I recently went to look at a 2007 Volvo S40 2.4i 4 Door Sedan with 139,000 miles on it. The owner stated that the ECU is faulty because when she drives the vehicle at some point in the drive the vehicle wants to shut off. She said that you need to stay constantly on the gas pedal in order for the vehicle not to shut off. Once you remove your foot off the gas pedal then the vehicle will shut off. When approaching a stop sign or a red light, she said that she applies her left foot on the brake pedal while keeping her right foot on the gas pedal very lightly. Just enough for the car not to bog out. I went to look at the vehicle & she did provide me with an inspection report from March 2022 which it did pass with flying colors. She also provided me with the paper work for the transmission which was refurbished at a reputable shop in her area. The tires are in good condition, the brakes are in good condition, the A/C works like a charm, all lights & turn signals work phenomenally well. The paint & clear coat on the vehicle are fabulous & the interior is all leather & n spectacular condition for the year. There aren't any leaks by the motor or around the motor. Everything seemed to be dry & in good condition for the year. The engine was cold to the touch before I started the car. Once I started the car, the vehicle warmed up nicely & I paid attention to the rpm's which were nice and steady as they should. I test drove the vehicle & it drove like a dream. There weren't any check engine lights that came on during the drive. The only noticeable thing that I found was the front right passenger side wheel was making a metallic scratching noise. The noise reminded of a bad wheel bearing hub.

Her mechanic was present with her while I was looking at the vehicle. I asked him why he diagnosed the vehicle with a bad ECU & he stated that when he drove it the same symptoms occurred. Then he said a check engine light came on. He then stated that he used an OBD II reader to get the information. He said that the code it through was faulty ECU. He also stated that he cleaned the throttle body & the symptoms still persisted.

I called a Volvo dealership & provided the technician with the VIN to the vehicle. The technician stated that if the vehicle needs a new ECU it does need to be reprogrammed. The technician did mention that she does believe that it is NOT an ECU issue because the vehicle would not start at all. She said that other components would not turn on either.

Has anyone else had an issue similar to this & if so, how did you go about getting it fixed? Was it a bad ECU or is there another underlying cause of it.

Thank you in advance for your answers.