Safety

My 2012 VE Commodore Series 2 3.6-litre V6 is stalling when turning left around corners. The mechanics can't find a fault in the vehicle, but it is dangerous when the engine stops while your turning a corner, as you lose power steering and brakes. Any ideas about what could be causing this?

Recently, in my workplace car park, I had an accident in my 2008 VW Tiguan diesel. I hit a concrete support pole at full speed and am unsure as to what happened. I have had many incidents of an unresponsive accelerator – a flat spot and then the car takes off at speed as it rights itself. I am a bit dazed as my accident happened in mere seconds, but I think the same thing happened and my accelerator jammed and the car flew forward. Before I could even hit the brake I collected the pole and the car is a write off. Just hoping you may have some feedback.

My wife's 2010 Toyota Corolla was recently recalled to replace the potentially faulty front passenger airbag. The staff on Toyota's customer service and recall hotlines are very courteous and pleasant, but are limited in what they can say. I was told parts were not available probably until October at the earliest. In response to my questions I was also told priority would be given to older cars, which are more susceptible to the fault. Our car has been parked outdoors in the sun and rain much of its life, exposed to the elements that actually degrade the airbag. I asked if the airbag could be disabled by a Toyota technician until it was repaired, as my daughter is often in that seat, and was told Toyota could not do that as it was illegal to do so. Is that correct?

I want to let others know about the problem we have had with 
our 2014 Volvo XC70, which was still under warranty. A trailer malfunction light 
kept coming up and the sunroof leaked. We took these problems back to Volvo
 to have them repaired, but they were unable to. The car, while travelling at 80 km/h 
had a massive electrical fault and the first message to come up was Trailer
 Malfunction, even though we have never towed anything with the car, then brake system
 failure, and finally total system failure. This resulted in losing control of the 
car because everything is electric. The air bags exploded and then the cabin 
filled with smoke and fire quickly took over the car. Luckily I was able to put the car into Park and drag
 my kids out and run down the road. When we turned back the flames had 
engulfed the car. Volvo has now closed the case with no investigation. 
Has anyone else had this problem?

I want to let others know about the problem we have had with 
our 2014 Volvo XC70, which was still under warranty. A trailer malfunction light 
kept coming up and the sunroof leaked. We took these problems back to Volvo
 to have them repaired, but they were unable to. The car, while travelling at 80 km/h 
had a massive electrical fault and the first message to come up was Trailer
 Malfunction, even though we have never towed anything with the car, then brake system
 failure, and finally total system failure. This resulted in losing control of the 
car because everything is electric. The air bags exploded and then the cabin 
filled with smoke and fire quickly took over the car. Luckily I was able to put the car into Park and drag
 my kids out and run down the road. When we turned back the flames had 
engulfed the car. Volvo has now closed the case with no investigation. 
Has anyone else had this problem?

I am a student looking for my first car. I'm currently undecided between a secondhand 2014 VW Polo 66TSI with 45,000 km at $12,000, a new Mazda 2 or Toyota Yaris with AEB. Safety is my priority, followed by the overall cost of the car, servicing included. I'm also considering that I'll want to sell the car after 5 years. Which car should I take?