VOLVO Complaints

ELECTRONIC THROTTLE MODULE FAILED ON 2001 VOLVO V70 T5 AT 75,400 MILES. FAILURES OF THIS COMPONENT ARE COMMON DUE TO POOR DESIGN OF ETM. VEHICLE GOES INTO "LIMP HOME" MODE AT UNPREDICTABLE TIMES. MOST RECENT FAILURE WAS AS MY WIFE WAS MERGING WITH TRAFFIC ONTO FREEWAY. FROM 55 MPH VEHICLE SUDDENLY LOST POWER AND REDUCED SPEED TO 20 MPH IN TRAFFIC!. MY WIFE CREPT OVER TO THE SHOULDER AND CALLED A TOW TRUCK. *NM

DT*: THE CONTACT STATED THE CLUTCH DOES NOT ALWAYS ENGAGE AND THE VEHICLE ACCELERATES AND DECELERATES ON ITS OWN. THE VEHICLE HAS BEEN TAKEN TO THE DEALERSHIP, BUT THERE ARE NO CODES ON THE COMPUTER.

BOTH FRONT SPRINGS HAVE BROKEN DURING NORMAL DRIVING CONDITIONS. ON BOTH OCCASIONS THIS CREATED A TRAFFIC HAZARD WHEN THE CAR BECAME SUDDENLY DIFFICULT TO STEER AND IMPOSSIBLE TO DRIVE. THE PASSENGER-SIDE FRONT SPRING BROKE 2 YEARS AGO WHILE DRIVING ON A WELL-PAVED, MAJOR THOROUGHFARE. THE DRIVER-SIDE FRONT SPRING BROKE 9 DAYS AGO WHILE DRIVING ON A WELL-PAVED SIDE STREET. ON BOTH OCCASIONS THE CAR WAS TRANSPORTED BY FLAT BED TRUCK TO A REPAIR FACILITY WHERE THE PART WAS REPLACED AT MY EXPENSE. *JB

FAILURE OF "ELECTRONIC THROTTLE MODULE (ETM)". LOSS OF POWER WHILE DRIVING WITH NO ADVANCED WARNING OR OTHER INDICATION IMMANENT FAILURE. CAR WENT INTO "LIMP HOME MODE" WHICH PROVIDES ENOUGH POWER FOR THE VEHICLE TO BE DRIVEN, BUT BECAUSE THE ENGINE MANAGEMENT COMPUTER ATTEMPTS TO KEEP A FIXED, SOMEWHAT ABOVE IDLE, THROTTLE SETTING, RELEASING THE THROTTLE DOES NOT RESULT IN ENGINE BRAKING AS NORMAL FOR A MANUAL TRANSMISSION VEHICLE. NEITHER SITUATION, LOSS OF POWER OR LOSS OF THROTTLE CONTROL, IS ACCEPTABLE AND COULD CAUSE AN ACCIDENT. THE SUDDEN LOSS OF POWER NEARLY RESULTED IN MY BEING REAR ENDED, LUCKILY THE DRIVER BEHIND ME REACTED QUICKLY ENOUGH TO AVOID HITTING ME. THE DEALER INSTALLED NEW SOFTWARE IN THE ETM IN AN ATTEMPT TO RECTIFY THE PROBLEM. *JB

2001 S80 VOLVO ETM FAILURE. IT STARTED AS VEHICLE HESITATION, THEN PROCEEDED TO SURGING FORWARD WITH NO THROTTLE INPUT, THEN PROGRESSED TO NO ACCELERATOR RESPONSE WHEN APPLYING THE BRAKE PEDAL, THEN TO STALLING WHEN COASTING LEAVING THE DRIVER WITH NO POWER STEERING OR BRAKES AT SPEEDS UP TO 55 MPH, THEN TO ROUGH IDLE AND CHECK ENGINE LIGHT. ALL SYMPTOMS WERE PRESENT UPON TAKING TO THE DEALER BASED ON SOME WEB RESEARCH TO IDENTIFY TO PROBLEM. THE DEALER RETURNED WITH AN ANALYSIS FOR TIMING BELT REPLACEMENT, ENGINE TUNE UP, ENGINE COOLANT FLUSH, CRANKCASE VENTILATION SYSTEM CLEANING, BRAKE SYSTEM FLUSHING, AND MASS AIR FLOW REPLACEMENT AMOUNTING TO AN INITIAL COST OF $1980.00 US. I REQUESTED A CONFERENCE WITH THE TECHNICIAN, AND A REVIEW OF THE DIAGNOSTICS REPORT. THE END RESULT WAS A MAF REPLACEMENT PAID FOR BY ME (CUSTOMER) AND AMAZINGLY THE TECH NOTES RECOMMENDED CLEANING OF THE CRANKCASE VENTILATION SYSTEM AND THE ETM CLEANING WHICH WAS COVERED BY THE DEALER. TOTAL COST WAS $328.21 TO CONSUMER AND BALANCE COVERED BY DEALER. THE REPAIRS WERE MADE ON 3/07/06, REPLACED MAF UNAVAILABLE. I FEEL THAT I HAVE BEEN TAKEN ADVANTAGE OF AND ESSENTIALLY PAID $328 UNNECESSARILY DUE TO FURTHER WEB RESEARCH IDENTIFYING CLEANING OF THE ETM AND CRANKCASE VENTILATION SYSTEM WOULD IN FACT CAUSE TROUBLE CODES LEADING THE REPLACEMENT OF THE MAF. *JB

DT*: THE CONTACT STATED THE POWER STEERING RESERVOIR HOSE CONNECTING CLAMP LEAKED FLUID. THE VEHICLE WAS SEEN BY A DEALER AND CONNECTING CLAMP WAS REPLACED. AFTERWARDS, THE POWER STEERING FLUID CONTINUED TO LEAK AND THE VEHICLE WAS TAKEN BACK TO THE DEALER. THE SERVICE DEPARTMENT DETERMINED THE CLAMP NEEDED TO BE REPLACED AGAIN.

DT*: THE CONTACT STATED AFTERMARKET RIMS AND TIRES WERE INSTALLED ON THE VEHICLE. WHILE MAKING LEFT TURNS THE TIRES RUBBED AGAINST THE FENDER WALL. THE VEHICLE WAS TAKEN BACK TO THE DEALERSHIP WHERE AN AFTERMARKET SPACER BAR WAS INSTALLED WHICH TEMPORARILY REMEDIED THE PROBLEM. AFTERWARDS, THE DEALERSHIP PUT THE ORIGINAL TIRES AND RIMS BACK ON THE VEHICLE. THE CONTACT BELIEVES THE AFTERMARKET SPACER BAR HAS INTERFERED WITH THE INTEGRITY OF THE VEHICLE.

I WAS DRIVING MY 1999 VOLVO V70 ON THE HIGHWAY, AND IT CONSTANTLY ACCELERATES AND DECELERATES ON ITS OWN WITH NO ACTION DONE BY ME. IN ONE CASE IT ACCELERATED TO THE POINT IN WHICH I LOST CONTROL AND CAUSED AN ACCIDENT. VEHICLE IS IN THE PROCESS OF HAVING THE ETM REPLACED AT THE DEALERSHIP AT A COST OF 1000.00 TO ME BECAUSE IT IS OUTSIDE OF WARRANTY COVERAGE. *NM

WHILE RUNNING SLOWLY MY VOLVO 98 XC JUST SLOWED UP AND STOPPED. I WAS ABLE TO RESTART AFTER ABOUT A HALF MINUTE AND 3 TRIES. WHEN IT DID NOT START, THERE WAS NO SOUND OF "TURNOVER" OCCURRING. NO DAMAGE HAPPENED, SINCE I WAS DRIVING SLOWLY WITHIN A PARKING GARAGE. THE FIRST FAILURE (THAT MIRRORED THE MOST RECENT) WAS ABOUT A MONTH AGO WHILE DRIVING SLOWLY DOWN A RESIDENTIAL STREET. THE DEALER COULD NOT FIND A DEFECT FOLLOWING THE FIRST FAILURE, SO I HAVE BEEN DRIVING THE CAR SINCE THEN. THE DEALER DID NO REPAIRS AFTER THE FIRST FAILURE. THE WEATHER HAS BEEN COOL (30-50F) AND DRY. *NM

I RECENTLY BEGAN HAVING PROBLEMS WITH MY 2001 VOLVO V70 STATION WAGON. IT TURNS OUT THAT THE PCV SYSTEM HAD BECOME CLOGGED AS A RESULT OF PROBLEMS WITH THE ETM. WHEN THEY TESTED THE VEHICLE AT THE DEALERSHIP THEY DID NOT FIND ANY COMPUTER CODES RELATED TO THE ETM SO THEY ARE REFUSING TO COVER THE DAMAGE DONE TO THE PCV BY THE FAULTY ETM UNDER WARRANTY. WHEN THEY CLEAN OR REPLACE THE ETM THEY SERVICE THE PCV AS PART OF THE REPAIR THEY HAVE INDICATED TO ME THAT UNTIL THE ETM FAILS COMPLETELY THEY ARE UNWILLING TO COVER THE PCV PROBLEM UNDER THE EXTENDED WARRANTY. *JB