VOLVO Complaints

TL*THE CONTACT OWNS A 2005 VOLVO S40. WHILE ACCELERATING FROM A STOP, THE VEHICLE STALLS AND HESITATES. THE FAILURE ALSO OCCURS AT HIGHWAY SPEEDS AND HAS OCCURRED FOR APPROXIMATELY 8 MONTHS TO A YEAR. THE FAILURE GRADUALLY WORSENS WHENEVER THE VEHICLE IS DRIVEN. THE DEALER STATED THAT THE VIN WAS NOT INCLUDED IN NHTSA CAMPAIGN ID NUMBER 08V033000 (FUEL SYSTEM, GASOLINE:DELIVERY:FUEL PUMP). THE FAILURE MILEAGE WAS 75,000.

THROUGH NORMAL USE, IN THE COURSE OF THE LAST TWO YEARS BOTH OF THE FRONT INTERIOR DOOR HANDLE ASSEMBLIES HAVE BROKEN. MANUFACTURER'S SUGGESTED FIX IS TO REPLACE ENTIRE INTERIOR DOOR PANEL ASSEMBLY, AS LINKAGE FOR DOOR IS BUILT INTO DOOR PANEL, AN EXORBITANT COST AND EXTRAVAGANT FIX FOR SOMETHING SO SMALL. BROKEN INTERIOR DOOR LINKAGE MEANS OCCUPANTS MUST ROLL WINDOWS DOWN, AND ACCESS EXTERIOR DOOR HANDLE THROUGH WINDOW IN ORDER TO OPEN CAR DOOR. THIS IS A POTENTIAL SAFETY CONCERN IN EVENT OF A CRASH AND EMERGENCY EGRESS NEEDS TO BE MADE FROM THE VEHICLE. *TR

I WAS DRIVING ON THE FREEWAY AND WITHOUT WARNING THE ENGINE LOST POWER AND THE CHECK ENGINE LIGHT CAME ON. I COASTED OFF TO THE SHOULDER AND THE ENGINE WOULD ONLY IDLE, AND EVEN THAT WAS ROUGH. THE MESSAGE INDICATOR ON THE DASH SAID SOMETHING LIKE "REDUCED ENGINE PERFORMANCE". I HAD THE CAR TOWED TO GENGRAS VOLVO IN MERIDEN. THEY REPLACED THE ETM , SOFTWARE AND THROTTLE BODY AT THE COST OF $1195.43. ABOUT TWO WEEKS LATER, I WAS DRIVING ON THE FREEWAY AND THE SAME THING HAPPENED. THIS TIME THE DEALERSHIP SAID THE ELECTRICAL CONNECTIONS TO THE ETM MUST BE BAD AND REPLACED SAME AT NO COST TO ME. NOW ABOUT 10 DAYS AFTER THAT REPAIR, THE SAME THING HAPPENED TO ME ON THE FREEWAY AGAIN. SINCE IT IS THE WEEKEND, I HAVE TO WAIT UNTIL MONDAY FOR THE DEALER TO GIVE ME THE DIAGNOSIS THIS TIME. SINCE THE SECOND FAILURE OF THE PART I HAVE ONLY DRIVEN IN THE RIGHT MOST LANE OF THE HIGHWAY SO THAT WHEN THE CAR DIES AGAIN I CAN GET TO THE SHOULDER SAFELY. IT IS A GOOD THING I DO THIS AS THE ISSUE COMES ON SUDDENLY AND WITHOUT ANY WARNING. *TR

WE HAVE A 2001 V70 T5 VOLVO WAGON. WE BOUGHT THE CAR NEW, AND WHEN IT WAS ABOUT 1 YEAR OLD THE RECEPTACLE OF THE SAFETY BELT WHICH LATCHED IN MY SON'S CAR SEAT CRACKED STRAIGHT DOWN THE MIDDLE. I ONLY DISCOVERED IT WHEN I WAS CHECKING THE BASE OF HIS INFANT CAR SEAT TO MAKE SURE IT WAS STILL TIGHT. VOLVO REPAIRED THE RECEPTACLE FOR FREE, AS THE CAR WAS UNDER WARRANTY. THE CAR IS NOW SEVEN YEARS OLD, AND IT HAS HAPPENED AGAIN, WITH A DIFFERENT SEAT BELT RECEPTACLE, ALSO IN THE BACK SEAT. THERE SEEMS TO ME TO BE SOMETHING FUNDAMENTALLY WRONG ABOUT SEAT BELT RECEPTACLES SPLITTING IN HALF FROM ROUTINE USE. THAT IT HAS HAPPENED TWICE IN THIS SEVEN YEAR OLD CAR STRIKES ME AS SUSPICIOUS. THANK YOU FOR YOUR CONCERN. *TR

I CURRENTLY OWN A VOLVO XC90 T-6 2005. THE TRANSMISSION BEGAN TO SLIP IN FIRST GEAR, I HAD A VOLVO DEALERSHIP TAKE A LOOK AT IT ABOUT 6,000 MILES AGO. NOW, THE URGENT SERVICE LIGHT CAME ON AND VOLVO STATES THAT THE TRANSMISSION NEEDS TO BE REPLACED. MANY OTHERS HAVE EXPERIENCED THESE SAME ISSUES, SO WHAT IS VOLVO NOT FIXING THESE ISSUES. I WILL NEVER, NEVER PURCHASE A VOLVO AGAIN. *TR

IN HEAVY TRAFFIC MY VOLVO XC70 STA. WAGON (36K MI) SUDDENLY, AND W/OUT WARNING, SHUT DOWN. HAD BEEN DRIVING NON-STOP FOR 4-5 HRS. WD. NOT RESTART UNTIL 1.5 HRS. LATER. GRINDING NOISE NOTED WHEN KEY TURNED OVER. NO PRIOR HISTORY OF SAME. EXT. WARRANTY. DEALER "FOUND NO PROBLEMS" WHEN EXAMINED NEXT DAY. ONLY DROVE CAR 26MI. TO FURTHER TEST. VOLVO REP ALSO "TESTED" VEHICLE W/ OWN EQUIPMT. SHD. BE NOTED THAT, REPORTEDLY, DEALERSHIP'S COMPUTER HAD PROBLEM FUNCTIONING TWO DAYS LATER W/ ANOTHER CAR'S TESTING. DEALERSHIP STATED THAT PROBLEM HAD BEEN CORRECTED AND THAT MY VEHICLE HAD BEEN RETESTED. DAVID WHEELER VOLVO FEELS THEY HAVE FULFILLED THEIR OBLIG. TO US AND HAS ASKED US TO DRIVE IT OFF THE LOT. WE REFUSE TO DRIVE IT. *TR

YESTERDAY I PARKED MY 1999 VOLVO IN A STORE PARKING LOT, AND WHEN I PULLED THE DRIVER'S SIDE DOOR HANDLE TO OPEN THE DOOR IT DID NOT WORK. I WAS ALSO UNABLE TO OPEN THE DOOR MANUALLY WITH A KEY. WHILE THIS DID NOT RESULT IN A DEATH, IT IS CERTAINLY A SAFETY ISSUE AND COULD POTENTIALLY HAVE BEEN VERY SERIOUS. IT COST ME OVER $500 TO HAVE THE LOCK FIXED; IN RESPONSE TO MY HUSBAND'S QUESTION AS TO WHAT PRECISELY CAUSED THE PROBLEM, THE AUTOMOTIVE TECH'S EXPLANATION WAS "LOCK FAILURE." I CALLED VOLVO TO REGISTER A COMPLAINT, AND WAS DISMISSED WITH "THE CAR IS OUT OF WARRANTY AND IT ISN'T VOLVO'S RESPONSIBILITY." I CONTEND THAT UNDER NO CIRCUMSTANCES SHOULD SOMEONE BE UNABLE TO EXIT A VEHICLE DUE TO "LOCK" FAILURE. IF ELECTRONICS FAIL, THE DOOR SHOULD BE ABLE TO BE OPENED MANUALLY WITH A KEY. HAD A FIRE OR ACCIDENT OCCURRED AND I NEEDED TO EXIT THE VEHICLE QUICKLY, I WOULD HAVE BEEN TRAPPED. THIS IS UNCONSCIONABLE. *TR

AT APPROXIMATELY 206,000 MILES MY CAR WOULDN'T DRIVE OVER 40 MPH, THE ENGINE WOULD REV UP ON ITS OWN AND SPUTTERED THROUGHOUT THE REDUCED RPM RANGE. RPMS WOULD NOT GO OVER ABOUT 3500. CHECK ENGINE LIGHT CAME ON. DROVE IT TO VOLVO DEALER AND THEY REPLACED THE THROTTLE BODY AT AN OUT OF POCKET COST TO ME OF APPROXIMATELY $1,000. THEY STATED THAT IT WOULD HAVE BEEN COVERED UP TO 200,000 MILES AS THIS PART HAD A RECALL. I DO NOT FEEL THAT I WAS ADEQUATELY NOTIFIED OF THE RECALL. I RECEIVED A LETTER ABOUT A RECALL LAST YEAR AND CALLED THE DEALER TO ASK WHAT IT ALL MEANT SINCE I DID NOT UNDERSTAND IT. THE DEALER SAID IT WAS JUST A SOFTWARE UPGRADE AND WOULD ONLY TAKE ABOUT FIVE MINUTES. I TOOK THE VEHICLE IN FOR THAT SOFTWARE UPGRADE IN MARCH OF 2007 WITH LESS THAN 200,000 MILES ON THE VEHICLE AND THEY DID NOT SAY ANYTHING ABOUT THE ETM / THROTTLE BODY ISSUE. IT SHOULD HAVE BEEN REPLACED AT THAT TIME. *TR

VARIABLE SPEED POWER STEERING. NO POWER STEERING AT -0- MILES PER HOUR. NEEDED NEW STEERING PUMP AT 70,000 MILES. *TR

I WAS DRIVING BACK FROM THE STORE AND THE TRANSMISSION STARTED TO SLIP. I TURNED AROUND TO MOVE THE CAR FROM MY PARKING GARAGE TO THE STREET AND THE TRANSMISSION WARNING LIGHT CAME ON AS MY CAR STOPPED ACCELERATING AS I PARKED. THE CAR HAD BEEN SERVICED BY THE DEALER 2 DAYS PRIOR INCLUDING A SERVICE AND TRANSMISSION FLUID FLUSH. THE VEHICLE HAD 45,000 MILES ON IT. THE DEALER REPLACED THE TRANSMISSION (UNDER OUR EXTENDED WARRANTY) AND SAID THE COOLANT HAD LEAKED INTO THE TRANSMISSION. *TR