VOLVO Complaints

INTERMITTENT PROBLEM. 2001 VOLVO S60 T5. VEHICLE WILL FAIL TO SHIFT GEARS WHEN ACCELERATING. USUALLY OCCURS WHEN PROCEEDING FROM A STOP, USUALLY WHEN TURNING. TOOK VEHICLE TO THE DEALER, PRINCETON VOLVO, AND ALTHOUGH THEIR MECHANIC EXPERIENCED THE PROBLEM, THEY INDICATED THAT THEY DID NOT KNOW WHAT COULD CAUSE THE PROBLEM. NOW I LEARN THAT VOLVO HAS HAD NUMEROUS REPORTED SIMILAR PROBLEMS, USUALLY INVOLVING THE ELECTRONIC THROTTLE CONTROL MODULATOR. IT SHOULD ALSO BE NOTED THAT THE AFORESAID DEALER ATTEMPTED TO REMEDY THE PROBLEM BY MAKING A SOFTWARE CHANGE, BUT THIS ONLY MADE THE PROBLEM WORSE. *JB

ON NOVEMBER 17, 2006 MY WIFE WAS BACKING HER 1999 VOLVO S70 OUT OF OUR DRIVEWAY. SHE STATED THAT THE CAR SUDDENLY ACCELERATED BACKWARDS, SHOT ACROSS THE STREET AND SLID INTO OUR NEIGHBOR'S LANDSCAPING/BUSHES ETC. SHE WAS ABLE TO TURN THE CAR SO THAT THE LEFT SIDE OF HER CAR SWIPED THE BUSHES AND HEDGES. RESULT--NO PERSONAL INJURIES, THANK GOODNESS. OVER $6000 IN DAMAGE TO THE CAR WHICH WAS TOWED TO PAUL'S VOLVO IN HAWTHORNE, NJ FROM WHICH IT WAS FORWARDED TO J&J AUTO BODY IN HALEDON NJ. *JB

THE GEAR SHIFT HEAD DISINTEGRATED IN MY HAND AS I SHIFTED FROM PARK INTO DRIVE CAUSING THE VEHICLE UNABLE TO BE SHIFTED INTO ANY GEAR BUT "DRIVE". COULD NOT TURN OFF THE VEHICLE, BUT WAS ABLE TO DRIVE INTO THE NEAREST VOLVO DEALER. CONSEQUENCES COULD HAVE BEEN DIRE IF I HAD TO STOP FOR A ROAD/POLICE EMERGENCY. *NM

DT*: THE CONTACT STATED WHILE DRIVING 25 MPH, THE LEFT SIDE OF THE AIR GUIDE ON THE VEHICLE DETACHED AND CAME PARTIALLY AWAY FROM THE VEHICLE. IT WAS NOT SEEN BY A DEALER, BUT THE MANUFACTURER WAS NOTIFIED. ALSO, 2 YEARS PRIOR, THE AUTOMATIC WINDOW CONTROL SWITCH REFUSED TO ACTIVATE SOME OF THE POWER WINDOWS ON A CONSTANT BASIS. THE FIRST CONTROL SWITCH WAS REPLACED BY A PRIVATE REPAIR SHOP, BUT THE PROBLEMS CORRECTED FOR AWHILE.. THE SECOND TIME THE PROBLEM OCCURRED, THE SWITCH WAS REPLACED, AND THE REPAIR CORRECTED THE PROBLEM. THE CONTROL SWITCH HAD TO BE REPLACED TWICE. UPDATED 01/10/07. *JB

DT*: THE CONTACT STATED THE SUSPENSION CONTINUED TO FRACTURE AND HAD TO BE REPLACED ONCE EVERY YEAR. THE SERVICE DEALER DETERMINED A PART WITHIN THE SUSPENSION NEEDED TO BE REPLACED. THE CONTACT WAS UNSURE OF WHICH PART NEEDED TO BE REPLACED, TO RESOLVE THE ISSUE.

1996 CONVENTIONAL CAUGHT ON FIRE. *TS THE FIRE STARTED IN THE ENGINE COMPARTMENT. IT WAS UNKNOWN IF IT WAS ELECTRICAL. *JB

FOLLOWING A LOUD "BANG", THE ENGINE STARTED MAKING A VERY LOUD AND SUSPICIOUS NOISE. MOOERS VOLVO IN RICHMOND, VIRGINIA CLAIMED THAT THEY "COULD NOT RECREATE THE NOISE" AND THEREFORE WOULD NOT PERFORM ANY WARRANTY REPAIRS. A LOCAL MECHANIC AGREED THAT THE ENGINE WAS INDEED MAKING A VERY LOUD NOISE AND FOUND THAT THE PCV VACUUM TUBE ASSEMBLY WAS CRACKED. FURTHER INVESTIGATION FOUND THAT A SERVICE BULLETIN (#2-25-0038) HAD BEEN ISSUED FOR THIS PROBLEM, BUT MOOERS VOLVO REFUSED TO MAKE THE REPAIRS UNDER WARRANTY. *JB

THE ABS/TRAC AND BRAKE WARNING LIGHTS ARE COMING ON SIMULTANEOUSLY AND THEN GO OFF AFTER A FEW MINUTES. ON OTHER OCCASIONS, THE SPEEDOMETER STOPS WORKING AND THE ORANGE ARROW STARTS BLINKING. SOMETIMES WHEN THE ORANGE LIGHT IS BLINKING, THE CAR SHIFTS TO WINTER MODE AND YOU CANNOT ACCELERATE AS YOU NORMALLY WOULD. THE DEALER TOLD ME THAT IT IS THE ABS MODULE AND COST OF REPAIR WOULD BE OVER $1000. I HAD THE ELECTRONIC THROTTLE REPLACED LAST YEAR. IT LOOKS LIKE A POOR DESIGN, AS I HAVE BEEN READING A LOT ABOUT THESE PROBLEMS ON VOLVOS. I AM REQUESTING NHTSA CONTACT VOLVO HEADQUARTERS AND DEMAND A RECALL ON THIS HAZARDOUS ABS AND ACCELERATION SAFETY PROBLEM. *JB

DT*: THE CONTACT STATED THE VEHICLE LOST POWER AT ANY SPEED DURING ACCELERATION. THERE WERE NO WARNINGS PRIOR TO THE FAILURE. THE VEHICLE WAS TAKEN TO THE SERVICE DEALER, WHO COULD NOT IDENTIFY THE CAUSE OF THE PROBLEM.*AK

1. FOLLOWING DOWNLOAD OF RECALL SOFTWARE PERFORMANCE HAS BEEN VASTLY REDUCED AND NOW ONLY ACHIEVES 8.2 MPG. 2. THE ABS CONTROL MODULE FUNCTIONS INTERMITTENTLY AND USUALLY IN THE FAILURE MODE. ABS BRAKES DO NOT FUNCTION PROPERLY-REPLACEMENT $950 3. WHILE BACKING (COLD ENGINE), BRAKES FAIL TO STOP THE CAR FOR SEVERAL SECONDS (FEET). 4. THE VEHICLE STALLS MOSTLY ON TURNS BUT ON STRAIGHT AWAY. A. CAR NOW SHUTS OFF APPROX 6-8 TIMES WHILE DRIVING, DANGEROUS WHILE DRIVING AT INTERSTATE/HIGHWAY SPEEDS. IT "SURGES" FORWARD AND THE LIGHTS (DASH AND HEADLIGHTS) FADE - VEHICLE STALLS WITH NO POWER STEERING OR POWER BRAKES. 5. CRUISE CONTROL FAILS ?? UP HILLS/DOWN HILLS SHUTS DOWN. NOW IS INOPERABLE. 6. THE ELECTRONIC DOOR LOCKS MALFUNCTION INTERMITTENTLY. 7. FOLLOWING ERROR CODES DISPLAY AND TOTAL MILEAGE, TRIP 1 & 2 MILEAGE DISPLAYS DEFAULT TO ?? --------?? AND MILEAGE DOES NOT LOG ON THE ODOMETER: A.BRAKE FAILURE STOP ASAP B.COOLANT LEVEL LOW STOP ASAP C.ABS FAILURE / SERVICE REQUIRED D.STC SERVICE REQUIRED E.POWER STEERING FAILURE - SERVICE REQUIRED F.EMISSION SYSTEM SERVICE REQUIRED G.STOP SAFELY AND RESTART ENGINE H.ALARM SYSTEM SERVICE REQUIRED I.ALARM TRIGGERED J.EMISSION SYSTEM SERVICE REQUIRED K.NO OIL PRESSURE STOP ASAP L.CHECK ENGINE. *NM THE BALL JOINT, DRIVER SIDE WINDOW MOTOR, SUNROOF SWITCH WERE REPLACED. NUMEROUS BULB REPLACEMENTS AND REPLACEMENT OF MASS FLOW SENSOR. THE COOLING FAN MALFUNCTIONED. THE ABS CONTROL MODULE WOULD FUNCTION INTERMITTENTLY WHICH WOULD CAUSE THE ABS TO NOT FUNCTION. THE POWER STEERING FAILED. THE VEHICLE WILL COMPLETELY SHUT OFF WHILE DRIVING. THE CRUISE CONTROL WAS INCONSISTENT, THE VEHICLE WOULD LOOSE POWER WITH THE CRUISE ACTIVATED. THE ELECTRONIC DOORS MALFUNCTIONED, THE FOB DOES NOT ALWAYS OPEN THE DOOR AND AT TIMES WHEN CLOSING THE DRIVER SIDE DOOR. UPDATED 12/15/06. *JB