U.S. Upgrades Probe of Volvo Vehicles

U.S. auto-safety regulators upgraded their investigation of cars made by Ford Motor Co.’s Volvo unit that may slow or stop without warning.

The inquiry, which might lead to a recall, covers 356,000 sedans, station wagons and convertibles from model years 1999 through 2002 with electronic throttle controls, the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration said.

There have been 76,622 warranty claims related to the electronic throttle and 3,500 complaints that the cars slow or stop because of the faulty part, the agency said. The models include the C70, S60, S70, S80, S90, V70 and V70XC.