2001 VOLVO V70 Complaints

BULB FAILED AND BULB FAILURE WARNING LIGHT CAME ON ON WAY HOME FROM DEALERSHIP. WE RETURNED TO DEALERSHIP AND THEY SAID THEY WERE NOT AWARE OF ANY PROBLEMS WITH THIS COMPONENT ON THIS MODEL. THEY ATTEMPTED TO REPAIR BUT WERE NOT ABLE TO REPAIR BECAUSE THEY DID NOT HAVE A SERVICE TECHNICIAN ON SITE. THEY OFFERED ANOTHER CAR BUT WE DECLINED. SIGNAL HAS BEEN INTERMITTENT SINCE THE FIRST INCIDENT.*AK

2 DAYS AFTER I PICKED UP MY US SPEC VOLVO; THE ENGINE STOPPED DEAD WHILE TRAVELING 70 MPG ON A MAJOR EUROPEAN HIGHWAY. VOLVO COULD NOT FIND THE PROBLEM AND SENT ME A LETTER INDICATING THERE WAS NOTHING WRONG WITH MY CAR. 2 DAYS AGO THE ENGINE STOPPED DEAD AGAIN WHILE DRIVING THROUGH A BUSY CITY INTERSECTION. EITHER OF THESE ACCIDENTS COULD HAVE EASILY BEEN FATAL AS THE CAR GAVE NO WARNING BEFORE THE ENGINE STOPPED COMPLETELY LEAVING ME WITHOUT POWER BRAKES OR STEERING AND STRANDED IN TRAFFIC. THE DEALER NOW TELLS ME THAT VOLVO HAS ISSUED A TECHNICAL BULLETIN STATING THAT SEVERAL NEW S80 AND V70 MODELS HAVE A "WEAK" FUEL PUMP WHICH CAUSES THE ENGINE TO STOP DUE TO LACK OF GAS ALTHOUGH THERE IS PLENTY OF GAS IN THE TANK. DESPITE THE PUBLICATION OF THIS BULLETIN SEVERAL WEEKS AGO, NEITHER VOLVO NOR MY DEALER NOTIFIED ME THAT I NEEDED A NEW PUMP (DESPITE THE PREVIOUS BREAKDOWN), SO I AND MY FAMILY WERE NEEDLESSLY SUBJECTED TO ANOTHER HARROWING VEHICLE FAILURE. THIS DEFECT IS DANGEROUS AND VOLVO SHOULD BE FORCED TO CORRECT IT ON ALL AFFECTED VEHICLES WITHOUT WAITING FOR THEM TO HAVE A SECOND UNEXPLAINED ENGINE STOPPAGE, AS THE BULLETIN APPARENTLY INDICATES, BEFORE REPLACING THE PUMP. THE DEALER THAT SERVICES MY CAR SAID THAT THEY HAVE SEEN 4 NEW CARS INCLUDING MINE WITH THIS PROBLEM IN THE LAST THREE MONTHS. IF THIS IS HAPPENING TO MY NEW US SPEC VOLVO XC, IT MUST BE HAPPENING TO OTHERS AS THEY ARE ALL PRODUCED IN THE SAME FACTORY IN SWEDEN. PLEASE DO SOMETHING ABOUT THIS BEFORE ONE OF THESE CARS IS INVOLVED IN A SERIOUS ACCIDENT THAT COULD HAVE AVOIDED HAD VOLVO BEEN RESPONSIBLE IN NOTIFYING CUSTOMERS OF THIS POTENTIALLY FATAL DEFECT. I AM CURRENTLY STATIONED WITH THE US ARMY IN HEIDELBERG, GERMANY, AND MY PHONE NUMBER IS +[XXX] IF YOU NEED FURTHER INFORMATION OR MY E-MAIL IS [XXX]. *AK INFORMATION REDACTED PURSUANT TO THE FREEDOM OF INFORMATION ACT (FOIA), 5 U.S.C. 552(B)(6). *TR

AFTER USING REAR OUTLET WITH A COOLER ON BATTERY WENT DEAD, AND CONSUMER COULD NOT OPEN HATCH DOOR BECAUSE IT WORKED ELECTRONICALLY, AND TO OPEN IT HAD TO DO IT MANUALLY. *AK

I LEASED A 2001 VOLVO V70 WAGON ON 9/27/00. I IMMEDIATELY NOTICED THAT THERE WAS A SEVERE AMOUNT OF REFLECTION FROM TOP OF DASHBOARD ONTO THE INSIDE OF THE WINDSHIELD. REFLECTION IS POSITIONED HIGH UP ON THE WINDSHIELD IN THE AREA WERE THE DRIVER WOULD NORMALLY LOOK OUT OF THE CAR. WHEN DIRECT SUNLIGHT IS ON THE DASHBOARD TOP, THE REFLECTION IN THE WINDSHIELD IS SO GREAT THAT IT MAKES IT VERY DIFFICULT TO SEE THROUGH THE WINDSHIELD. EVEN IN LOWER LIGHT SITUATIONS (AS WITH NIGHTTIME STREET LIGHTING AND OVERCAST DAYS), THE REFLECTION POPS UP AND IS DISTRACTING TO THE DRIVER. IT APPEARS THAT THE REFLECTION IS DUE TO THE RAKE OF THE WINDSHIELD AND THE ANGLE OF THE DASHBOARD TOP. I BROUGHT THIS TO THE ATTENTION OF THE VOLVO DEALER AND THEY IN TURN NOTIFIED THE VOLVO REPRESENTATIVE. THE RESPONSE WAS "CONDITION NORMAL TO ALL 01 MODELS". I NOTE THAT THE DEALER'S SERVICE DEPT INDICATED THAT OTHER OWNERS HAD ALSO COMPLAINED OF THIS PROBLEM. I AM 53 AND HAVE DRIVEN AND OWNED MANY CARS, BUT HAVE NEVER EXPERIENCED THIS TYPE OF SAFETY IMPAIRMENT IN ANY OTHER CAR. TO FIND OUT IF I WAS ALONE IN MY PERCEPTION, I POSTED A NOTE ON EDMUNDS.COM AND WITHIN SEVERAL HOURS I RECEIVED THE FOLLOWING RESPONSE: "YEP, I'M SURE EVERYONE HAS THIS PROBLEM." THE AMAZING THING ABOUT THIS REFLECTION IS THAT IT APPEARS TO EXIST IN THE FULL LINE OF VOLVO'S NEW MODELS. MY GUESS IS THAT OVER TIME THERE WILL BE NUMEROUS ACCIDENTS RELATED TO THE DRIVER'S INABILITY TO FOCUS THROUGH THE REFLECTION OR DUE TO THE DISTRACTION CAUSED BY IT POPPING UP IN CHANGING LIGHT SITUATIONS SUCH AS TRANSITIONS DRIVING FROM SHADE TO SUNLIGHT ON A TREE LINED STREET. FOR MY PART, ALTHOUGH IT WILL BE A SIGNIFICANT FINANCIAL LOSS, I AM GOING TO DISPOSE OF THE CAR AS SOON AS POSSIBLE BECAUSE I BELIEVE IT IS UNSAFE TO DRIVE. I KNOW THIS SOUND ALMOST IMPOSSIBLE THAT A COMPANY SUCH AS VOLVO COULD PRODUCE A CAR WITH THIS DEFECT, BUT SIT IN ONE WHEN THERE IS LIGHT SHINING ON THE DASH TOP AND YOU WILL UNDERSTAND.

DESIGN OF DASHBOARD AND WINDSHIELD IS OF SUCH AN ANGLE THAT CONSUMER CANNOT SEE ON A BRIGHT DAY. GLARE IS BAD ENOUGH, AND SHE DOES NOT FEEL SAFE DRIVING. CONTACTED VOLVO WHO OFFERED NO ASSISTANCE.*AK CONSUMER FEELS IF THE DASHBOARD WERE A DARKER COLOR, THE GLARE WOULD NOT BE THERE. *SLC

THE REFLECTION OF THE DASHBOARD IN SUNLIGHT ON THE WINDSHIELD IS VIRTUALLY BLINDING. THE COLOR OF THE INTERIOR OF OUR CAR IS A CREAM BEIGE WITH A MATCHING DASHBOARD. WHEN DRIVING INTO THE SUN, THE REFLECTION IS SO BAD THAT 60% TO 70% OF YOUR VISION IS IMPAIRED. WE HAVE HAD 3 NEAR COLLISIONS SINCE WE HAVE BEEN UNABLE TO MAKE OUT A LIGHT COLORED CAR ENTERING AN INTERSECTION. IN FILTERED SUN LIGHT, THE REFLECTION CONTINUES FROM A LARGE RADIO SPEAKER GRILL (THE SIZE OF A DINNER PLATE) AND FROM THE DEFROSTER GRATE THAT RUNS THE FULL WIDTH OF THE DASHBOARD. IT LOOKS LIKE PROJECTION "TV" AND IS VERY DISTRACTING AND TIRING SINCE IT POPS UP AND OFF WHEN DRIVING DOWN TREE LINED STREETS OR BEHIND BUILDINGS OR TRUCKS. THIS CAUSES HEAVY EYE STRAIN AND MAKES IT VERY DANGEROUS ON LONGER TRIPS. VOLVO USE TO USE A DARKER BROWN DASHBOARD ON THIS CAR WHICH DID NOT REFLECT THE SUNLIGHT. MY LINCOLN LS HAS THE SAME COLOR INTERIOR AND IT TOO HAS A DARKER BROWN DASHBOARD TO ABSORB LIGHT. THE ANALOGY I WOULD USE TO REPLICATE THE PROBLEM IS DRIVING A CAR WITH A WHITE SHEET ON THE DASHBOARD. VOLVO INDICATED NO DESIRE TO INVESTIGATE THE CONCERN AND SAID IT IS MY CHOICE IF I WANT TO CHANGE THE DASHBOARD FOR ABOUT $1,000. THEY SAID THEY HAVE HAD NO OTHER COMPLAINTS. WE PURCHASED THE FIRST 2001 MODEL SOLD IN MAINE AND THE FIRST WITH THIS COLOR INTERIOR. FROM AN ASTHETIC STANDPOINT, THE DASHBOARD IS VERY ATTRACTIVE. FROM A SAFETY ISSUE, THIS IS AN ACCIDENT WAITING TO HAPPEN DUE TO SEVERELY IMPAIRED VISION IN SUNNY DRIVING CONDITIONS. I HAVE DRIVEN SINCE 1966 AND HAVE HAD OVER 50 CARS AND HAVE NEVER HAD A VISION PROBLEM LIKE THIS.