Volvo Repair: S60 Electrics, brake warning light, battery cables

Question
James,
I have a 2001 S60.  Almost since it was new it experienced strange electrical issues.  Nothing in particular has gone wrong, but I'm worried.  As a for instance, occasionally when I hit the door lock button, the interior lights will flash including some warning lights on the dash.  The same behavior has occurred when hitting a large pothole.  My DSTC light also comes on periodically and stays on until I restart the car.  I've even had the brake warning light (and message) come on only to reset when I restart the car.  My dealers have never found anything wrong.  Do I have cause for concern down the line, or is this pretty typical and harmless?

Thanks.

Answer
These systems are very sensitive to the voltage in the system.  When the battery gets low, or if you have loose battery cables that get bumped, or the altenator belt slips, for example, the electrical systems can act really goofy giving strange problems, warnings, or symptoms.  If everytime you reset the car the problems goes than I wouldn't worry about it as a major problem.  The only thing you should be on the look out for is if the same warning keeps repeating itself (brake light comes on everytime you turn for example), or if the problem stays on for an extended time (light stays on after the car is restarted for example).  Some cars are worse about this than others and the S80 and XC90 are the worst.  If you every have a dead battery, jump starting won't work half the time because the whole electrical system has to be reset by the Volvo Diagnostic computer at the dealer.  Hope that helps.

James