1994 VOLVO 850 Complaints

I OWN A 1994 VOLVO 850 SEDAN. I WAS PARKED ON A BUSY DOWNTOWN PORTLAND ST. AND GOT IN MY CAR, TURNED ON THE IGNITION AND MY AIRBAG DEPLOYED. IT WAS SO LOUD I THOUGHT I HAD BEEN SHOT. (AS DID PASSERSBY) MY CAR FILLED WITH WHAT I THOUGHT WAS SMOKE (DUE TO GUNPOWDER SMELL) AND GOT OUT QUICKLY. I WAS VERY DISTRAUGHT AND IN SHOCK...MY ARMS AND CHEST HAD BURNS AND CUTS AND BRUISES INSTANTLY. I WENT TO THE ER..THANKFULLY NOTHING BROKEN BUT NOW MY INSURANCE COMPANY (FARMER'S) IS SAYING IT'S NOT COVERED SINCE IT IS "SO RARE" AND THEY FEEL "DEFECTIVE EQUIPMENT". I THEN CONTACTED VOLVO HEADQUARTERS AND THEY ARE SAYING THAT SINCE THE CAR IS 14 YRS. OLD THERE COULDN'T POSSIBLY BE A "FACTORY DEFECT". AT THIS POINT I'M NOT SURE WHAT'S GOING TO HAPPEN BUT NOBODY SEEMS TO BE ABLE TO HELP ME WITH THIS. I FEEL LIKE I AM SUCH AN INNOCENT VICTIM IN ALL THIS. ALL I DID WAS TRY TO START MY CAR........... *TR

TL*THE CONTACT OWNS A 1994 VOLVO 850. THE VEHICLE CHECK STRAP HAS FAILED AND IS CAUSING THE METAL TO WEAR OUT AND DAMAGE THE HINGES. THE FAILURE IS CREATING A HOLE IN THE DOOR. THE DEALER STATED THAT THE PILLARS NEED TO BE REPLACED. THE COST FOR THE REPAIR IS $947. THE POWERTRAIN WAS UNKNOWN. THE CURRENT AND FAILURE MILEAGES WERE 18,700.

DRIVERS SIDE WIPER DOES NOT CLEAR WINDSHIELD. THEY SAY TO TIGHTEN NUT BUT IT NO LONGER WORKS. I WOULD HAVE TO REPLACE TOTAL ASSEMBLY. I WAS TOLD THIS IS A PERSISTENT PROBLEM WITH THE 850. SHOULDN'T THIS BE FIXED BY VOLVO? *JB

I BELIEVE IT'S THE ELECTRONIC THROTTLE CONTROL. I'VE HAD THE PART REPLACED AND YET THE CAR STILL RUNS POORLY. IT STALLS, LOOSES SPEED, AND QUITS RUNNING ALL TOGETHER. IT IS A VERY SERIOUS AND DANGEROUS SITUATION. *JB

DT: THE CONTACT STATED VEHICLE WAS LEAKING OIL BUT HE WAS UNSURE WHERE IT WAS COMING FROM. THE DEALERSHIP SUGGESTED CHANGING THE MASTER CYLINDER AND IT WAS CHANGED AT A LOCAL SERVICE STATION, HOWEVER THE LEAK CONTINUED. THE CONTACT CLAIMED THE LEAK WAS COMING FROM THE ABS. THE MODULE WAS CHANGED, THE LEAK STOPPED AND THE BRAKES WORKED PROPERLY. HE THEN RECEIVED NHTSA RECALL 04V368000 CONCERNING THE FUEL SYSTEM. RECALL REPAIR WAS PERFORMED BUT THERE WAS STILL A SMELL OF FUEL. THIS HAPPENED WITH THE WINDOWS UP OR DOWN. THE CHECK ENGINE LIGHT WAS CAME ON. UPON INSPECTION AT THE DEALERSHIP THE COMPUTER FOUND THE AIR MASS FLOW METER WAS NOT WORKING PROPERLY. THIS CAUSED THE VEHICLE TO IDLE ROUGHER AND NOT RUN SMOOTHLY. THE AIR MASS FLOW METER HAS BEEN REPLACED FOUR TIMES BY THE DEALERSHIP. THE CHECK ENGINE LIGHT WAS STILL ON. *AK UPDATED 12/27/2005. *NM

MY 1994 850 VOLVO STATION WAGON WOULD SUDDENLY LOOSE POWER AND STALL. I BROUGHT THE CAR TO MY VOLVO MECHANIC ( AN UNAUTHORIZED DEALER) WHO TRIED 3 TIMES TO FIX THE PROBLEM. I READ SOME CONSUMER ALERTS THAT DESCRIBED THE SAME PROBLEMS BUT DID NOT INCLUDE MY YEAR. I CALLED VOLVO AND THEY WOULD NOT HELP UNLESS I WENT TO AN AUTHORIZED DEALER. THE AUTHORIZED DEALER WOULD NOT WORK WITH MY MECHANIC. *NM

I AM HAVING PROBLEMS WITH MY CAR CUTTING OFF WHILE DRIVING. STRANGELY, FIRST IT STARTED OUT CUTTING OFF WHENEVER I WOULD MAKE A RIGHT TURN. THE CAR WOULD JUST CUT OFF, ALL THE LIGHTS IN THE DASH WOULD COME ON. I HAVE HAD THREE AUTO REPAIR PLACES LOOK AT IT. OF COURSE I WAS ADVISED TO DO SEVERAL THINGS WHICH THEY THOUGHT WOULD FIX THE PROBLEM. IT DID NOT. WELL THE LASTEST AND WORST HAPPENED ON 8/6 WHEN THE CAR CUT OFF WHILE DRIVING AND ON A BUSY STREET. FORTUNATELY, I WAS ABLE TO COAST TO THE FAR SIDE AND SWITCH THE CAR OFF AND IT STARTED RIGHT BACK UP. PLEASE I NEED HELP. I AM SCARED TO GET ON THE INTERSTATE IN FEAR THAT IT WILL SHUT DOWN ON ME.

DT:THE CONTACT OWNS A 1994 VOLVO 850. THE VEHICLE WILL STALL WHILE DRIVING HE HAS HAD THE VEHICLE SERVICED NUMEROUS TIMES AND THE MECHANIC CANNOT DUPLICATE THE PROBLEM. THIS HAPPENS WHILE DRIVING AT ACCELERATING, DECELERATING, STARTUP, AND OTHER TIMES. THERE IS NO WARNING TO THIS FAIKURE.THERE IS NO AVERAGE SPEED FOR THIS OCCURRENCE. IF AN A BACKROADTAKE FOOT OF TO GO AROUND THE CURVE THE VEHICLE WILL STALL. WITHIN KAST YEAR IT HAPPENED ON CHRISTMAS DAY. THEN TWO WEEKS KATER, AND THEN THREE AND A HALF MONTHS LATER, AND TODAY AUGUST 10,2005 IT HAS HAPPENED FOUR TIMES. THE ENGINE WILL RESTART ABOUT FOUR OR FIVE MINUTES AFTER THEN STALLING. THE TRANSMISSION IS AUTOMATIC.*AK

DT: THE OWNER NOTICED AFTER DELIVERY OF VEHICLE THAT THERE WAS NO CHANGE IN THE MILEAGE. THE GAUGE WOULD READ HOW FAST THE OWNER WAS TRAVELING, BUT NOT HOW FAR THE VEHICLE WAS TRAVELING. THE OWNER NOTICED THIS WITHIN THE FIRST 10 MILES OF DRIVING. THE VEHICLE WAS PURCHASED ON THE PHONE AFTER VIEWING A WEBSITE. THE DEALERSHIP WHO SOLD THE VEHICLE DID NOT INDICATE THAT THERE WAS A DISCREPANCY. ALSO, CERTAIN FIELDS IN THE VEHICLE INFORMATION THAT COULD HAVE BEEN CHECKED TO INDICATE AN ODOMETER PROBLEM, AND THESE FIELDS WERE NOT CHECKED. WHEN THE OWNER ASKED ABOUT THE MILEAGE ON THE VEHICLE THE OWNER WAS TOLD BY SALESMAN THAT THERE WERE 131,889 MILES. THIS WAS THE SAME MILEAGE THAT WAS ON THE TITLE AND ON THE WEB SITE. THIS WAS THE MILEAGE THAT THE ODOMETER SHOWED BECAUSE THE ODOMETER WILL NOT ADVANCE AS THE MILEAGE INCREASED. THE OWNER GOT THE TITLE ON AUGUST 9 2005, AND THE TITLE STATED AS OF MARCH 2003 THERE WERE 122,042 MILES. ON VEHICLE. THE MILEAGE ADVANCED ABOUT 10,000 MILES SINCE 2003. THE OWNER CONTACTED THE DEALERSHIP ON AUGUST 5 2005 ABOUT THE ODOMETER PROBLEM, AS WELL AS A ENGINE PROBLEM. THE DEALERSHIP CLAIMED THEY DID NOT KNOW ABOUT THE MILEAGE PROBLEM, AND WAS UNCONCERNED ABOUT IT. THE OWNER TOOK THE CAR TO A VOLVO DEALERSHIP FOR REPAIRS, BUT VOVLO HAS NEVER SEEN THIS PROBLEM WITH THE SPEEDOMETER WORKING BUT NOT THE ODOMETER. *AK

1994 850 GLT VOLVO WAS TOTAL DESTROYED BY FIRE. *MR THE CONSUMER WAS DRIVING THE VEHICLE WHEN THE SEAT FELT HOT, THEN IT BEGUN TO SMOKE AND SMELLED BURNING. THE DEALER DISCONNECTED THE SEAT HEATER CIRCUITS. SHORTLY AFTER THAT, THE VEHICLE WAS TURNED ON AND BEGUN TO SMOKE AGAIN. FLAMES WERE SHOOTING OUT FROM UNDERNEATH THE DRIVER'S SEAT. *SC