2001 VOLVO V70 Complaints

ON SEVERAL INCIDENTS OVER THE PAST 9 MONTHS THE CAR HAS STALLED ON THE HIGHWAY. IT LOOSES POWER AND EVERYTHING SHUTS DOWN. ONCE I STOP IT RESTARTS. ALSO, THERE ARE TIMES WHEN THE CAR WILL NOT "SHUT OFF" COMPLETELY BUT THE ENGINE WILL LOOSE ITS POWER AND THEN THE RPM WILL REV BACK UP SUDDENLY. VOLVO HAS ATTACHED A "BLACK BOX" TO THE ENGINE AND AS A RESULT REPLACED THE TRANSMISSION. THE PROBLEM WENT AWAY FOR ABOUT A MONTH AND IT IS BACK. THE LAST INCIDENT WAS JULY 20TH. *NM

(1) VEHICLE IS 2001 VOLVO V70 XC CROSS COUNTRY. THIS VEHICLE USES AN ELECTRONIC THROTTLE MODULE (ETM) MANUFACTURED FOR VOLVO BY MAGNETI MARELLI. THE ETM REPLACES A TRADITIONAL THROTTLE CABLE AND CONTROLS ENGINE SPEED WHEN PUSHING ON THE GAS PEDAL. (2) ON JULY 9, 2005, THE ELECTRONIC THROTTLE MODULE IN MY 2001 VOLVO FAILED AS I WAS ENTERING A HIGHWAY FROM A COMPLETE STOP AT AN INTERSECTING STREET. TRAFFIC ON THIS HIGHWAY OPERATES AT OR ABOVE THE POSTED SPEED LIMIT OF 55 MPH. I WAS ACCELERATING AT OR NEAR WIDE OPEN THROTTLE WHEN THE ETM FAILED. THE FAILURE RESULTED IN THE ETM GOING INTO "LIMP HOME MODE," WHICH CAUSED THE THROTTLE TO ONLY OPERATE AROUND IDLE SPEED (APPROXIMATELY 800 RPM), AND NOT ALLOWING ME TO CONTINUE TO ACCELERATE TO AVOID BEING HIT BY APPROACHING TRAFFIC. MOVING FORWARD AT IDLE SPEED, I WAS ABLE TO MANEUVER THE CAR BETWEEN APPROACHING VEHICLES AND COASTED ONTO A GRASS BARRIER SEPARATING AN ENTRANCE RAMP FROM THE MAIN LANES OF TRAFFIC. THE CAR THEN STALLED. THE CAR'S COMPUTER READOUT ON THE DASHBOARD DISPLAYED "REDUCED ENGINE PERFORMANCE" AND THEN "ENGINE SYSTEM FAILURE." THIS FAILURE OCCURRED WITHOUT WARNING, AND I WAS FORTUNATE TO NOT HAVE BEEN INVOLVED IN A REAR END COLLISION. (3) DON BEYER VOLVO IN FALLS CHURCH, VA INFORMED ME THAT THE ETM HAD FAILED AFTER ONLY 49,000 MILES. IT IS MY UNDERSTANDING THAT VOLVO CARS IS WELL AWARE OF THIS DEFECT AND IS CURRENTLY THE SUBJECT OF VARIOUS INVESTIGATIONS AND LAWSUITS SURROUNDING THIS ISSUE. VOLVO HAS REPORTED TO THE CALIFORNIA CLEAN AIR RESOURCES BOARD THAT UP TO 94% OF ETMS WILL FAIL BEFORE THE VEHICLE REACHES 100,000 MILES. THERE IS NO REGULAR MAINTENANCE TO BE PERFORMED ON THE ETM. VOLVO TECHNICIANS CANNOT DETERMINE WHEN AN ETM IS ABOUT TO FAIL. DRIVERS SIMPLY HAVE TO WAIT TO BE UNEXPECTEDLY STRANDED. THE REPLACEMENT PART IS IDENTICAL OR NEARLY IDENTICAL TO THE ORIGINAL ETM, MAKING ANOTHER UNEXPECTED AND PREMATURE FAILURE VERY LIKELY. *NM

I READ IN OUR LOCAL PAPER THAT THE NHTSA WAS INVESTIGATING THE LOSS OF SPEED AND STALLING OF THE ENGINE IN VOLVO WAGONS IN THE 2001 MODEL YEAR. I TOO HAVE HAD THE SAME ISSUE. THE VEHICLE WOULD LOOSE POWER AND SLOW TO VERY LOW SPEEDS AND OPERATE IMPROPERLY. THE REASON FOR THE PROBLEM WAS THE COMPUTER MODULE THAT REGULATES THE FUEL FLOWING TO THE ENGINE. I HAD TO HAVE IT REPLACED AT A COST OF OVER $1000. THAT HAS APPEARED TO SOLVE THE ISSUE. VERY EXPENSIVE PART TO HAVE GO BAD AND VERY DANGEROUS SITUATION. MY WIFE WAS DRIVING THE CAR WHEN IT FIRST OCCURRED. THE CAR SLOWED UNEXPECTEDLY IN HEAVY TRAFFIC AND A LARGE TRUCK ALMOST RAN UP ON THE CAR FORTUNATELY SHE WAS ABLE TO TURN OFF THE ROAD AND THE TRUCK WAS ABLE TO SLOW DOWN IN TIME SO NO INJURY OCCURRED. *NM

I HAVE A 2001 VOLVO V70 T5. THE CAR SUDDENLY AND WITHOUT WARNING SIMPLY STOPPED RUNNING WHILE I WAS DRIVING AT HIGHWAY SPEEDS ON THE INTERSTATE. NO POWER STEERING, NOTHING. IT WAS SHOCKING. THE REPAIR SHOP SAID THAT IT WAS THE THROTTLE BODY THAT NEEDED TO BE REPLACED... FOR A LOT OF MONEY. HE ALSO SAID THAT THIS IS A VERY COMMON PROBLEM WITH THESE CARS, AND THAT THE PART INSTALLED BY THE FACTORY WAS "ENGINEERED TO FAIL" DUE TO THE DESIGN. *NM

A WHISTLE SOUND THAT THE VOLVO DEALER AFFIRMS BUT ADMITS THAT THEY DO NOT KNOW WHAT IT IS. THE DEALER SAID THEY NEEDED SOMEONE FROM "CORPORATE" TO COME AND CHECK MY CAR OUT. AS WELL, MY VEHICLE SUDDENLY JUMPS OR FEELS LIKE IT IS GOING TO STALL FOR NO REASON. *NM

DRIVING ON I-80 IN CALIFORNIA IN BUSY TRAFFIC WHEN THROTTLE RESPONSE ON MY 2001 VOLVO V70 XC SUDDENLY VANISHED. AVOIDED SEVERAL CARS COLLIDING WITH MINE AND PULLED OVER TO THE SIDE. RESTARTING THE CAR CLEARED THE PROBLEM; HOWEVER, 30 MIN LATER THE SAME PROBLEM HAPPENED. ON THE FIST EVENT, THE CAR DISPLAYED "REDUCED PERFORMANCE", AND ON THE SECOND EVENT, THE CAR DISPLAYED "CRITICAL ENGINE FAULT". THE CAR WAS BROUGHT 90 MILES ON A FLATBED TRUCK TO RENO, NV, WHERE A ELECTRONIC THROTTLE CONTROL MECHANISM WAS REPLACED. MY CONCERN IS THE SUDDEN, AND COMPLETE, FAILURE OF ENGINE POWER IN BUSY TRAFFIC ON A 8+ LANE INTERSTATE HIGHWAY ... A SERIOUS ACCIDENT WAS NARROWLY MISSED. *NM

ALTERNATOR HAS INTERMITTENT CHARGING PROBLEMS, LEFT STRANDED WITH DEAD BATTERY. WHEN I SPOKE WITH VOLVO THE SERVICE MANAGER SAID THAT IT IS NOT UNCOMMON PROBLEM. I TOOK THE CAR TO A SERVICE STATION AND THEY HAD SEEN THE PROBLEM ON MULTIPLE VOLVOS AS WELL. *JB

DT: CONTACT STATES THE CAR HAS ON NUMEROUS OCCASIONS SHUT DOWN WHILE DRIVING. IT GENERALLY RESTARTED BUT NOT ALWAYS. HAD TO HAVE IT TOWED FROM TIME TO TIME. HAS BEEN HAVING THIS PROBLEM SINCE THE FALL OF LAST YEAR. THE DEALER ATTEMPTED TO DIAGNOSE THE PROBLEM, AND FELT IT NEEDED A NEW STARTER. HAD A NEW STARTER PUT ON AND THEN A NEW IGNITION , AND THAT INITIALLY SOLVED THE PROBLEM. BUT THEN THE PROBLEM RECURRED, VEHICLE STALLED AND DIED ON THE HIGHWAY. *AK

1. NO EVENT LEADING TO FAILURE. CAR HAS OPERATED PERFECTLY SINCE PURCHASED, JUNE 2004. 2. FAILURE OCCURED WHILE DRIVING FROM LUNCH. CAR WAS DRIVEN APPROXIMATELY FIFTY-FIVE (55) MILES TO GET TO WORK. UPON RETURING FROM LUNCH CAR STALLED, WOULD ONLY IDLE, SO ONLY 20-30 MPH SPEED WAS ACHEIVED. LIMPED INTO WORK PARKING LOT AND HAD HIGH IDLE. SHUT DOWN VEHICLE. CAME BACK NEXT MORNING, CAR STARTED BUT TOOK TO INDEPENDANT REPAIR SHOP. CAR HAD CODES OF MAF SENSOR FAILURE AND ETS SENSOR FAILURE. THEY CLEARED CODES AND CAR WAS DRIVABLE. I DROVE HOME THAT EVENING BUT CAR EXIBITED SAME FAILURE ON CA HWY 58. I DISCONNECTED BATTERY-CLEARING CODES AND MADE IT TO RESIDENCE. 3. TOOK VEHICLE TO VOLVO DEALER IN BAKERSFIELD, CA. TOOK ONE WEEK TO REPRODUCE TROUBLE CODES. DEALER REPLACED ETS-ELECTRONIC THROTTLE SENSOR AND CHARGED $855.20 FOR REPAIR. TRIED TO GET THE OLD ETS BUT WAS TOLD THE PART HAD A "CORE" CHARGE AND WAS NOT RETURNABLE.

SEVERAL MONTHS AGO MY 2001 VOLVO XC70 STATION WAGON SUDDENLY LOST POWER ON A MAJOR HIGHWAY. CAR WOULD NOT START. TOOK VOLVO ABOUT 3 HOURS TO TOW THE VEHICLE. THROTTLE MODULE REPLACED UNDER WARRANTY. JUNE 5, 2005 CAR LOOSES POWER ON HIGHWAY AND STOPS IN TRAFFIC. ON BOTH OCCASIONS THERE WERE ABOUT 2 GALLONS OF FUEL REMAINING IN TANK AND COMPUTER READ OVER 100 MILES TO EMPTH. SAME VOLVO DEALER TAKES POSITION IT HAS NEVER HEARD OF THIS PROBLEM.