2001 VOLVO V70 Complaints

FAULTY FUEL THROTTLE COMPONENT CAUSING OSCILLATING ACCELERATION AND DECELERATION AT HIGHWAY SPEEDS. *JB

I WAS IN HEAVY COMMUTE TRAFFIC, GOING ABOUT 60 MPH, WHEN MY VOLVO CROSS COUNTRY [2001] SUDDENLY LOST POWER. AFTER TOWING, I WAS TOLD THAT MY ELECTRONIC THROTTLE MODULE HAD FAILED. THE REPLACEMENT COST WAS ABOUT $1100. SUBSEQUENTLY, I WAS MADE AWARE THAT THIS IS UNDER INVESTIGATION AND A CLASS ACTION IS FILED IN CA. I HAD NO EARLIER PROBLEMS OF THIS NATURE, AND HAVE ALWAYS MAINTAINED MY CAR. I HOPE THAT YOUR INVESTIGATION IS FRUITFUL, AS THIS IS A SERIOUS SAFETY RISK. MY SITUATION COULD HAVE RESULTED IN ONE OR MORE FATALITIES. *NM

FOR SEVERAL MONTHS PRIOR TO FAILURE, ENGINE TORQUE WOULD FLUCTUATE AT STEADY HIGHWAY SPEEDS WITH OR WITHOUT CRUISE CONTROL ON. ALTHOUGH IT DID NOT AFFECT THE SPEED OF THE VEHICLE VISIBLY, I COULD FEEL IT IN THE SEAT OF MY PANTS. AFTER GETTING OFF OF THE HIGHWAY (IN A BAD DETROIT NEIGHBORHOOD AND IN THE MIDDLE OF AN INTERSECTION), THE ENGINE FAILED TO ACCELERATE THE CAR AND THE INFORMATION DISPLAY INDICATED "PERFORMANCE REDUCED." I PROCEEDED FIVE MILES TO MY HOME AT NO MORE THAN 10-20 MPH WHICH WAS ALL THE CAR COULD MUSTER. THE CAR RESTARTED NORMALLY THE FOLLOWING MORNING AND I WAS ABLE TO TAKE IT TO THE DEALER. THE DEALER REPLACED THE ELECTRONIC THROTTLE MODULE AND ASSOCIATED GASKETS ALONG WITH A SOFTWARE UPGRADE FOR APPROX. $1062 *JB

THE VEHICLE EXPERIENCES SUDDEN, UNEXPECTED, DECELERATION AND ACCELERATIONS WHILE DRIVING UNDER NORMAL CONDITIONS. MUST TURNOFF VEHICLE AND ATTEMPT TO RE-START. DOESN'T ALWAYS RESTART IMMEDIATELY. *NM

WE PURCHASED A 2001 VOLVO V70 2.4T WAGON 12-16-01 FROM THE DEALER, WHO HAD USED IT AS A LOANER VEHICLE. THIS COMPLAINT IS REGARDING THE THROTTLE CONTROL. FOR ABOUT A MONTH IT WOULD FEEL AS IF A PLUG WAS BAD OR A FUEL LINE CLOGGED WHEN DRIVING AT A STEADY SPEED. IT WASN'T AT FIRST NOTICEABLE DURING ACCELERATION. THEN A "REDUCED PERFORMANCE" MESSAGE CAME ON THE DASH. FINALLY, ON 8-20-05, THE CAR STALLED ON THE WAY TO THE DEALER IN RENO TO GET IT REPAIRED. FORTUNATELY, WE WERE IN THE RIGHT LANE AND MANAGED TO PULL OFF THE ROAD OUT OF TRAFFIC. JUST A MATTER OF TIMING AND THIS PROBLEM COULD WELL HAVE BEEN DEADLY. IT RESTARTED AND WE MADE IT INTO THE DEALER. THE THROTTLE BODY WAS REPLACED AND THE PVC SYSTEM CLEANED, AS THE SERVICE MANAGER STATED THE PROBLEM CAUSED IT TO NEED CLEANING. THE TOTAL BILL WAS $1,336.49. I FEEL VOLVO HAS A SERIOUS PROBLEM HERE, AND JUDGING BY THE NUMBER OF COMPLAINTS, WHICH MUST BE ONLY A FRACTION OF THE NUMBER OF INCIDENTS, IT IS ONLY A MATTER OF TIME BEFORE IT CAUSES DEATHS ON THE HIGHWAY IF IT HASN'T ALREADY. *JB

TRAVELING ALONG I10 I JUST CROSSED THE LA BORDER INTO TEXAS IN MY 2001 VOLVO CROSS COUNTRY WITH 60,000 MILES ON IT. THE CAR GIVES ME A MESSAGE OF PERFORMANCE REDUCED AND SLOWS TO 10 MILES AN HOUR. THIS IS CONSIDERED A LIMP MODE AS I LEARNED LATER. I WAS IN LA TAKING A FRIEND OUT OF NEW ORLEANS AFTER HURRICANE KATRINA. TRAFFIC ON I10 WAS FILLED WITH MILITARY AND SEMI TRACTORS. I PUT ON MY FLASHERS AND WENT 10 MILES AN HOUR FOR SOME TIME UNTIL I COULD GET TO AN EXIT IN BEAUMONT, TX. I PULLED OVER ON A SIDE STREET AND THE CAR DIED ALTOGETHER. I WAS TOWED TO A SERVICE STATION AND HOOKED UP TO A COMPUTER. I WAS TOLD IT WAS THE THROTTLE BODY UNIT AND I WOULD NEED TO BE TOWED TO HOUSTON TO THE DEALER. THE FOLLOWING CODES WERE EXHIBITED ON MY CARS COMPUTER - ECM-9150 "THROTTLE UNIT INTERNAL FAULT" ECM 9160 SAME ECM- 904C "MIL REQUESTED BY THROTTLE UNIT" ECM 904D "PEDAL SENSOR FAULT" ECM 982A "CONTROL MODULE INTERNAL FAULT" AND ECM 903F THROTTLE UNIT INTERNAL FAULT. BOTH THE MECHANIC IN BEAUMONT AND THE VOLVO STAFF AT THE DEALER ADMITTED THEY SEE THIS OFTEN. I CALLED VOLVO TODAY AND THEY ADMITTED THAT AN INVESTIGATION WAS PENDING. I WANT MY CASE NOTED AS MYSELF AND MY FRIEND I WAS EVACUATING FROM NEW ORLEANS WERE IN GREAT DANGER AS WE LIMPED ALONG I10 IN POST HURRICANE TRAFFIC. JUST THE NIGHT BEFORE WE HAD TRAVELED FROM BATON ROUGE IN THE DARK OVER I10 WHICH IS AN ELEVATED HIGHWAY OVER THE SWAPS. I CAN'T IMAGINE WHAT WOULD HAVE HAPPENED IF WE HAD BROKEN DOWN THEN. VOLVO COULD NOT ASSURE ME THAT THE NEW PART THEY PUT IN FOR NEARLY $1200 WOULD NOT FAIL IN THE FUTURE. I BOUGHT THE CAR BECAUSE I THOUGHT IT WAS ONE OF THE SAFEST I COULD DRIVE MY FAMILY IN. I AM NOT SO SURE AT THIS POINT IF I MADE A GOOD CHOICE.*JB

I WAS DRIVING 65 MILES PER HOUR AND MY VEHICLE BEGAN TO SLOW DOWN. I GOT A "REDUCED PERFORMANCE" WARNING, AND MY SPEED REDUCED GRADUALLY. I TOOK MY CAR TO THE DEALER AND HE STATED THAT THIS WAS NOT A RECALL ITEM EVENTHOUGH I HAD HEARD OF IT HAPPENING TO OTHER VOLVO OWNERS ON THE NEWS BROADCAST. THIS IS UNSAFE AND HOW CAN MANY PEOPLE HAVE THE SAME PROBLEM.

MY 2001 VOLVO V70 SPONTANEOUSLY LOST POWER AND DIED. I WAS STRANDED FAR FROM HOME WITH MY DAUGHTER ON A FRIDAY NIGHT. AFTER SUPPOSEDLY BEING REPAIRED AT THE DEALERSHIP, SEVERAL MONTHS LATER ON A ROAD TRIP, AGAIN FAR FROM HOME, MY CAR ALL OF A SUDDEN STARTED COUGHING AND LOSING POWER, ON THE HIGHWAY AT HIGHWAY SPEED, PUTTING ME AND MY PASSENGERS AT RISK. I WAS ABLE TO CRIPPLE IT ON, AND THE DEALERSHIP EVENTUALLY REPLACED THE THROTTLE BODY AND RELATED COMPUTER MODULE, BUT I UNDERSTAND THAT IT COULD POSSIBLE HAPPEN AGAIN. I LIVE IN A REMOTE AREA AND NEED TO BE ABLE TO DEPEND ON MY CAR. I CANNOT BE STRANDED ON THE OPEN ROAD AT ANY HOUR AND IN ANY WEATHER. *JB

DT: 2001 VOLVO V70. B.VEHICLE INTERMITTENTLY STALLED AND LOST POWER WHEN SPEED WAS REDUCED. THIS WAS CAUSED BY A FAULTY THROTTLE BODY. *AK *NM

SEE EXISTING NHTSA ACTION NUMBER PE05041 FOR THIS FAILURE TYPE (1) DROVE THROUGH PUDDLE (2) "ENGINE SYSTEM SERVICE REQUIRED" LIGHT; LOSS OF POWER (LIMP-HOME MODE) (3) FAILED ELECTRONIC THROTTLE MODULE REPLACED (TOTAL COST $1106.82); FAILED MODULE IS AVAILABLE ALTHOUGH I TOOK IT APART TO FIND PROBLEM - WORN-THROUGH BUTTERFLY VALVE POSITION SENSOR AS DESCRIBED AT HTTP://VEXEDVOLVO.ORG/. *JB