2001 VOLVO XC70 Complaints

DT: VEHICLE STALLED/DIED, AND LOST POWER DUE TO THROTTLE BODY FAILURE. *AK WHILE DRIVING THE CONSUMER NOTICED THAT THE VEHICLE WAS NOT HOLDING AT A CONSTANT SPEED. THIS OCCURRED WHETHER THE CONSUMER USED THE CRUISE CONTROL OR MANUALLY OPERATED THE ACCELERATOR PEDAL. THE CONSUMER CONTACTED THE DEALER WHO DETERMINED THAT EH PROBLEM WAS THE THROTTLE BODY. *NM

1) IN THE 6 WEEKS PRIOR TO THE FAILURE WE HAD NOTICED WORSENING SYMPTOMS OF WHAT WE NOW KNOW IS THE FAILURE OF THE ELECTRONIC THROTTLE MODULE (ETM) IN OUR 2001 VOLVO XC70. AT HIGHWAY SPEEDS THERE WOULD BE INTERMITTENT SURGING THAT WAS NOT CAUSED BY THE DRIVER 2) ON SEPT. 1, 2005, THERE WERE TWO SEPARATE INSTANCES WHERE THE VEHICLE SUDDENLY LOST SPEED AND THE MOTOR BEGAN TO VIOLENTLY SHAKE AS IF ABOUT TO STALL; THE DASHBOARD INDICATOR SAID "PERFORMANCE REDUCED." BOTH TIMES THE MOTOR WAS SHUT OFF BRIEFLY, THEN RESTARTED AND THE CAR WAS DRIVABLE AGAIN. 3) THE CAR WAS TAKEN TO A VOLVO-CERTIFIED SERVICE FACILITY WHERE THE ON-BOARD COMPUTER CODE WAS USED TO DIAGNOSE THROTTLE FAILURE. THIS OCCURRED WHILE ON TRAVEL OUT OF TOWN AND WE HAD NO CHOICE BUT TO AUTHORIZE THE REPLACEMENT OF THE ETM. THE ENTIRE REPAIR JOB WAS DONE AT A COST TO ME OF $1110. *NM

MY CAR IS A VOLVO 2001 AWD XCV70 AND IT WAS STALLING AND LOOSING RPM WHILE TRAVELING AT HIGHWAY SPEEDS, RUNNING VERY ROUGH AND ACCELERATING WITHOUT PRESSING ON THE ACCELERATOR, FOR EXAMPLE WHEN AT A STAND STILL IN TRAFFIC. THE DEALER SAID THAT THE ELECTRONIC THROTTLE MODULE (ETM) NEEDED TO BE REPLACED AND THAT THE PART WAS $1,000 PLUS. THEY SAID THAT THE CAUSE WAS MY FAILURE TO USE PREMIUM GAS. IT WAS NOT UNTIL AFTER I GAVE THEM THE GO AHEAD TO FIX IT THAT I DISCOVERED ALL THE OTHER COMPLAINTS. THIS MORNING I FOUND OUT THAT THEY HAVE ALREADY INSTALLED THE NEW PART AND ARE ROAD TESTING IT TO SEE IF ANY OF THE OTHER DIAGNOSTIC FAILURES HAVE CLEARED UP. THE OTHER KICKER IS THAT I HAD ALREADY TAKEN THE CAR TO A NON-VOLVO MECHANIC THAT DIAGNOSED THE PROBLEM AS A MASS AIR SENSOR, OXYGEN SENSOR AND HEAT CONTROL SENSOR. THOSE REPAIRS, TOTALING 650, DID NOT CORRECT THE PROBLEM. I CAN NOT FIND TOO MUCH FAULT WITH THIS MECHANIC SINCE HE WAS REPLACING PARTS THAT THE DIAGNOSTIC INDICATED WERE BAD. NOW I FIND OUT THAT THE DIAGNOSTICS ARE ALL CONTROLLED BY THE FAILURE CODE FOR THE ETM AND THAT THOSE REPAIRS WERE PROBABLY NOT NECESSARY. MORE THAN A LITTLE FRUSTRATED. THE CAR WAS UNSAFE TO DRIVE AND NOW I AM CONCERNED ABOUT THE FAILURE OF THE REPLACEMENT PART. *JB

DT: THE CONTACT OWNS A 2001 VOLVO XC70 CROSS COUNTRY STATION WAGON. THE VEHICLE STALLED/DIED AND LOST POWER. THIS OCCURRED ON AUGUST 27, 2005. THE ELECTRONIC THROTTLE MODULE (ETM) NEEDED TO BE REPLACED. *AK

ENGINE FAILED ON 2001 VOLVO V70 XC ON TRIP TO NORTH CAROLINA. SUBSEQUENTLY, IT RESTARTED, OPERATING UNDER "REDUCED POWER". I BROUGHT THE CAR TO A VOLVO DEALER IN MYRTLE BEACH WHO DIAGNOSED THE PROBLEM AS A THROTTLE MODULE FAILURE AND REPAIRED IT AT A COST OF $656.00. THE CAR HAD 61,685 MILES (BEYOND THE 50,000 MILE WARRANTY) AND WAS PURCHASED ON 9/9/2000. IT IS MY UNDERSTANDING THAT THERE HAVE BEEN WIDESPREAD FAILURES OF THIS COMPONENT AND THAT THERE ARE VARIOUS ACTIONS IN PROCESS THAT MIGHT RESULT IN RECALL. I WOULD LIKE TO ADD MY PROBLEM TO THE LIST. *JB

DRIVING SOUTH ON I95 NEAR CLINTON,CONNECTICUT WITH TWO OTHER SUV'S FOR ABOUT TWO HOURS - MEDIUM TO HEAVY FLOW TRAFFIC CONDITIONS. DRIVING NORMAL SPEEDS IN THE LEFT LANE WHEN THE CAR FELT LIKE IT WAS STARVED FOR FUEL AND WOULDN'T REACT TO THE THROTTLE CONTROL. TOP SPEED WAS ONLY ABOUT 35-40 MPH AND AN INDICATOR LIGHT FLASHED "PERFORMANCE DEGRAGATION" OR SOMETHING LIKE THAT. THE CAR WAS ABLE TO GET INTO THE RIGHT LANE, BUT THEN DIED AND WOULD NOT START FOR A PERIOD OF TIME. A STATE TROOPER DID PULL UP BEHIND ALL THREE CARS AND LENDED SOME TRAFFIC ASSISTANCE. AFTER A WHILE THE CAR DID START AGAIN AND WE WERE ABLE TO GET TO THE NEAREST EXIT. SINCE WE WERE STILL 2 HOURS FROM HOME AND AAA COULDN'T GET US PHYSICALLY HOME, WE WAITED 1 HOUR AND TRIED OUR LUCK. THE CAR DID GET US HOME, BUT THERE WAS A VERY SLIGHT MISFIRE PRESENT MOST OF THE WAY HOME THAT MIGHT HAVE GONE UNNOTICED IN DIFFERENT CIRCUMSTANCES. THE NEXT DAY VOLVO OF WESTPORT FIXED THE CAR AND SAID IT WAS THE ELECTRONIC THROTTLE SYSTEM - THEY REPLACED IT, BUT SAID THEY COULDN'T GUARANTEE THAT IT WOULDN'T HAPPEN AGAIN IN THE NEAR FUTURE. WE LOVE OUR VOLVO XC90 AND PURCHASED IT FOR SAFETY ONLY, BUT THIS PROBLEM IS A SERIOUS CONCERN FOR US, ESPECIALLY SINCE WE HAD 7 ADULTS AND THREE KIDS RANGING FROM 16 MONTHS TO 6 YEARS OF AGE STRANDED ON I95 DURING HEAVY TRAFFIC!!!!! THE CAR IS A VOLVO XC90 2001 - I WAS ASSURED BY THE WESTPORT DEALER THAT THE PROBLEM WAS FIXED IN THE 2003+ MODELS AND WE ARE CONSIDERING AN UPGRADE - IF WE CAN TRUST VOLVO AGAIN. *NM

FOR ABOUT A WEEK THE CAR WAS RUNNING ROUGH WITH HESITATION AND A JERKING FEELING OF LOSS OF POWER. THEN AS MY WIFE WAS DRIVING HOME WITH OUR CHILDREN THE NIGHT OF THE 27TH OF JULY THE CAR STARTED TO LOSE POWER COMPLETELY TO THE POINT WHERE SHE WAS FORCED TO PULL THE CAR OFF THE ROAD. THE INFORMATION CENTER ON THE CAR INDICATED "PERFORMANCE REDUCED" BUT OFFERED NO OTHER INFORMATION AND THE MANUAL OFFERED NO OTHER NARRATIVE. THE CAR WAS TAKEN TO TOM WOOD VOLVO IN INDIANAPOLIS WHERE THE TECHNICIAN HAD A HUNCH RIGHT AWAY THAT IT WAS A FAULTY ETM. ITEM WAS REPLACED WITH NEW WHICH RESULTED IN A BILL OF $1100. SINCE THE PROBLEM I HAVE BEEN MADE AWARE THAT THIS IS A COMMON PROBLEM WITH THIS VEHICLE. *NM

2001 VOLVO XC70: ENGINE STOPPED RUNNING DURING NORMAL OPERATIONS DRIVING DOWN A DIVIDED HIGHWAY. THERE WERE 4 SEPARATE INCIDENTS OVER ABOUT A AN 18 MONTH TIME PERIOD TIME FROM APPROXIMATELY NOV 2002 TO MAY 2004. THE CAR'S ENGINE NEEDED TO BE TURNED OFF AND THE CAR PLACED IN NEUTRAL, AND THEN RESTARTED. IT WOULD OFTEN TAKE 2 - 3 ATTEMPTS TO GET THE CAR STARTED. NO ACCIDENTS OCCURRED, AND IT ENDED UP JUST BEING AN INCONVENIENCE, BUT ONLY BECAUSE THERE WAS NEVER ANY TRAFFIC ON THE ROAD. IT WAS TAKEN TO THE VOLVO DEALERSHIP TWICE. INSPECTED BY THE MECHANICS, BUT I WAS TOLD THAT SINCE THE CAR WAS RESTARTED THAT THE CODES HAD CLEARED SO THERE WAS NOTHING THAT COULD BE DONE. I WOULD NEED TO BRING THE CAR IN WHILE THE PROBLEM OCCURRED--AN OBVIOUS PROBLEM SINCE THE CAR WOULD NOT RUN, SO I COULD NOT BRING IT IN. *JB

MY 2001 VOLVO V70 CROSS COUNTRY HAS LOST POWER AND STALLED THREE TIMES IN THE LAST MONTH. ONCE AS MY WIFE AND CHILD WERE CROSSING A DOUBLE SET OF RAILROAD TRACKS AND ONCE WHEN MY WIFE AND A FRIEND WERE BISECTING A BUSY INTERSECTION. I UNDERSTAND THIS HAS HAPPENED TO OTHER VOLVO OWNERS AND THAT THERE IS A KNOWN PROBLEM WITH THE ETM (ELECTRONIC THROTTLE MODULE). IT SHOULD BE RECALLED. I REPAIRED THE PROBLEM BECAUSE OF THE IMMEDIATE SAFETY CONCERNS AT A COST OF $1,000.*JB

VEHICLE LOST ALL POWER WHILE DRIVING ON I695, NEAR TOWSON, MD. WAITED 30 MINUTES AND RE-STARTED VEHICLE. TOOK THE VEHICLE TO A REPAIR SHOP, AND WAS TOLD THAT THE ETM THROTTLE MODULE NEEDED TO BE CLEANED. MECHANIC ALSO SAID THAT THE ETM SHOULD BE REPLACED, AS HE HAD SEEN MANY OTHER VOLVO ETM FAILURES.*JB