Quick Update - I was able to find on the internet two other cases where 2004 XC90's had experienced the same symptons that I had experienced. In both cases, the CEM was the culprit. I relayed that information to the service manager who was unable to reproduce the fault under normal operating ...

Never thought about the immobilizer angle. Thx for the suggestion. We do have additional keys for the vehicle, but only one key was in the vehicle while we were traveling. Does the immobilizer turn off the fuel pump, or do you know how it reacts? For instance, I thought immobilizer's typically ...

ok, so according to the dealership, you can't have both all weather mats AND the carpet mats "snap together". meaning that you can have the carpet mats on the all weather mats, but they aren't meant to snap together. Doesn't quite sound right to me, but, I have given up on this and moved onto bigger ...

thx MadeinJapan! I will check out the battery very closely. Its interesting, I looked all over the net, and couldnt find a similiar problem. The closest I have found is a posting that discusses the role of the Central Electronic Module. Any thoughts on whether that module may be failing? Brad

I am wondering if anyone else has heard of this problem and solution. On a 6 hour drive to Los Angeles, my 69,000 miles, 2004 Volvo XC 90 experienced a severe "thump" in the front end, which was then followed by a very brief (split second) internal (meaning dashboard lights, hi-fi, dome lights, etc ...