Steering loss in 2003 xc70

[almoc]

Has anyone had this happen?
My wife was driving out of a shopping centre at what was luckily a low speed and lost control of the steering. Turning the steering wheel did not result in the car turning!!!!!!
At one point the steering wheel was in the upside down position and the car was continuing in a straight line.
A representative of the dealer came and looked at the car and it apparently drove normally. He said it could have been the heat as the car had been parked in hot sun. If this is the case maybe there should be a warning...do not drive above certain temp to avoid steering loss... not acceptable..
We await what the dealer has to say but we wonder how we can ever feel safe with our children in the car and what would have happened if it had happened at speed.
With all the problems this car has had this is the most worrying and I am considering parking out the front of the dealer with a bill board warning others of the perils of ownership. Unreliability is one thing but this is dangerous and we wanted a safe car.

[DucVDuc]

Never heard of that sort of problem.

By the way, I noticed you're in Melbourne, which dealer services your car?

[skibo]

Wow. I don't doubt your word, but it's hard to imagine that the wheel could be turned that far with no steering action. I mean, unless this is some sort of 'steer by wire' system, the wheel is mechanically connected to the rack, and even if power steering is not working due to low fluid or a wet belt, you typically cannot turn the wheel, or if you are moving you have to really muscle it around.

I guess it's possible that the wheel somehow came loose from the shaft - maybe the wheel turned without taking the shaft along with it, but you wouldn't think that would be intermittance.

But, maybe this system is different from what I'm used to.

[almoc]

Silverstone service the car and they do seem to genuinely want to fix the car but it is one thing after another. Just when you think your troubles are over another comes along. This is about the most unreliable car I have ever heard of let alone owned. If lemon laws were in this country we would not have to put up with such poor quality.

One thing I didn't mention in the initial post is that the car had a wheel alignment at the dealer 2 days before but there seemed to be nothing obviously wrong in that area. Is it possible that it is an electrical "module" problem? There can't be many modules that haven't been replaced left in this car.

[almoc]

We still don't really know what is wrong with the car but it doesn't matter anymore. The car has gone back to the dealer for good and the nightmare of volvo ownership is over.

[budrichard]

The steering wheel is postively connected to the steering mechananism and an intermitant fault is impossible.
If the tires lose adhesion and the rear wheels are still driving, it will not matter what position the steering wheel is, the vehicle will drive straight ahead because the friction force between the tires and the road is what causes the vehicle to turn.
Does you wife drive with two feet? Were you with her in the vehicle?
Turning the wheel sharply while apply the throttle instead of the break would cause the problem. If the road surface was wet, slippery with leaves or anything else to break the tire adhesion, the vehicle would not turn. Panic and stepping on the break and acclerator at the same would cause the vehicle to do the same thing.
I believe you have not correctly analysed the situation and have over reacted. Steering syetems do not fail intermittantly. -Dick

[JRL]

I find your description sort of unbelievable.
If your wife said the wheel was at a 180 degree and the car wasn't turning, that would inply something had psycally broke off the steering, thus it wouldn't just be normal again.
Was she on some sort of a slippery surface (like ice) that she could think something couldcause this?
This is a new one on me but, as I said, sort of impossible.
However with a Volvo I suppose nothing is impossible