S60-T Accelerated on its own!

As a follow-up to what I started, I'll let you all know that Volvo sent a
rep to my dealer to check out my car. Nothing was found to be wrong.
Nothing was altered. No parts were replaced.

As they found nothing wrong with the car, I will obviously will be more
diligent when driving it to be certain I do not accidentally press the
accelerator while I really mean to press the brake. I still am not certain
that this was the case (twice in one night?). Volvo didn't say I was at
fault. It still is a mystery.

I do want to go on record to say that I truly appreciate Volvo Corporate's
and my dealer's follow-up on this situation. Short of arbitrarily replacing
all kinds of parts, it appears they did what they could. If they're
convinced that the car is not at fault and is safe to drive, then I have no
choice but to trust their judgment (and be very aware of my foot position
when driving the car which I now am).

Thanks to all of you who offered constructive advice. Case closed for now
(and hopefully forever).

Sean

 

Jurgen:

Had a very difficult week at work. Think I was out of line with some of my
comments. I was looking for input and you gave me a little more than I
bargained for with your political views. Made me angry and I didn't handle
it well when I responded. For this, I apologize.

Sean

 

This is related and also unrelated but I was hoping to get advice
anyway.

Last Sunday night, in the last 15 minutes of a 5-hour drive, my 760
suddenly accellerated to full throttle and would not come down.
Standing on the brake just barely slowed the car down and I managed to
pull it over to the shoulder across three busy lanes of highway
traffic before pulling out the key and coasting to a stop. Disengaging
the cruise did nothing and shifting to neutral just freed the engine
to redline.

Terrifying experience. Made much more so by my cargo: wife and two
sleeping neices.

I popped the hood and had a look at the throttle control system and
found that the rod connecting the throttle assembly to the throttle
body had stuck in the open position. I gave it a tug and it popped
back to its normal position and I proceeded to soak it with WD-40 to
ensure it didn't stick again. Even fully freed it seems the throttle
moves through one range of motion and then, with extra effort, an
additional short distance.

Now I know that WD-40 is not a lubricant so, although it was a
solution at that moment, I know I need to lubricate it with something
more likely to last.

My question is WHAT SHOULD I USE?

 

If you go to www.wd40.com you will find:

WD-40 serves 5 basic functions:

CLEANS: WD-40 gets under dirt, grime and grease to clean. It also
dissolves adhesives, allowing easy removal of labels, tape, stickers,
and excess bonding material.

DISPLACES MOISTURE: Because WD-40 displaces moisture, it quickly dries
out electrical systems to eliminate moisture-induced short circuits.

PENETRATES: WD-40 loosens rust-to-metal bonds and frees stuck, frozen
or rusted metal parts.

LUBRICATES: WD-40's lubricating ingredients are widely dispersed and
hold firmly to all moving parts.

PROTECTS: WD-40 protects metal surfaces with corrosion-resistant
ingredients to shield against moisture and other corrosive elements.

Notice, one is lubricate.

WD-40 also makes 3-IN-ONE oil and they would recommend using that.

 

There was an article about the history of WD40 in a local publication
a couple of weeks ago. Apparently it is the product of space research
(another one) - Nasa needed something to displace water condensing on
the outside of its rockets. After 40 attempts, its inventor came up
with an effective water displacement formula - hence its name.

The WD40 company claim several thousand 'official' uses for the
product, which includes such things as cleaning CDs (I don't think
I'll be trying that) and removing crayon marks from walls.

It will certainly lubricate things, but so will water. It was not
designed as a lubricant, and seems to dry fairly quickly. Grease or
oil would be a better option.
--

Stewart Hargrave


For email, replace 'SpamOnlyToHere' with my name

 

It's possible that your throttle body needs a good clean out inside to
stop the throttle valve jambing. It's also possible that your cable(s)
are frayed and/or need adjusting. Replacing a cable is often more
effective than lubricating it, and if it is frayed internally it must
certainly be replaced.

Is the 'additional short distance' the kick-down position that causes
an auto gearbox to change down a gear? If so, this is perfectly
normal.
--

Stewart Hargrave


For email, replace 'SpamOnlyToHere' with my name

 

Stewart,

I believe the 'additional short distance' is precisely that: the
kick-down position. The sticking point seemed to be right at the
transition. I suspected the variation in resistance was normal but I
can't very well test that when I'm standing in front of the car
tinkering under the hood. As for WD-40 I agree with you and have
experience from my bicycling days that, while the product will clean
your chain very effectively, not following up with some tenacious oil
will result in a rusty chain in just a few days.

My primary concern was that I get some lubricant that won't be
affected by the temperatures associated with the close proximity to
the engine. If 3-in-1 will do then that's what I'll use.

thanks!
blurp

 

Hi,
I am new in this forum, and the reason is the same problem happened to me today on my S60 volvo, 2003 model. Actually this is the second time. A few months ago while parking it suddenly accelerated, I thought my wife step on the gas by mistake, so I did not pay too much attention. But today I am 100 % sure while stopped at a traffic light, and my wife stepping on the brakes, it did the same, but not as strong as the first time. Now I am 100% sure there is something wrong with the system and it scare the sh....it out of me because we have a 2 years son. I trusted my family;s life to this car for its history but now I don't know...

Could anyone let me know how to contact Volvo regarding this issue, and what to do? I mean, Should I contact other authorities as well.

 

I just read Sean Reilly's post and the entire thread about s60 accelerated on its own and thought it worthwhile to share my story. I purchased a new 2009 S60 in July of '09. Other than routine maintenance I have had no problems with the car. However, seven years later, 9/2016, I pulled into a parking space and with my foot on the brake, I was putting the car in "park" when the engine began to rev at a very alarming rate. I quickly put the car in "park" and tapped the accelerator and the revving stopped. I called my mechanic of 20+ years and related the story. He suggested that I bring the car in to allow for a look over. My mechanic hooked it up to a computer for a diagnostic. He got no information and kept the car for two weeks driving it daily to see if he could get the car to repeat what I had conveyed to him. Nothing came of this.

I then called the original dealership, who had done all of the scheduled routine service up to this point (45,000 miles) and told them my tale. They said that if I had brought the car to them they may have gotten a code that would have given them a clue, but it was not worth doing at this point since the vehicle's internal computer may have reset any code that was present.

One month later (10/2016) when driving on some back streets in the area of the dealership I came to a stop sign. As I began to enter the intersection, I realized the need to stop and back up. As I placed the car in reverse and as I began to move the shift lever to drive, I experienced the same extreme revving of the engine. I put the car in neutral and again tapped the accelerator to stop the racing of the engine. This time I stopped at the dealership and explained the situation. I happened to be talking to the person that I had spoken to one month earlier (he remembered). They hooked the car up to their diagnostic system and relayed to me that they did not get a code indicating a problem. They told me that they upgraded my software and perhaps that would take care of my problem.

I was very afraid of using the car again. So in January of '17, my mechanic replaced the fuel pedal assembly suggesting that this was one of two possible ways he could think of that might correct the problem, For the next seven months I used the car often with no hint of a problem. I thought all was well.

On August 21, 2017 as I was parallel parking in front of my barber shop, I needed to reverse to get closer to the curb and as I did the high rate of revving reoccurred. I placed the car in "park" and again tapped the accelerator to stop the revving. I crept home after my haircut and put the car in the driveway not knowing what I should do next.

I called my mechanic and he suggested that I have another Volvo dealership look at the car. This new dealership got no code using their diagnostic and they have had the car for the last two weeks and I am waiting to hear some good news for a change, but ...

Like Sean Reilly, I too am afraid for myself, my family and anyone else that I may possibly hurt the next time that I take this car on the road. I only want to either be told that this problem can be resolved so everyone will be safe or walk away from this car knowing that no one else will take possession of this vehicle which in its present condition may lead to a potential disaster.

 

Hello there, and everyone reading this.

Your mechanic, dealership and Volvo could think that you are delusional, but let me tell you my friend it has happened two time to my wife already. She is not crazy because I was on the passenger seat and I am a witness that is TOTALLY TRUE of this problem with the Volvo S60. We will have to wait until some of us kill or hurt a few people before Volvo and the authorities do something about it. We called everybody but nobody believed us.

Reniel.