During operation of the vehicle during cold weather, the driver noticed a hesitation when applying pressure to the accelerator pedal and heard a slight "crunching" sound. At a later date, consumer was driving approx. 35-45 mph on a road with hills (up and down). While driving up an incline, the driver experienced same hesitation and heard a horrible "punching" sound. The vehicle came to a complete stop while another vehicle rapidly approached from the rear. The other vehicle had to swerve suddenly to avoid hitting consumer's vehicle. The consumer & passenger had to roll vehicle down the hill and call for help. Dealer examined vehicle and determined that the left axle had pulled out of the transmission (due to a pin that had broke). The dealer performed a temporary fix by banging axle back into the transmission. Also, dealer found that the left ball joint was broken (unknown when this occurred). Dealer later replaced entire transmission. Consumer would like to know if there are other reports regarding safety related issues on Volvo V70.

- South Harpswell, ME, USA