Car turns irself off when making hard right turns. Ever happened to you?
 

Hi,

It's only happened twice, so I don't know if this is a big deal or not. A couple of times where I have had to take hard right turns, the engine turns itself off. The car (2004 S60) will start right back up and act normally, but it is a little worrisome. The only related problem I can think of is that a loud squeaking noise will sometimes come when I turn my steering wheel in either direction. Is this a common affliction? I am wondering if I could be pinching something that is turning off the ignition.

Thanks again for your advice.

Very interesting... IMO


Squeaking when you turn the wheels to full lock in either directions would be the signs of an aging power steering pump.


But the car shutting off completely in a hard turn... That's a new one.


Did the car just shut off like you turned off the key?


Or did it spit sputter and die?


When this happened were you on fumes/really low on gas?


Maybe you have a loose ground.


Sorry more questions than advice for you.

More details maybe helpful.

Re:
 

Hi,

It just died suddenly, as if the ignition were suddenly turned off. I didn't even hear the engine die. I don't think I was low on gas. Yeah, it is really weird. It only has happened when turning the steering wheel to the right, so I am thinking there must be some wiring that is being pinched, but I don't really know enough about these cars to know for sure. Are power steering pump replacements expensive for these cars? This car has unfortunately been a bit of a money trap.

when was the last time you changed your fuel filter?

do you often run it down below a 1/4 tank of gas?

If it is more often to the right then the left i think its either a fuel filter or fuel pump issue as the fuel lines are on the passenger side of the car (the inside in a right turn) and fuel would be being pushed out of it due to centrifugal force.

Your power steering pump is probably fine, but likely needs to be flushed.

side note - the power steering pumps fail pretty rarely in these cars - typical power steering weak point is the reservoir

I have seen this situation posted before. Been awhile though and I do not recall a solution to the problem being posted.

I have had the same problem with my car turning off while taking a hard right. I might have some one look into the fuel filter, that makes sense to me.

Hello, has any of you fixed the problem?? I am experiencing the same issue ( with a 2003 volvo s60 ) and none of the mechanincs I've gone with know what it is. I have even taken it to the dealership, but they are just guessing and not helping. Please let me know and thank you.

when was the last time you changed your fuel filter?

do you often run it down below a 1/4 tank of gas?

If it is more often to the right then the left i think its either a fuel filter or fuel pump issue as the fuel lines are on the passenger side of the car (the inside in a right turn) and fuel would be being pushed out of it due to centrifugal force.

Your power steering pump is probably fine, but likely needs to be flushed.

side note - the power steering pumps fail pretty rarely in these cars - typical power steering weak point is the reservoir

Re: Car Turning off on turns
 

I've delved into this a bit further and as it turns out, there is an open recall on fuel pressure sensors for 38,000 2003-2004 S60's. Even though my car does not qualify for the recall my dealership is pretty sure that is what the problem is. You might call your service guy with your VIN and see if your vehicle has the recall on it.

There is also an open recall for a couple hundred thousand fuel pumps - my questions SHOULD help narrow that down

This is the sort of vehicle problem that interests the NHTSA agency of the U.S. gov't. Why? Stalling is a safety hazard to self and others.

NHTSA.gov is the website. Go to investigations and scroll through seeing if others have reported it. Make your own report, including VIN and failure of dealership to correct this safety problem. You can also check the official recall list there, too, but you're really more interested in investigations & reports as that's what the agency acts on to determine whether to issue a recall or lets the car company get away with voluntary action.

Personally, I hope I'm not follwing you thorough an intersection where you're turning right. That's the safety hazard aspect of it.

update
 

Hello,
I took it to the dealership again, and after they cheked it again! they finally told me it was a fuel pump problem. That they needed to replace the whole fuel pump and the seal. The cost is about $1500. I also asked them about the fuel filter, and they said my car doesnt need one becuase the tank is made out of metal ( something like that).
Due to the ridiculous price they want to charge me, I went ahead and looked for other opinions. Some mechanics ( they have worked with volvo's before ) have told me that somtimes it could be something simple to fix within the tank, but that dealerships sometimes dont look into that. They just know where the problem is and they want replace the whole thing.
The thing is that I have seen more than a few cases like this, if you just google it or something, there are other people with exactly the same problem, and most of the dates of the complaints are also recent. well that's where im stuck right now, dont know if I should let the mechanic work on my car or just fix it at the dealership. I will check the NHTSA website.

thank you.