1998 VOLVO V70 Complaints

HEADLIGHT SWITCH FOR EXTERIOR LIGHTS DOES NOT WORK AS IT SHOULD. THERE IS A RECALL FOR THIS SWITCH TO BE REPLACED , BUT THE DEALER STATES THAT THIS VEHICLE DOES NOT HAVE THE RIGHT VIN NUMBER FOR REPLACEMENT. THE VIN NUMBERS ARE NOT SHOWN ON THE RECALL. *NM

ELECTRIC DOOR LOCKS IN DOOR BEHIND DRIVER AND FRONT PASSENGER DOORS HAVE FAILED. BOTH WILL CLOSE NORMALLY BUT WILL NOT OPEN WITH KEY OR REMOTE. IN DARK PARKING LOT, NOT BEING ABLE TO OPEN DOOR ESPECIALLY WITH REMOTE MEANS IT TAKES MORE TIME TO ENTER CAR LEAVING PASSENGERS MORE VULNERABLE TO ASSAULT. (NOTE: INCIDENT DATE NOT ACCURATE BUT WEBSITE WON'T LET ME PROCEED WITHOUT AN ENTRY.) *AK

MY 1998 VOLVO V70 AWD. WITH LESS THAN 49,000 MILES THE ABS/TRACS WARNING LIGHT BEGAN TO INTERMITTANTLY COME ON (INDICATES ABS SYSTEM AND ASSOCIATED TRACTION CONTROL ARE INOPERATIVE). SUBSEQUENT COMPUTERIZED TROUBLE FAULT EVALUATION BY DEALER'S SERVICE DEPT (PENKUS VOLVO) INDICATED THAT THE ABS CONTROL MODULE WAS AT FAULT AND NEEDED TO BE REPLACED (AT ALMOST $800). CAR HAD MILEAGE WITHIN THE WARRANTY LIMIT, BUT WAS BEYOND THE TIME LIMIT TO QUALIFY FOR WARRANTY SERVICE. I HAVE SINCE DONE EXTENSIVE RESEARCH/INTERNET SEARCHES ON THIS ISSUE (NOTE I AM A RESEARCH SCIENTIST) AND HAVE FOUND NUMEROUS INSTANCES OF THIS TEVES 20 ABS UNIT FAILING. SPECIFICALLY, I HAVE DISCOVERED THAT THIS 1998 VOLVO MODEL HAS BEEN PLAGUED BY THIS! I RECOGNIZE THAT ALL OF THE HISTORICAL CLAIMS THAT I'VE REVIEWED DO NOT INVOLVE DEATH NOR PERSONNEL INJURY AS A RESULT OF THIS DEFECT, HOWEVER, THERE ARE SOME DOCUMENTED "CLOSE CALLS." I FEEL VERY STRONGLY THAT YOUR AGENCY, NHTSA, SHOULD INVESTIGATE FURTHER AND PERHAPS MANDATE A RECALL BY VOLVO. YOU PRIMARILY EXIST TO PROMOTE SAFETY IN THE AUTOMOTIVE INDUSTRY AND TO PROTECT THE AMERICAN CONSUMER. PLEASE DON'T WAIT UNTIL SOMEONE IS KILLED OR HURT BEFORE YOU ACT! THANK YOU. *AK

THE VOLVO ABS / TRAC CONTROL MODULE IS FAILING AT AN ABNORMALLY HIGH RATE. LOCAL DEALERSHIP REPLACES IN EXCESS OF 5 OF THESE PER MONTH. VOLVO CORPORATE OFFICE WILL NOT ACKNOWLEDGE ANY PROBLEM WITH THIS SAFETY DEVICE, AND OTHERWISE REFUSES TO DISCUSS THE HIGH RATE OF FAILURES. OTHER RESEARCH, INCLUDING A HIGH DEMAND FOR NON-DEALER ACQUIRED ABS COMPUTER MODULES IN THE AFTERMARKET INDUSTRY STRONGLY SUGGESTS THAT THOSE UNITS INSTALLED IN VEHICLES ARE FAILING AT AN ABNORMALLY HIGH RATE. IN MY 1998 V70 WAGON THE ABS & TRAC OFF INDICATORS (WARNING LAMPS) RANDOMLY LIGHT. AS A RESULT THE SAFETY OFFERED BY THE ABS BRAKE SYSTEM BECOMES DISABLED OVER LONG PERIODS OF TIME. EVERY POTENTIAL CAUSE HAS BEEN RULED OUT EXCEPT FOR THE ABS COMPUTER MODULE (ABS / TRAC CONTROL MODULE). THIS SAFETY ISSUE NEEDS TO BE ADDRESSED BY THE NHTSA DUE TO THE IMPENDING RISK TO LIFE THAT CONTINUED FAILURES OF THIS SAFETY DEVICE WILL UNDOUBTEDLY BRING.

WHILE DRIVING AT 20 MPH THE VEHICLE WAS IN A FRONTAL COLLISION AND NONE OF THE AIR BAGS DEPLOYED UPON IMPACT. DRIVER SUSTAINED CRACKED RIBS AND OTHER INJURIES. *AK *SCC *JB

WHILE DRIVING, THE ABS AND TRACTION CONTROL INDICATOR ILLUMINATED. BOTH LIGHTS STAYED FOR THE DURATION OF TRAVEL. *AK *JB *NM

FOR OUR 1998 VOLVO V70 XC AWD, THERE WAS A RECALL IN NOV 1999 (99V235/VOLVO RECALL NO. 94). WHEN OUR HEADLIGHT SWITCH SUDDENLY DISASSEMBLED ON THE INTERSTATE AT NIGHT IN MID-SEPTEMBER, LEAVING THE CAR WITHOUT A SINGLE VISIBLE LIGHT, I HAD TO REASSEMBLE IT AND HOLD IT TOGETHER TO REACH HOME. WE CHECKED WITH OUR DEALER THE NEXT DAY. THE COMPUTER RECORDS SHOWED THAT THE SWITCH RECALL HAD ALREADY BEEN DONE FOR OUR CAR, SO I BOUGHT ANOTHER SWITCH. AS I LOOKED CLOSELY AT THE SWITCH THAT WAS REMOVED, I REALIZED I WAS LOOKING AT THE RECALLED SWITCH, STILL IN THE CAR FOUR YEARS AFTER THE RECALL DATE. VOLVO USA AUTHORIZED THE LOCAL DEALER (NOT THE ONE WHO CLAIMED TO HAVE DONE THE RECALL) TO REFUND ME THE PRICE OF THE SWITCH. NO ONE SEEMS INTERESTED IN THE INCORRECT REPORTING OF A RECALL COMPLETION WHEN, IN FACT, THE WORK WAS NOT DONE, LEAVING THE CAR UNSAFE. THE DEALERSHIP REPORTING THE RECALL COMPLETION WAS LEIKIN VOLVO, 38750 MENTOR AVENUE, WILLOUGHBY, OH, 44094. ARE THERE OTHER REFERENCES TO SKIPPED RECALLS INVOLVING THIS DEALERSHIP?*AK

WHILE MY WIFE PAULA WAS DRIVING ON THE NE EXTENSION OF THE PENNSYLVANIA TURNPIKE, THE DRIVER'S POWER SEAT UNIT MOVED FORWARD ON ITS OWN WITHOUT WARNING! SHE HAD TO PULL OVER TO AVOID AN ACCIDENT. THIS CYCLE REPEATED ITSELF 3 MORE TIMES THAT DAY! AT THE TIME OUR DEAF 9-YEAR OLD DAUGHTER WAS RIDING IN THE BACK SEAT. THE DEALER FROM WHICH WE BOUGHT THE CAR (WAS USED) 2 WEEKS PRIOR FOUND THE POWER SEAT UNIT TO BE DEFECTIVE AFTER WE BROUGHT IT BACK, AND THEY REFUSED TO HONOR PAYMENT OF A REPLACEMENT. IN ORDER TO HAVE A SAFE CAR WE HAD TO PAY FOR IT OURSELVES. *LA

ANTI LOCK BRAKES CONTROL UNIT FAILED. A LIGHT INDICATED THAT THE ABS BRAKES WERE NOT WORKING, BUT THE CONSUMER HEARD AND FELT THE ABS BRAKES WERE WORKING WHEN APPLYING THE BRAKES. *AK

ABS/TRACKS SYSTEM FAILURE ON BOTH 1995, 850 AND 1998, V70. WHEN ABS/TRACK LIGHT(S) COMES ON, NO ABS/TRACK. LEFT FRONT WEEL MAY PULL WHEN BRAKING ON V70. VOLVO CORP. DOES NOT WANT TO DO ANYTHING ABOUT THIS PROBLEM... MADE SEVERAL CALLS, HAD INSPECTION/SERVICE DONE BY "CERTIFIED VOLVO SERVICE TECHNICIAN," VOLVO WILL NOT ACCEPT PROBLEM...