VOLVO Complaints

ON JANUARY 29, 2007 I TOOK MY 2006 VOLVO XC90 2WD TO THE VOLVO DEALER FOR THE 15,000 MILE SCHEDULED SERVICE TO INCLUDE THE SCHEDULED TIRE ROTATION AND BALANCE. THE CAR HAD 14,764 MILES. THE SERVICE ADVISOR CALLED LATER IN THE DAY TO STATE THAT (1) I NEEDED FRONT BRAKE PADS, AND (2) NEEDED FOUR NEW TIRES BECAUSE THE ORIGINAL EQUIPMENT TIRES WERE COMPLETELY WORN OUT. WHEN I ASKED WHY THOSE ITEMS WERE NEEDED, HE TOLD ME (1) THE FRONT BRAKE PADS WEAR EARLY BECAUSE THEY AREN'T LARGE ENOUGH TO SUPPORT THE WEIGHT OF THE CAR, AND (2) THE ORIGINAL 17" PIRELLII SCORPION ZERO TIRES ARE A PERFORMANCE TIRE AND "TOO SOFT" FOR THE VEHICLE AND THUS WEAR OUT PREMATURELY. HE ESTIMATED I HAD ABOUT 1 OR 2 MM OF TREAD LEFT, AND ADVISED ME NOT TO DRIVE IN THE RAIN. I SPOKE TO THE VOLVO DEALER SERVICE MANAGER THE SAME DAY WHO SAID HE WOULD LOOK INTO GETTING ME 4 NEW TIRES FREE FROM PIRELLI AS A ONE-TIME "GOODWILL" GESTURE. ON JANUARY 30, 2007, THE VOLVO SERVICE MANAGER CALLED TO SAY THAT BECAUSE MY CAR WAS UNDER 15,000 MILES PIRELLI HAD AGREED TO REPLACE ALL 4 TIRES FREE. THE 17" TIRES NEEDED TO BE ORDERED AND WOULD ARRIVE IN 4-6 WEEKS. THE SERVICE MANAGER ASSURED ME THAT MY CAR WAS SAFE TO DRIVE UNTIL THE NEW TIRES WERE INSTALLED. ON MARCH 18, 2007 I NOTICED THAT THE TREAD HAD COMPLETELY WORN AWAY ON BOTH BACK TIRES, AND BELT IS SHOWING THROUGH. ON MARCH 19, 2007 I CALLED THE VOLVO DEALER TO FIND OUT WHAT WAS THE STATUS OF MY NEW PIRELLI TIRES AND WAS TOLD THAT THERE WERE NO 17" PIRELLI TIRES IN STOCK, AND THEY HAD TO BE SPECIAL ORDERED. I TOLD THE SERVICE SCHEDULER THAT THE CAR IS UNDRIVABLE BECAUSE THE TIRES ARE COMPLETELY BALD. I AM STILL WAITING FOR THE VOLVO DEALER TO CALL ME BACK.

MY 2003 S40 HAS BEEN SLIPPING GEAR BETWEEN 3RD AND 4TH GEAR AND OCASSIONAL HARD SHIFT BETWEEN 2ND AND 3RD GEAR. THE CAR ONLY HAS 49000 MILES. I HAVE GONE TO THE DEALER AND THEY SAID, THERE IS NO SOFTWARE UPDATE FOR THE TCM (TRANSMISSION CONTROL MODULE)AND IT NEEDS TO BE REPLACED. COST $800. THIS GEAR SLIP MAKES DRIVING VERY BOTHERSOME AND DANGEROUS ON OCCASION. IF YOU NEED TO SPEED UP TO GET OUT OF THE WAY, THE SLIP CAUSES THE CAR TO LOSE POWER. FEW SECONDS MAKES A DIFFERENCE BETWEEN LIFE AND DEATH. I HAVE TAKEN THE CAR TO ANOTHER IMPORT REPAIR SHOP AND HAD THEM REPLACE THE TCM. WHICH DID NOT HELP THE ISSUE. THEN I TOOK THE CAR BACK TO THE DEALER AND ASKED TO DO ANOTHER DIAGNOSTIC TO SEE IF THE TCM IS THE ISSUE OR NOT. THEY SAID, THE TCM COULD NOT BE FUNCTIONING PROPERLY. THEY WANT ME TO REPLACE THE TCM THROUGH THEM AND SEE IF IT WILL RESOLVE THE PROBLEM, OTHERWISE IT WILL BE A TRANSMISSION ISSUE. I HAVE RESEARCHED ON THE WEB AND THROUGH MULTIPLE FORUMS, THERE HAVE HUNDREDS OF ISSUES RELATED TO TCM AND TRANSMISSION ON THESE MODELS. I DO NOT UNDERSTAND HOW CAN A CAR HAVE TCM OR TRANSMISSION ISSUE WITH ALL IT'S FACTORY RECOMMENDED SERVICE DONE AS SCHEDULED.

IN A PARKING LOT AT A LOCAL GROCERY STORE, MY DAUGHTER AND I WENT INTO THE CAR, STARTED IT AND SHIFTED THE GEAR, WHILE HOLDING THE BRAKE, FROM PARK MODE TO REVERS MODE TO GET OUT OF THE PARKING LOT. AS SOON AS I SHIFTED IT, THE CAR TOOK OFF IN FULL SPEED BACKWARD AS IF IT WAS CRAZY, HITTING A CAR AND A PASSENGER THAT WAS COMING OUT OF THE CAR. AS MY CAR HIT THE 2ND VEHICLE'S OPEN DOOR, IT BOUNCED FORWARD, ALSO IN FULL SPEED. BY THIS TIME, I SHIFTED THE GEAR TO PARK MODE IN ATTEMPT TO STOP THE CAR. NEVERTHELESS, THE CAR FLEW AND HIT A SUV AND AS THE AIRBAG BROKE, MY CAR STOPPED. THE SUV WAS THEN SANDWICHED IN BETWEEN MY CAR AND A PARKED CAR IN FRONT OF IT. BOTH CARS WERE EMPTY BUT THE PASSENGER FROM THE FIRST CAR WAS BADLY BRUISED IN HER SIDE AND KNEE. THE SUDDEN ACCELERATION HAD OCCURED AND THE TIRE MARKS REMAINED FROM THE STARTING LOCATION TO THE END BECAUSE I WAS PUSHING THE BRAKE ALL THE TIME, NEVERTHELESS, THE CAR FLEW UNINTENTIONALLY. SINCE IT IS A VERY UNUSUAL CASE, NOTHING HAS BEEN DONE TO THE CAR YET AND I WILL PROBABLY TOTAL THAT CAR.

TL*- THE CONTACT OWNS A 2003 VOLVO XC90, WHEN PRESSING THE POWER WINDOW SWITCH THE SWITCH SEEMED BACKWARD. WHEN PRESSING ON THE POWER WINDOW SWITCH TO PUT THE WINDOW UP SHE HAD TO PRESS THE SWITCH DOWN . TO PUT THE WINDOW DOWN SHE HAD TO PUT THE SWITCH UP. SHE INJURED HER ARM DUE TO THE MALFUNCTION OF THE POWER WINDOW SWITCH. THE CURRENT MILEAGE WAS 35,000.*AK

WHILE DRIVING TO WORK I LOST CONTROL OF THE VEHICLE WHILE ATTEMPTING A SLIGHT RIGHT TURN WHILE TRAVELING APPROX 15/20 MPH AND HIT A GUARD RAIL THEN A SNOW BANK. UPON INVESTIGATION I NOTICED THAT BOTH FRONT WHEELS WERE POINTING INWARD. ORIGINAL SUSPECT WAS THE TIE RODS. REPAIR FACILITY FOUND THE RACK/PINION HAD SEVERED.*JB

TL* - THE CONTACT OWNS A 2000 VOLVO S80. THE CONTACT STATED THAT THERE WAS SAFETY RECALL 00V238000 THAT DID NOT APPLY TO THIS VEHICLE DUE TO THE VIN. THE CONTACT STATED THAT THE PROBLEMS HE HAD CURRENTLY WITH THIS VEHICLE WAS DIRECTLY RELATED TO THE SAFETY RECALL. THERE WAS FRONT SUSPENSION NOISE PRIOR TO TAKING THE VEHICLE THROUGH INSPECTION, AND THE RESPONSE TIME WHEN MAKING A TURN WAS NOT AS TIGHT AS IT ONCE WAS. THE TIE RODS HAD AN EXCESSIVE AMOUNT OF PLAY IN THEM, AND HE BELIEVED THAT IT WAS DIRECTLY RELATED TO THE PROBLEM WITH THE BALL JOINTS. THE CURRENT AND FAILURE SPEED WERE BOTH 92,000 MILES.*AK UPDATE 05/04/07*TR

I OWN A VOLVO S60 AND IT HAS STALLED THREE TIMES IN THE LAST TWO WEEKS, I TOOK IT IN TO BE LOOKED AT AND THEY FOUND NOTHING WRONG WITH THE ENGINE TO FIX MY PROBLEM. *JB

TL*- WHILE PARKING HER VEHICLE THE CONTACT HEARD A CRACKING NOISE COMING FROM UNDER THE HOOD OF THE 2000 VOLVO V70 XC. THE CRACKING NOISE WAS DUE TO THE TRANSMISSION ANGLE GEAR CRACKING. FIRST TIME THE CONTACT HAD TO REPLACE THE ANGLE GEAR WAS ON 04/17/03 AT 64,745 MILES, PART NUMBER WAS 8601587-2. THE CONTACT COULD PROVIDE INVOICE IF NEEDED. THE CURREN MILEAGE WAS 148,000.*AK

I WAS DRIVING MY 2005 VOLVO XC90 AWD A FROM MY HOME TO WORK(ABOUT 20 MILES) WHEN I WAS PARKING THE CAR ON A PARKING LOT, I NOTICED SMOKE COMING FROM UNDER THE HOOD. THE NEXT MOMENT I SAW A LITTLE FIRE COMING FROM UNDER THE HOOD. I STOPPED THE CAR AND GOT OUT. THE FIRE WAS GETTING BIGGER AND BIGGER. I IMMEDIATELY CALLED 911. BY THE TIME THE FIRE ENGINE ARRIVED THE CAR WAS IN FLAMES, AND THE FRONT WINDSHIELD CRACKED AND FELL INSIDE THE CAR. THE FRONT SEATS AND MY PERSONAL PROPERTY WERE BURNED. *JB

TL*- THE CONTACT STATED THAT WHILE DRIVING THE 1999 VOLVO V70XC WITH 114000 FAILURE MILEAGE AT 65 MPH THE ETS LIGHT TURNED ON AND THE VEHICLE BEGAN TO REDUCE SPEED. THE CONTACT PRESSED ON THE GAS PEDAL, BUT NOTHING HAPPENED. THE SPEED WENT DOWN TO 35 MPH, THEN THE CONTACT PULLED TO THE SIDE OF THE ROAD. THE VEHICLE WAS TOWED TO THE MECHANIC. THE MECHANIC STATED THAT THERE WAS A PROBLEM WITH THE VEHICLE SPEED CONTROL. THE VEHICLE HAD NOT BEEN REPAIRED. *AK