1998 VOLVO S70 Complaints

99 V 235 000/HEADLIGHT SWITCH: CONSUMER STATES THAT THE HEAD LIGHTS WENT OUT WHILE DRIVING AT NIGHT. A RECALL IS ON THIS MAKE & MODEL, BUT THE DEALER AND THE MANUFACTURER INFORMED THAT THE VEHICLE VIN# WAS NOT COVER UNDER THAT RECALL. NLM

THE ABS CONTROL UNIT FAILED. THE ABS IS DISABLED BY THE FAILURE. A NEW ABS CONTROL UNIT IS ON ORDER AT THE VOLVO DEALER. IT IS COVERED BY WARRENTY. I'M REPORTING THIS AS A SAFETY ISSUE BECAUSE THE ABS SYSTEM IS A SAFETY SYSTEM AND IT SHOULD NOT FAIL DUE TO A DEFECTIVE PART. ALTHOUGH NOT VALID FOR YOUR DATA COLLECTION, I CAN SAY I KNOW OTHER PEOPLE WITH THE SAME VOLVO WHO HAVE HAD THE SAME PROBLEM. MR

PROBLEM REPORTED TO DEALER AND VOLVO NA. CRITICAL PART OF SAFETY SYSTEM, OUT OF WARRANTY, $553 REPAIR COST. KNOWN DEFECT IN S/V/C 70 SERIES. *AK

WHILE DRIVING, I NOTED THAT THE ABS LIGHT WAS ON. THE NEXT TRIP IN THE CAR, THE ABS SIGN WAS STILL ON. I WAITED BECAUSE INTERMITTENTLY VARIOUS LIGHTS COME ON MY DASH, DISAPPEAR, AND NEVER REAPPEAR. I WENT TO THE DEALER TO VERIFY THE FAILURE OF THE ABS. THE DEALER AFFIRMED THE FAILURE AND REPLACED THE ABS. THE CAR IS A 1998 S70. TWO OF MY COWORKERS HAVE DISCOVERED THAT THEY HAVE TO HAVE THEIR ABS REPLACED, WITHIN ONE MONTH OF MY ABS FAILURE. ONE COWORKER HAS A VOLVO THAT IS THE SAME YEAR AS MINE; THE OTHER CAR IS A YEAR OR 2 OLDER. THIS SOUNDS LIKE MANUFACTURER PLANNED OBSOLESCENCE TO ME. HOW COULD THIS BE A COINCIDENCE? I BOUGHT THIS CAR BECAUSE OF ITS REPUTATION FOR RELIABLE STURDY STRUCTURE AND SAFETY AND I AM DISAPPOINTED.*AK

ABS IS WORKING ONLY SOME OF THE TIME (VOLVO OF LAS VEGAS HAS CONCLUDED THAT ABS MODULE IS FAULTY AND NEEDS TO BE REPLACED). YOU NEVER KNOW AT WHICH POINT WHEN YOU ARE DRIVING THAT THE ABS DECIDES NOT TO FUNCTION ANYMORE. BRAKING CAN BECOME QUITE WORRISOME AND FRIGHTENING ABS IS A CRITICAL SAFETY COMPONENT OF THE CAR AND VOLVO HAS FAILED TO CORRECT THIS PROBLEM. THE SPORADICALLY FUNCTIONING ABS SYSTEM CAN BECOME VERY DANGEROUS AND CAUSE A SERIOUS, IF NOT FATAL ACCIDENT. VOLVO STANDS FOR SAFETY AND THEY SHOULD STAND BEHIND THEIR PRODUCT. THIS FAULTY ABS MODULE HAS BECOME A MAJOR PROBLEM FOR 1998 S70'S. I BELIEVE THE NHTSA SHOULD MANDATE A RECALL.*AK

THIS IS A COMMON, EXPENSIVE, AND POTENTIALLY DANGEROUS FAILURE ON 1998 VOLVO 70-SERIES.. *AK

VEHICLE WOULD VIBRATE WHEN APPLYING BRAKES. DEALER NOTIFIED, AND HAD FRONT BRAKE ROTORS AND PADS REPLACED ON TWO SEPARATE OCCASIONS, BUT PROBLEM IS STILLOCCURRING. FEEL FREE TO PROVIDE ANY FURTHER INFORMATION.*AK

I PURCHASED THIS CAR IN MAY 1997 AND THE WARRANTY EXPIRED IN MAY 2001. IN JULY OF 2001, I NOTICED THAT THE ABS WARNING LIGHT ON THE DASHBOARD WOULD INTERMITTENTLY FLASH ON AND OFF. IT DID NOT SEEM TO AFFECT MY REGULAR BRAKING. AT MY NEXT OIL CHANGE IN DECEMBER I REPORTED THIS PROBLEM TO THE DEALER. THEY CHECKED IT OUT AND FOUND NO PROBLEM. NOW A YEAR LATER I FOUND THAT THE ABS LIGHT WAS STAYING ON FOR LONGER AND LONGER PERIODS, BUT IT WAS STILL INTERMITTENT. I BROUGHT THE CAR IN THIS MONTH WHILE THE LIGHT WAS ON. THEY TESTED IT WITH THE COMPUTER AND FOUND THAT THE ABS CONTROL MODULE HAD FAILED. BESIDES BEING A $600 ITEM, THIS MEANT THAT WHENEVER THE LIGHT WAS ON, WHICH WAS OFTEN OVER THE LAST YEAR, I ACTUALLY HAD NO ABS FUNCTION ALTHOUGH I HAD NO WAY OF KNOWING IT. I HAVE SINCE SPOKEN TO OTHER VOLVO OWNERS WHO HAVE HAD THE SAME PROBLEM WITH INTERMITTENT FAILURE OF THIS MODULE. I AM REPORTING THIS BECAUSE I FEEL THAT THIS IS A DEFECTIVE PART MADE BY VOLVO, AND VERY DANGEROUS. IF SOMEONE IS ON AN ICY SURFACE AND STEPS ON THE BRAKD HARD TO ACTIVATE THE ABS, THEY WILL BE SHOCKED TO FIND OUT THE THE SYSTEM HAS FAILED BECAUSE THE ABS WARNING LIGHT IS ON. THIS MODULE SHOULD LAST FOR THE LIFE OF THE CAR. *AK

HEADLIGHTS WILL GO OUT WHILE CONSUMER IS DRIVING, AND THE ONLY WAY TO KEEP HEADLIGHTS ON IS TO HOLD SWITCH IN THE ON POSITION. CONTACTED DEALER. *AK

TIRE STARTED SHOWING SLOW LEAK. AFTER FINDING FLAT AFTER SITTING FOR 3 DAYS, RE-INFLATED AT HOME THEN DROVE TO SERVICE STATION TO FULLY INFLATE. TWO DAYS LATER TIRE WAS AT ZERO PSI. RE-INFLATED AGAIN AND TOOK TO SERVICE STATION FOR FLAT FIX. DISCOVERED THAT OVER 50% OF THE SEAM BETWEEN THE TREAD AND THE CARCASS HAD SEPARATED. STEEL PLY EASILY VISIBLE. ONE STRAND OF THE STEEL PLY HAS MOVED OUT FROM THE PLY AND HAS POKED THROUGH THE RUBBER. TIRE WAS MOUNTED 9/2000. IT HAS 9 TO 10,000 MILES OF MOSTLY CITY DRIVING ON IT. OTHER TIRES MOUNTED AT SAME TIME ARE HOLDING PRESSURE. I HAVE NOT YET HAD THEM CHECKED FOR ANY PROBLEMS. I AM HAVING THE INSTALLING COMPANY LOOK AT THE TIRE AND I AM WORKING WITH WWW.TIRERACK.COM FOR REPLACEMENT OF THIS TIRE.*AK