1998 V70 NA 5 speed 150K miles

My son lives in another city and borrowed the car for a few weeks. This evening he brought the car home and said that he experienced occasional problems with the steering.

He was driving in the left lane on the interstate and suddenly the steering wheel jerked by itself to the left. He didnt lose control but it was enough to move the car onto the left side rumble strip of the highway. A similar unexplained steering jerk happened a couple of other times in the past 3 weeks.

The problem didnt happen today during his 100 mile trip home. I just finished driving the car at 50-60 mph for 15 miles and didnt notice any obvious problem.

The front suspension is in good condition. Struts, spring seats (heavy duty XC90 version) and inner tie rods were replaced when I bought the car about 50,000 miles ago. Sway bar bushings and end links are good. Michelin tires are new and well balanced. Steering has no slop and normally doesnt pull to either side.

The steering rack is original and has no leaks, but I doubt the PS fluid has ever been flushed.

Has anyone ever experienced a sudden steering jerk like this ? So far it has happened very infrequently, but it could be a dangerous condition.

Thanks,

Mike