2018 Volvo XC40: complaints, problems and recalls

TL* THE CONTACT OWNS A 2019 VOLVO XC40. WHILE DRIVING VARIOUS SPEEDS WITH THE PILOT ASSIST FEATURE ACTIVATED, THE VEHICLE DRIFTED INTO THE OPPOSITE LANE AND WOULD ERRONEOUSLY CHANGE LANES. THE VEHICLE WAS TAKEN TO VOLVO OF TAMPA (6008 NORTH DALE MABRAY HWY, TAMPA, FL) TO BE DIAGNOSED, BUT THE CAUSE OF THE FAILURE COULD NOT BE DETERMINED. THE CONTACT WAS INFORMED THAT THE MANUFACTURER WAS AWARE OF THE FAILURE, BUT NO REMEDY WAS AVAILABLE. THE FAILURE MILEAGE WAS 1,450.

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The electrical system on my car apparently failed, which rendered the car unable to start and drive. Park Place Volvo claims that there is water, that penetrated the seals, from underneath the car. Although there were no visible signs of water, Volvo claims that the rain caused this issue. Volvo has refused to honor a warranty for the alleged defective seals, and sent my car to its collision center.

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I WAS GIVEN THE CAR A A DEMO PENDING DELIVERY AND IT STOPPED UNEXPECTEDLY WHILE DRIVING NEARLY CAUSING AN ACCIDENT.

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When backing the vehicle out of a parking space on Wednesday, December 21, 2022, the vehicle lurched and moved very slowly. The center HUD displayed the message, "Slow Down. The Vehicle will reduce speed. Propulsion system failure." The vehicle was towed to the Volvo certified dealer in Roanoke VA. The technician "reset" the error code and released the vehicle to me. The dealership could not tell me if the vehicle was safe to drive. I called the dealership multiple times, and they stated the problem was being investigated by Volvo corporate. …

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The contact owns a 2023 Volvo XC40. The contact stated that the SOS button had malfunctioned and had caused several different calls to be made except for a call for roadside assistance. The contact contacted the dealer; however, the vehicle was not diagnosed. The vehicle had not been repaired. The manufacturer was made aware of the failure. The approximate failure mileage 700.

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My wife pulled into a neighbor's driveway and put the car in Park. The car stopped. She reached over to the passenger's seat to pick up an item and the car lurched forward, crashing into the closed garage door before she could stop it. There were no warning lights alerting her that this would happen. She later told me, though, there had been previous instances of the car "bucking" after she had put it into park. The incident clearly posed a safety risk to my wife and others. Had someone been standing in front of the car when this happened, the…

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Two Issues: 1. "Check Engine Light" comes on for no reason. This has happened six times (I have video recordings and maintenance reports from the dealership.) In the last maintenance report, Volvo technicians acknowledged the issue and stated that "AS OF NOW NO SOLUTION FOR THIS TO BE FIXED, VOLVO WILL BE LOOKING INTO THIS FOR FURTHER NOTICE." They also told me to just ignore the light if it comes on again. So, if there is a real and dangerous engine malfunction, there is no way to be alerted. 2. The entire sound system goes off while driving. …

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PILOT ASSIST FUNCTION DISENGAGES SUDDENLY WITHOUT WARNING. THIS IS DIFFERENT FROM THE EXPECTED OPERATION WHERE THE SYSTEM'S STEERING ASSISTANCE WILL GO INTO STANDBY UPON LOSING LANE MARKING INPUTS. WHILE THE SYSTEM DOES OCCASIONALLY ENTER NORMAL 'STANDBY' INDICATED BY THE GREEN STEERING WHEEL ICON TURNING GREY, IT ALSO OCCASIONALLY TURNS OFF ENTIRELY WITHOUT WARNING (INCLUDING AUTO THROTTLE CONTROL), WHICH IS INDICATED ONLY BY AN UNEXPECTED DECELERATION AND BY THE STEERING WHEEL ICON AND FOLLOWING DISTANCE INDICATORS BOTH SUDDENLY DISAPPEARING …

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ISSUE1: A FEW WEEKS AGO WHILE MY WIFE HAD STOPPED AT A TRAFFIC LIGHT AND WITHOUT ANY PROVOCATION, HER SEATBELT WENT INTO CRASH MODE, TIGHTENING SIGNIFICANTLY AND LOCKING. THIS WAS TO THE POINT THAT SHE FELT BEING SUFFOCATED FROM PRESSURE ON HER ABDOMEN AND CHEST. FORTUNATELY, THE CAR WAS NOT IN MOTION, OTHERWISE, THE SEATBELT TIGHTENING AND LOCK COULD LEAD TO AN ACCIDENT. THE LOCK RELEASED AFTER 30 SECONDS AND SHE COULD OPEN THE SEAT BELT. SHE HAD CHEST PAIN FOR A FEW DAYS AFTER THIS INCIDENT. ISSUE 2: THREE DAYS AGO WHEN MY WIFE WAS R…

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On Oct 8, we noticed a crack on the front lower right passenger-side of the windshield. We purchased this car less than 2 months ago. The crack was perplexing to us because we've never had a cracked windshield on any of our cars we've owned in the last 20 years, driving in the same roads and neighborhoods. We live in southern California where we don't experience extreme weather conditions. We google searched Volvo XC40 cracked windshield and found similar experiences. The most disconcerting part of this situation is that we had chosen a dif…

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Problem with rearview backup camera when in dark the camera shows red that when backing up in the dark the tail lights are so bright that all as could be seen is red you cannot see any objects that are behind the vehicle

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We were notified by email of a computer update to our 2023 Volvo XC40 Recharge (it stated it would automatically download the update then ask us to initiate the installation). The next day I was charging the car. The car is programmed for 1 pedal driving. After disconnecting the charger, I got into the car, put my foot on the brake, and placed the car in reverse. When I released the brake, the car just took off in reverse. It should not have moved until I pushed on the accelerator. I am theorizing that the car was either in the middle of the do…

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This submittal is concerning the backup camera viewing area and the 360 degree camera view. The backup camera doesn't provide the same view as did our 2021 XC-40 R-Design rear back up camera view. The 360 degree view is very confusing when there are other cars or objects around the car. When going into the garage the surrounding objects give a distracting and distorted view.

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360 degree Camera not available. 360 Degree Camera is malfunctioning sporadically. It will completely disappear and a message on the infotainment display will not “Camera Temporarily Unavailable. We have reset the unit as per manufacture specification and it doesn’t solve the issue. We can sometime lock the doors, leave it overnight and it will set-reset and grin the camera back on line. This has now napped twice in the space of 500 miles from new. There are multiple owners report regarding this defect. Volvo has not heat solve…

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The rear backup camera display system failed, resulting in a completely blank or black center infotainment screen when the vehicle is shifted into reverse. Yes, the vehicle and its Sensus infotainment system software logs are available for inspection upon request. My safety and the safety of pedestrians were put at immediate risk because the sudden failure of the rearview camera created a severe blind spot directly behind the vehicle. This loss of visibility prevents the driver from seeing small children, pedestrians, or obstacles while backin…

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After having the rear camera software update to address the safety recall on 05/28, the “camera unavailable” problem persists. This vehicle has underpowered chipset in the IHU and the entire IHU should be subject to recall.

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Backup camera not working: Repeated get no backup camera image - just see a black screen with message "Camera unavailable" or "Camera temporarily unavailable". This happens more often than the camera works. Seems to be related to OTA software update - had no camera problems for a most of the year and then after an OTA the camera issues began.

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The rear reverse camera cuts out with a message on the driver display stating "Camera temporarily not available". This occurs ~10% of the time. Other times the camera will flicker in and out but both scenarios result in partial or complete obstruction of view while reversing. With my children and other little children on the street, this is very concerning. The issue was reported to the dealership and software was updated but the problem remains.

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The Infotainment system in this automobile freezes frequently denying access to critical auto controls such as, one pedal EV driving, air conditioning/heating controls and many other controls. I have received a message that the, "Camera is Unavailable" and the screen goes dark. The dealer has attempted to reload the software and update the software multiple times all without any remedy.

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back-up camera delays coming on when car put in reverse. Have had the car for over a year and taken to dealer for repair, with no result. Volvo model XC40 not listed on nhtsa site for recall #25V908 (Mfg R10333).

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I WAS BACKING OUT OF MY DRIVEWAY AND MY BACKUP ALARM FAILED TO SOUND AS WELL AS MY BACKUP BREAKING SYSTEM. THE RESULT WAS ME BACKING UP INTO A PARKED VEHICLE. THE FAILURE OF THE SYSTEM WAS REPORTED TO THE VOLVO DEALERSHIP AND THEY DENIED THAT THE SYSTEM WAS NOT WORKING PROPERLY. SEVERAL MONTHS LATER WE RECEIVED A LETTER IN THE MAIL STATING THAT THERE WAS A RECALL FOR MY VEHICLE AND THAT THE BACK UP SYSTEM WAS NOT ALARMING OR BREAKING CORRECTLY AND FAILED TO ALARM OR BREAK INTERMITTENTLY. VOLVO DENIED THAT THE PROBLEMS WERE RELATED, HOWEVER THE …

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My XC40 has 24, 500 miles on it, and it has already had three sets of brake rotors replaced. The dealership reported "warped rotors" on my front brake rotors in the summer of 2021 at 15,000 miles and replaced them. Now at 24,500 miles, both the front and rear rotors were again "warped" and replaced by the dealership noting that the "rotors had pad transfer marks".

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On 3 occasions the brakes were seized when attempting to drive the car after being parked if the brakes had gotten wet prior to parking. There is a loud clunk and even at times grinding. The pads/rotors were replaced 2 times and it is going back in for the third time. Each time brake pad material broke off. This compromises the braking capability of the vehicle if the pads have pieces missing.

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I am reporting 2 incidents for my 2023 Volvo XC40, both involving failure of brakes to engage. The 1st incident occurred on 26 August 2023. The 2nd incident occurred on 20 September 2023. A full description of both incidents, including 2 photos of the incident scenes, is attached. The 1st incident involved a collision with a Jersey wall and crosswalk signal activation sign. Repair of the resulting damage required replacement of a mirror assembly that was destroyed and some repainting.

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My wife pulled into a neighbor's driveway and put the car in Park. The car stopped. She reached over to the passenger's seat to pick up an item and the car lurched forward, crashing into the closed garage door before she could stop it. There were no warning lights alerting her that this would happen. She later told me, though, there had been previous instances of the car "bucking" after she had put it into park. The incident clearly posed a safety risk to my wife and others. Had someone been standing in front of the car when this happened, the…

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I was involved in an accident with my 2019 Volvo xc40. I believe the cause of the accident was due to the emergency braking system that activated when I hit water that accumulated on the road I was traveling. I was accelerating and the braking caused the vehicle to swerve uncontrollably resulting in some minor body damage to the passenger side as contact was made with some roadside objects. Unfortunately the incident caused over $10,000.00 in front end damages, which is covered by my insurance. This emergency braking i. e. forward collision…

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Almost once a month my car with think there is something in front of it and activate the emergency brakes. It causes huge strain to the brakes and almost makes me crash and puts the people in front of me and behind me at risk. I've turned the setting to a lower sensitivity to try to avoid this but it doesn't matter. The car does the worst on turns as well and thinks cars in the opposite lanes while turning are in your lane and will cause the system to react. On small roads the car will try to move your car to correct in the lane but it's too sm…

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On 8/3/21 I had an accident in my brand new 2021 xc40. I lightly tapped on the accelerator to close in a gap as I came to a stop at a red light. The vehicle jumped forward as though I floored the accelerator, though again, it was a slight tap. I rear-ended the car in front of me. There was no forward collision warning, no mitigation by the vehicle applying the brakes, nothing. The vehicle is supposed to assist in this situation, but the aeb system did not work at all. The jump in power and failure of the aeb is very troubling. Especially since …

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The rear backup camera consistently fails to provide a view while in reverse. The camera either blinks between a view and black screen, or will completely fail and say the camera is unavailable.

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Going back to last year I have reported to Volvo the software issues on the car. 1. Automatic Emergency Braking - Currently the car is ABRUPTLY breaking in the streets thinking it there is a car in front. It's so incredibly dangerous. I've reported it and they have not done anything about it. (Most Recent Issues) 2. Electrical - the screen every other week needs to be reset - it reads that it does not have air-conditioning, airbags, and all the buttons are grayed out. I've reported this since December of last year. NOTHING HAS BEEN DONE 3.…

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There have been several times when slowly backing up when monitoring the mirrors and backup camera that the car had a very violent stop. I wasn't going fast at all and was within two feet of objects that I'm very familiar with. My old car handled backing up fine and didn't stop so violently. The warning on the old car got quicker as I got closer. This Volvo does have an increasingly rapid beep too but as you monitor the space it jerks so hard before it's really close enough to hit. This week I was backing up in a parking lot with NOTHING aroun…

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Despite multiple repair attempts by Volvo Cars Sugar Land , including software reloads, module reprogramming, and the completion of Recall R10333 , the vehicle continues to experience failures that directly compromise my safety and the safety of my wife. I no longer feel safe operating this vehicle. My XC40 has undergone five documented repair visits, including: • Electrical system failures • Infotainment instability • Parking sensor and camera malfunctions • Multiple software reloads and module reprogramming • Recall R10333 “Total Upgrade” On …

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CHECK ENGINE EMISSIONS LIGHT KEEPS COMING ON; HAVE HAD 3 SERVICE VISITS TO DEALER (RESULTING IN SAME PART BEING REPLACED TWICE, ONE OR MORE SOFTWARE UPDATES, ONE COMPLETE SOFTWARE RELOAD) AND NOW AM GETTING LIGHT ON AGAIN WHICH WILL REQUIRE YET A FOURTH SERVICE VISIT. (NB VISIT 1 WAS IN SUMMER '18 WHEN CAR WAS NEW; VISITS 2-4 ARE ALL IN SUMMER 2019, COMMENCING ALMOST EXACTLY ONE YEAR LATER IN SUMMER WEATHER CONDITIONS (HOT HUMID RAINY)

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On 01/04/2026, while operating a gas-powered 2024 Volvo XC40, the vehicle experienced a catastrophic Sudden Unintended Acceleration (SUA) event while stationary at a red light. With the service brake fully depressed, the internal combustion engine began to surge and rev uncontrollably, making loud noises. The engine torque increased in direct response to increased brake pressure, eventually overcoming the braking system and forcing the vehicle forward into the 3-way intersection. Technical Details: Brake-Throttle Override (BTO) Failure: The…

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The 2021 XC 40 vehicle will periodically not restart - may be something to do with the safety key or some other electrical malfunction. The dashboard shows the battery symbol when the car will not restart as if the vehicle is dead (no electrical connection). Also, when the start button is depressed the dashboard illuminates with the dead battery signal, but otherwise, it seems the button is not connected to the vehicle in that the engine does not respond. Also, we had an issue where the vehicle, while we were beginning to stop at a stop si…

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In the past 3 months, my 2022 Volvo XC40 has experienced four complete power failures, each requiring a tow. 1️⃣ The first incident occurred while waiting at a left-turn lane; the car stalled and would not restart. 2️⃣ The second incident happened at a car wash where the vehicle died mid-process and could not be restarted. 3️⃣ The third incident was the most dangerous, while driving at 50–60 mph on a single-lane road, the car suddenly lost all power. I was fortunate to find a safe spot to pull over. 4️⃣ The fourth incident occurred on July 4th …

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The brake systems have failed repeatedly on this vehicle, and have been replaced by the manufacturer TWICE since purchase (April 28, 2023). Brakes continued to intermittently freeze or lose pressure, so car is now classified as a lemon. However, as we have waited months and months for the lemon process to complete, the transmission began to fail. At first, we had incidents of the car seeming to shift into neutral at speeds of 30-40 MPH. The car’s engine would rev and yet forward propulsion would become coasting. Lifting foot from accelerator …

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SUA Sudden unintended acceleration while making a U-turn to park in front of our home my wife, [XXX] was driving when the vehicle suddenly accelerated rapidly jumping the curb onto the sidewalk onto grassy front lawn then stopped. This was a ‘loaner’ vehicle from Volvo whom I called to have it towed back to them. Luckily there were no injuries or damages. INFORMATION REDACTED PURSUANT TO THE FREEDOM OF INFORMATION ACT (FOIA), 5 U.S.C. 552(B)(6)

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My car randomly has a battery charging fault. An alert stating “stop safely 12V battery critical charging fault” will just pop up while driving and then put the vehicle in turtle mode. This is an intermittent fault and is likely a false indication. This could cause an accident because it causes the car to slow down. This could happen on a highway.

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I stopped at a gas station and the fuel door would not open. I tried multiple times locking and unlocking the vehicle with the key fob. As I was driving home, I stopped at three other gas stations. All three times, I still could not open the fuel door. This happened when I initially purchased the car in 2019. I reported it to the Volvo dealer while standing at the gas station. I played with the key fob for about 20 minutes until it finally opened. I remember looking up this issue on the [XXX] and it had been reported numerous times. I stoppe…

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A complete power failure. The main battery failed due to a software failure from The Battery Energy Control Module (BECM). The entire car stopped working. No power to unlock the wheels. The car was dead towed on rollers under the wheels via flatbed truck. A recall r10078 was not given and was not performed on prior visits to the dealer.

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Vehicle started shaking uncontrollably and was unable to accelerate. I was to get it to buck and jerk and coast to my house out of a dangerous intersection. Error stated Propulsion System Failure. Shutting off the car and restarting the error code stayed. However, the next morning, the error code disappeared. Volvo was unable to replicate issue but did see a software update. What scares me about this propulsion thing though is if happens on my commute without any warning.... and just an over the air software update to cause huge safety i…

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The vehicle was driving on cruise control at 55 mph approaching an intersection with a stop sign. Attempted to brake to cancel the cruise control, but vehicle sped and continued gathering speed so that the driver lost any control over the speed. Frantic application of the brake did not have any effect on the speed. The vehicle shot across a south bound highway, collided with traffic signs in the center, crossed northbound lanes, jumped a four foot berm and landed in bushes where the air bags deployed.

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Mild hybrid vehicle that was purchased 4/20/2026. Volvo service states incident on 06/10/2026 was caused by vehicle running overnight in enclosed garage. Volvo also states that cause was due to item inserted into drivers seatbelt buckle. No warnings posted regarding this would cause the vehicle to turn on once car was parked and driver door shut and run continuously throughout the night in an enclosed garage. Volvo claims every time the driver door is opened, it shuts the engine off. This is not true! And this situation proves that. Vehicle sti…

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VEHICLE SHUT DOWN AND SHOWED 'SAFETY MODE SEE OWNERS MANUAL' AFTER SUSTAINING MINOR FRONT END DAMAGE IN A COLLISION WITH A DEER. UNABLE TO MOVE VEHICLE TO A SAFE STOPPING LOCATION ON A RURAL INTERSTATE FOR APPROXIMATELY 2 MINUTES UNTIL 'SAFETY MODE' EVENTUALLY RESET AND ALLOWED LIMP-HOME POWER. THIS FEATURE IS QUITE UNSAFE AND PLACED MY FAMILY AND I AT SIGNIFICANT RISK.

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On 01/04/2026, while operating a gas-powered 2024 Volvo XC40, the vehicle experienced a catastrophic Sudden Unintended Acceleration (SUA) event while stationary at a red light. With the service brake fully depressed, the internal combustion engine began to surge and rev uncontrollably, making loud noises. The engine torque increased in direct response to increased brake pressure, eventually overcoming the braking system and forcing the vehicle forward into the 3-way intersection. Technical Details: Brake-Throttle Override (BTO) Failure: The…

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A complete power failure. The main battery failed due to a software failure from The Battery Energy Control Module (BECM). The entire car stopped working. No power to unlock the wheels. The car was dead towed on rollers under the wheels via flatbed truck. A recall r10078 was not given and was not performed on prior visits to the dealer.

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In the past 3 months, my 2022 Volvo XC40 has experienced four complete power failures, each requiring a tow. 1️⃣ The first incident occurred while waiting at a left-turn lane; the car stalled and would not restart. 2️⃣ The second incident happened at a car wash where the vehicle died mid-process and could not be restarted. 3️⃣ The third incident was the most dangerous, while driving at 50–60 mph on a single-lane road, the car suddenly lost all power. I was fortunate to find a safe spot to pull over. 4️⃣ The fourth incident occurred on July 4th …

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The contact owns a 2023 Volvo XC40. The contact stated that while her son was driving at various highway speeds, the brakes inadvertently activated, causing the vehicle to abruptly stop even though were no other vehicles or objects nearby. Additionally, the vehicle occasionally stalled and hesitated while accelerating. The contact also stated that the display screen occasionally became inoperable, and messages and safety warnings were not available to the driver. The vehicle was taken to the local dealer who was unable to duplicate the failure…

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I pulled over right side of street to park behind a parked vehicle to a visit house across the street. Was too far out from curb so I backed up about 12-15 feet or so. Put car in drive and slowly started to drive toward curb when car suddenly accelerated very hard. I turned steering to left to avoid hitting the car in front, straightened car out but could not stop it until it stopped about 20-30 feet down the road. Brake was not stopping my car. The acceleration was something like being on a ramp to get on highway and pressing pedal down to ge…

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