1999 VOLVO V70XC Complaints

FAILED ELECTRONIC THROTTLE MECHANISM; FAILED FOR MY WIFE IN TRAFFIC. SHE WAS ABLE TO RESTART AND GET HOME. WHEN I TOOK THE CAR OUT TO CHECK ON THE SYMPTOMS IS COMPLETELY DIED(STALLED) WHILE I WAS STARTING TO MAKE A LEFT TURN(ACROSS ONCOMING TRAFFIC LANE) INTO MY DRIVEWAY. I WAS ABLE TO RESTART AND GET OUT OF THE ROAD WITHOUT ANY INCIDENT. THIS FAILURE CREATES A DANGEROUS SITUATION FOR THE DRIVER AND PASSENGERS. THANK YOU. *JB

"SERVICE ENGINE SOON" (SES) LIGHT CAME ON RECENTLY PURCHASED THIS CAR WITH 55000 MILES ON ODOMETER. CALL TO VOLVO INDICATED THAT THIS USUALLY MEANT THAT THE ETM (ELECTRONIC THROTTLE MODULE) NEEDS CLEANING. CALL LOCAL INDEPENDANT VOLVO MECHANIC. HE HAD ME CHECK THE COLOR OF THE LABEL ON ETM. SAID THAT I HAD THE ORIGINAL ETM AND THAT CLAING DOES NO GOOD, ETM NEEDS REPLACED AS HE HAS SEEN THIS ISSUE MANY TIMES. HAD INDEPENDENT MECHANIC REPLACE ETM AT A COST OF ~$800. FURTHER INVESTIGATION ON INTERNET FOUND THAT THIS IS A VERY COMMON OCCURANCE. ALSO NOTED THAT I HAD PURCHASED AN EXTENDED WARRANTY WITH CAR AND THAT THE WARRANTY EXPLICITLY EXLUDED ETM....COINCIDENCE? I THINK NOT.....THE ETM FAILURE IS NOT ONLY A SAFETLY HAZZARD (CAR CAN NOT GO > 20MPH WHEN SES COMES ON..) BUT FOR A CAR OF THE ALLEDGED QUALITY OF A VOLVO TO HAVE A PRT SUCH AS A THROTTLE MODULE GO BAD AT 55000 MILES IS CRAZY. IN ADDITION IT APPEARS THAT THE REPLACEMENT ETM WILL BE SUBJECT TO THE SAME PROBLEM IN THE FUTURE...NOTE THAT THE VIN OF THIS VEHICLE IS [XXX], 1999 VOLVO V70-XC. UPDATED 07/19/2012 *JS INFORMATION REDACTED PURSUANT TO THE FREEDOM OF INFORMATION ACT (FOIA), 5 U.S.C. 552(B)(6)

I AM WRITING AFTER SEEING A NEWS ARTICLE ON COMPLAINTS AGAINST VOLVO. I OWNED A 1999 XC V70 (WHICH I JUST TRADED) [XXX] TWICE SIMPLY LOST POWER WHILE DRIVING, AND WOULD NOT ALLOW ME TO GET THE CAR TO GO FASTER THAN 10 MILES PER HOUR. THE FIRST FAILURE OCCURRED SOMETIME IN 2003, WAS REPAIRED, AND THEN FAILED AGAIN IN JUNE OF 2005. AFTER SPENDING AROUND $1,000 TO FIX THE PROBLEM I TRADED THE CAR IN. I COMPLAINED TO VOLVO SEVERAL TIMES BUT THEY WERE UNRESPONSIVE. *NM UPDATED 07/19/2012 *JS INFORMATION REDACTED PURSUANT TO THE FREEDOM OF INFORMATION ACT (FOIA), 5 U.S.C. 552(B)(6)

MY CAR STARTED RIDING ROUGH IN ABOUT 2003. RPM'S JUMP, CAR THRUSTS LIKE A GAS SURGE. THIS CAN OCCUR WHILE ON HIGHWAY SPEED OR WHILE IDLING AT A STOP LIGHT. THE CAR WAS SERVICED AND REPAIRED, BUT THEN THE PROBLEM CAME BACK (AFTER THE SERVICE WAS NO LONGER UNDER WARRANTY). VOLVO HAS NOT BEEN ABLE TO SOLVE THE PROBLEM SUFFICIENTLY, BUT I HAVE BEEN TOLD THEY ARE RELATED TO MASS AIR CONTROL, THROTTLE CONTROL, AND OXYGEN SENSOR. MY CAR IS CURRENTLY AT VOLVOVILLE AGAIN FOR SERVICE OF THIS PROBLEM. *NM

HEADLIGHT SWITCH HAS BEEN REPLACED TWICE, RECENTLY REPLACED AS A RECALL, WITHIN ONE WEEK OF BEING REPLACED UNDER RECALL THE SWITCH FAILED AGAIN. WE WERE DRIVING IN MOUTAINS WITH FAMILY WHEN THE HEADLLIGHTS AND TURN SIGNALS NO LONGER WORKED.

RECENTLY I BOUGHT A USED VOLVO- 1999 V70 XC. SHORTLY AFTERWARDS, THE ETS LIGHT CAME ON. THE DEALER TOLD ME IT WOULD COST $1000 TO REPLACE. I DID SOME RESEARCH AND FOUND THAT THIS NOT ONLY AFFECTED THE CRUISE CONTROL, BUT COULD EVENTUALLY CAUSE THE FAILURE OF THE ENGINE AND THE CAR TO SUDDENLY STOP RUNNING. THE PART IT WOULD BE A REPLACED WITH WAS THE EXACT SAME PART THAT HAS THE SAME PROBLEM THAT COULD OCCUR. THE LOCAL MECHANIC CANNOT FIX IT. IT MUST BE DONE BY A DEALER. I WROTE TO VOLVO WITH NO RESPONSE. I MET OTHERS ONLINE WHO IS TRYING TO LOBBY THE COMPANY FOR A REDESIGN AND A RECALL. THIS IS NOT A CONVENIENCE ISSUE, BUT A SAFETY ONE. VOLVO FIGURES MOST AFFLUENT OWNERS OF NEW VOLVOS WOULD HAVE TRADED UP TO A NEW ONE ALREADY. AND IS IGNORING THOSE SUBJECT TO BUYING IN THE SECONDARY MARKET. PLEASE ASK VOLVO TO INVESTIGATE THIS AND ISSUE A RECALL. I RECENTLY TRADED THE CAR IN FOR A NON-VOLVO CAR. I WILL NOT BUY ANOTHER VOLVO EVER AGAIN. BUT FOR THE SAKE OF THOSE WHO DO NOT HAVE THE MEANS TO TRADE UP TO A NEW CAR, I AM STILL WRITING TO GET REDRESS FOR THIS ISSUE. THANK YOU.

PENDING PROBLEM. 1999 VOLVO XC70 USES A DRIVE-BY-WIRE THROTTLE. THE THROTTLE BODY MODULE IS PRONE TO FAILURE AND WHICH LEADS TO UNINTENDED ACCELARATION OR LOSS OF ACCELARATION CONTROL. EARLY FAILURE IS INDICATED WITH ENGINE SURGING FROM 500 TO 1000 RPM, CYCLING BACK AND FORTH.*AK

WHILE PULLING ONTO AN EXIT RAMP AT 45 MPH THERE WAS AN OVERHEATING SMELL IN THE CABIN OF THE VEHICLE, FOLLOWED BY THE VEHICLE STALLING. VEHICLE WAS TOWED TO AN AUTO REPAIR SHOP FROM THE EXIT RAMP THE FOLLOWING DAY. THE ENGINE SEVERELY OVERHEATED, THE EXPANSION TANK AND ENGINE COVER MELTED, AND THE RADIATOR WAS LEAKING AT THE SIDE TANK. RADIATOR LOOKED LIKE IT WAS DEFECTIVE. THE ENTIRE ENGINE WAS REPLACED. CONSUMER INDICATED THAT THIS FAILURE WAS RELATED TO COOLING FAN RECALL 04V451000, BUT THE VIN IS NOT INCLUDED.*AK...........*AK

CAR STALLED WITHOUT WARNING IN HEAVY TRAFFIC. FOUND TO BE ELECTRONIC THROTTLE MODULE. THIS IS TANTAMOUNT TO HAVING THE THROTTLE CABLE SNAP. IT IS A HUGE SAFETY ISSUE AND VOLVO KNOWS ABOUT IT BUT REFUSES TO 'FESS UP. LUCKILY WE WERE UNHURT BUT THIS PROBLEM IS PERVASIVE AND DEMANDS ATTENTION. *NM

I HAVE BEEN NOTIFIED BY MY VOLVO DEALER (DON BEYER VOLVO, FALLS CHURCH, VA) DURING ROUTINE SERVICE THAT THERE IS AN INTERNAL FAULT IN THE ABS MODULE IN MY 1999 VOLVO V70 WAGON. THE ESTIMATED COST FOR THIS PROSPECTIVE REPAIR IS $951. I UNDERSTAND FROM CONVERSATIONS WITH OTHER 1999 AND 2000 VOLVO OWNERS, AS WELL AS A SEARCH ON THE INTERNET, THAT THIS IS A FREQUENT PROBLEM WITH VOLVO'S DURING THIS PRODUCTION PERIOD. SINCE THE ABS CONTROL MODULE DOES NOT DETERIATE FROM NORMAL WEAR AND TEAR BUT, INSTEAD IS A COMPUTER BASED SYSTEM WHICH SHOULD LAST MUCH LONGER THAN 3 OR 4 YEARS, I AM REQUESTING YOUR ORGANIZATION TO INVESTIGATE WHETHER THIS PROBLEM IS A LATENT DEFECT AND SHOULD BE THE SUBJECT OF A RECALL AND PAID FOR BY THE MANUFACTURER.