvo S40 for its safety record. This one is a 2004 Volvo S40. At that time, it had about 43k miles on it. Now, it has 53k miles on it. On 23rd february 2009, the steering wheel completely froze up on the interstate making it very difficult to change lanes, etc. With great difficulty, we managed to bring it home. The next day, it was still frozen and we could not turn the steering wheel at all. I believe this may be a safety issue since I travel with my kids in this car. I want to bring this to your attention to see if: 1. …”

“Dashboard went crazy, fading in and out. All panels were unreadable, speedometer, radio, temperature gauge. Car accelerated on its own, without my foot on the pedal. Cd was shot into the backseat landing in my child safety seat. All of this occurred while driving on the highway. In all 3 instances the message indicator stated to not drive the car. I had the car towed to 2 different dealers. The first time they said it was the software and reinstalled. The second time, they replaced the alternator and the car was in the shop for over a week, the third time, the replace the cem module and radio. …”

“The contact owns a 2004 Volvo S40. While driving 60 MPH, the contact experienced extreme difficulty steering the vehicle. The first time he took the vehicle to the dealer, they stated that hard steering was a common characteristic of that model vehicle. He took the vehicle back to the dealer and was informed that the steering rack and pinion would have to be replaced at his own expense because the warranty expired. The vehicle has not been repaired. The engine size was unknown. The failure mileage was 18,971 and current mileage was 41,602. Remailed 04/24/08.”

“Multiple failures. Air bag system, problem starting and noise in steering. The vehicle also had an air condition problem. The air bag light illuminated on 3 occasions. The consumer stated the passenger seat was equipped with a device that weighed passengers to determine if the air bag should be activated.”