2000 VOLVO V70 Complaints

1. OUR 2000 VOLVO V70 CROSS COUNTRY SE WITH JUST 67,000 MILES ON THE ODOMETER HAD SURGING WHEN UNDER CONSTANT THROTTLE ON THE ROAD. THIS WAS FOLLOWED SHORTLY BY HAVING SEVERE THROTTLE RESPONSE SUCH AS HAVING THE CAR ABRUPTLY SLOWED FROM 55 MPH TO 10 MPH AT A CONSTANT THROTTLE. MY WIFE, COMING HOME FROM WORK LATE AT NIGHT, HAD TO DRIVE AT A VERY UNSAFE 10 MPH ON A MAJOR ROAD. THIS COULD HAVE CAUSED AN ACCIDENT HAD THERE BEEN HEAVIER TRAFFIC. LUCKILY THERE WAS NOT MUCH TRAFFIC, AND SHE COULD PULL OVER TO LET FASTER CARS PASS. 2. THE V70 HAD A ETM WARNING LIGHT LIT UP INTERMITTENTLY ON THE DASHBOARD DURING THE SURGING PERIOD AS WELL CONSTANTLY WHEN SHE HAD TO DRIVE HOME AT 10 MPH WITH THE ACCELERATOR PEDAL FLOORED. 3. DARLING VOLVO IN BANGOR MAINE INDICATED THAT THE CAUSE WAS THE ELECTRONIC THROTTLE MODULE AND ASSOCIATED PARTS WHICH WERE FAILING AND NEEDED REPLACEMENT. 4. DARLINGS VOLVO ESTIMATED THE COST TO BE OVER $1000 FOR THE REPAIR, PARTS AND LABOR. WE WERE TOLD THAT THIS PART CAN NOT JUST BE REPAIRED BUT MUST BE REPLACED WITH A NEW PART. ANOTHER VOLVO DEALER, GOODWINS VOLVO IN TOPSHAM MAINE SAID THE REPAIR WAS ALSO ABOUT $1000. DARLINGS VOLVO SAID THAT VOLVO WOULD NOT ASSIST IN THE REPAIR, EVEN THOUGH I TOLD THEM THAT I HAD READ ON THE INTERNET THAT THIS WAS A PROBLEM THAT WAS OCCURRING WITH VOLVOS OF THIS MODEL YEAR TO A GREAT EXTENT. 5. AFTER PAYING FOR THE ENTIRE COST OF THE REPAIR ($1050.48) I WAS TOLD WHEN I PICKED UP THE CAR THAT THIS PROBLEM WILL PROBABLY REOCCUR AS THE THROTTLE BODY HAS DESIGN PROBLEMS THAT WILL CAUSE THE PROBLEM ONCE AGAIN. EVEN THOUGH SO FAR THE CAR IS WORKING FINE, KNOWING THAT THE PROBLEM IS GOING TO HAPPEN AGAIN (MORE $), MAKES US DISCOURAGED ABOUT KEEPING THIS VEHICLE AS IT HAS COST US TOO MUCH ALREADY FOR THIS NEEDLESS REPAIR THAT VOLVO SHOULD HAVE TAKEN CARE OF. IT DOES NOT LEND ITSELF TO TRUST ANY MORE, ESPECIALLY FOR A CAR WITH ONLY 67,000 MILES ON IT. *NM

AS I WAS DRIVING THE ENGINE WOULD MOMENTARILY LOOSE POWER, THEN RESUME & THE ETS LIGHT WOULD COME ON. THE ETS LIGHT WENT OUT AFTER A WHILE. I REPORTED THIS TO MY SERVICE PEOPLE AND WAS TOLD THAT THIS WAS AN INTERMITTENT PROBLEM AND TO BRING IT IN WHEN THE LIGHT STAYED ON. THIS HAPPENED APPROXIMATELY 10 TIMES AND THE LAST TIME IT HAPPENED I HAD JUST GOTTEN ONTO THE EXPRESSWAY AND THE CAR LOST POWER. I WAS IN THE MIDDLE OF FAST MOVING TRAFFIC AND THE CAR WOULD NOT MOVE. MANY CARS HAD TO SWERVE AROUND ME CAUSING A GRAVE TRAFFIC HAZARD. I WAS VERY LUCKY THAT NO ONE HIT MY CAR AND POSSIBLY CAUSING SERIOUS INJURY. I CALLED FOR A TOW TRUCK AND AFTER WAITING ABOUT 15 MINUTES I DECIDED TO TRY AND START MY , THE ETS LIGHT WAS STILL ON. FORTUNATELY THE ENGINE HAD REGAINED POWER AND I WAS ABLE TO DRIVE OFF THE EXPRESSWAY AND BRING IT TO BE SERVICED. *JB

DURING HIGHWAY DRIVING, THE CAR BEGAN TO SURGE AND BUCK. I WAS UNABLE TO MAINTAIN A CONSISTENT SPEED. I PULLED OFF THE HIGHWAY AND TURNED OFF THE IGNITION AND RESTARTED. SAME PROBLEM RESUMED WITH ETS (ELECTRONIC THROTTLE SYSTEM) DASH WARNING LIGHT ILLUMINATED. CURRENTLY I AM UNABLE TO ACCURATELY CONTROL THE THROTTLE VIA FOOT PEDAL. I HAVE JUST VISITED THE BORTON VOLVO DEALERSHIP AND THE SERVICE MANAGER INFORMED ME THAT THIS IS A COMMON PROBLEM AFFECTING VOLVOS 1999-2001 REQUIRING REPLACEMENT OF ETCS ( ELECTRONIC THROTTLE CONTROL SYSTEM) MODULE AT $1000.00+. *JB

I WOULD LIKE TO ADD MY NAME TO THE NUMBER OF PEOPLE COMPLAINING ABOUT THEIR VOLVO'S ENGINE STALLING REPEATEDLY WITHOUT WARNING. I BELIEVE THIS MIGHT BE FROM THE UNIT THAT REGULATES THE AMOUNT OF AIR INTO THE VEHICLES ENGINE. I PURCHASED MY 2000 VOLVO V70XC FROM SANTA MONICA VOLVO IN OCTOBER 2001 AND IT IS STILL UNDER WARRANTY. OVER THE LAST YEAR AND A HALF MY ENGINE HAS STALLED OVER 20 TIMES WHILE DRIVING WITHOUT ANY WARNING. SEVERAL TIMES THIS OCCURRED WHILE I WAS DRIVING 65 MILES AN HOUR ON A FREEWAY THAT ALMOST RESULTED IN SERIOUS CAR ACCIDENTS. SOMETIMES I CAN RESTART THE CAR IMMEDIATELY, OTHER TIMES THE CAR HAS TO SIT FOR A WHILE, BUT FOUR TIMES I HAD TO HAVE THE CAR TOWED. THE FIRST TIME THE ENGINE DIED ON JULY 5, 2004 I HAD THE CAR TOWED TO A VOLVO REPAIR SHOP IN VALENCIA, CALIFORNIA. THE NEXT MORNING THE REPAIR SHOP CALLED AND TOLD ME THE CAR STARTED FOR THEM WITHOUT ANY PROBLEMS. SO I DROVE TO SANTA MONICA VOLVO ON JULY 7, 2004 AND THEIR SERVICE DEPARTMENT REPLACED THE BATTERY. TWO MONTHS LATER (SEPTEMBER 1, 2004) WHEN THE CARS ENGINE DIED AGAIN WHILE I WAS DRIVING, THE CAR WAS TOWED TO SANTA MONICA VOLVO AND THE SERVICE DEPARTMENT TOLD ME THAT NOTHING WAS WRONG WITH MY CAR. I TOLD THE SERVICE DEPARTMENT THAT I DID NOT WANT THE CAR BACK UNTIL THEY FOUND WHAT WAS WRONG WITH IT. THE SERVICE REPRESENTATIVE THEN SPOKE TO A MANAGER AND CALLED ME BACK TO SAY THAT MY ALTERNATOR WAS PUTTING OUT LOW VOLTAGE AND THEY REPLACED IT. THEN ON JUNE 30TH MY VOLVO LOST ALL POWER AGAIN WHILE I WAS DRIVING AND WOULDN'T START. THE CAR WAS TOWED BACK TO SANTA MONICA VOLVO WHERE I WAS TOLD THEY NEEDED TO DO A THROTTLE BODY CLEANING AND THEN REPLACE THE MASS AIR FLOW METER FOR A TOTAL OF $708. I BOUGHT MY VOLVO FOR SAFETY REASONS AND I HAVE NEVER FELT MORE UNSAFE DRIVING A CAR. I SINCERELY HOPE THAT YOUR INVESTIGATION LEADS TO A RECALL OF MY VOLVO. IT IS THE BIGGEST LEMON THAT I HAVE EVER OWNED! *JB *SC *TR

IN JANUARY OF 2005 THE ETM UNIT FAILED ON OUR 2000 VOLVO XC70. IT RAN ERRATICALLY AND STALLED. ALAN BYER VOLVO IN SYRACUSE REPLACED THE ETM PART AT A COST OF $1100. *JB

IN JANUARY OF 2005 I NOTICED SURGING WHILE AT HIGHWAY SPEEDS. BROUGHT VEHICLE TO VOLVO OF PLEASANTON DEALER TO HAVE THIS INVESTIGATING. NO PROBLEMS WERE FOUND. NO OBDII ERRORS. IN APRIL, 2005 I BROUGHT THE CAR IN AGAIN AND ASKED FOR A MECHANIC TO DRIVE WITH ME SO THAT I COULD ENSURE HE WAS DETECTING THE SURGING. HE DID. I WAS TOLD THAT THE ELECTRONIC THROTTLE MODULE WAS FAILING AND THAT IT NEEDED TO BE REPLACED. I WAS TOLD THAT I COULD NOT HAVE THE PART AS IT WAS A WARRANTY ITEM. ON-LINE, I FOUND HUNDREDS OF REPORTS OF THESE PARTS FAILING. I AM NOW CONCERNED THAT WHILE VOLVO REPLACED MY ETM, THEY DID SO WITH THE EXACT SAME DESIGN... HENCE I MUST ASSUME THAT IN ANOTHER 45,000 MILES THE PART WILL FAIL AGAIN. THIS PART SHOULD BE RECALLED AND A NEW DESIGN MUST BE INSTITUTED. *NM

I OWN A 2000 V70 XC VOLVO. AT APPROXIMATELY 56,000 MILES THE ETS (ELECTRONIC THROTTLE SYSTEM) LIGHT CAME ON. SINCE THEN THE CAR SEEMS TO HAVE INSTANCES OF ACCELERATION HESITATION. I AM THE SECOND OWNER OF THE VEHICLE. I PURCHASED IT APPROXIMATELY THREE YEARS AGO WITH LESS THAN 30,000 MILES FROM A PRIVATE PARTY. ALL REQUIRED AND RECOMMENDED MAINTENANCE HAS BEEN PERFORMED BY THE DEALER OR BY TRAINED VOLVO MECHANICS ON THE RECOMMENDED SCHEDULE BY BOTH ME AND THE PRIOR OWNER. I AM AWARE THAT THIS APPEARS TO BE A FREQUENT PROBLEM WITH THE 99-01 VOLVO XCS. I HAVE CONTACTED THE ORIGINAL DEALER AND RECEIVED NO SATISFACTION ABOUT REPLACING WHAT CLEARLY APPEARS TO BE A DEFECTIVE PART BASED ON MY PRIOR EXPERIENCE WITH SIMILAR VEHICLES. THE DEALER SAID THE PROBLEM COULD HAVE A NUMBER OF CAUSES AND THAT AN ELECTRONIC DIAGNOSTIC TEST WAS NECESSARY TO IDENTIFY THE SOURCE. GIVEN MY UNDERSTANDING OF OTHER OWNERS' EXPERIENCES I REQUESTED THAT THEY PERFORM THE TEST AT THEIR EXPENSE ($70) IN THE INTERESTS OF SAFETY AND TO HELP VOLVO BETTER UNDERSTAND THE CAUSE OF THE PROBLEM. THE DEALER DECLINED. MY OWNER'S MANUAL DOES NOT DISCUSS ANY REQUIRED OR RECOMMENDED MAINTENANCE FOR THE ASSOCIATED PARTS OR SYSTEM. I AND THE PRIOR OWNER HAVE ALWAYS USED THE RECOMMENDED QUALITY OF FUEL (91 OCTANE). I DO VIEW THE POTENTIAL FAILURE OF THE ETS AS A SIGNIFICANT SAFETY RISK BASED ON THE POTENTIAL FOR FAILURE AT HIGHWAY SPEEDS AND THE RAPID LOSS OF SPEED IN HEAVY TRAFFIC. MUCH OF MY DRIVING OF THIS CAR IS ON FREEWAYS WITH 75 MPH SPEED LIMITS AND WITH HEAVY TRAFFIC VOLUMES. FROM THE CURRENTLY AVAILABLE RESEARCH IT WOULD APPEAR THAT THIS IS AN ISSUE FOR WHICH VOLVO SHOULD ACCEPT RESPONSIBILITY AND PROVIDE APPROPRIATE REPLACEMENT PARTS. GIVEN THE EXPERIENCE OF OTHERS AND THE APPARENT SAFETY RISK THIS DOES NOT APPEAR TO BE A "REGULAR MAINTENANCE/PARTS SIMPLY WEAR OUT" SITUATION. *JB

WHILE DRIVING MY 2000 VOLVO V70XC ON THE HIGHWAY, THE CAR TOOK ITSELF OUT OF CRUISE CONTROL AND BEGAN TO FLUCUATE +/- 3 MPH IN SPEED. THE ETS LIGHT CAME ON TOO. AFTER PULLING OFF THE HIGHWAY AND TURNING THE ENGINE OFF, I RE-STARTED THE CAR AND DROVE HOME WITHOUT INCIDENT. MY LOCAL MECHANIC (HOSHI MOTORS OF BOULDER, CO) DOWNLOADED THE ENGINE CODES (904D, 91AC) WHICH HE SAID INDICATED THAT THE ETM NEEDED TO BE REPLACED. THE ETM WAS REPLACED ON 7/27/05 AT A COST OF $908.60. THE PROBLEM HAS NOT OCCURRED AGAIN. THE ETM WAS RETURNED TO ME AND IS AVAILABLE. THIS COMPLAINT IS RELATED TO NHTSA ACTION NUMBER PE05041. *JB

ELECTRONIC THROTTLE MODULE ETM CAUSING HESITATION WHILE DRIVING IN HEAVY TRAFFIC. VOLVO DEALERS SERVICE MANAGER SUGGESTED BRINGING THE CAR BACK WHILE THE ETS WARNING LIGHT WAS STILL ON. STATED THAT THE ETM SHOULD BE CLEANED EVERY 30K MILES OR REPLACED. NOTHING IN THE SERVICE MANUAL MENTIONS THIS TYPE OF SERVICE. THE HESITATION WAS INTERMITTENT BUT VERY UNCOMFORTABLE DRIVING WHILE IT WAS HAPPENING. *NM

ELECTRONIC THROTTLE CONTROL (ETS) FAILED - I HAD A LOSS OF POWER AND CONTROL THE CAR IS AN V70 XC 2000 WITH 46000 K MILES. *JB