2001 VOLVO V70 Complaints

DT: THE CONTACT STATED THE ELECTRONIC THROTTLE MODULE (ETM) FAILED. THE ENGINE IDLE DROPPED, AND SURGED UPON STARTING THE VEHICLE. WHILE DRIVING THE VEHICLE IT SURGED AND THEN LOST POWER. THE VEHICLE STALLED WHILE AT A STOP LIGHT AND WOULD NOT IMMEDIATELY START BACK. THE VEHICLE STARTED AGAIN AFTER THE FOURTH ATTEMPT. THE ETM WAS REPLACED APPROXIMATELY A YEAR AGO, BUT NOW THE VEHICLE EXPERIENCED THE SAME PROBLEMS AGAIN. *AK AFTER THE REPAIRS THE CONSUMER CONTINUED TO EXPERIENCE PROBLEMS. UPDATED 01/04/06. *JB

DURING ACCELARATION OR A DOWNSHIFT TO ACCELARATE THE ON-BOARD COMPUTER READS "PERFORMANCE REDUCED" AND THE CAR LOOSES ALL POWER. YOU MUST PULL OVER TO THE SIDE OF THE ROAD SINCE THE CAR LOOSES ALL POWER AND SHUT THE CAR OFF. ONCE IT IS OFF FOR A FEW MINUTES YOU CAN START AGAIN AND RESUME DRIVING AS NORMAL. THIS HAS HAPPENED SEVERAL TIMES IN THE LAST FEW WEEKS. NO REPAIR HAS YET BEEN MADE. *NM

WHILE DRIVING ON I-695 NEAR BALTIMORE EXPERIENCED SIX EPISODES OF SUDDEN DECELERATION ,AND A ALMOST STALLING. ALSO, WAS ALMOST REAR ENDED BY A DUMP TRUCK ON ONE OCCASION ,AND ON ANOTHER OCCASION BY AN 18-WHEELER BEFORE THE CONTACT COULD CROSS SLOWLY THROUGH LANES TO THE SIDE OF THE ROAD. TO MAKE MATTERS WORSE, DUE TO ROAD CONSTRUCTION, DURING TWO OF THESE UNPLANNED STOPS, THERE WAS NO SHOULDER AND THE CONTACT BLOCKED A LANE OF TRAFFIC. THE MESSAGE ON THE DASHBOARD READ REDUCED ENGINE PERFORMANCE. THE CONTACT TURNED THE CAR OFF, AND THEN A FEW TIMES, NOTED A VERY ROUGH IDLE AND THE SAME MESSAGE. THEN , TURNED THE CAR OFF FOR A FEW MINUTES ,AND INSTEAD OF THE REDUCED ENGINE PERFORMANCE WARNING RECEIVED A NEEDED IMMEDIATE REPAIR SERVICE OR SOME SIMILAR MESSAGE, AND THE CHECK ENGINE LIGHT WAS ON. HE DROVE A FEW MILES AT 60-65 MPH, BUT THE ENGINE WAS RUNNING VERY ROUGH. THIS WHOLE EPISODE REPEATED BY ITSELF 5 TIMES DURING 50 MILES DRIVE. THE CONTACT MADE IT HOME SAFELY WITH THREE YOUNG CHILDREN IN THE BACK SEAT. THESE PROBLEMS WERE EXACTLY THOSE DOCUMENTED WITH THE DEFECTIVE ELECTRONIC THROTTLE (ETM) IN MOST 1999-2001 VOLVOS. HAS AN APPOINTMENT WITH LOCAL DEALER, AND HE WILL BE CHARGED THE USUAL $1000-$1200 TO REPLACE THE ETM MODULE. UNFORTUNATELY, THE REPLACEMENT MODULE WAS NOT BETTER THAN THE ORIGINAL MODULE. *AK

CAR'S CHECK ENGINE LIGHT CAME ON WHILE ON INTERSTATE AT 65 MPH. DROVE CAR ADDITIONAL 15 MINUTES TO GET HOME. FOLLOWED ON-DASH & OWNER'S MANUAL INSTRUCTIONS TO GET CHECKED AT EARLIEST CONVENIENCE. CAR BROKE DOWN NEXT DAY ON WAY TO MECHANIC. CAR BUCKED AND SURGED, DECELERATING AND ACCULTURATING WITHOUT ANY WARNING. CEL CAME ON. DISPLAY READ "PERFORMANCE REDUCED". COULD GO NO FASTER THAN 20-25 MPH. IN NO POSITION TO STOP VEHICLE. ON BUSY ROAD WITH NO USABLE SHOULDER. CAR REQUIRED TOWING. ONBOARD DIAGNOSTICS (OBD) SAID THERMOSTAT WAS BAD, BUT MECHANIC SUSPECTED FAILED ETM. HE SAID THIS IS A KNOWN ISSUE WITH CAR. THE THERMOSTAT WAS REPLACED. CAR WAS DRIVABLE. USED APPROXIMATELY 5 MILES MORE. CAR BROKE DOWN ON WAY HOME, STRANDING ME IN INTERSECTION. SAME ISSUE. CAR WENT INTO "LIMP HOME" MODE. SHUT IT OFF. AFTER FIVE MINUTES, CAR RETURNED TO NORMAL OPERATION. WAS ABLE TO DRIVE BACK TO MECHANIC. THIS TIME OBD REPORTED TELL-TALE CODES FOR FAILED ETM. ELECTRONIC THROTTLE MODULE WAS REPLACED AT TOTAL COST OF $1200. I PHONED STILLMAN VOLVO WHERE I PURCHASED THE CAR. THEY DENIED KNOWLEDGE OF ANY WIDESPREAD, WELL-KNOWN ISSUE REGARDING ETM ON 2001 VOLVOS. I CALLED VOLVO AMERICA CUSTOMER CARE AND THEY ACKNOWLEDGED A NHTSA INVESTIGATION UNDERWAY AND THAT THEY HOPED TO HAVE A RESOLUTION IN A COUPLE OF WEEKS. THE REPRESENTATIVE, HOWEVER, TOLD ME THAT IT WOULD BE UNLIKELY THAT I WOULD GET ANY COST ASSISTANCE FROM VOLVO OR MY VOLVO DEALERSHIP SINCE I HAD THE WORK DONE BY AN INDEPENDENT MECHANIC. I AM FILING THIS COMPLAINT BECAUSE I DID A LITTLE RESEARCH ON-LINE WITH OTHER VOLVO OWNERS. I NOW UNDERSTAND THAT VOLVO AMERICA HAS KNOWN ABOUT THIS ISSUE FOR YEARS AND HAS NOT ISSUED A RECALL. I AM UPSET REGARDING THEIR STATEMENT REGARDING INDEPENDENT MECHANICS. BUT I AM FURIOUS THAT THIS CAR MANUFACTURER WOULD RISK THE LIVES OF THEIR CUSTOMERS AND THEIR PASSENGERS BY FAILING TO TAKE ACTION ON THIS ISSUE. *JB

I WAS DRIVING AT APPROX 50 MPH ON A MAJOR THOROUGHFARE UP A HILL WHEN MY VEHICLE SUDDENLY LOST POWER. THE COMPUTER DISPLAYED A "REDUCED POWER" MESSAGE. I PULLED TO THE RIGHT, AND CONTINUED TO DRIVE ABOUT 1/8 MILE AT SIGNIFICANTLY REDUCED POWER UNTIL I COULD PULL COMPLETELY OFF THE ROAD (MY CHILDREN WERE WITH ME AND I WANTED TO BE OFF THE ROAD). I PULLED INTO A PARKING LOT, TURNED OFF MY VEHICLE. AFTER A TWO PHONE CALLS, I ATTEMPTED TO TURN THE VEHICLE ON. IT SEEMED TO RUN FINE. I CONTINUED ON, DROPPED MY CHILDREN AT SCHOOL, AND DROVE TO THE VOLVO DEALER. THEIR NOTES INDICATE: "...FOUND THAT ETM IS DEFECTIVE AND HAD INTERNAL FAULTS IN IT. ALSO FOUND THAT THE CODES WERE SET FOR MAF SENSOR READING OUT OF RANGE. REMOVED ETM AND FOUND THAT IT WAS COVER WITH OIL. CHECKED BANJO FITTING AND FOUND IT TO BE PLUGGED, CLEAN OUT BANJO FITTING, REPLACED ETM AND MAF SENSOR DOWN LOADED NEW SOFTWARE INTO CAR. CLEARED ALL OLD DTCS AND TEST DROVE CAR. CAR NOW DRIVING TO VOLVO'S SPECS." COST OF REPAIRS: $1332.47 OUCH! THE LOST OF POWER OCCURRED FIRST -- THE ADDITIONAL PROBLEMS WERE, I BELIEVE, A RESULT OF THE ETM FAILURE OR DUE TO THE FACT THAT I NEEDED TO CONTINUE DRIVING A SHORT DISTANCE TO FIND A SAFE STOPPING PLACE. REPLACED: THROTTLE BODY, GASKET, MASS AIR FLOW, ETM RELOAD. *NM

MY 2001 VOLVO V70XC HAS EXPERIENCED SEVERE SURGING AT CRUISING SPEEDS AND AT LOW SPEED ACCELERATIONS. NUMEROUS TIMES IN A COUPLE WEEKS THE PERFORMANCE REDUCED WARNING LIGHT APPEARED DURING SOME OF THE SURGING EPISODES. ONE EPISODE CAUSED THE CAR TO STALL. AFTER RESTARTING I MADE IT HOME. SEARCHING THE INTERNET I FOUND MANY SIMILAR STORIES AND LENGTHY DISCUSSIONS ABOUT THE ETM (ELECTRONIC THROTTLE MODULE) PROBLEMS. DUE TO THE POTENTIAL OF COMPLETE FAILURE AND BEING STRANDED, I REPLACED THE ETM AT A LOCAL DEALER (THE DEALER RECOMMENDED THE ETM REPLACEMENT BASED ON THE ENGINE HISTORY CODES). THE CAR NOW RUNS VERY WELL, BUT I'M SKEPTICAL BECAUSE THE SAME DESIGNED PART HAS BEEN INSTALLED THAT IS TROUBLESOME. *JB

DT: THE CONTACT STATED VEHICLE WAS LOSING POWER WHILE ACCELERATING AND WOULD ONLY GO 15 MPH. HE WOULD COAST TO THE SIDE OF THE ROAD AND TURN THE VEHICLE OFF AND BACK ON. THIS HAPPENED DAILY. HE TOOK THE VEHICLE TO THE DEALERSHIP, AND THE THROTTLE BOX WAS REPLACED. THE PROBLEM HAS NOT COME BACK SINCE THE REPAIRS. *AK UPDATED 12/27/05. *JB

ENGINE RUNNING ROUGH, "PERFORMANCE REDUCED" MESSAGE. BROUGHT TO SMYTHE VOLVO IN SAN JOSE - NO PROBLEM FOUND. ONE WEEK LATER, ENGINE RAN ROUGH AND STALLED WHILE DRIVING IN THE MOUNTAINS (MIDDLE OF DANGEROUS BLIND CURVE!), "PERFORMANCE REDUCED" MESSAGE. RESTARTED ENGINE, WAS ABLE TO DRIVE HOME WITH SEVERAL MORE "PERFORMANCE REDUCED" ROUGH RUNNING ENGINE EPISODES. RETURNED TO SMYTHE VOLVO, ELECTRONIC THROTTLE MODULE (ETM) REPLACED UNDER WARRANTY. *NM

WHEN DRIVING THE VEHICLE, THE FOLLOWING WARNING COMES ON THE DASH BOARD "PERFORMANCE REDUCTION". CAR STARTS TO SHUDDER, SLOWS DOWN AND DOES NOT RESPOND WHEN PRESSING ON THE GAS. *NM

CONSUMER COMPLAINT REGARDING VOLVO ELECTRONIC THROTTLE DEFECT. *TS UPDATED 11/7/2005 - WHILE DRIVING THE PERFORMANCE REDUCED LIGHT AND SES LIGHT ILLUMINATED ON THE DASH. THE VEHICLE WAS TAKEN TO THE DEALER WHO DETERMINED THAT THE ELECTRONIC THROTTLE NEEDED TO BE REPLACED. NEITHER THE DEALER NOR MANUFACTURER AGREE TO REPLACED THE THROTTLE FREE OF CHARGE BECAUSE THE VEHICLE WAS OUT OF WARRANTY. DURING INSPECTION THE TECHNICIAN FOUND THE FRONT CONTROL ARM AND UPPER SPRING SEAT BROKEN. THE POWER STEERING FLUID LEAKED DUE TO A FAULTY HOSE CLAMP. *NM