VOLVO Complaints

VEHICLE WAS COASTING INTO PARKING SPOT AND EXPERIENCED SUDDEN UNINTENDED ACCELERATION, HIT WALL. NEITHER GAS NOR BRAKE PEDAL WAS DEPRESSED AT THIS POINT AND FLOOR MATS WERE CLEAR OF PEDALS. *TR

ENGINE STOPPED ON FREEWAY, IN HEAVY TRAFFIC. WIFE AND CHILDREN IN THE CAR. EXACT DESCRIPTION AS IN NHTSA CAMPAIGN I.D. 07V226000. DEALER (CARLSEN VOLVO, PALO ALTO, CA), CLAIMED THE CAR HAD NO INDICATION OF RECALLS ON THEIR COMPUTER, BUT VOLVO RECALL CAMPAIGN R181 CLEARLY STATES MY VEHICLE AND SPECIFIC ENGINE # 61 (6TH AND 7TH DIGITS IN VIN) WERE SUBJECT OF RECALL FOR THE SPECIFIC SYMPTOMS INVOLVED. I CALLED VOLVO U.S. AND THEY GAVE ME THE SAME ROTE RESPONSE, "YOUR VEHICLE'S VIN NUMBER DOESN'T SHOW UP AS BEING INCLUDED IN R181". THIS IS PATENTLY FALSE. ACCORDING TO THE RECALL, CARLSEN VOLVO SHOULD HAVE REPLACED THE FUEL PRESSURE SENSOR FREE. INSTEAD, OVER THE COURSE OF 2YEARS AND MULTIPLE VISITS TO THE DEALER, THEY NEVER PROPERLY DIAGNOSED NOR REPAIRED THE PROBLEM. WHEN YOUR ENGINE STALLS IN HEAVY TRAFFIC AT FREEWAY SPEEDS, YOU AND YOUR PASSENGERS ARE AT SEVERE RISK! I WANT MY FREE REPAIR FROM VOLVO! I KNOW I'M NOT THE ONLY V70 OWNER WHO HAS BEEN LIED TO IN THIS SPECIFIC WAY BY VOLVO AND THEIR DEALERS. *TR

3 SEPARATE ISSUES: 1. ELECTRICAL: POWER WINDOWS AND POWER LOCKS SPORADICALLY STOP WORKING. THIS STARTED HAPPENING AROUND MARCH OF 2011. THIS HAPPENS WITHOUT WARNING AND DOES NOT MATTER IF THE CAR IS IN MOTION OR NOT. 2. SUSPENSION: AFTER ONLY 33,000 MILES OF DRIVING IN SOUTHERN CALIFORNIA MILD WEATHER, SEVERAL PARTS OF THE SUSPENSION SYSTEM ARE BROKEN, INCLUDING THE STRUTS, CONTROL ARMS, AND ENGINE MOUNT. 3. VISIBILITY: SINCE PURCHASING THE VEHICLE, I HAVE EXPERIENCE POOR VISIBILITY WHILE DRIVING DUE TO THE FRONT DASH REFLECTING IN THE WINDSHEILD. THIS IS ESPECIALLY BOTHERSOME DURING SUNNY WEATHER, WHICH IS NEARLY EVERY DAY WHERE I LIVE. *TR

TL* THE CONTACT OWNS A 2005 VOLVO XC90. THE CONTACT STATED THAT WHILE DRIVING APPROXIMATELY 35 MPH, THE ENGINE STALLED WITHOUT ANY WARNING. THE VEHICLE FAILED TO RESTART AND WAS TOWED TO AN INDEPENDENT AUTO SHOP FOR DIAGNOSIS. THE TECHNICIAN STATED THE COUNTER BALANCE SHAFT BEARING WAS FROZEN AND THE ENGINE NEEDED TO BE REPLACED. THE VEHICLE WAS REPAIRED. IN ADDITION, THE HEADLIGHTS WOULD INTERMITTENTLY OPERATE AND HAD NOT BEEN REPAIRED. THE MANUFACTURER WAS MADE AWARE OF THE PROBLEM. THE APPROXIMATE FAILURE MILEAGE WAS 88,000. UPDATED 10/3/12 *CN UPDATED 10/09/2012 *JS

TL* THE CONTACT OWNS A 2004 VOLVO V70. THE CONTACT STATED THAT THE CHECK ENGINE AND OIL PRESSURE WARNING LIGHTS ILLUMINATED ON THE INSTRUMENT PANEL AS THE VEHICLE STALLED. THE VEHICLE WAS TAKEN TO A MECHANIC WHERE THE CONTACT WAS ADVISED THAT THE FUEL PRESSURE SENSOR NEEDED TO BE REPLACED. THE CONTACT WAS TOLD THERE WAS A RECALL UNDER NHTSA CAMPAIGN ID NUMBER: 07V266000 (ENGINE AND ENGINE COOLING) BUT THE MANUFACTURER STATED THAT THE VEHICLE WAS NOT INCLUDED IN THE RECALL. THE FAILURE AND THE CURRENT MILEAGES WERE 75,000.

TL* THE CONTACT OWNS A 2002 VOLVO S60. THE CONTACT WAS TRAVELING 55 MPH WHEN THE SMELL OF FUEL EMITTED INSIDE OF THE VEHICLE. THE VEHICLE WAS NOT TAKEN TO THE DEALER. THE MANUFACTURER WAS NOT CONTACTED. THE VEHICLE WAS NOT REPAIRED. THE FAILURE AND CURRENT MILEAGES WERE 86,635.

TWICE, WITHIN 50 METRES OF THE SAME SPOT EACH TIME, MY CAR HAS SUFFERED EXTREME ACCELERATION WHILST I WAS BRAKING AS HARD AS I COULD. FIRST TIME, MY MECHANIC CHECKED ALL COMPUTER DIAGNOSTICS USING TWO DIFFERENT COMPUTER TESTING DEVICES BUT THERE WERE NO FAULT CODES. NOW, AS WELL AS HAPPENING TWICE WITHIN 50 METRES OF THE SAME SPOT, I WAS AT THE SAME SET OF TRAFFIC LIGHTS, WHICH I DO NOT SUSPECT AS BEING THE PROBLEM, BUT ALSO NEXT TO A MAJOR HOSPITAL WITH AN ADJACENT HELIPAD. MY BEST GUESS AFTER 57 YEARS IN ELECTRONICS AND 40+ IN COMPUTERS IS THAT SOME SORT OF RF INTERFERENCE IS UPSETTING MY VEHICLE. I KNOW VOLVO CHECK ALL ACCIDENTS INVOLVING THEIR CARS IN SWEDEN AND WONDER WHETHER THEY HAVE EVER COME ACROSS MY PROBLEM. BOTH TIMES THE ENGINE SCREAMED ITS HEAD OFF ALTHOUGH I HAD NO TIME TO WORRY ABOUT THE TACHOMETER READING. THE NOISE ITSELF WAS ADEQUATE WARNING AND THE LACK OF BRAKING MEANT THAT I HAD TO KILL THE IGNITION TO RECOVER MINE AND THE VEHICLES COMPOSURE. SWITCHING ON THE IGNITION AGAIN BOTH TIMES, THE VEHICLE ONCE AGAIN IDLED NORMALLY AND OPERATED AS IT SHOULD. *TR

THE CONSOLE AND STEERING WHEEL WERE WET FROM RAIN. THE SRS DASH WARNING LIGHT CAME ON. ABOUT 5 MILES AFTER THAT, THE DRIVER'S SIDE AIR BAG DEPLOYED. THE BAG WAS THE ORIGINAL BAG. THE SRS LIGHT HAD GONE ON ONCE 20 MONTHS BEFORE WHEN THE CONSOLE GOT WET. THE DEALERSHIP RAN A TEST FOR ABOUT $115 EACH ON BOTH OCCASIONS AND SAID THE CAUSE OF THE SRS LIGHT COMING ON WAS INDETERMINATE. TWENTY MONTHS AGO A TOP, LONGTIME VOLVO DEALERSHIP SERVICE MANAGER ASSURED ME THAT AIR BAGS NEVER GO OFF WITHOUT AN IMPACT. HE SAID THERE HAD NOT BEEN A SINGLE OCCASION OF THAT EVER HAPPENING. I SHOULD HAVE GOOGLED THE TOPIC. I WOULD HAVE SEEN RIGHT AWAY THAT HE DIDN'T KNOW WHAT HE WAS TALKING ABOUT. TWO BONES IN MY FOREARM WERE BROKEN AND HEAVY BRUISES THAT ARE STILL VISIBLE 5 WEEKS LATER WERE LEFT ON MY STOMACH AND THIGHS. CORPORATE OFFICES AND THE DEALERSHIP SAY THE BAG WAS OUT OF WARRANTY; A REPLACEMENT STEERING WHEEL TO INSTALL A NEW BAG IS NOT AVAILABLE; AND THAT THEY WILL NOT DISCONNECT THE PASSENGER BAG, THOUGH I CONSIDER IT A TIME BOMB. BEFORE WRITING AN EMAIL ATTEMPTING TO PLACE THE BLAME ON ME, ERICA AT "THE EXECUTIVE OFFICES OF VOLVO" LEFT AN APPARENTLY INANE VOICE MAIL THAT I HAVE SAVED FOR NOW SAYING "THIS IS NOT EXACTLY A SPONTANEOUS DEPLOYMENT. WE DO KNOW WHY THE BAG DEPLOYED IN YOUR VEHICLE." I EMAILED BACK THAT HER CLAIM THAT "WE" KNOW WHAT CAUSED THE BAG TO DEPLOY "STRUCK ME AS ODD BECAUSE NO ONE AT THE VOLVO [DEALERSHIP] THIS PAST WEEK SAID THAT THEY KNEW." EVEN AFTER RUNNING A CHECK ON THE SRS SYSTEM, AND CHARGING ME $115 TO DO SO, THEY STILL SAID THEY DID NOT KNOW. IN FACT A FEW WEEKS AGO TWO LONG TIME SERVICE MANAGERS WERE SAYING MY EXPERIENCE WAS UNPRECEDENTED OR IMPOSSIBLE. I SUGGESTED IN ANOTHER EMAIL TO ERICA THAT THE CORPORATION HAD A MORAL OBLIGATION TO INFORM THEIR SERVICE MANAGERS OF DOCUMENTED CASES OF SPONTANEOUS DEPLOYMENT. *TR

TL* THE CONTACT OWNS A 2001 VOLVO S-60. THE CONTACT STATED THAT THERE WERE STRONG GASOLINE FUEL FUMES COMING FROM THE OUTSIDE THE VEHICLE. THE VEHICLE WAS TAKEN TO A MECHANIC WHO STATED THAT THERE WAS A POSSIBLE FUEL PUMP DEFECT. THE VEHICLE WAS NOT REPAIRED. THE MANUFACTURER WAS MADE AWARE OF THE FAILURE AND REFERENCED NHTSA CAMPAIGN ID NUMBER: 07V152000 (FUEL SYSTEM, GASOLINE:DELIVERY:FUEL PUMP) HOWEVER, THE VIN CONTACT'S WAS NOT INCLUDED IN THE RECALL. THE FAILURE AND THE CURRENT MILEAGE WAS 90,000.

ALL INTERIOR LIGHTS, GUAGES, WINDSHIELD WIPERS RANDOMLY SHUT DOWN AT FREEWAY SPEEDS AND AT IDLE. ENGINE POWER IS ALSO AFFECTED AS UNABLE TO ACCELERATE PROPERLY. DEALER REPLACED DRIVER INFORMATION MODULE HOWEVER PROBLEM CONTINUES. DEALER UNABLE TO SOURCE THE PROBLEM AS THE VEHICLE NEEDS TO BE IN THE PROCESS OF FAILING FOR THEM TO SOURCE THE PROBLEM. THIS HAS NOT BEEN POSSIBLE AS THE ISSUE IS RANDOM AND TYPICAL GOES AWAY AFTER THE CAR SITS FOR SEVERAL HOURS. THE SERVICE AIRBAG AND BRAKE FAILURE CODE REMAINS IN THE DRIVER INFORMATION MODULE. THIS IS A SERIOUS SAFETY ISSUE ESPECIALLY AT FREEWAY SPEEDS AND AT NIGHT. *TR