The Associated Press

The U.S. National Highway Traffic Safety Administration has ordered Volvo to recall about 360,000 cars because of a problem with vehicle speed controls that can cause engines to lose power without warning.

Volvo Cars of North America, a unit of Ford Motor Co., is recalling vehicle speed controls on some C70, C70 convertible, S60, S70, S80, V70, V70XC and XC70 models. A malfunctioning electronic throttle module may cause the vehicles to unnecessarily go into "limp home" mode, in which the vehicle's speed is limited to 16 to 48 km/h, the NHTSA said.

Dealers will install upgraded software on the affected vehicles' electronic throttles.

Separately, the NHTSA also ordered DaimlerChrysler AG's Chrysler Group to recall 127,928 Chrysler Pacificas from the 2005-2006 model years. The crossover vehicles have fuel pump modules and powertrain control module software that could cause the engine to stall under certain conditions, causing a crash to occur without warning.

Dealers will reprogram the powertrain control module and replace the fuel pump module on Pacificas built from Aug. 1 to Sept. 30, 2004.