2000 VOLVO S70 Complaints

2000 VOLVO S70 GLT-SE; ETS LIGHT CAME ON AND VEHICLE LOST POWER ON I-10 IN HEAVY TRAFFIC. LIMPED IN TO A VOLVO DEALER. CAR WAS INSPECTED BY A VOLVO TECH. THE THROTTLE BODY WAS OUT OF FACTORY SPECS. HE REPLACED THE THROTTLE BODY ASSEMBLY AND REPROGRAMMED IT AT A COST OF $985.38. NOT WHAT ONE WOULD EXPECT FROM VOLVO. THIS EVENT NOT ONLY WAS INCONVENIENT BUT PUT MY FAMILY IN DANGER IN HEAVY INTERSTATE TRAFFIC. VOLVO SHOULD MAKE THIS RIGHT!*JB

RECENTLY MY 2000 S70 VOLVO HAS BEEN EXPERIENCING ACCELERATION PROBLEMS. MY ETS ELECTRONIC THROTTLE SYSTEM)LIGHT WILL ILLUMINATE CAUSING THE CAR TO SHUDDER AND EVENTUALLY STALL IN RUSH HOUR TRAFFIC. AFTER A FEW MOMENTS AND AFTER RE-START , THE VEHICLE WILL FUNCTION AS NORMAL. I TOOK IT TO MY VOLVO SHOP AND WAS INFORMED THAT IT IS THE ELECTRONIC MODULE AND MUST BE REPLACED BY A CERTIFIED VOLVO DEALER. I HAVE RECENTLY SET UP AN APPOINTMENT TO HAVE THIS REPAIR COMPLETED. *JB

I OWN A 2000 VOLVO S70. I EXPERIENCED THE FAILURE OF THE ELECTRONIC THROTTLE MODULE SEVERAL TIMES THIS YEAR, 2005. THE CAR WOULD OFTEN RUN ROUGH AND ATTEMPT TO STALL WHILE DRIVING. ON ONE TRIP FROM NEW ALBANY, IN, TO CLEVELAND, OH, IT HAPPENED SO OFTEN THAT I HAD TO LEAVE THE CAR IN CINCINNATI AND RENT A CAR FROM ENTERPRISE CAR RENTAL IN ORDER TO GET TO CLEVELAND. THAT RENTAL COST ME $236.04. I TRIED TO HAVE THE PROBLEM DIAGNOSED AT SEVERAL GARAGES IN SOUTHERN INDIANA, BUT TO NO AVAIL. FINALLY, I TOOK THE CAR TO VOLVO OF LOUISVILLE, KENTUCKY, ON JULY 7, 2005. THEY DIAGNOSED THE PROBLEM AS A FAULTY ELECTRONIC THROTTLE MODULE AND REPLACED THE ENTIRE THROTTLE BODY SYSTEM AT A COST OF $803.73. WHAT PROMPTED MY FILING THIS COMPLAINT WAS AN ARTICLE THAT APPEARED IN THE LOUISVILLE COURIER-JOURNAL ON AUGUST 2, 2005. IT WAS WRITTEN BY ASSOCIATED PRESS REPORTER KEN THOMAS. IT INDICATED THAT THERE HAD BEEN 136 COMPLAINTS REGARDING THE ELECTRONIC THROTTLE MODULE. ONE OF THE MODELS MENTIONED WAS THE 2000 S70 SEDAN, WHICH I OWN. *JB

LEADING UP TO THE INCIDENT MY CAR WOULD STALL OR LOSE POWER. WHILE DRIVING ON A VERY BUSY RTE 202 MY CAR LOST POWER IN THE LEFT HAND LANE. IT THE COMPLETELY DIED AND WOULD NOT START. I THEN HAD IT TOWED TO THE CLOSEST MECHANIC (FRANCIS AUTOMOTIVE IN WEST CHESTER, PA). IT WAS DIAGNOSED AS HAVING A BAD VEHICLE SPEED CONTROL WHICH COST IN EXCESS OF $1000 TO FIX. AFTER TALKING TO OTHER VOLVO OWNERS ABOUT THIS I FOUND THAT IT VERY COMMON. IN ADDITION TO THIS I HAVE A PROBLEM WITH THE AIR CONDITION WHICH STOPS WORKING AT INAPPROPRIATE TIMES. AI HAVE ALSO FOUND THAT THIS COMMON WITH 2000 S70'S. I BOUGHT THIS CAR ON VOLVO'S PAST QUALITY REPUTATION. TURNS OUT IT WAS THE BIG MISTAKE I SHOULD HAVE STUCK WITH A NISSAN OR TOYOTA! *NM

DT: VEHICLE STALLED AND LOST POWER DUE TO ELECTRONIC THROTTLE FAILURE. I TWOULD COST $1000.00 TO REPLACE IT. *AK

HERE'S WHAT HAPPENED TO US: WE (MY WIFE, THREE YEAR OLD SON AND I) WERE DRIVING OUR 2000 VOLVO S70 SEDAN DOWN INTERSTATE 95 FROM WASHINGTON DC TO NORTH CAROLINA. IN VIRGINIA, THE ELECTRONIC THROTTLE SYSTEM (ETS) SENSOR CAME ON. WE STOPPED, LIKE THE MANUAL SUGGESTED, RESTARTED THE CAR AND THE LIGHT WENT OUT. MIDWAY THROUGH VIRGINIA, THE ETS LIGHT AND CHECK ENGINE LIGHT CAME ON SIMULTANEOUSLY. WE STOPPED AND AGAIN STOPPED THE ENGINE. UPON RESTART, THE ETS LIGHT WENT OFF, BUT NOT THE CHECK ENGINE LIGHT. THIS TOOK PLACE THE WHOLE TRIP DOWN I-95. WE MADE IT HOME, BUT DON'T FEEL COMFORTABLE DRIVING OUR THREE YEAR OLD AROUND. THE VEHICLE STARTED TO LOSE SPEED WHEN THE SENSOR CAME ON. WE STOPPED ALMOST IMMEDIATELY EVERY TIME, WHICH IS NO GREAT THRILL WHEN YOU ARE DRIVING ON AN INTERSTATE. WHEN THE CRUISE CONTROL WAS SET, THE LIGHT CAME ON, KICKED OFF THE CRUISE CONTROL AND BEGAN TO SHAKE AND SHIMMER. WE STOPPED ABOUT TEN TIMES DURING A 150 MILES TRIP. *NM

DT: VEHICLE INTERRMITTENTLY STALLED AND DIED . TOOK VEHICLE TO DEALER, WHO SUGGESTED THE PROBLEM WA STHE INTAKE MANIFOLD SYSTEM. *AK

WHILE DRIVING FROM CLEVELAND TO ROSWELL, GA, THE ELECTRONIC THROTTLE CONTROL MODULE FAILED IN MY 2000 VOLVO S70. THIS CAUSED THE ENGINE TO LOSE POWER AND THE POWER-STEERING FAILED. I HAD TO PULL INTO A PARKING LOT BESIDE THE ROAD. THE ENGINE COMPLETELY STOPPED. AFTER ABOUT 30 MINUTES, I WAS ABLE TO RESTART IT. THE LOCAL VOLVO DEALER RECOMMENDED REPLACING THE MODULE AT A COST OF OVER $1000. OLD PART WAS NOT RETURNED.*JB

WE PURCHASED THE VOLVO 2000 S70 VEHICLE IN 9/01 WITH 25,000 MILES. A 30,000 MILE CHECK-UP WAS PERFORMED BY SANTA MONICA VOLVO ON 12/26/01. STEVEN AND I BEGAN A 14-MONTH ROAD TRIP AROUND THE US AND HAD THE VEHICLE MAINTAINED AT VOLVO DEALERS THROUGHOUT THE COUNTRY (THE CHECK ENGINE LIGHT PERIODICALLY CAME ON AND WE WOULD ASK THE DEALERS ABOUT IT. WE WERE TOLD NOT TO WORRY ABOUT THE LIGHT.) THE ROAD TRIP ACCOUNTS FOR THE ACCRUED MILES PUT ON THE VEHICLE IN SUCH A SHORT PERIOD OF TIME. RETURNED TO CALIFORNIA 3/04. BROUGHT THE VEHICLE INTO SANTA MONICA VOLVO TO HAVE THE 75,000 MILE CHECK-UP. THEY DID THE CHECK-UP AND WE DROVE AWAY. THE ETS AND CHECK ENGINE LIGHT CAME ON WITHIN ONE MILE, CAR BEGAN TO JERK, CALLED THE DEALER AND IMMEDIATELY RETURNED THE VEHICLE. SM VOLVO DID THE DIAGNOSTICS BUT DID NOT KNOW WHY THE ETS LIGHT CAME ON AS WE DROVE AWAY. THESE THINGS HAPPEN, THEY SAID. SM VOLVO EXPLAINED THAT CERTAIN CODES CAME UP, THEY WOULD RESET THE COMPUTER (CODE EZM#91A7 ON THE THROTTLE UNIT) AND DOWNLOAD A NEW PROGRAM. THEY WOULD BE ABLE TO REPAIR IT BY DOING ADDITIONAL WORK AND DID NOT GUARANTEE THE COMPUTER RESET. WE ASKED IF THE REPAIR WOULD BE GUARANTEED OR COULD WE DRIVE OFF AGAIN AND GET THE SAME RESULTS. THEY COULD NOT GUARANTEE THAT IT WOULD RESOLVE THE ISSUE. THIS LED US TO BELIEVE THAT EVERYTIME WE APPROVED THEM TO REPAIR THE PROBLEM, IT WOULD CONTINUE TO OCCUR. NOT GUARANTEEING THAT THEY CAN RESOLVE THE PROBLEM MADE US CONSIDER MORE RESEARCH AND/OR A SECOND OPINION. WE DECIDED TO LEAVE THE DEALER WITHOUT REPAIR. WE HAVE DRIVEN THE VEHICLE LOCALLY SINCE THEN, BUT WITH MANY FAILURES. ALOT OF JERKING, SOMETIMES THE ENGINE SHUTS OFF AND I HAVE TO SIT FOR 5 MINUTES BEFORE THE ENGINE WILL TURN ON AGAIN. THE VEHICLE CURRENTLY HAS 82,000 MILES. WE HAVE ONLY DRIVEN 5,000 IN 16 MONTHS. WE ARE ONLY USING THE VEHICLE FOR ERRANDS AND WORK. WE DO NOT WANT TO GIVE THE DEALER FREE REIGN OVER CHARGES AND REPAIRS THAT THEY CANNOT JUSTIFY OR GUARANTEE.*JB

I AM WRITING JUST TO SUPPLY ADDITIONAL INFORMATION REGARDING YOUR ONGOING INVESTIGATION PE05041. DURING THE FIRST FEW YEARS THAT I OWNED MY 2000 VOLVO S70 GLT SE, I EXPERIENCED SEVERAL ELECTRONIC THROTTLE CONTROL FAILURES, WHICH GREW PROGRESSIVELY WORSE. THE VEHICLE WOULD SUDDENLY LOSE SPEED WHEN ACCELERATING AND BE UNRESPONSIVE WHEN THE GAS PEDAL WAS DEPRESSED. THE CAR WAS STILL UNDER WARRANTY WHEN THESE FAILURES OCCURRED, SO VOLVO REPLACED THE ELECTRONIC THROTTLE CONTROL MECHANISM AT NO CHARGE. TO DATE, THE REPLACEMENT MECHANISM HAS NOT FAILED, BUT I WOULD BE INTERESTED IN KNOWING WHAT THE AVERAGE FAILURE AGE OF THE REPLACEMENT PARTS HAS BEEN. I HAVE TWO SMALL CHILDREN WHO ARE FREQUENTLY IN THE CAR WITH ME. *NM