After investigation, I discovered that used vehicle just purchased (2004 Volvo V70) had a bad rem module; rendering fuel gauge, rear door locks, fuel door latch, and hatchback lock inoperative. The rear hatchback has no manual method to lock it; making vehicle unsecurable. Investigation online indicates this is a known issue. Dealer wants around $200 to update software to fix problems. This is unacceptable, since at least two critical items (hatchback and fuel door latches) depend on functioning rem to secure them. I believe these items should be covered by the manufacturer regardless of age.

- Benton, IL, USA

My driver side seat heater caught on fire today and smoldered a hole through the seat. I was driving in a residential neighborhood in the morning around 9:15am.

- Midlothian, VA, USA

I was driving at about 35 mph. When I slowed down to make a 90 degree right turn, without warning the engine and power steering went off as I was turning. I had to manually steer the car and luckily did not crash because there was no car in the opposite lane. I pulled over to the side of the road, restarted the car, and received no error message. I took the car to the local Volvo dealer where they could find nothing wrong and deny this is a recall issue.

- Charleston, SC, USA

This complaint pertains to the drivers side seat-heater. When activated, on the lowest of 2 settings, the occupant of the drivers-side front seat experiences a burning-pain sensation in the right-rear area of the thigh, after 60-90 seconds of the seat heater being activated via dash button. The owner of the car worries that: 1.) accidental activation of the drivers-side seat heater, with no occupant in that seat, could result in thermal damage to the leather and padding of the seat, as well as combustion leading to the destruction of the car. 2.) accidental activation of the seat-heater with an occupant in the drivers-side front seat could result in, sudden and extreme, discomfort to the vehicle operator, resulting in an uncontrollable physical reaction to pain, which could cause the automobile to leave the road, resulting in an accident. 3.) the value of the car to be decreased upon potential sale of the car, due to the fact that the seat does not heat as intended, and additionally poses a danger to the driver of the vehicle. The fact that this apparatus' failure to operate as intended is in no part due to the owners following of recommended service and maintenance guidelines, would be interpreted as a "defect" by the potential buyer, thus devaluing the car, is worrisome. A fire caused inadvertently, or sudden pain causing a vehicle operator to involuntarily take his/her whole Focus off of the task of driving, certainly constitutes a vehicle safety issue. An issue, affecting the immediate vehicles' driver and occupants, as well as other motorists on the road. Volvo submodel: V70 "R".

- Avon, CO, USA

Pulled into a parking spot on the street, put the car in park, but was unable to turn the key to turn the car off. It took me almost 20 minutes of jiggling the key around and spraying WD40 into the ignition cylinder before being able to very slowly get the key to turn enough to turn the car off. I am not a weak person and was honestly afraid that the amount of pressure I was applying was going to cause the key to break off in the ignition. I immediately took the car to the nearest Volvo dealer (cherry hill, NJ) and since this happened on a Sunday morning, I had to leave the keys with an explanation of the problem on a dropbox form. When I called the service dept today, they told me that they would have to custom order a replacement part from sweden and that it could be a week before my car is repaired. The service person said that this sometimes happens when people attach a large amount of keys to their car key and it causes stress on the ignition cylinder. I have never, ever done that. I always keep my car and house keys separate for safety purposes, so there is no reason this should have happened. After looking for more info on the internet, it appears as though this happens on a fairly regular basis with other owners. I am the original owner of this car and am religious about keeping it in good running order with routine, scheduled maintenance. Failure to be able to shut a car off without any prior warning should certainly be considered a safety issue. Thanks.

- Ventnor, NJ, USA

Without warning the entire instrument panel (speedometer, tachometer, fuel gauge, temperature gauge, driver information) stop working and the instrument panel lights go out. Driver is unable to determine speed or other critical information.

- Redlands, CA, USA

Our 2004 Volvo V70 engine cut off while driving on highway. At the time, we were traveling at approximately 45 miles per hour. Luckily there was a side road nearby so we were able to coast, stop, and restart the car safely. Since that day, the check engine light has been coming on and then going off and the engine has shut down while driving on several other occassions. We took the car to Volvo and they claimed there were not any recalls on our 2004 Volvo V70 and performed a $65 diagonstic service and determined that our fuel pressure sensor had failed and need to be replaced at a cost of over $400. We pulled recall information for our car off motortrend's sited (see below) and forwarded this to the dealership. The dealership called Volvo's customer support team and they said our car was outside the warranty period and had no recall for this issue. We countered that recalls are not warranty claims and fall outside that window. Our car has experienced the same issue listed in recall listed below and the repair and diagnostic test should be honored by Volvo!! recall date Jun 05, 2007 consequences: Misfire may occur during driving that, in turn, will reduce the engine torque and in the worst case scenario, the engine may stall without warning. In certain traffic situations this could cause an unsafe situation and possibly a crash. Remedy: Dealers will replace the fuel pressure sensor free of charge. The recall began on June 29, 2007. Owners may contact Volvo at 1-800-458-1552. Information redacted pursuant to the Freedom Of Information Act (FOIA), 5 U.S.C. 552(B)(6)

- High Point, NC, USA

2004 Volvo V70 will lurch, left rear door open warning light comes on, interior lights come on, warning triangle appears. This is accompanied by a loud thump, followed by a complete power down of the car. Very dangerous; could leads to deaths on highways. Apparently Volvo has known about problem for some time. Caused by a malfunction of the cem. Has occurred about 7 times thus far from 4-2010 to 8-2010.

- Lewis Center, OH, USA

Sometimes, when the car has been traveling for a long time (at least three hours), the entire car will lurch, the rpms will rev, the interior lights will come on, and I will get a "left rear door open" error message. A couple of times this was followed by a complete power-down of the dashboard (lights out, all instruments off) and a warning that my brakes had failed. Other have had this identical problem: townhall-talk.edmunds.com/direct/view/.F0fcb01/10 this problem has been going on for years and started with about 30,000 miles on it. When traveling at highway speeds, the jerk of the car scares the driver and is dangerous if other cars are around.

- Dupont, WA, USA

This is the fifth time this problem occurred, the last one being yesterday on 5/7/07. It happened the first time on 9/25/06, then 10/03/05, 8/1/06. Dealer called on 08 /04/06, and said car was ready. Husband cranked car and had same problem again. This time dealer kept car until 8/15/06, and had not had problem again until yesterday, and it was the same problem again. Driving about 50 mph the engine hesitated about three times and then the electrical system failed. The engine kept running though not at full power. The brakes were operative, but the pedal went almost to the floor. All gauges flickered and went blank. The air conditioner (A/C) fan kept running, but there was no cool air. The windows will not operate, the turn signals will not operate, there were no brake lights. And I was scared. Will take to dealer again today.

- Dallas, GA, USA

: the contact stated while driving at 40mph, the vehicle hesitated, and the electrical system failed. The service air bag message readout illuminated, the brakes became spongy, and the steering stiffened. The vehicle was taken to a service dealer who unable to determine the problem.

- Dallas, GA, USA