1999 VOLVO V70 Complaints

FROM FEBRUARY 2004 TO APRIL 2005, I HAVE HAD VARIOUS PROBLEMS WITH MY 1999 VOLVO XC70 AND HAVE LITTLE HELP FROM THE VOLVO DEALERSHIP IN THE MATTER. I TWICE HAD TO CALL AAA BECAUSE I STALLED MY CAR AT SCHOOL. ORIGINALLY, I THOUGHT IT MAY BE AN IGNITION PROBLEM, BUT AFTER TWO TRIPS TO JIM CULLIGAN, IT WAS DETERMINED TO BE A STEERING CONMPONENT PROBLEM. FURTHERMORE, AS THE RECORDS AT JIM CULLIGAN WILL CLEARLY DOCUMENT (AND MY OWN), I CAME BACK WITH THIS SAME PROBLEM AND TOLD THEM SO, BUT THEY SAID MY VEHICLE IS NO LONGER UNDER WARRANTY. ALL TOLD, I PROBABLY SPENT CLOSE TO $1500 ON THIS PROBLEM BY THE MANUFACTURE. *NM

MY NAME IS [XXX] AND I CURRENTLY OWN A 1999 VOLVO V70. ON AUGUST 1, I HEARD ON THE NEWS THAT NHTSA WAS INVESTIGATING A POTENTIAL ENGINE PROBLEM WITH VOLVOS. THIS WAS THE SAME DAY I WAS TAKING MY CAR TO A LOCAL VOLVO DEALER FOR ITS 150,000 MILES SERVICE AND ONE OF THE PROBLEMS I WAS PLANNING TO REPORT WAS THAT THE CAR STALLS OCCASIONALLY WHEN I AM DRIVING OR JUST LOOSES SPEED. I HAVE REPORTED THIS PROBLEM IN THE PAST TWO YEARS TO AT LEAST THREE VOLVO DEALERS IN THE NEW YORK/NEW JERSEY METROPOLITAN AREA AND I HAVE BEEN TOLD IN ALL OCCASIONS THAT THE PROBLEM COULD NOT BE REPLICATED WHEN CONDUCTING THE SERVICE. THE STALLING PROBLEM BEGAN IN 2003 AND HAS HAPPENED 12 TIMES TO DATE. IN ONE OCCASION I WAS DRIVING AT 50 MILES AN HOUR IN A HIGHWAY WHEN THIS HAPPEN. MY WIFE AND MY CHILD WERE IN THE CAR THEN. WE WERE ALL UNHARMED. WHEN I TOOK MY CAR TO THE VOLVO DEALER ON AUGUST 1, I GOT A CALL FOR THE SERVICE PERSON AND I WAS TOLD THAT THE THROTTLE OF THE CAR HAD AN INTERNAL FAULT AND NEEDED TO BE REPLACED FOR ALMOST $1,000. I WAS ALSO TOLD THAT THIS WAS THE REASON WHY MY CAR WAS STALLING OR LOOSING SPEED. HOWEVER, KNOWING THAT THE CAR MODEL IS CURRENTLY UNDER INVESTIGATION FOR A SIMILAR PROBLEM, I DECIDED NOT TO FIX IT UNTIL THE OUTCOME OF THE INVESTIGATION IS KNOWN. IN MY OPINION, THIS PROBLEM EXISTS WITH THE VOLVO MODELS -- INCLUDING MINE - AND ENCOURAGE THE NHTSA TO PURSUE THE INVESTIGATION . THANK YOU. *NM INFORMATION REDACTED PURSUANT TO THE FREEDOM OF INFORMATION ACT (FOIA), 5 U.S.C. 552(B)(6). *TR

NO EVENTS LEADING TO FAILURE. ELECTRONIC THROTTLE CONTROL MODULE FAILED WHILED DRIVING ON FREEWAY. FORCED TO MAKE EMERGENCY STOP AND HAVE VEHICLE TOWED TO REPAIR FACILITY TO HAVE THE MODULE REPLACED. *JB

THE ELECTRONIC THROTTLE MODULE IN MY 1999 VOLVO V70 AS BEGUN TO FAIL WITHOUT WARNING. OFTEN THE PROBLEM WILL FIX ITSELF UPON RESTARTING. HOWEVER, WHEN THE MODULE FAILS (AND THE ETS LIGHT COMES ON IN THE DASH), AN EXTREMELY SUDDEN LOSS OF POWER IS EXPERIENCED---ENOUGH THAT IT COULD EASILY LEAD TO A LOSS OF CONTROL. THE PROBLEM HAS OCCURRED AT LEAST 15 TIMES IN THE PAST 2 DAYS, AND IS A SERIOUS SAFETY HAZARD. VOLVO, IN THE OWNERS MANUAL FOR THE CAR, INDICATES THAT THIS FAILURE MAY SOMETIMES OCCUR (IN THE SECTION DESCRIBING THE ETS LIGHT) AND SUGGEST TRYING TO RESTART THE CAR. WHILE RESTARTING THE CAR DOES OFTEN WORK, I FIND THIS TO BE AN UNACCEPTABLE AND VERY SERIOUS SAFETY HAZARD. VOLVO'S SOLUTION FOR ME IS TO REPLACE THE THROTTLE MODULE AT $1000 OR MORE. MANY HAVE EXPERIENCED THIS SAME PROBLEM, THOUGH, AND THE DEFECT SEEMS TO BE CLEARLY SYSTEMIC. WHAT'S MORE, THERE IS NO EVIDENCE THAT VOLVO'S REPLACEMENTS WON'T EXHIBIT PRECISELY THE SAME PROBLEM. *JB

DT: THE CONTACT OWNED A 1999 VOLVO V70 XC. SHE EXPERIENCED THREE MONTH OF IMPEDED PERFORMANCE. THE PROBLEM WITH THE VEHICLE WAS PRUDENTIALLY HAZARDOUS. MANUFACTURER SHOULD DO A RECALL AND PAY THE ASSOCIATED EXPENSES. THE VEHICLE STALLED/DIED/ LOST POWER DUE TO THROTTLE BODY MALFUNCTIONING. *AK

DURING THE MONTH OF MARCH, 2005, I WAS DRIVING MY 1999 VOLVO V70 ON THE INTERSTATE AT 65 MILES PER HOUR WHEN THE CAR JERKED SEVERAL TIMES AND SLOWED TO 10 MILES PER HOUR; NOT ACCELERATING PASS THAT SPEED. I EXITED THE INTERSTATE AND DROVE HOME AT THE SPEED OF 10 MILES PER HOUR OR LESS. TO PREVENT THE CAR FROM STOPPING AT RED LIGHTS, I PLACED THE CAR IN PARK AND PRESSED THE ACCELERATOR TO KEEP THE CAR FROM STOPPING. I HAD THE CAR TOWED TO VOLVO SOUTH ATLANTA AND IT WAS DETERMINED THAT THE THROTTLE BODY HAD TO BE REPLACED AT A COST OF $905.44. THE PARTS WERE DISPOSED OF BUT I HAVE A RECEIPT FOR THE THROTTLE BODY, GASKET AND ETM RELOAD. *NM

ELECTRONIC THROTTLE (ETM) HAS FAILED AFTER A RECENT INSPECTION BY DEALER. NOW $1200 ESTIMATE TO FIX PROBLEM. WARRANTY IS FOR 6 YEARS, 100K MILES. ONLY 93K ON CAR BUT DEALER STATES WARRANTY EXPIRED IN FEBRUARY. LOTS OF REPORTS OF SIMILAR PROBLEMS. *JB

"CHECK ENGINE" LIGHT CAME ON 8/3/05. TOOK CAR TO DEALERSHIP FOR DIAGNOSIS. SAID IT WAS MALFUNCTION OF THROTTLE THAT REGULATES AIR GOING INTO ENGINE. NO CONSEQUENCES AS OF YET. *NM

LOSS OF POWER ON HIGHWAY CAR SLOWED TO 20 MPH ON HIGHWAY, REPLACED ETM MODULE ALSO HAPPENED IN JAN 2005 HAD ETM CLEANED AS PER SERVICE BULLETIN. *NM

11/12/04 MASS AIR FLOW SENSOR REPLACED 12/16/04 MAP SENSOR & SHUT OFF VALVE REPLACED 3/15/05 SHUT OFF VALVE REPLACED AGAIN! 1/18 05 MASTER WINDOW SWITCH PACK REPLACED - 5/31/05 MASTER WINDOW SWITCH PACK REPLACED AGAIN!! 3/17/05 ELECTRONIC THROTTLE CONTROL MODULE REPLACED!!! 5/9/05 OXYGEN SENSOR AND ABS CONTROL UNIT REPLACED. WHEN THE THROTTLE CONTROL MODULE FAILED IN MARCH 2005, MY 1999 VOLVO V70 HAD ONLY 55,000 MILES ON IT! I WAS ON THE EXPRESSWAY WHEN MY CAR LOST POWER AND HAD NO WAY TO GET BACK ONTO THE ROAD SAFELY.....I HAVE SPENT OVER $4000 IN THE PAST YEAR REPLACING ELECTRICAL CONTROL UNITS IN ORDER TO MAKE THIS CAR SAFE. THE CHECK ENGINE LIGHT CAME MULTIPLE TIMES OVER THE PAST YEAR. I AM AFRAID TO DRIVE THIS CAR FOR FEAR OF SOMETHING ELSE GOING WRONG WITH THE ELECTRICAL SYSTEM. I HAVE FOUR SMALL GRANDCHILDREN WHO ARE WITH ME AT LEAST THREE DAYS A WEEK. *NM