VOLVO Complaints

I PURCHASED A 2000 VOLVO S80 FROM CARMAX IN FEB. 2006. THE CAR ONLY HAD 26000 MILES ON IT SO I THOUGHT IT WAS A GREAT DEAL. I CONTACTED THE MANUFACTURER TO SEE IF ANY AND ALL RECALLS HAD BEEN PERFORMED ON THE VEHICLE. THEY SAID THE ONLY THING NEEDED TO BE DONE WAS TO HAVE THE ELECTRONIC THROTTLE MODULE SYSTEM TO BE UPGRADED IN THE CARS COMPUTER. ON 5-11-06 THE VOLVO DEALER PERFORMED THE UPGRADE. WITHIN ONE HOUR OF PICKING UP THE CAR IT BEGAN TO REV AND SURGE WITH THE AIR CONDITIONER ON AS IF THE THROTTLE WAS STICKING. AFTER PARKING IT TO RUN AN ERRAND I TRIED TO START THE CAR AND IT WOULD START BUT THEN IMMEDIATELY REV UP AND THEN DIE. I HAD TO GET IT TOWED TO CARMAX WHICH IT WAS WARRANTED UNDER. NOW CARMAX HAD THE VEHICLE TOWED TO THE VOLVO DEALER TO HAVE THE ELECTRONIC THROTTLE CONTROL WORKED ON. THE VOLVO DEALER DIAGNOSED THE PROBLEM AS NEEDING TO REPLACE THE E.T.C. MODULE, WHICH THEY DID. NOW I DRIVE THE CAR HOME ON 5-16-06. AFTER TWO HOURS OF THE CAR SITTING AT MY HOUSE I ATTEMPT TO GO SOMEWHERE BUT THE CAR STARTS AND IMMEDIATELY BEGINS TO REV LIKE BEFORE AND THEN DIES. I WILL ATTEMPT TO DRIVE THE CAR TO THE DEALER TOMORROW 5-17-06 TO BE FIXED AGAIN. *NM

VOLVO V70 2004 WAGON - DRIVING ON CITY STREETS. CAR STALLED 3X AND LOST STEERING CONTROL 2 X. HAD IT TOWED TO DEALER (POWER VOLVO, TORRANCE CA) BUT THEY COULD NOT DUPLICATE PROBLEMS (ALL 3 INCIDENTS HAPPENED WITHIN 10 MINS OF EACH OTHER WHEN I WAS DRIVING). TOLD ME THE NEXT DAY THE THROTTLE WAS "STICKING" AND THEY WOULD "CLEAN" IT. THIS MAKES ME NERVOUS DUE TO THE PAST THROTTLE PROBLEMS WITH VOLVOS, AND ALSO BECAUSE I HAVE A 4 YEAR OLD CHILD, AND AM 9 MO. PREGNANT. THOUGHT YOU GUYS SHOULD KNOW! *JB

MY 2000 VOLVO S80 T6 STALLS (TYPICALLY IN JUNCTIONS) AFTER 120K MAINTENANCE SERVICE / RECALL 155 ETM SOFTWARE UPGRADE. THE SERVICE WAS PERFORMED ON 5/12/06 AT AUTHORIZED VOLVO DEALER (128VOLVO.COM). SINCE THE SERVICE, THE CAR STALLED 5 TIMES, AND HAS BEEN TO THE DEALERSHIP THREE MORE TIMES, WITHOUT A FIXING THE PROBLEM. THE DEALER REJECTS MY COMPLAINS AND WANTS THIS ISSUE TO "HAPPEN MORE FREQUENTLY BEFORE TAKING ACTION". SUDDEN STALLS ALMOST LEAD ME TO A TRAFFIC ACCIDENT ALREADY AT LEAST ONCE; THE DEALERSHIP ISN'T CONCERNED ABOUT TRAFFIC SAFETY. *NM

2001 VOLVO XC70 TRANSMISSION FAIL AT 97K MILES. TRANSMISSION HAS NEVER BEHAVED APPROPRIATELY, UP/DOWN SHIFT ERRATIC, ETC. VEHICLE HAS BEEN THE RECIPIENT OF NUMEROUS SOFTWARE UPGRADES, TRANSMISSION FLUSH/FILTER, AND A NEW VALVE BODY. TRANSMISSION STILL FAILED AND VOLVO SAYS I'M OUT OF LUCK. BOUGHT NEW IN 2001 FOR $42,000. VEHICLE ALSO FAILED TO OPERATE MARCH OF 2006 WHERE A "PERFORMANCE REDUCED" MESSAGE WAS EXHIBITED. AFTER TURNING CAR OFF FOR SEVERAL MOMENTS, THE CAR RAN FINE. I SUSPECTED A POSSIBLE ISSUE WITH THE ETM. PORTLAND VOLVO INSTALLED AN ETM SOFTWARE UPGRADE ON APRIL 6, 2006. CAR HAS NOT HAD A REPEAT OCCURRENCE OF THIS NATURE BUT WAS SHIFTING ODDLY AS PREVIOUSLY DESCRIBED. *JB

IN OCT 04, WE PURCHASED A VOLVO 2000 S80, [XXX]. WE WERE SATISFIED WITH THE PERFORMANCE OF THE CAR FOR THE MOST PART. SHORTLY AFTER WE PURCHASED THE VOLVO, THE CHECK ENGINE LIGHT CAME ON, AND AFTER HAVING THE CODES CHECK, THE OXYGEN SENSOR NEEDED TO BE REPLACED. SINCE THE CAR WAS RUNNING SMOOTH AND W/AGREEMENT OF MY MECHANIC, I DID NOT HAVE THE OS REPLACED. IN MARCH 2006, ANOTHER MSG CAME ON THE MSG CTR, URGENT TRANSMISSION SERVICE REQ'D. AFTER HAVING THE PROBLEM CHECK OUT, I WAS TOLD THE TRANSMISSION NEEDED TO BE COMPLETELY OVERHAULED. MY TRANSMISSION OVERHAUL COST $1300. THE PROBLEMS WITH THE TRANSMISSION, ACCORDING TO TRANSMISSION TECHNICIAN, WAS WITH THE OVERDRIVE CLUTCH HUB AND TWO SHIFT SOLENOIDS WERE DEFECTIVE. AFTER THE REPAIR THE CAR WAS RUNNING GREAT. ANOTHER PROBLEM CAME UP ON THE MSG CTR, STATING URGENT ENGINE SERVICE REQ'D. WE HAD DRIVEN LESS THAN THE 100 MI WHEN ANOTHER MSG APPEARED. AFTER CHECKING W/MY MECHANIC AND ANOTHER OWNER OF A 2000 S80 VOLVO, WHO HAD EXPERIENCED THE SAME PROBLEM, IT WAS DETERMINED WE HAD A PROBLEM WITH THE ETM (ELECT THROTTLE MOD), WHICH WAS A KNOWN ISSUE WITH VOLVO. L. AFTER MORE INVESTIGATING, I FOUND OUT THAT THE WARRANTY ON THE ETM HAD BEEN EXTENDED TO 200,000 MILES, MY CAR HAD A LITTLE OVER 125,000 MILES. I SCHEDULED MY CAR FOR REPAIR AT MY LOCAL VOLVO DEALERSHIP, TIM MARBURGER VOLVO OF BRISTOL, TN, FOR REPAIR UNDER A WARRANTY PROBLEM. MY CAR WAS REPAIRED/UPGRADED TO FIX THE ISSUE WITH THE ETM. MY VOLVO IS CURRENTLY RUNNING MUCH BETTER THAN IT'S RUN SINCE WE PURCHASED THE VEHICLE. ONCE THE MSG CAME ON REGARDING THE ENGINE NEEDING SERVICE, THE PERFORMANCE WAS MARGINAL AT BEST, FORTUNATELY WE WERE NOT IN A SITUATION THAT COULD HAVE CAUSED AN ACCIDENT, THAT HIS HAPPEN IN TRAFFIC, WHO KNOWS WHAT MIGHT HAVE HAPPENED. IT SEEMS THAT VOLVO KNOWS THEY HAVE PROBLEMS WITH THE ETM, WHY HAVEN'T THEY DONE SOMETHING TO NOTIFY THEIR VOLVO OWNER OF THIS PROBLEM??? THIS IS PROVIDED FOR YOUR INFO/ACTION. *NM *JS

DT*: THE CONTACT STATED THE VEHICLE STALLED WHILE DRIVING 10-40 MPH ON SEVEN OCCASIONS. THERE WAS NO WARNING PRIOR TO THE STALLING AND THE VEHICLE RESTARTED IMMEDIATELY AFTER EACH INCIDENT. THE VEHICLE HAS BEEN INSPECTED BY A SERVICE DEALER TWICE. THE FIRST TIME THE DEALERSHIP FLUSHED OUT THE AIR CONDITIONER IN AN ATTEMPT TO REMEDY THE PROBLEM, BUT THE REMEDY OFFERED WAS INEFFECTIVE. THE DEALER WAS UNABLE TO DETERMINE THE CAUSE OF THE PROBLEM OR OFFER ANY OTHER REMEDIES WHEN THE VEHICLE WAS RETURNED A SECOND TIME FOR INSPECTION.

I BOUGHT A 2006 VOLVO XC90 OCEAN RACE (LIMITED EDITION) SUV ON 3/21/06. THE MORNING OF 3/25/06, MY CAR WOULD NOT START. VOLVO ROADSIDE ASSISTANCE JUMP STARTED THE VEHICLE, WHICH I THEN DROVE BACK TO THE DEALERSHIP. THE BATTERY TESTED FINE, AND THE VEHICLE WAS RETURNED TO ME. ON 4/27/06, AGAIN THE CAR WOULD NOT START. VEHICLE WAS RETURNED TO ME ON 4/29, NO-CHARGE INVOICE SAYS "REPLACE ENGINE MANAGEMENT AND STARTER RELAYS. RECHECKED NUMEROUS TIMES, O.K." CAR AGAIN FAILED TO START 5/3/06. IT IS NOW 5/9 AND 'SPECIAL' VOLVO FIELD TECH SEEM CLUELESS AS TO THE PROBLEM. THEY CLAIM TO HAVE CHECKED "EVERYTHING THOROUGHLY", AND NOW SAY THEY WANT TO PUT 20 -40 MILES ON MY NEW VEHICLE, ATTEMPTING TO "RECREATE THE DEAD BATTERY SCENARIO". SOUNDS MIGHTY DESPERATE AND ILLOGICAL, CONSIDERING THE CAR INTERMITTENTLY AND UNPREDICTABLY FAILED TO START ONLY AFTER 10-24 HOURS OF BEING PARKED. I FEEL THAT ALL THAT $ I SPENT HAS PROVIDED ME WITH LITTLE MORE THAN VARIOUS LOANER CARS, TRIPS TO AND FROM THE DEALERSHIP, MAJOR INCONVENIENCES, HEADACHES, AND A GROWING UNEASINESS WITH VOLVO'S RELIABILITY AND SERVICE TECHS. *NM

CONSUMER VOLVO V 70 STALLS WHILE IN TRAFFIC. *TS ***NAR*** THE VEHICLE ALSO SUDDENLY ACCELERATED AND DECELERATED INTERMITTENTLY WHILE DRIVING. *NM [LETTER IN REPOSITORY THIS VOQ, X REF VOQ 10156335, SMCH]

2001 VOLVO XC 93K MILES [XXX] ETM ISSUES. VEHICLE HAS PROBLEMS WITH THE ELECTRONIC THROTTLE MODULE. AFTER ABOUT 5 MILES DRIVING THE VEHICLE DOES NOT IDLE AND STALLS AT INTERSECTIONS OR ON HIGHWAY WHEN FOOT IS TAKEN OFF THE THROTTLE. ALSO GOES INTO LIMP MODE SOMETIMES WITH REDUCED PERFORMANCE. ONLY SETS TEMPORARY CODE NOT PERMANENT. SAFETY HAZARD. *JB UPDATED 07/16/2012 *JS INFORMATION REDACTED PURSUANT TO THE FREEDOM OF INFORMATION ACT (FOIA), 5 U.S.C. 552(B)(6)

I HAVE SOLD THIS CAR TO A NEIGHBOR, BUT HE IS AWAY FOR 8 MONTHS SO I HAVE BEEN DRIVING IT ONCE A WEEK ABOUT 30 MILES. IT HAS A LITTLE OVER 60,000 MILES ON THE ODOMETER. TODAY I FILLED THE TANK AND SHORTLY AFTERWARDS THE THROTTLE CONTROL LIGHT CAME ON. THE CAR IMMEDIATELY BEGAN SURGING BETWEEN 1 AND 2,000 RPM AND WHEN I TRIED TO STOP THE CAR AT A STOP SIGN IT CONTINUED TO SURGE AND WITH GREAT DIFFICULTY I HALTED THE CAR. WHEN I ONCE AGAIN ACCELERATED THERE WAS LITTLE RESPONSE AND ABOUT 30 SECONDS LATER IT ACCELERATED AT A NORMAL RATE BUT THE SURGING CONTINUED. I PULLED OFF THE ROAD AND TURNED OFF THE IGNITION. WHEN I STARTED THE CAR IT INITIALLY REVVED TO 5,000 RPM BEFORE SETTLING DOWN. I WAS FEARFUL TO DRIVE THE CAR. I HAD SOMEONE PICK ME UP. I RETURNED TO THE CAR AN HOUR LATER AND EVERYTHING SEEMED FINE. I DROVE THE CAR HOME(ABOUT 8 MILES) AND PARKED IT FOR ABOUT AN HOUR. WHEN I WENT TO MOVE IT, THE CAR BEGAN TO SURGE AGAIN AFTER THE THROTTLE LIGHT CAME ON. I WILL CALL VOLVO TOMORROW, BUT THIS WAS A VERY FRIGHTENING EXPERIENCE. I BELIEVE I HAD A SIMILAR PROBLEM A FEW YEARS BACK AND THEY REPLACED THE THROTTLE CONTROL(I BELIEVE IT WAS A RECALL) *JB