2000 VOLVO S70 Complaints

I JUST READ ON YOUR WEBSITE AN ACTION SUMMARY REGARDING "FAILURE OF THE ELECTRONIC THROTTLE CONTROL MODULE (ETM)". I DID EXPERIENCED THE SAME PROBLEM IN SEPT. 2003 ON MY 2000 S70GLT. THE CAR SUDDENLY LOST POWER ON THE HIGHWAY AND SLOW DOWN. I GOT HONKED BY SO MANY OTHER DRIVERS WHEN I WAS TRYING TO PULL OVER TO THE ROAD SIDE. LUCKILY I DID NOT GET HIT BY ANY OTHER CAR. THE SYMPTOM DISAPPEARED AFTER I SHUT AND RESTARTED THE ENGINE. WHEN IT HAPPENED FOR THE SECOND TIME LATER DURING THE SAME WEEK, I DECIDED TO DRIVE TO THE DEALER'S SHOP FOR AN EMERGENCY CHECKOUT. I SHUT AND RESTARTED THE ENGINE BUT STILL THE CAR IS SHAKING AND COULD NOT ACCELERATE TO NORMAL SPEED. SO, I HAD TO TURN ON EMERGENCY LIGHTS AND DROVE VERY SLOWLY TO THE DEALER'S SHOP. THAT DAY I SPENT $1,111 FOR THEM TO REPLACE THE MOTOR THROTTLE MODULE AND IT IS NOT COVERED WITH MANUFACTURER WARRANTY SINCE THE CAR ALREADY HAS 78K MILES ON THE METER. THE PROBLEM GOES AWAY AFTER THE REPAIR. HOWEVER, SINCE THAT TIME IT HAS STARTING PROBLEM FROM TIME TO TIME. IT ALWAYS START OKAY BUT SOMETIMES THE ENGINE SPEED DROP AND STOP AFTER A FEW SECONDS OF RUNNING. THEY COULD NOT FIND OUT WHAT IS WRONG IN THE CAR AND IT IS HARD TO REPRODUCE THE PROBLEM WHEN I BROUGHT THE CAR TO THEM. THE FUNNY THING IS THAT I JUST HAD A 105K MILES MAINTENANCE FULLY TUNED AT THE DEALER'S SHOP TWO WEEKS AGO AND THEY SAID THE CHECKING AND MAINTENANCE WENT WELL AND THE CAR RUNS NICELY. IN THIS MORNING IT HAPPENED AGAIN WHEN I WAS RUSHED TO WORK. I GOT STUCK AT MY GARAGE FOR 15 MINUTES BEFORE I FINALLY STARTED THE ENGINE. I SUSPECT THESE SYMPTOMS ARE STILL RELATED TO THIS ETM DEFECT. *NM

ELECTRONIC THROTTLE SYSTEM IN MY 2000 VOLVO S70 NEEDS TO BE REPLACED. MY VOLVO STALLED IN THE MIDDLE OF AN INTERSECTION, I DIDN'T KNOW WHY THIS WAS HAPPENING. 2 DAYS LATER MY ETS LIGHT CAME ON AND I DID SOME RESEARCH ABOUT WHAT THIS WAS AND FOUND OUT THAT THERE IS SOME ARBITRATION GOING ON REGARDING 98-2001 VOLVOS WITH THIS SAME ISSUE AND THERE IS SOME TALK ABOUT A RECALL. I FEEL THAT THIS IS VERY DANGEROUS, AND IF THIS WERE TO HAPPEN ON A BUSY HIGHWAY GOING 65-70 MPH AND MY CAR STALLED, THE RAMIFICATIONS COULD BE TREMENDOUS. I FEEL THAT IF THERE IS SUCH A BIG ISSUE WITH THIS PARTICULAR PART ON VOLVOS THAT IT SHOULD BE RECALLED FOR THE SAFETY OF THE CONSUMERS WHO HAVE PURCHASED THESE VEHICLES. IT SEEMS TO BE THE ETHICAL THING THAT VOLVO COULD DO. I TOOK MY CAR TO THE VOLVO DEALERSHIP TODAY (8/23/05) AND ASKED THEM IF THERE WAS ANYTHING BEING DONE ABOUT THIS ISSUE AND THEY TOLD ME NO, THAT I WOULD HAVE TO PAY FOR IT OUT OF MY OWN POCKET UNTIL THERE WAS A RECALL. I HAD TO PAY $1200.00 OUT OF MY POCKET FOR A DEFECT IN A VEHICLE THAT SHOULD BE MADE GOOD BY THE COMPANY WHO MAKES THESE CARS.

MY 2000 VOLVO S70 SE LOOSES SPEED AND THE ETS LIGHT COMES ON. I WAS DRIVING ABOUT 60 KM/H IN TRAFFIC AND THE CAR ALMOST STALLED WITHOUT WARNING... I HAD TO QUICKLY STOP ON THE SIDE OF THE ROAD (NOT FUN!). I TURNED THE IGNITION OFF FOR FEW MINUTES AND THE PROBLEMS DISAPPEARED. GOT HOME - TOLD MY WIFE WHAT HAPPENED AND SHE TOLD ME SAME HAPPENED WITH HER ABOUT A MONTH OR MORE AGO - BUT SHE FORGOT TO MENTION THIS TO ME BEFORE (TYPICAL - HAHAHA). ANYWAY.. THIS PROBLEM IS A SAFETY ISSUE AND NEED VOLVO TO FIX BEFORE ME OR MY FAMILY GETS HURT...

WHILE DRIVING ON THE HIGHWAY (JUST NORMAL HIGHWAY DRIVING), I LOST CONTROL OF THE CAR - THE GAS SEEMED TO STICK AND THE ENGINE REVVED UP AND THEN THE CAR JUST SHUT DOWN. IT SEEMED TO STALL. THIS HAPPENED TWICE BEFORE IT TOOK IT IN FOR REPAIR. I TOOK IT TO THE DEALERSHIP AND THEY REPLACED THE ELECTRONIC THROTTLE SYSTEM FOR $2,000. IT HAS NOT HAPPENED AGAIN BUT DURING OTHER ROUTINE MAINTENANCE IT WAS FOUND THAT THE THROTTLE SYSTEM WAS NOT FUNCTIONING PROPERLY SO IT WAS REPLACED FOR A SECOND TIME.

EVER SINCE PURCHASING OUR VOLVO, THERE HAS BEEN POWER REDUCTION AND SURGES OF WHICH I'VE BROUGHT UP TO THE DEALERSHIP WHERE PURCHASED. MY HUSBAND HAS ASKED WHAT MAY CAUSE THIS SORT OF THING BECAUSE WE DIDN'T WANT IT TO BE THE TRANSMISSION. WE WERE TOLD IT WAS PART OF THE WAY A VOLVO WORKS. THE INCIDENT THAT LED TO IT HAVING TO BE REPAIRED WAS WHEN WE RETURNED FROM AN HOUR AND HALF DRIVE AND PULLED INTO A PARKING LOT WHERE THE ENGINE STARTED REVVING CONTINUOUSLY. A LIGHT CAME ON THE DASH, ESL. THE ONLY THING IN THE MANUAL I COULD FIND WAS WHAT THE INITIALS STOOD FOR-ELECTRONIC THROTTLE SYSTEM. WE WERE ABLE TO DRIVE IT HOME AFTER SHORT WHILE BECAUSE OF A SAFETY DEVISE IN THE VEHICLE THAT ALLOWS THIS APPARENTLY. THE NEXT DAY MY HUSBAND CALLED OUR DEALERSHIP WHO WE BOUGHT IT FROM AND WAS TOLD WE HAD TO TAKE IT TO A GARAGE 50 MILES AWAY BECAUSE THEY'RE THE ONLY ONES WITH THE EQUIPMENT TO DIAGNOSE AND REPAIR THE PROBLEM. WE CONTINUED OUR QUESTIONING OF THE SITUATION AND 3 MECHANICS IN 3 DIFFERENT GARAGES TOLD US THEY WERE AWARE OF THE PROBLEM BUT THERE WAS NO RECALL (YET). HOWEVER, I UNDERSTAND FROM AN ACQUAINTANCE NOW THAT THE REPAIR IS ONLY A BAND AID AND THE PROBLEM WILL RETURN BECAUSE A COMPONENT NEEDS TO BE REPLACED. THE COST FOR THIS REPAIR WHICH IS ULTIMATELY A COMPUTER CHIP REPLACEMENT AND DOWNLOAD IS APPROXIMATELY $1100. THE GARAGE PERFORMING THE REPAIR HAS ALSO ALERTED US OF A HEAD LIGHT DEFECT THAT COST $55 TO REPAIR AND SUGGESTED WE TAKE CARE OF IT BECAUSE THE HEADLIGHTS MIGHT JUST STOP WORKING AT ANY GIVEN TIME. *JB

WHILE DRIVING AT 65 WITH CRUISE CONTROL ON, THE ETS LIGHT CAME ON AND THE CRUISE CONTROL TURNED OFF CAUSING THE CAR TO DECELERATE SUDDENLY. THIS IS A SAFETY ISSUE AS IT CAN LEAD TO A COLLISION FROM THE REAR. THE CAR WAS STILL DRIVABLE WITH MANUAL CONTROL OF THE ACCELERATOR, BUT EXPERIENCED INTERMITTENT STUTTERING WHILE BEING DRIVEN AT HIGHWAY SPEED. DIAGNOSTIC BY THE DEALER REVEALED THAT THE ELECTRONIC THROTTLE MODULE IS FAILING AND MUST BE REPLACED. THE COST OF THE REPAIR BEING 900 DOLLARS.*JB

I OWNED A VOLVO S70 2000 MODEL WITH A VARIETY OF MAINTENANCE ISSUES RELATED TO STALLING AND SURGING. I HAD TO PAY FOR A NEW THROTTLE MODULE, AIR MASS SENSOR AND THROTTLE CLEANING. I BELIEVE THIS COST OVER $1000 ON PARTS THAT SHOULD HAVE BEEN DESIGNED TO LAST FAR LONGER THAN THEY DID. YOU CAN FIND MORE INFO ON THIS PROBLEM AT HTTP://WWW.VOLVO-FORUMS.COM/LOFIVERSION/INDEX.PHP/T1877.HTML. *JB

CHECK ENGINE LIGHT CAME ON FIRST WEEK OF AUGUST '05. HAD OBD II CODE READ, FAILURE LOW IDLE. TOOK CAR TO VOLVO DEALERSHIP, DIAGNOSTIC TROUBLE CODE ECM-620 IDLE FAULT, ELECTRONIC THROTTLE MODULE IS FAILING. I HAD THE ETM REPLACED. IT APPEARS FROM WHAT I HAVE READ THAT AN EXCESSIVE NUMBER OF ETM'S HAVE FAILED ON VOLVOS 1999-2001 MODEL YEARS AND ARE CURRENTLY UNDER INVESTIGATION BY THE NHTSA. I HOPE THAT THIS INVESTIGATION LEADS TO A RECALL IN WHICH CASE CONSUMERS THAT HAVE ALREADY PAID FOR THE REPAIR WILL BE REIMBURSED BY VOLVO OR THE DEALERSHIP WHERE SERVICE AND PAYMENT WAS MADE. *NM

MY 2000 VOLVO S70 FAILED ON I-55 IN MS. AND I HAD TO PULL OFF THE ROAD IN HIGH SPEED TRAFFIC. IT WAS VERY DANGEROUS. EACH TIME THE FAILURE WAS IMMEDIATELY PRECEDED BY THE ETS LIGHT COMING ON. *NM

FAILURE OF ELECTRONIC THROTTLE CONTROL MODULE RESULTED IN SUDDEN AND PERSISTENT LOSS OF SPEED AND STEERING ASSIST WITHOUT WARNING WHEN DRIVING ON HIGHWAY IN TRAFFIC.*JB