2001 VOLVO V70XC Complaints

ELECTRONIC THROTTLE FAILURE ON 2001 VOLVO V70 XC. AUTOMOBILE EXIBITED "SURGING" PERFORMANCE AT ABOUT 90K MILES (OUT OF WARRANTY). DEALER DIAGNOSED ETM FAILURE AS EMMINENT; REPLACED ETM AT VOLVO DEALER. COST APPROXIMATELY $1000. *NM

2001 VOLVO XC70 LOST POWER IN EVENING TRAFFIC IN EARLY NOVEMBER AND WAS UNABLE TO DRIVE / WAS TOWED FOR REPAIR THAT NIGHT AND NEXT DAY CAR STARTED WITHOUT INCIDENT AT AUTO REPAIR SHOP / REPAIR SHOP RAN DIAGNOSTICS AND WAS UNABLE TO IDENTIFY A PROBLEM (AT A COST TO ME OF $119) / ABOUT TWO WEEKS LATER AUTO BEGAN TO LOSE POWER AGAIN SO I DROVE TO ANOTHER LOCAL REPAIR SHOP / RAN DIAGNOSTICS AND DETERMINED THAT ETM THROTTLE WAS CAUSE OF PROBLEM AND SUGGESTED I HAVE VOLVO DEALER DO REPAIR SINCE PART IS EXPECTED TO HAVE WARRANT EXTENDED DUE TO NUMBER OF FAILURES (AT A COST TO ME OF $79) / LOCAL DEALER REPLACED PART AND WOULD NOT ADDRESS POTENTIAL WARRANTY EXTENSION (AT A COST TO ME OF $1200). *NM

ON EIGHT DIFFERENT OCCASIONS WHILE DRIVING ON THE FREEWAY AT 65 - 75 MPH WITH CRUISE CONTROL ON, MY VOLVO V70XC, 2001, HAS EXPERIENCED UNRECOVERABLE REDUCED POWER TO IDLE. I HAD TO MAKE EMERGENCY LANE CHANGES TO GET TO THE SIDE OF THE ROAD BEFORE THE CAR COMPLETELY STOPPED. I FOUND IF I TURNED OFF THE IGNITION AND STARTED IT AGAIN IT WOULD RUN NORMALLY. I THINK THERE IS SOMETHING WRONG WITH THE ELECTRONIC THROTTLE CONTROL MODULE. THE "CHECK ENGINE" LIGHT COMES ON INTERMITTANTLY. *NM

1. WIFE WAS DRIVING ON A HIGHWAY @ APPROXIMATELY 45 MPH. 2) ENGINE IDLED ROUGHLY, STALLED THEN MESSAGE SHOWING "PERFORMANCE REDUCED" SHOWED IN THE CAR INFORMATION SCREEN. CAR WAS ABLE TO RESTART, THEN DRIVEN TO DEALER FOR REPAIR. IT IS BELIEVED TO BE AN ETM FAILURE. *JB

DURING ACCELARATION OR A DOWNSHIFT TO ACCELARATE THE ON-BOARD COMPUTER READS "PERFORMANCE REDUCED" AND THE CAR LOOSES ALL POWER. YOU MUST PULL OVER TO THE SIDE OF THE ROAD SINCE THE CAR LOOSES ALL POWER AND SHUT THE CAR OFF. ONCE IT IS OFF FOR A FEW MINUTES YOU CAN START AGAIN AND RESUME DRIVING AS NORMAL. THIS HAS HAPPENED SEVERAL TIMES IN THE LAST FEW WEEKS. NO REPAIR HAS YET BEEN MADE. *NM

I WAS DRIVING AT APPROX 50 MPH ON A MAJOR THOROUGHFARE UP A HILL WHEN MY VEHICLE SUDDENLY LOST POWER. THE COMPUTER DISPLAYED A "REDUCED POWER" MESSAGE. I PULLED TO THE RIGHT, AND CONTINUED TO DRIVE ABOUT 1/8 MILE AT SIGNIFICANTLY REDUCED POWER UNTIL I COULD PULL COMPLETELY OFF THE ROAD (MY CHILDREN WERE WITH ME AND I WANTED TO BE OFF THE ROAD). I PULLED INTO A PARKING LOT, TURNED OFF MY VEHICLE. AFTER A TWO PHONE CALLS, I ATTEMPTED TO TURN THE VEHICLE ON. IT SEEMED TO RUN FINE. I CONTINUED ON, DROPPED MY CHILDREN AT SCHOOL, AND DROVE TO THE VOLVO DEALER. THEIR NOTES INDICATE: "...FOUND THAT ETM IS DEFECTIVE AND HAD INTERNAL FAULTS IN IT. ALSO FOUND THAT THE CODES WERE SET FOR MAF SENSOR READING OUT OF RANGE. REMOVED ETM AND FOUND THAT IT WAS COVER WITH OIL. CHECKED BANJO FITTING AND FOUND IT TO BE PLUGGED, CLEAN OUT BANJO FITTING, REPLACED ETM AND MAF SENSOR DOWN LOADED NEW SOFTWARE INTO CAR. CLEARED ALL OLD DTCS AND TEST DROVE CAR. CAR NOW DRIVING TO VOLVO'S SPECS." COST OF REPAIRS: $1332.47 OUCH! THE LOST OF POWER OCCURRED FIRST -- THE ADDITIONAL PROBLEMS WERE, I BELIEVE, A RESULT OF THE ETM FAILURE OR DUE TO THE FACT THAT I NEEDED TO CONTINUE DRIVING A SHORT DISTANCE TO FIND A SAFE STOPPING PLACE. REPLACED: THROTTLE BODY, GASKET, MASS AIR FLOW, ETM RELOAD. *NM

MY 2001 VOLVO V70XC HAS EXPERIENCED SEVERE SURGING AT CRUISING SPEEDS AND AT LOW SPEED ACCELERATIONS. NUMEROUS TIMES IN A COUPLE WEEKS THE PERFORMANCE REDUCED WARNING LIGHT APPEARED DURING SOME OF THE SURGING EPISODES. ONE EPISODE CAUSED THE CAR TO STALL. AFTER RESTARTING I MADE IT HOME. SEARCHING THE INTERNET I FOUND MANY SIMILAR STORIES AND LENGTHY DISCUSSIONS ABOUT THE ETM (ELECTRONIC THROTTLE MODULE) PROBLEMS. DUE TO THE POTENTIAL OF COMPLETE FAILURE AND BEING STRANDED, I REPLACED THE ETM AT A LOCAL DEALER (THE DEALER RECOMMENDED THE ETM REPLACEMENT BASED ON THE ENGINE HISTORY CODES). THE CAR NOW RUNS VERY WELL, BUT I'M SKEPTICAL BECAUSE THE SAME DESIGNED PART HAS BEEN INSTALLED THAT IS TROUBLESOME. *JB

ENGINE RUNNING ROUGH, "PERFORMANCE REDUCED" MESSAGE. BROUGHT TO SMYTHE VOLVO IN SAN JOSE - NO PROBLEM FOUND. ONE WEEK LATER, ENGINE RAN ROUGH AND STALLED WHILE DRIVING IN THE MOUNTAINS (MIDDLE OF DANGEROUS BLIND CURVE!), "PERFORMANCE REDUCED" MESSAGE. RESTARTED ENGINE, WAS ABLE TO DRIVE HOME WITH SEVERAL MORE "PERFORMANCE REDUCED" ROUGH RUNNING ENGINE EPISODES. RETURNED TO SMYTHE VOLVO, ELECTRONIC THROTTLE MODULE (ETM) REPLACED UNDER WARRANTY. *NM

DT: RECENTLY WHILE DRIVING 2001 VOLVO XC 70 ALONG WITH ELDERLY MOTHER FROM OREGON TO CALIFORNIA HAD A VERY UNPLEASANT EXPERIENCE THAT COULD HAVE COST THEIR LIVES. ALL OF A SUDDEN VEHICLE LOST T POWER. HAD TO SIT ON A VERY BUSY FREEWAY FOR 2 HOURS IN 100 DEGREE HEAT,AND WAS UNABLE TO RUN THE AIR CONDITIONER OR GET OUT OF THE VEHICLE DUE TO HEAVY TRUCK TRAFFIC. THE CONTACT AND MOTHER WERE FINALLY TOWED FOR 70 MILES TO THE NEAREST VOLVO DEALER. THEY WERE TOLD THAT ELECTRONIC THROTTLE MODULE (ETM) FAILED, A $1200.00 REPAIR. BUT THEY WOULD FIX THE PART AT NO COST TO THE CONTACT BECAUSE OF CALIFORNIA EMISSION LAWS. WHEN THE CONTACT GOT HOME HE DECIDED TO DO A LITTLE RESEARCH INTO THE MATTER, AND DISCOVERED THAT VOLVO WAS WELL AWARE OF THIS PROBLEM ,BUT HAVE NEVER TRIED TO FIX IT. IN FACT, THE CONTACT CLAIMED THAT HE WAS FORTUNATE TO BREAK DOWN IN CALIFORNIA OR BEING STUCK WITH A $1200.00 REPAIR BILL BECAUSE THIS SHOWED THAT VOLVO WAS DISHONEST ABOUT SAFETY AND DESIGN SINCE THE PART REPLACED IN CALIFORNIA WAS SIMPLY MORE OF THE SAME FAULTY EQUIPMENT THAT VOLVO ORIGINALLY INSTALLED, AND WERE NOW UNDER INVESTIGATION ABOUT IT. *AK

MY VOLVO 2001 V70XC BEGAN TO HAVE A ROUGH IDLE AND WOULD STALL OR BOG DOWN WHEN STARTING OUT FROM INTERSECTIONS. THIS LED TO OUR BEING STUCK PULLING OUT INTO TRAFFIC AND SUDDENLY HAVING A STALLED ENGINE OR A CAR WITH MINIMAL PERFORMANCE AND A "PERFORMANCE REDUCED " MESSAGE. I TOOK THE CAR TO THE DEALER, HE REPLACED THE ETM FOR ABOUT $1200. CAR RUNS FINE NOW. THIS EVENT HAPPENED NUMEROUS TIMES, FIRST IN EARLY 2005, PART REPLACED IN OCT 2005. *JB