2001 VOLVO V70 Complaints

TRANSMISSION HAS HAD PROBLEMS FOR ABOUT THREE YEARS. WE WERE TRAVELING ON THE HWY AND THE CAR STARTED SHAKING, THEN STOPPED. WE HAD TO HAVE IT TOWED TO OUR MECHANIC. NEEDS NEW TRANSMISSION AND ALTERNATOR WHICH WOULD COST MORE THAN IT IS WORTH. OUR MECHANIC HAS SEEN A NUMBER OF 2001S WITH PROBLEMATIC TRANSMISSIONS. WE ARE VERY DISAPPOINTED IN VOLVO FOR NOT FIXING THIS PROBLEM. NOW THIS BEAUTIFUL CAR IS SITTING IN OUR DRIVEWAY UNUSED.

FIRST TIME, WAS IN A DRIVE THROUGH & JUST TOOK OFF, HOPPED THE CURB, AND HIT TALK BOX. NEXT 2 TIMES WERE STOPPED QUICKLY BY ME PUTTING IN NEUTRAL. LAST TIME WAS JUST LEAVING PARKING SPACE, AND CAR JUMPED CURB AND I STOPPED 4 FT. FROM BRICK WALL. HAVE HAD IT TESTED 2-3 TIMES BY MECHANICS W/O SUCCESS. *TR

I NOTICED THE TAIL LIGHT BRAKE BULBS WERE BURNING OUT QUICKLY. AFTER GETTING A TICKET I STOPPED DRIVING IT UNTIL I COULD DETERMINE THE CAUSE. VOLVO LISTS A BRAKE RELAY RECALL. BRAKE LIGHT FUSES AND RELAYS ARE IN 4 LOCATIONS IN THE CAR. THEY ARE: 1. UNDER THE HOOD IN THE ENGINE CONTROL UNIT ECU, 2.THE PASSENGER COMPARTMENT A. CENTRAL CONTROL UNIT CCU AND B. FUSE PANEL BY DRIVERS SIDE DOOR POST 3. REAR CONTROL UNIT IN THE CARGO COMPARTMENT. THE PROBLEM WAS AN ELECTRICAL ENGINEERING DESIGN WHERE A STEEL RACE THAT SURROUNDS THE TAILLIGHT BULBS TRANSFERS THE ELECTRICAL CURRENT IS DESIGNED TO FAIL. AS THE BULB HEATS UP IT TRANSFERS THE HEAT TO THE PLATE AND PLASTIC PINS THAT HOLD IT IN PLACE UNDER PRESSURE FROM THE SPRING STEEL PARTS OF THE REMOVABLE BULB SOCKET UNIT. AS THE PLASTIC PINS WEAKEN AND MOVE AWAY UNDER PRESSURE AND HEAT FROM THE BULB SOCKET SPRING STEEL KEEPERS, AND CONDUCTORS OF VOLTAGE AND CURRENT, THE CURRENT IS THROTTLED DOWN TO A PIN POINT AS THE PLATE MOVES AWAY FROM THE BULB CREATING MORE HEAT AND ARCING TO MELT THE STEEL RACE SURROUND THE BULBS THAT SUPPLY THE CURRENT. THE REPLACED BULBS SEEM TO WORK FOR A SHORT TIME AS THE CONNECTION IS REESTABLISHED WHEN THE BULB SOCKET IS REMOVED AND REPLACED, AND THE CONNECTION IS REESTABLISHED FOR A TIME, BUT IT WILL SOON OVER HEAT AND FAIL FROM THE WEAKENED AND MELTED PLASTIC LENS. BRAKE LIGHT FAILURE RESULTS NOT FROM A FAILED PART, RELAY, FUSE OR WIRE, BUT FROM AN ENGINEERING DESIGN FLAW THAT WAS RECOGNIZED AND ELIMINATED IN THE 2005 MODELS. FORD AND VOLVO NEVER MENTION THIS. A RECALL COULD AMOUNT TO SIX HUNDRED TO A THOUSAND DOLLARS PER CAR FOR THE 4 LENSES WITH LABOR. THE ARCING IN THE WIRING MAY ALSO CAUSE OTHER COMPUTER FAILURES AS THE TRANSMISSION ALSO HAS AN ELECTRICAL PROBLEM IN THE KICKDOWN PROCESS THAT CAUSES AN ABNORMAL DELAY IN NEUTRAL GEAR AND HARD ENGAGEMENT OF THE LOWER GEAR. *TR

TL* THE CONTACT OWNS A 2001 VOLVO V70XC. WHILE DRIVING APPROXIMATELY 35 MPH, THE VEHICLE HESITATED UNTIL THE ACCELERATOR PEDAL WAS ENGAGED FORCEFULLY. IN ADDITION, THE ENGINE WARNING INDICATOR ILLUMINATED. THE FAILURE OCCURRED INTERMITTENTLY. THE VEHICLE WAS TAKEN TO AN INDEPENDENT MECHANIC WHO STATED THAT THE ELECTRONIC THROTTLE MODULE NEEDED TO BE REPLACED. THE VEHICLE WAS IN THE PROCESS OF BEING REPAIRED. THE MANUFACTURER WAS NOTIFIED. THE APPROXIMATE FAILURE MILEAGE WAS 98,000.

THE IGNITION IS SHUT OFF MOMENTARILY AS THE TRANSMISSION ATTEMPTS TO DOWNSHIFT CAUSING IT TO SLIP INTO NEUTRAL THEN ENGAGE THE LOWER GEAR HARD AS THE TRANSMISSIONS COMPUTER REESTABLISHES CONTROL. THIS ACTION IS RECORDED ON A VIDEO CAR CAMERA OPERATED BY THE IGNITIONS ON AND OFF POSITION. THE HARD SHIFTING PROBLEM THOUGHT TO BE FIXED BY SOFTWARE UPDATE MAY BE ADDRESSING THE SYMPTOM NOT THE CAUSE. ACCELERATION IS ALSO AFFECTED AT OTHER TIMES WHERE THE FOOT PEDAL IS INOPERABLE, BUT REESTABLISHED WHEN SHUTTING THE IGNITION OFF AND ON. THE DRIVE TRAIN BECOMES WOBBLY AFTER A SHORT PERIOD OF TIME AT HIGHWAY SPEEDS MAKING TRAVEL BETWEEN CITIES UNSAFE. A CLUNKING SOUND FROM THE REAR, AS BROKEN SPRING OR LOOSE BOWLING BALL MAKES, IS HEARD AT TIMES OF MILD ACCELERATION AT LOWER SPEEDS. PERHAPS A GROUNDING STRAP MY ALLEVIATE STATIC BUILDUP IN THE IGNITION SYSTEM. *JS

I STARTED THE CAR, PLACED THE CAR IN DRIVE GEAR AND IDLED THROUGH THE PARKING LOT TRAFFIC TO THE INTERSECTION BUT THE CAR WOULD NOT ACCELERATE THROUGH THE INTERSECTION THOUGH THE CONDITION RESTORED AFTER I PULLED OVER AND TURNED OFF THE IGNITION AND RESTARTED IT. THEN THE ACCELERATOR FUNCTIONED NORMALLY.HAD A SEMI TRUCK BEEN COMING ALONG, I WOULD NOT BE HERE TO WRITE YOU THIS LETTER. *TR

FRONT DRIVER SIDE SPRING SNAPPED AND TORE APART THE FRONT DRIVER SIDE TIRE. *TR

I BEGAN TO NOTICE A FUEL SMELL AND DRIP MARKS UNDER THE VEHICLE AFTER PARKING THE VEHICLE IN THE GARAGE IN THE EVENING. UPON INVESTIGATION, I NOTED FUEL DRIPS ON THE UNDERBODY OF THE VEHICLE IN AN AREA SLIGHTLY IN FRONT OF THE FUEL TANK AND A DEVELOPING FUEL PUDDLE IMMEDIATELY UNDER THE VEHICLE. FOLLOWING AN INSPECTION AT THE VOLVO DEALER, IT WAS DETERMINED THAT THE ELECTRIC FUEL PUMP WAS LEAKING FUEL. IT WAS EXPLAINED TO ME THAT THE FUEL PUMP HOUSING WAS CRACKED AND LEAKING FUEL AT AN UNSAFE CONDITION. I WAS ADVISED TO REPLACE THE PUMP IMMEDIATELY DUE TO THE HIGH LEVEL OF FUEL LEAKAGE. I WAS ALSO ADVISED THAT THE FUEL TANK SENDING PUMP WAS ALSO DEFECTIVE AND REQUIRED IMMEDIATE REPLACEMENT.

I BEGAN TO NOTICE A FUEL SMELL AND DRIP MARKS UNDER THE VEHICLE AFTER PARKING THE VEHICLE AFTER DRIVING INTO THE GARAGE IN THE EVENING. UPON INVESTIGATION, I NOTED FUEL DRIPS ON THE UNDERBODY OF THE VEHICLE IN THE AREA SLIGHTLY IN THE FRONT OF THE FUEL TANK. I ALSO NOTICED THE DEVELOPMENT OF A FUEL PUDDLE IMMEDIATELY UNDER THE VEHICLE IN THAT LOCATION. I IMMEDIATELY CONTACTED THE VOLVO DEALER FOR SERVICING. ONCE AT THE DEALER, IT WAS DETERMINED THAT THE ELECTRIC FUEL PUMP WAS LEAKING FUEL. IT WAS EXPLAINED TO ME THAT THE FUEL PUMP HOUSING WAS CRACKED AND LEAKING FUEL AT AN UNSAFE CONDITION. I WAS ADVISED TO REPLACE THE PUMP IMMEDIATELY DUE TO THE HIGH LEVEL OF FUEL LEAKAGE. I WAS ALSO ADVISED THAT THE FUEL TANK SENDING PUMP WAS ALSO DEFECTIVE AND REQUIRED IMMEDIATE REPLACEMENT. THE VOLVO DEALER, JENKINS IMPORTS, REPLACED THE DEFECTIVE UNITS ON 22 OCTOBER 2013. I HAVE RETAINED THE DEFECTIVE PARTS. *TR

TL*THE CONTACT OWNS A 2001 VOLVO V70XC. THE CONTACT STATED THAT WHILE DRIVING 70 MPH, SMOKE EMERGED FROM THE PASSENGER'S SIDE COMPARTMENT AND THE ENGINE CAUGHT ON FIRE. THE FIRE DEPARTMENT CONTAINED THE FIRE AND THE VEHICLE WAS DESTROYED. THE CONTACT DID NOT SUSTAIN ANY INJURIES. A FIRE REPORT WAS FILED AND THE MANUFACTURER WAS NOTIFIED. THE VEHICLE WAS NOT INSPECTED. THE VIN WAS NOT AVAILABLE. THE APPROXIMATE FAILURE MILEAGE WAS 160,000.