VOLVO Complaints

CAR TYPE: VOLVO S60R MODEL YEAR 2006 (EURO SPEC.) MANUAL TRANSMISSION. TECHNICALLY NEAR IDENTICAL WITH VOLVO S60R SOLD IN US MARKET, EXCEPT FOR LIGHTS AND SPEEDOMETER. TEMPORARY COMPLETE LOSS OF BRAKE POWER GOING UPHILL AT MODERATE SPEED (+/- 30MPH), WHEN DEPRESSING CLUTCH AND ATTEMPTING TO BRAKE. OCCURRED A NUMBER OF TIMES, UNDER SIMILAR CONDITIONS. UNDER THIS CONDITION, THE BRAKING DISTANCE BECOMES VERY VERY LONG. WHEN IT HAPPENS, IT IS ACCOMPANIED BY A SORT OF SPRING RELEASE NOISE THAT SEEMS TO COME FROM THE REAR HALDEX COUPLING. WOULD LEAD TO ACCIDENT IN DENSE TRAFFIC. THERE SEEMS TO BE A SOFTWARE INTERACTION PROBLEM BETWEEN THE COMPUTER THAT CONTROLS THE HALDEX AWD SYSTEM AND THE ABS SYSTEM. REQUIRES IMMEDIATE ATTENTION AS THIS INTERMITTENT FAILURE CAN CAUSE SEVERE CAR CRASHES AT INTERSECTIONS AND PEDESTRIAN CROSSINGS. VOLVO IS UNABLE TO FIND THE PROBLEM AS COMPUTER STORES NO FAULT CODES.

2000 VOLVO CONVENTIONAL FIRE STARTED IN AXLE #2. *TS THE BRAKE CAUGHT ON FIRE ON AXLE #2 INSIDE WHEEL OF DUALS. *NM

AFTER VOLVO PERFORMED THEIR RECALL ON MY SECOND FAILURE ELECTRONIC THROTTLE MODULE IN APRIL 2006 MY CARS STALLS WHILE DRIVING WITHOUT WARNING. AT THIS TIME VOLVO REPLACED THE FAILED ETM AND LOADED NEW CONTROLLER SOFTWARE INTO MY CAR. IN MAY 2006 I RETURNED MY CAR TO VOLVO AFTER 3 STALLING EVENTS IN ONE WEEK'S TIME, THEY TOLD ME THE CAR SET NO CODES THEREFORE THEY COULD NOT HELP ME UNTIL THEY CAR TOLD THEM WHAT WAS WRONG. THE PROBLEM DID NOT REOCCUR AGAIN UNTIL JULY 8TH. AT THIS TIME I WAS DRIVING WITH MY FAMILY IN THE CAR AND IN A ROLLING BACKUP AT AT 30 MPH ON I-95 IN DELAWARE. THE FIRST TIME WAS ON A DOWNHILL SECTION AND I WAS ABLE TO RESTART THE CAR WITHOUT THE CAR SLOWING DOWN. THE SECOND STALLING FAILURE OCCURRED WITH NO WARNING OTHER THEN THE DASH INDICATOR LIGHTS COMING ON, ON AN UPHILL SECTION WITH AN SEMI FOLLOWING DIRECTLY BEHIND ME. IN THE CASE ALSO THE CAR IMMEDIATELY RESTARTED, HOWEVER IF THIS HAD NOT BEEN THE CASE MY CAR AND FAMILY WOULD HAVE BEEN REAR-ENDED BY THE SEMI. IT IS MY UNDERSTANDING FROM RESEARCH ON THE INTERNET THAT THE PROGRAMMING CHANGES MADE BY VOLVO MAKE IT MORE DIFFICULT FOR THE ETM TO SET A ODI FAILURE CODE. IF THIS IS THE CASE, IT MAY BECOME IMPOSSIBLE TO DETERMINE AN ETM FAILURE EVEN WHEN THIS FAILURE RESULTS IN AN ACCIDENT. THE CAR IS SCHEDULED TO BE LOOKED AT ON JULY, 21, 2006. *NM

WITHOUT ANY PRIOR WARNING, THE LEFT FRONT BALL JOINT SEPARATED AND DAMAGED THE AXLE. NO ODD NOISES BEFORE HAND. NO UNUSUAL TIRE WEAR. WE DO ALL SCHEDULED MAINTENANCE. NO WORK HAD RECENTLY BEEN DONE ON THE FRONT END. THE TECHNICIAN SAID HE DID NOT THINK THE VEHICLE HAD EVER BEEN IN A PRIOR ACCIDENT--HE SAW NO INDICATION OF THAT. MY DAUGHTER WAS ON HER WAY TO WORK--GOING 40 MPH--NO ONE AROUND HER, AND NOT YET ON THE FREEWAY WHERE SHE WAS HEADED, THANK GOD. THE TECHNICIAN CALLED IT A "CATASTROPHIC FAILURE" AND SAID HE WAS NOT EXAGGERATING WHEN HE USED THAT TERM. BOTH FRONT BALL JOINTS WERE REPLACED (AND THE ONE THAT DID NOT FAIL WAS NOT IN GOOD CONDITION EITHER) AND THE AXLE AND 2 NEW TIRES. THERE HAD BEEN A CAMPAIGN TO REPLACE THE ORIGINAL BALL JOINTS. THIS VEHICLE HAD THE BALL JOINTS REPLACED IN 2001. *JB

I BOUGHT THIS USED 2001 VOLVO S60 WITH 54K ON IT. FOUND OUT THAT HAS THIS PROBLEM OF COMPUTER SHUTTING DOWN WITH NO WARNINGS AND THERE'S ONLY POWER TO RADIO AND THE A/C FAN...NO SIGNALS NO INSTRUMENT PANEL AND NOTHING WORKED. THERE WAS ALL THESE MESSAGES SAYING BRAKE FAILURE, EMISSION CONTROL FAILURE AND SRS FAILURE MESSAGE. ENGINE RAN AS LONG AS IT WAS ON, ONCE TURNED OFF WOULD NOT START AGAIN. THE CAR COMPUTER RESETS BY ITSELF IN ABOUT 10-15 MINUTES. TOOK IT TO VOLVO DEALER TWO TIMES EXPLAINING THE DETAILS. THEY DID A SOFTWARE UPGRADE, CLEARED THE CODES AND RESET THE COMPUTER. BOTH TIMES, THE CAR WORKED FOR A WHILE BUT HAPPENED AGAIN. TWO DAYS AGO HAPPENED IN THE FREEWAY AND I ALMOST HAD A CRASH (NO SIGNALS AND ALSO COULDN'T OPEN WINDOWS TO HAND SIGNAL). I FEEL LIKE THEY ARE AWARE OF THE PROBLEM, BUT DON'T WANT THE CONSUMER TO KNOW ABOUT IT SO THEY KEEP DOING THE CHEAP FIX OF CLEARING CODE UNTIL NEXT TIME. I'M REALLY CONCERNED ABOUT THE SAFETY OF THE CAR NOW ESPECIALLY IN THE FREEWAY. *JB

UPON RETURNING TO THE DEALERSHIP FOR THE THIRD TIME FOR A COMPLAINT ABOUT A SUSPICIOUS SOUNDING THUMP OR CLUNK IN THE PASSENGER-SIDE REAR OF OUR 2000 VOLVO V40, IT WAS DISCOVERED THAT BOTH COIL SPRINGS HAD BROKEN. THE VEHICLE AT THE TIME OF REPAIR HAS 50,080 MILES ON IT; WHEN THE NOISE WAS FIRST REPORTED TO THE DEALER ON 12/09/04 THE CAR HAD 37,448 MILES. BOTH SPRINGS BROKE IDENTICALLY AT THE FIRST COIL WHERE THEY SIT IN THE BASE PLATE OF THE STRUT ASSEMBLY. BOTH FRACTURES ARE A SPIRAL CUT THROUGH THE COILS WIRE, LIKE A FATIGUE OR STRESS FRACTURE. THE DEALER REPLACED THE COILS AT MY EXPENSE WHICH INCLUDED THE EXTRA COST OF REPLACING BOTH CONTROL ARMS AND STRUT ASSEMBLIES BECAUSE OF THE DIFFICULTIES THEY HAD REMOVING THE BOLTS DUE TO CORROSION ($1103). AFTER MY COMPLAINT, THEY OFFERED TO COVER THE COST OF THE SPRINGS ONLY ($200) WHICH ALLOWED THEM TO KEEP THE SPRINGS. I PERSUADED THE SERVICE ADVISOR TO ALLOW ME TO HAVE ONE PIECE OF THE SPRING FOR EVIDENCE. I HAVE RESEARCHED AND FOUND OTHER OWNERS WHO HAVE HAD THIS EXACT FAILURE IN THEIR VEHICLES SUSPENSION. I BELIEVE VOLVO HAS AN ENGINEERING FLAW IN THE TEMPERED STEEL COIL SPRINGS. *JB

THE S-40 WAS ON THE HIGHWAY AND THE MESSAGE CAME ON STATING ENGINE FAILURE. I PULLED OVER IN THE BREAKDOWN LANE AND SHUT THE CAR OFF. I RESTARTED THE CAR AND WAS ABLE TO DRIVE HOME. I MADE AN APPOINTMENT WITH THE DEALER TO LOOK INTO THE PROBLEM WHICH OCCURRED AT THAT TIME, TODAY I EXPERIENCED THE SAME AND NOW THE CD DOES NOT WORK PROPERLY. I MADE AN APPOINTMENT TO BRING THE S 40 T5 IN FOR SERVICE TO CHECK THE PROBLEM AGAIN. *JB

FRONT PASSENGER SIDE WHEEL BROKE OFF AS A RESULT OF BALL JOINT BREAKING LEADING TO AN AXLE BREAK. ALSO DAMAGED WERE BUMPER AND FENDER WHEN HIT BY THE WHEEL BREAKING OFF. MY WIFE WAS LEAVING O'HARE AIRPORT AT AROUND 9:00 PM ON 6/27/06. WHEN CRUISING AT 20-30 MPH SHE HEARD A CRACKING NOISE AND THEN SUDDENLY THE CAR TURNED RIGHT. SHE STEPPED ON A BRAKE PEDAL TRYING NOT TO HIT CARS ON THE NEXT LINE. WHEN SHE STOPPED AND GET OUT OF THE CAR SHE REALIZED THAT THE FRONT PASSENGER SIDE WHEEL CAME OFF. IT WAS KEPT IN PLACE JUST BY THE SHOCK ABSORBER. SHE AND MY TWO SONS (AGE 3 AND 6) SPENT NEARLY TWO HOURS ON A HIGHWAY WAITING FOR A TOW TRUCK TO COME. THE CAR HAS 5 YEARS AND 98,500 MILES ON IT. THE FRONT SUSPENSION WAS ALREADY REPAIRED TWICE. ONCE 2 YEARS AGO AND THEN HALF A YEAR AFTER THAT. BEFORE THE ACCIDENT DESCRIBED ABOVE THERE WERE NO SIGNALS/NOISES THAT WOULD INDICATE ANY PROBLEMS WITH NEITHER THE WHEEL NOR THE SUSPENSION. THE CAR WAS ALWAYS DRIVEN ON NORMAL STREETS AND HIGHWAYS. NO OFF ROAD ADVENTURES OR REALLY BAD ROADS. I HAD MANY CARS IN MY LIFE BUT I'VE NEVER HAD SUCH A PROBLEM BEFORE. HOW CAN VOLVO CLAIM THAT THEY MAKE RELIABLE AND SAFE CARS WHEN SOMETHING LIKE THAT HAPPENS? I SENT AN E-MAIL TO VOLVO CUSTOMER SERVICE BUT HAVE NOT HEARD BACK FROM THEM. NOW I HAVE TO PAY OVER $2,500 IN REPAIR FEES ($1000 TO REPAIR BROKEN BALL JOINT AND AXLE PLUS ADDITIONAL $1500 TO REPAIR BUMPER AND FENDER). I DO HAVE AN EXTENDED WARRANTY BUT, SURPRISE SURPRISE, THEY SAID THEY CAN ONLY COVER THE COST OF REPAIRING THE BALL JOINT. EVERYTHING ELSE, EVEN THOUGH IT WAS DAMAGED BECAUSE OF THE BALL JOINT, THEY WOULD NOT COVER. AND, OF COURSE, THE COST OF REPLACING THE BALL JOINT IS LESS THAN MY DEDUCTIBLE SO ... THEY WASHED THEIR HANDS. *JB

YR 2000 VOLVO S80 2.9L. TWO SAFETY RELATED COMPLAINTS FOLLOW: 1. DASH BOARD (SPEEDOMETER, TACH, LIGHTS, ETC), ELECTRIC WINDOWS AND DOOR LOCKS, AND TURN SIGNALS JUST STOP WORKING ALL AT THE SAME TIME! I HAVE TO UNHOOK THE BATTERY TO RESET. COMMON PROBLEM FROM LOOKING AT INTERNET FORUMS. 2. AIRBAG MALFUNCTION LIGHT MESSAGE COMES ON WHEN THE AIRBAG HAS NOT DEPLOYED. THIS OCCURRED AFTER THE MYSTERIOUS ELECTRICAL MALFUNCTION DESCRIBED ABOVE. THE DEALER WANTS A FEE TO RESET AND CHECK THE AIRBAG FUNCTION. THIS IS ALSO COMMON FROM LOOKING AT INTERNET FORUMS. I THINK THE DEALERS SHOULD BE MADE TO FIX THESE PROBLEMS FREE OF CHARGE. *JB

MY S80-T6 AIR BAG CAME ON FOR NO REASON AT ALL. AFTER TAKING IT TO THE DEALER, THEY CONFIRMED AN INTERNAL FAULT WITH SRS CONTROL MODULE. THIS MODULE CONTROLS THE AIR BAG SYSTEM FOR THE ENTIRE VEHICLE. *NM