2001 VOLVO V70 Complaints

THE EVENTS LEADING UP TO THE FAILURE WAS A ROUGH IDLE (VEHICLE WOULD SURGE TO 1100 RPM AND DROP TO 500 RPM) WHILE AT A STOP. THE VEHICLE ALSO STALLED TWICE WHILE IDLING IN PARK. I CONTACTED THE VOLVO DEALERSHIP TO MAKE AN APPOINTMENT FOR SERVICE. ON MY WAY HOME FROM WORK THE DAY BEFORE I WAS TO DROP THE VEHICLE OFF AT THE DEALERSHIP, THE VEHICLE STALLED IN AN INTERSECTION. THERE WAS A NEAR COLLISION DUE TO THE STALL. I WAS ABLE TO RESTART THE VEHICLE AND DRIVE IT TO THE SHOULDER. I CALLED THE DEALERSHIP AND DESCRIBED THE PROBLEM. I ASKED THE SERVICE ADVISOR IF IT WOULD DAMAGE THE VEHICLE IF I WOULD CONTINUE TO DRIVE IT. HE INDICATED THAT THEY COULD NOT MAKE A RECOMMENDATION. I ASKED THEM IF THEY WOULD TOW THE VEHICLE TO THEIR FACILITY. THEY REFERRED ME TO A PRIVATE TOWING COMPANY. THERE WAS NO ANSWER TO THE PHONE NUMBER I WAS GIVEN. I DECIDED TO WAIT FOR THE TRAFFIC TO SUBSIDE AND DRIVE TO THE DEALERSHIP USING SECONDARY ROADS. I WAS ABLE TO KEEP THE VEHICLE RUNNING BY PUTTING THE VEHICLE IN NEUTRAL AND APPLYING THE GAS PEDAL TO KEEP THE IDLE HIGH WHENEVER I APPROACHED A STOP. WHEN I WAS APPROXIMATELY 1 MILE FROM THE DEALERSHIP, THE GAS PEDAL STOPPED FUNCTIONING ALTOGETHER. THE CHECK ENGINE LIGHT CAME ON AS WELL AS AN EMISSION SERVICE REQUIRED MESSAGE. I TURNED THE VEHICLE OFF AND RESTARTED IT. THE GAS PEDAL RESUMED WORKING BUT THE CHECK ENGINE LIGHT AND EMISSION SERVICE REQUIRED MESSAGE CONTINUED. I LEFT THE VEHICLE AT THE DEALERSHIP (APPROX. 7:30 P.M. '' BY THIS TIME THEY WERE CLOSED). THE FOLLOWING DAY, THE VOLVO SERVICE ADVISOR INFORMED ME THAT THE PROBLEM WAS RELATED TO THE ELECTRONIC THROTTLE MODULE (ETM). I WAS TOLD THAT THERE WAS AN EXTENDED WARRANTY FOR THIS PART (10-YEARS, 200,000-MILE). THE SERVICE INCLUDED A CLEANING OF THE PART AND RELOADING OF SOFTWARE. AFTER LEARNING THIS, I SEARCHED THE INTERNET AND FOUND THIS PROBLEM WAS TYPICAL TO THIS MAKE AND MODEL. IT IS ONLY A MATTER OF TIME UNTIL YOUR REPORTS WILL SOON SHOW AN INCREASE IN THE INJURIES. *JB

I HAVE A 2001 VOLVO V70 XC WAGON. THE CAR WAS REVVING HIGH FOR A WHILE WHEN SHIFTING GEARS, I TOOK IT TO THE DEALERSHIP, AND THEY TOLD ME THERE WASN'T A PROBLEM. ABOUT A MONTH OR SO LATER THE ETM FAILED. I WAS BEING LEFT STRANDED AT FREEWAY OFF RAMPS, AND GREEN LIGHTS WHEN THE CAR WOULD SUDDENLY DIE. IT'S A MIRACLE I WASN'T REAR-ENDED! AFTER A TERRIBLE EXPERIENCE TRYING TO GET THE DEALERSHIP TO HONOR THE ETM WARRANTY, (THEY ONLY CLEANED THE ETM THEY DID NOT REPLACE IT-SAYING IT WASN'T BAD ENOUGH!), A MONTH HAS PASSED AND NOW MY TRANSMISSION HAS FAILED! THE DEALERSHIP GAVE ME A $5300 ESTIMATE FOR REPLACEMENT AS IT IS UNREPAIRABLE! I TOOK IT TO OUR REGULAR MECHANIC, AND HE TOLD ME THE TRANSMISSION FAILURE @ 70,000 MILES HAPPENED BECAUSE THE ETM WOULDN'T ALLOW THE TORQUE CONVERTER DO WHATEVER IT IS A TORQUE CONVERTER DOES, AND THAT CAUSED THE OIL TO HEAT UP AND THEN THE RESULTING TRANSMISSION FAILURE. HE SAID THERE IS NO ONE AROUND WHO WILL TOUCH MY TRANSMISSION. I HAVE TO USE A DEALER TO REPLACE IT. I AM COMPLETELY DEVASTATED AND CANNOT AFFORD TO REPLACE THE TRANSMISSION. THE CAR IS A LEMON. IT HAS ALMOST CAUSED ME TO BE INVOLVED IN ACCIDENTS, AND I'D REALLY APPRECIATE IT IF SOMEONE COULD CONTACT ME ABOUT WHAT RESOURCES I HAVE. YOU ARE WELCOME TO TEST MY CAR! I HAVE READ ON THE INTERNET ABOUT OTHERS WHO ARE EXPERIENCING THE SAME PROBLEMS WITH THEIR ETMS AND THEN SUBSEQUENT TRANSMISSION FAILURES. PLEASE HELP!*JB

ETM FAILED IN HEAVY TRAFFIC LAST YEAR. I HAVE BEEN ADVISED VOLVO IS NOT RECALLING BUT WILL COMPENSATE OWNERS FOR THE ETM REPAIRS. GO TO THE VOLVO WEBSITE AND E-MAIL THEM WITH REQUEST FOR REIMBURSEMENT AND THEY WILL INSTRUCT WHERE TO SEND RECEIPTS FOR REPAIRS. THEY ARE SUPPOSEDLY SENDING LETTERS BUT I DID NOT GET ONE NOR WAS I CONTACTED BY THE DEALER WHERE THE REPAIRS WERE MADE. I HAVE HAD MANY EXPENSIVE PROBLEMS WITH MY V70 2001 XC BEFORE AND AFTER IT WAS OUT OF WARRANTY. THEY SHOULD RECALL AS ETM IS A MAJOR SAFETY ISSUE. WHY NOT?? CLASS ACTION SUIT ANYONE? I WILL NEVER BUY A VOLVO AGAIN. *JB

WE HAVE EXPERIENCED THE "REDUCED POWER MODE" ON OUR 2001 VOLVO XC70 NUMEROUS TIMES BETWEEN DEC '05 AND FEB '06. THE VEHICLE REFUSED TO GO OVER 15 MPH UNTIL THE ENGINE WAS SHUT-OFF AND RESTARTED. THIS OCCURRED TWICE PULLING OUT OF OUR NEIGHBORHOOD ONTO A MAJOR ROAD, ENTERING THE HIGHWAY WHILE ATTEMPTING TO ACCELERATE TO HIGHWAY SPEED AND WHILE ATTEMPTING A PASSING MANEUVER ON THE HIGHWAY AROUND 60 MPH. IN ALL SITUATIONS, WE WERE FORTUNATE THAT SOMEONE WAS NOT RIGHT BEHIND US (MY WIFE AND 2 SMALL CHILDREN) WHEN THIS OCCURRED, AS THE POTENTIAL FOR AN ACCIDENT IS VERY HIGH. I TOOK THE VEHICLE TO MY LOCAL VOLVO DEALER, WHERE THEY DIAGNOSED A PROBLEM WITH THE ELECTRONIC THROTTLE MODULE (ETM), BUT STATED THERE WAS AN EXTENDED WARRANTY COVERING THIS COMPONENT. HOWEVER, INSTEAD OF REPLACING IT IMMEDIATELY, THE "PROCEDURE" CALLED FOR CLEANING THE ETM AND DOWNLOADING NEW SOFTWARE. ONLY AFTER THIS PROCEDURE WAS FOLLOWED AND THAT THE EVENT RECURRED (STORING A CODE IN MEMORY), WOULD THEY BE ALLOWED TO REPLACE THE ETM. I PICKED UP THE CAR THE SAME NIGHT AND AGAIN, WHEN PULLING OUT OF THE NEIGHBORHOOD, THE FAMILIAR "REDUCED POWER MODE" MESSAGE WAS DISPLAYED. I DO NOT SEE WHY IF THERE IS A POTENTIAL FOR REPEATED FAILURE, THAT VOLVO WOULD NOT REPLACE THE COMPONENT IMMEDIATELY, SINCE THEY ARE EQUATED WITH VEHICLE "SAFETY". THE ETM WILL NOW BE REPLACED, BUT I CANNOT SAY THAT I WILL BE ANY MORE COMFORTABLE WITH DRIVING OUR XC70. *NM

2001 V70 DID NOT SHIFT PROPERLY AND CLUNKED IN AND OUT OF GEAR. CONSUMER WAS TOLD THAT THE STABILIZER MOTOR MOUNT WAS FAULTY. *TS THE THROTTLE BODY, CAM SHAFT SENSOR AND VACUUM BOOST SENSOR NEEDED TO BE REPLACED. *JB

DT*: THE CONTACT STATED WHILE DRIVING THE VEHICLE TRAVELING 30- 40 MPH THE VEHICLE IDLES ROUGHLY. ALSO WHILE STOPPED AT STOP SIGNS THE VEHICLE LURCHED FORWARD. THE VEHICLE STARTED HAVING DIFFERENT ERROR CODES ILLUMINATE IN THE VEHICLE. IT HAS BEEN TAKEN TO THE DEALERSHIP A TOTAL OF THREE TIMES. AFTER DIAGNOSTICS WERE RAN ON THE VEHICLE THE PROBLEM WAS THE ELECTRONIC THROTTLE BODY MODULE. ALL PROBLEMS WITH THE VEHICLE ARE DUE TO THE THROTTLE BODY MODULE FAILING. THE DEALERSHIP WILL CLEAN THE MODULE BUT THEY WILL NOT REPLACE IT UNTIL IT COMPLETELY FAILS. THE MANUFACTURER HAS BEEN ALERTED.

MY WIFE WAS ON ONE OF THE BUSIEST FREEWAYS IN SOUTHERN CALIFORNIA DURING RUSH HOUR TRAFFIC, WHEN OUR 2001 V-70 BEGAN MISSING AND LOSING POWER. BY THE TIME SHE LIMPED HOME TO THE NEXT OFF RAMP, SHE WAS TRAVELING AT APPROXIMATELY 20 MILES AN HOUR, IN TRAFFIC MOVING NEARLY 60 MILES AN HOUR. OBVIOUSLY, THIS CREATED A SIGNIFICANT SAFETY HAZARD FOR MY WIFE AND OTHER TRAVELERS. SHE WAS ABLE TO DRIVE THE CAR TO THE DEALER, CALABASAS VOLVO, AT ABOUT 20-30 MILES PER HOUR. AT THE DEALER, SHE WAS INFORMED THAT THE GAS PEDAL LINKAGE REQUIRED REPLACEMENT AT APPROXIMATELY $300 (COPY ENCLOSED), AND THAT THE ETM WOULD BE CLEANED. I HAD ALREADY FOUND INFORMATION ON THE WEB THAT SHOWED CLEANING WAS INEFFECTIVE, AND THE LIKELIHOOD OF CONTINUED SAFETY RISK. IN FACT, THE INFORMATION ON THE WEB EXPLAINED THAT VOLVO HAS AGREED TO AN EXTENSION OF THE WARRANTY ON THIS PART TO 200,000 MILES OR 10 YEARS. I, FRANKLY, WAS STUNNED THAT A CAR MANUFACTURER WOULD ACKNOWLEDGE SUCH A FUNDAMENTAL DESIGN FLAW AND COMMIT TO SUCH A LONG PERIOD OF TIME FOR REPLACEMENTS FOR THE EFFECTIVE LIFE OF THE CAR. IT APPEARS THAT SOMEONE AT VOLVO DOES RECOGNIZE THAT THE ETM FAILURE COULD CAUSE INJURY OR EVEN DEATH OF THE VEHICLE OPERATOR AND OCCUPANTS. I CALLED THE SERVICE DEPARTMENT AND URGED THEM TO REPLACE THE ETM. TO MY ABSOLUTE SURPRISE, THEY EXPLAINED THAT VOLVO HAS DIRECTED DEALERS TO CLEAN FIRST, REPLACE LATER, ALTHOUGH THEY AGREED THAT THE ETM WOULD PROBABLY FAIL WITHIN A SHORT PERIOD OF TIME. NOW MY WIFE IS MUCH NICER THAN ME, AND SINCE I HAD SOME DISCUSSIONS WITH THE CALABASAS VOLVO SERVICE DEPARTMENT REGARDING THEIR INCOMPETENCE WITH THE FAN RECALL, THEY CHOSE TO GIVE HER THE CAR BACK AFTER THE CLEANING AND SHE ACCEPTED IT. WITHIN TWO MILES, THE CAR WAS EXPERIENCING THE EXACT SAME SYMPTOMS THAT IT HAD EARLIER IN THE DAY. IN OTHER WORDS, VOLVO POLICY HAS PLACED MY WIFE AND FAMILY AT RISK OF DEATH OR INJURY. *JB

I HAVE INTERMITTENT FAILURE OF THE DIPPED BEAMS IN MY 2001 VOLVO V70 T5. I SEE AN ERROR REPORT ON THE DASH: BULB FAILURE. DIPPED BEAMS. BUT THERE IS NOTHING WRONG WITH MY BULBS. THERE IS AN ELECTRICAL PROBLEM THAT IS TOTALLY UNPREDICTABLE LEADING TO LOSS OF LOW BEAMS. VOLVO SERVICE MANAGERS SAY THEY DON'T KNOW WHAT CAUSES THE PROBLEM. AM I THE ONLY PERSON TO REPORT THIS DEFECT? IT STARTED ABOUT 2 YEARS AGO IN THE WINTER OF 2003 BUT IS NOW MORE REGULAR BUT NOT ALWAYS. *NM

WARMED UP CAR FOR 2 MINUTES; DROVE 2 MILES TO DRUG STORE--LET ENGINE IDLE WHILE WIFE IN THE STORE; DROVE .1 MILE AND ENGINE BEGAN ACTING VERY ERRATIC! SPUTTERING AND STALLING AND NO ENGINE POWER CAR DIED INTO PARKING LOT; VERY LIGHT TRAFFIC IN MIDTOWN ALLOWED ME LIMP CAR TO DROP FAMILY AT TRANSIT STATION AND LEFT VOLVO AT OFFICE .3 MILES AWAY; AFTER RETURNING FROM VACATION CAR RAN OK--CHECK ENGINE LIGHTS STILL ON + TWO URGENT ERROR MESSAGES. DEALERSHIP REFUSED TO REPLACE ETM DESPITE THE CHECK ENGINE LIGHT BEING ON. *NM

DT: THE CONTACT STATED WHILE DRIVING THE VEHICLE LOST SPEED. WHEN STOPPING AT A STOP SIGN OR AT A RED LIGHT THE ENGINE STALLED. SHE CONTACTED THE DEALERSHIP, AND THEY SAID THE THROTTLE MODULE NEEDED TO BE REPLACED. ALSO, SHE CONTACTED THE MANUFACTURER. THEY STATED THIS PROBLEM WAS UNDER INVESTIGATION. NO REPAIRS HAVE BEEN MADE.*AK