1999 VOLVO S70 Complaints

VEHICLE SPEED CONTROL: VEHICLE ENGINE DIES FOR NON REASON WHILE UNDER WAY. VEHICLE RESTARTS IMMEDIATELY. NO ERROR CODE SET IN COMPUTER. *JB

ELECTRONIC THROTTLE CONTROL CAUSES CAR TO STALL REPEATEDLY- OFTEN IN SITUATIONS WHERE IT IS UNSAFE TO PULL OVER. *JB

1. I NOTICED THE PROBLEM WHEN I WAS DRIVING ON THE HIGHWAY. THE CAR FELT LIKE IT WAS LOSING POWER OR MISSING LIKE IT WAS GONG TO STOP RUNNING. FORTUNATELY, UNLIKE OTHERS, I WAS NOT STRANDED. 2. MY 75,000 MILE SERVICE WAS DUE SO I TOOK THE CAR IN FOR THAT AND ALSO LET THE VOLVO DEALER KNOW ABOUT THE PROBLEM. 3. THEY RAN DIAGNOSTICS AND DETERMINED IT TO BE THE ELECTRONIC THROTTLE MODULE. THEY REPLACED THE PART WITH A NEW REDESIGNED PART. I DO NOT KNOW IF THE OLD PART IS AVAILABLE. P.S. THE DEALERSHIP CALLED VOLVO AND VOLVO AGREED TO PAY FOR THE PART NOT THE LABOR, WHICH SAVED ME ABOUT $500. THAT WAS A GOOD GESTURE. 8JB

I HAVE A 1999 VOLVO S70 THAT I BROUGHT IN TO A VOLVO REPAIR SHOP FOR A 105,000 MILE CHECK UP (MOSTLY FOR THE REPLACEMENT OF THE TIMING BELT). THE CAR WAS OTHERWISE WORKING FINE. FOLLOWING REPLACEMENT OF THE TIMING BELT, TENSIONER, OIL CHANGE, LUBE, ETC. (ALL THE THINGS IN THE STANDARD 105,000 MILE CHECK-UP), THE CAR WOULD NO LONGER IDLE. THE SHOP IDENTIFIED THE PROBLEM AS THE ELECTRONIC THROTTLE MODULE. IT REMAINS UNCLEAR WHY IT FAILED AS PART OF A ROUTINE CHECK-UP. THE PART WAS REPLACED AND THE REPLACEMENT PART ALSO FAILED TO WORK (IT WOULDN'T ACCEPT THE SOFTWARE). THE SECOND REPLACEMENT THROTTLE MODULE DID WORK AND THE CAR IS NOW WORKING. THE COST OF THIS REPAIR, HOWEVER, WAS $902.00--$551.50 FOR THE PART ALONE. THE REPAIR SHOP SPECIALIZES IN VOLVOS AND INDICATED THAT THIS WAS A FREQUENT PROBLEM, CURRENTLY UNDER INVESTIGATION BY YOUR OFFICE (NTSB ACTION # PE05041). I WANTED TO ADD MY EXPERIENCE TO YOUR COMPLAINT FILE. THIS CAN BE VERIFIED THROUGH THE REPAIR SHOP, RANDALL AUTOMOTIVE INC., 1720 WASHINGTON AVE. EXT., RENSSELAER, NY 12144-9482.

PART OF 10133805, SECOND VEHICLE S70, CATASTROPHIC FAILURE, STALLED WHILE GOING 35 IN MODERATE TRAFFIC. IF IT HAD FAILED 20 SECONDS LATER THERE COULD HAVE BEEN AN ACCIDENT. RESTARTED 30 SECONDS LATER IN LIMP HOME MODE, ETM REPLACED. *SMCH. *AK

ETS LIGHTS COMES ON/OFF. CAR CONTINUES TO BREAK DOWN, LAST TIME ON INTERSTATE. DEALER SAYS DOESN'T KNOW WHAT'S WRONG.

THE ENGINE THROTTLE CONTROL LIGHT ACTIVATED SPORADICALLY BEGINNING IN JULY, 2005. I NOTICED THAT THE CAR WAS NOT PERFORMING ADEQUATELY WHEN GOING UPHILL OR IN SEVERE HEAT. MY HUSBAND CONTACTED THE VOLVO DEALERSHIP IN ALLENTOWN, PA WHERE WE PURCHASED THE VEHICLE. HE WAS TOLD THAT THE COST TO REPAIR SAME WOULD BE OVER $800. WE DECIDED TO PASS ON THIS REPAIR DUE TO THE COST AND THOUGHT THAT ANOTHER AUTO SERVICE MECHANIC COULD PERFORM THE REPAIRS AT A LESSER PRICE. APPROXIMATELY 3 WEEKS LATER, THE ETS LIGHT WAS ACTIVATED ON EVERY OCCASION THAT THE VEHICLE WAS USED. SINCE A SECOND MECHANIC (NOT AFFILIATED WITH VOLVO) STATED THAT HE WAS UNABLE TO DO THE REPAIRS, WE DECIDED TO CONTACT ANOTHER VOVLO DEALERSHIP. THE REPAIR OF THE THROTTLE BODY AND ETM "RELOAD" WAS PERFORMED BY A VOLVO OF FORT WASHTINGTON, PA AT A COST OF OVER $800 ON AUGUST 17, 2005. AFTER READING THE NUMBER OF COMPLAINTS THAT NHTSA RECEIVED ON THIS VERY SAME PROBLEM AND THE POTENTIAL FOR INJURY, WE DECIDED TO HAVE THE REPAIR PERFORMED. WE DID CONTACT VOLVO IN ROCKLEIGH, NJ VIA EMAIL AND RECEIVED AN INITIAL RESPONSE FROM A MR. JOHN WILLETS REQUESTING INFORMATION ON OUR VIN NUMBER AND MILEAGE. WE SUPPLIED SAID INFORMATION ON THE SAME DATE (AUGUST 10, 2005). WE DID NOT HEAR BACK FROM HIM DESPITE REPEATED REQUESTS VIA EMAIL. WE HAD TO PAY THIS EXPENSIVE REPAIR BILL TO ENSURE THE SAFETY OF OUR FAMILY.

I HAVE A 1999 VOLVO S70. IT HAS HAD A PROBLEM LOSING SPEED AND STALLING WITHOUT WARNING. I HAD A MAJOR REPAIR DONE IT TO FIX THE PROBLEM. I UNDERSTAND THAT THIS VEHICLE MODEL IS UNDER INVESTIGATION FOR THIS SAME PROBLEM.

1) I WAS DRIVING ALONE ALONG STATE HIGHWAY 283 IN PA, WHICH IS A 4 LANE (2 EACH DIRECTION) HIGHWAY IN A RURAL AREA WITH A POSTED SPEED LIMIT OF 65, BETWEEN LANCASTER AND HARRISBURG. MOST TRAFFIC WAS TRUCKS (TRACTER TRAILERS). 2) THE CAR (VOLVO S70 AWD), TRAVELLING SMOOTHLY ON CRUISE CONTROL AT ABOUT THE SPEED LIMIT, SUDDENLY LOST POWER. ENGINE WAS STILL RUNNING, BUT AT A MUCH LOWER RPM, AND RUNNING BADLY. FORTUNATELY I WAS IN THE FAR RIGHT LANE. I PULLED OFF THE ROAD ALMOST IMMEDIATELY TO AVOID BEING HIT BY THE TRUCK BEHIND ME. I NOTICED THE ETS YELLOW WARNING LIGHT WAS ON. THE VEHICLE SEEMED ABLE TO OPERATE, ALBEIT ROUGHLY, AT ABOUT 30-35MPH. BEING IN A RURAL AREA, I DROVE IN THIS OFF THE HIGHWAY LANE UP TO THE NEXT EXIT. I TOOK THE RAMP OFF THE HIGHWAY, GOT TO THE TOP OF THE RAMP, AND THE CAR SEEMED TO BE REASONABLE. BEING IN A RURAL AREA WITH NOWHERE SEEN FOR REPARIRS, I ACCELERATED DOWN THE RAMP TO THE HIGHWAY, WITH THE CAR SEEMING A BIT SLUGGISH, BUT OTHERWISE OK. THEN IT LOST POWER AGAIN AT THE BOTTOM OF THE EXIT RAMP. I PULLED OVER, TO THE SOUND OF THE HORN OF ANOTHER TRUCK WHICH WAS BEHIND ME. I SHUT OFF THE CAR; WAITED A FEW SECONDS; AND RESTARTED THE CAR. IT RAN MUCH BETTER, BUT THE ETS LIGHT WAS STILL ON. AFTER PULLING BACK ONTO THE HIGHWAY, EVERYTHING WAS OK FOR AWHILE, BUT I RAN INTO PROBLEMS WHEN I HIT SOME SLOWING TRAFFIC. WHEN I TRIED TO ACCELERATE FROM THE SLOWDOWN THE CAR DID NOT RESPOND. IT WAS AS IF I HADN'T JUST PRESSED THE PEDAL. I NURSED IT TO A VOLVO DEALERSHIP AS SOON AS POSSIBLE THAT DAY. 3) THE THROTTLE BODY WAS REPLACED AFTER DEALERSHIP FIRST PERFORMED A DIAGNOSTIC ON THE ENGINE. THE DIAGNOSTIC SHOWED 5 LINE ITEMS FOR THE "THROTTLE UNIT, INTERNAL FAULT..." I HAVE A COPY OF THE PRINT OUT OF THIS REPORT. I HAVE DRIVEN THE CAR ABOUT 150 HIGHWAY MILES SINCE THE REPAR. THE PROBLEM HAS NOT BEEN OBSERVED DURING THIS TIME.

THE ELECTRONIC THROTTLE SYSTEM MODULE (ETS) HAD REPLACED. I HAD NOTICED THE ETS LIGHT CAE ON AND THEN GO OFF SHORTLY AFTERWARD ABOUT 3 TIMES IN TWO WEEKS. THE CAR LACKED THE NORMAL POWER. THE TACHOMETER NEEDLE WOULD SWING BACK AND FORTH AS I COULD FEEL A REVVING IN THE GAS PEDAL. I UNDERSTAND THAT HAD I NOT REPAIRED THE CAR, THE CAR COULD HAVE LOST POWER COMPLETELY UNEXPECTEDLY.*AK