1999 VOLVO S80 Complaints

WHILE BACKING INTO A PARKING SPACE NOTICED VEHICLE WAS ON FIRE. PLEASE PROVIDE FURTHER INFORMATION.*AK

WHEN VEHICLE TURNS LEFT STEERING WHEEL BINDS UP. STEERING WHEEL DOES NOT ALLOW VEHICLE TO MAKE A FULL LEFT TURN. WHILE ATTEMPTING TO TURN LEFT, VEHICLE WILL GO HALF WAY, AND CONSUMER IS FORCED TO REVERSE AND MOVE STRAIGHT. DEALERSHIP IS UNABLE TO REPRODUCE PROBLEM, AND ISSUE A REMEDY. ALSO, CONSUMER ATTEMPTED TO FILL THE GAS TANK W/ FUEL WHEN IT WAS 3/4 OF A WAY EMPTY. GAS NOZZLE WOULD NOT PUMP THE GAS AS IF THE TANK WAS FULL. SO CONSUMER PULLED THE FUEL PUMP OUT, AND FUEL STARTED TO SQUIRT OUT ON CONSUMER, AND A PUDDLE ON THE FLOOR. *AK

WHILE ATTEMPTING TO FILL THE FUEL TANK (3/4 EMPTY, 112 DEGREES F), THE TANK WOULD NOT ACCEPT FUEL. I REMOVED THE NOZZLE TO SEE IF THE FILLER WAS OBSTRUCTED, AND A GEYSER OF PRESSURIZED GASOLINE WAS EJECTED FROM THE FILLER NECK LASTING ABOUT FIVE SECONDS, AND DRENCHING MY CLOTHING AND THE GROUND IN A PUDDLE OF GASOLINE. FORTUNATELY THERE WERE NO IGNITION SOURCES PRESENT .

I APPROACHED A PARKING SPACE AT APPROXIMATELY 5 MPH, WITH MY FOOT ON THE BRAKE PEDAL, HOWEVER, SUDDENLY IT ACCELERATED IN SPITE OF MY FOOT PRESSING VERY HARD ON THE BRAKE PEDAL. I TRIED TO MANEUVER THE CAR WITH MY FOOT STILL ON THE BRAKE TO AVOID HITTING OTHER PARKED CARS AND FINALLY HIT BUSHES AND A SMALL TREE WHICH UPLIFTED THE FRONT WHEELS OFF THE GROUND AND STOPPED THE CAR. AT THAT POINT, THE IGNITION WAS TURNED OFF. THERE WERE HEAVY TRACK MARKS ON THE HARD SURFACE AS WELL AS ON THE GRASS LAWN, SUGGESTING THAT THE REAR WHEELS WERE LOCKED UP. I ESTIMATED $6,000 DAMAGE TO MY CAR AND PARKING AREA PROPERTY.

VEHICLE EXPERIENCED A PROBLEM WITH BALL JOINT FAILURE, CAUSING A DISCONNECTION DUE TO A FAULTY PART. MANUFACTURER NOTIFIED, AND INFORMED CONSUMER THAT THEY WERE AWARE OF THIS PROBLEM. COULD NHTSA SHARE SOME LIGHT ON THIS MATTER. PLEASE FEEL FREE TO PROVIDE ANY FURTHER DETAILS. *AK

THERE WAS A NOISE IN THE FRONT SIDE LEFT WHICH TURNED OUT TO BE SOMETHING RELATED TO THE SUB-FRAME. HOWEVER THERE IS STILL A RATTLE IN THE FRONT END WHICH I HAVE BEEN TOLD THAT ALL THE CARS HAVE. HOWEVER THE S70 LOANER CARS THEY PROVIDE DO NOT HAVE IT. THE RADIO AM PROBLEM IS FUSTRATING, AND THIS NEW PROBLEM WITH THE DOOR LOCKS JUST ADDS ICEING TO THE CAKE. I HAVE BEEN TOLD THE PART FOR THE RADIO IS NOT AVAILABLE, SO THEY WILL TRY AND MAKE IT WORK SOMEHOW. I AM JUST WAITNG FOR THE NEXT PROBLEM. THIS IS MY FIRST AND LAST VOLVO. *AK

FRONT WHEEL FELL OFF THE AXLE DUE TO GREASE SEAL, AND ALLOWED WATER TO GET INTO THE BEARING AND CORRODED IT. *AK

CAR DEVELOPED A PRONOUNCED FRONT-END "SHIMMY" NOT UNLIKE WOULD BE FELT WITH AN UNBALANCED WHEEL. DEALERSHIP CONFIRMED THAT THE TIE ROD WAS ABOUT TO FAILED.

IN OCTOBER 1999, I BEGAN NOTICING A CLUNKING NOISE EMINATING FROM BENEATH THE DRIVER'S-SIDE FOOTWELL, WHEN THE VEHICLE IS PLACED IN REVERSE, OCCASIONALLY WHEN ACCELERATING, BRAKING AND WHEN THE VEHICLE IS DRIVEN OVER ROUGHER ROAD SURFACES. THE CLUNKING NOISE IS ALSO HEARD WHEN APPROACHING AN INCLINE AND CRESTING A HILL AS WELL. I REPORTED THIS CLUNKING NOISE PROBLEM TO RAMSEY VOLVO (SELLING/SERVICING DEALER) ON 10/13/1999. THE DEALER REPLACED THE LEFT-REAR SUBFRAME MOUNT AND SECURED IT USING JB WELD, PER VOLVO SERVICE BULLETIN. ALMOST IMMEDIATELY AFTER THE REPAIR, THE CLUNKING NOISE RETURNED. ON 10/18/1999, RAMSEY VOLVO AGAIN REPLACED THE LEFT-REAR SUBFRAME BUSHING , THIS TIME USING A DIFFERENT ADHESIVE, AS RECOMMENDED BY VOLVO CARS OF NORTH AMERICA. THE DEALER ALSO REPLACED A DEFECTIVE SWAY BAR END LINK. THE CLUNKING NOISE RETURNED A WEEK LATER. ON 10/26/1999, I ALERTED VOLVO CARS OF NORTH AMERICA OF THIS RECURRING PROBLEM AND REQUESTED THAT THEY ASSIST IN THE THE REPAIR OF THIS VEHICLE. MY REQUEST FOR ASSISTANCE WENT UNANSWERED FOR SEVERAL MONTHS. ON FEBRUARY 3, 2000 VOLVO CARS OF NORTH AMERICA RECOMMENDED I AGAIN BRING MY VEHICLE TO RAMSEY VOLVO FOR REPAIR OF THE CLUNKING NOISE. I BROUGHT THE VEHICLE IN ON MARCH 16, 2000, THE DEALER CLAIMS THAT THE CLUNKING NOISE HEARD WHEN PLACING THE VEHICLE IN REVERSE, WAS CAUSED BY THE FRONT BRAKE CALIPERS AND IS CONSIDERED TO BE "NORMAL" AND DID NOT ANY OTHER CLUNKING NOISES WHILE DRIVING THE VEHICLE. I AGAIN CONTACTED VOLVO CARS AND REQUESTED THE VEHICLE REPAIRED OR REPLACED IF THE NOISE PROBLEM CANNOT BE ELIMINATED. ON MARCH 30, 2000, THE VEHICLE WAS ROAD-TESTED BY THE VOLVO CARS OF NORTH AMERICA FACTORY REPRESENTATIVE. VOLVO CARS OF NORTH AMERICA CONCLUDED THAT THE CLUNKING NOISE HEARD WHEN PLACING THE VEHICLE IN REVERSE WAS A NORMAL CHARACTERISTIC OF THE S80. HOWEVER, THE VOLVO REPRESETATIVE CLAIMS HE DID NOT HEAR ANY CLUNKING NOISE FROM THE FRONT-END OF THE VEHICLE WHEN DRIVING. THIS CONCLUSION IS FALSE.

WHILE DRIVING BETWEEN 55-60 MPH DRIVER WENT TO PASS VEHICLE WHEN ACCELERATOR PEDAL BECAME STUCK AND WENT TO FLOOR, DRIVER TURNED OFF IGNITON AND THEN PEDAL CAME BACK UP.DEALER COULD NOT REPRODUCE DEFECT. *AK