I WAS DRIVING ON INTERSTATE 84 IN CONNECTICUT WHEN THE LOW OIL LIGHT CAME ON. THE CAR, WHICH IS DEALER SERVICED, UNDER WARRANTY, NEEDED ALMOST 2 QUARTS OF OIL. I ADDED THE OIL AND BROUGHT IT TO THE SERVICING DEALER, WHO TOLD ME THAT THE CAR NEEDED NEW RINGS, AND THAT THEY WOULD ALSO REPLACE THE PISTONS. THEY TOLD ME THAT THIS WAS A DEFECT FOR THIS CAR MODEL, AND HAD BEEN CORRECTED IN LATER MODELS. II WAS UNAWARE THAT THIS CAR HAD ENGINE ISSUES - THERE HAVE BEEN NO NOTICES OR RECALLS FROM VOLVO. THE DEALER HAS REPLACED THE PISTONS AND RINGS, BUT CURRENTLY IS UNWILLING TO EXTEND THE ENGINE WARRANTY. I WAS TOLD THAT IT WAS "UNLIKELY" THAT I WOULD HAVE ANY PROBLEMS AT 70,000 OR 80,000 MILES BY THE SERVICE MANAGER. *TR
2011
STEERING
WHILE DRIVING ON A LOCAL STREET THE VEHICLE WITHOUT WARNING SUDDENLY SHUT DOWN, BRAKING THE VEHICLE TO A SUDDEN STOP AND LOCKING THE STEERING WHEEL IN THE MIDDLE OF MOVING TRAFFIC. THE VEHICLE CAME TO A SUDDEN COMPLETE STOP WITHOUT DRIVER INPUT NARROWLY AVOIDING A COLLISION. VEHICLE WAS UNABLE TO START OR BE MOVED AND HAD TO BE PLACED ON A FLATBED BY THE USE OF A DOLLY SYSTEM. IF THE VEHICLE HAD BEEN DRIVING ON A HIGHWAY CONTROL WOULD HAVE BEEN LOST CAUSING A VERY SERIOUS AND MOST LIKELY FATAL ACCIDENT. PLEASE ADVISE THE NEXT STEP IN THIS PROCEDURE AS I FEEL THIS CAR IS UNSAFE, IN THAT NO WARNING WAS PROVIDED IF A MALFUNCTION WERE TO AND DID OCCUR, WHY DID THE CAR COMPLETELY SHUT DOWN, STOPPING THE VEHICLE IMMEDIATELY AND LOCKING THE STEERING WHEEL. NO CONTROL WAS POSSIBLE DUE TO THIS SITUATION. AS STATED PREVIOUSLY IF THE VEHICLE WAS DRIVEN AT HIGHWAY SPEEDS AT THE TIME THIS WOULD SURELY HAVE BEEN FATAL. *TR