VOLVO Complaints

WE HAVE EXPERIENCED THE "REDUCED POWER MODE" ON OUR 2001 VOLVO XC70 NUMEROUS TIMES BETWEEN DEC '05 AND FEB '06. THE VEHICLE REFUSED TO GO OVER 15 MPH UNTIL THE ENGINE WAS SHUT-OFF AND RESTARTED. THIS OCCURRED TWICE PULLING OUT OF OUR NEIGHBORHOOD ONTO A MAJOR ROAD, ENTERING THE HIGHWAY WHILE ATTEMPTING TO ACCELERATE TO HIGHWAY SPEED AND WHILE ATTEMPTING A PASSING MANEUVER ON THE HIGHWAY AROUND 60 MPH. IN ALL SITUATIONS, WE WERE FORTUNATE THAT SOMEONE WAS NOT RIGHT BEHIND US (MY WIFE AND 2 SMALL CHILDREN) WHEN THIS OCCURRED, AS THE POTENTIAL FOR AN ACCIDENT IS VERY HIGH. I TOOK THE VEHICLE TO MY LOCAL VOLVO DEALER, WHERE THEY DIAGNOSED A PROBLEM WITH THE ELECTRONIC THROTTLE MODULE (ETM), BUT STATED THERE WAS AN EXTENDED WARRANTY COVERING THIS COMPONENT. HOWEVER, INSTEAD OF REPLACING IT IMMEDIATELY, THE "PROCEDURE" CALLED FOR CLEANING THE ETM AND DOWNLOADING NEW SOFTWARE. ONLY AFTER THIS PROCEDURE WAS FOLLOWED AND THAT THE EVENT RECURRED (STORING A CODE IN MEMORY), WOULD THEY BE ALLOWED TO REPLACE THE ETM. I PICKED UP THE CAR THE SAME NIGHT AND AGAIN, WHEN PULLING OUT OF THE NEIGHBORHOOD, THE FAMILIAR "REDUCED POWER MODE" MESSAGE WAS DISPLAYED. I DO NOT SEE WHY IF THERE IS A POTENTIAL FOR REPEATED FAILURE, THAT VOLVO WOULD NOT REPLACE THE COMPONENT IMMEDIATELY, SINCE THEY ARE EQUATED WITH VEHICLE "SAFETY". THE ETM WILL NOW BE REPLACED, BUT I CANNOT SAY THAT I WILL BE ANY MORE COMFORTABLE WITH DRIVING OUR XC70. *NM

AFTER REPORTING SEVERAL PROBLEMS TRACED TO EMT MALFUNCTION I HAD TO PAY OUT OF POCKET IN EXCESS OF $800.00 TO HAVE EMT REPLACED IN 11/2002. LESS THAN TWO YEARS AFTER THAT, I'VE EXPERIENCED THE SAME PROBLEMS LISTED ON PREVIOUS COMPLAINTS, TO THE POINT WHERE I CONSIDER THE VEHICLE UNSAFE. I HAVE EXPERIENCED NO LESS THAN 15-20 INCIDENTS IN THE PAST 6 MONTHS ALONE. THE LAST ONE BEING JUST YESTERDAY WHERE THE VEHICLE ALL OF A SUDDEN STALLED DOWN TO ABOUT 20 MPH ON THE HIGHWAY FOR NO APPARENT REASON AND THEN BACK TO NORMAL SPEED SEVERAL TIMES. *NM

DT*: THE CONTACT STATED IN FEBRUARY 2005 THE ENGINE SURGED WHILE IDLING AT STOP SIGNS. THE DEALERSHIP REPLACED THE ELECTRIC THROTTLE MODULE. IN 2002 AND ON JULY 25, 2005 THE VEHICLE VEERED TO THE RIGHT. UPON INSPECTION THE INDEPENDENT REPAIR SHOP DETERMINED THE ENGINE MOUNTS NEEDED TO BE REPLACED. ALSO, ON JANUARY 20, 2005 THERE WAS A NOISE COMING FROM THE DRIVE SHAFT. UPON INSPECTION THE INDEPENDENT REPAIR SHOP REPLACED THE DRIVE SHAFT BECAUSE IT HAD WEAKENED. ALL THE PROBLEMS OCCURRED AT VARIOUS SPEEDS.

DT*: THE CONTACT STATED THERE WAS AN ODOR OF FUEL WHEN STARTING THE VEHICLE, AND THERE WAS A NOTICEABLE DRIPPING OF FUEL FROM THE FUEL FAIL. AN INDEPENDENT REPAIR SHOP DETERMINED THE FUEL RAIL MUST BE REPLACED. THE DEALERSHIP STATED A NEW FUEL RAIL HAD BEEN MANUFACTURED AND THERE WAS NOW A BUFFER FOR THE FUEL RAIL. THE LEADK RESULTED DUE TO A MANUFACTURING DEFECT. THE CONSUMER STATED THERE IS A NEWLY DESIGNED FUEL RAIL WHICH THE DEALER WILL INSTALL FOR $340.00. UPDATED 03/03/06.

MY VOLVO V70 XC ALSO HAS REQUIRED REPLACEMENT OF THE ETM - ELECTRONIC THROTTLE MODULE COSTING $1350. AFTER, LIKE MANY OTHERS HAVE STATED, LOSING ALL POWER, SHUTTING DOWN, LOCKING UP, CAUSING ME AND THOSE AROUND ME A NEAR DEATH EXPERIENCE ON THE HIGHWAY. I HAD THE CAR TOWED TO THE GARAGE ONLY TO BE TOLD THEY COULD NOT FIND ANYTHING WRONG. THE CAR CONTINUED TO DRIVE IN A VERY UNPREDICTABLE MANNER, LOSING ACCELERATION, STALLING, DYING, ANOTHER NEAR DEATH EXPERIENCE WHEN IT DIED IN AN INTERSECTION, MULTIPLE TOWS AND SEVERAL DIFFERENT GARAGES, SEVERAL HUNDRED DOLLARS OF NO ANSWERS LATER, ONE GARAGE WAS AWARE OF THE COMMONALITY OF THIS PROBLEM AND REPLACED THE ETM. THIS WAS AT ~65K MILES. NOW AT 92K AND I AM BEGINNING TO HAVE THE SAME PROBLEMS-CAR DYING, GOING INTO LIMP HOME MODE-20 MPH WITH NO ACCELERATION, ANOTHER $1000 IN REPAIRS WITHOUT ANY RESOLUTION TO PROBLEMS. IT FEELS LIKE THE ETM MIGHT BE GOING AGAIN. THIS IS RIDICULOUS AND DANGEROUS! WE ARE TALKING ABOUT CARS THAT COST OVER $30000!! *JB

2001 V70 DID NOT SHIFT PROPERLY AND CLUNKED IN AND OUT OF GEAR. CONSUMER WAS TOLD THAT THE STABILIZER MOTOR MOUNT WAS FAULTY. *TS THE THROTTLE BODY, CAM SHAFT SENSOR AND VACUUM BOOST SENSOR NEEDED TO BE REPLACED. *JB

DT*: THE CONTACT STATED THE TOWING CAPACITY LISTED IN THE OWNER'S MANUAL CONFLICTS WITH A BROCHURE PROVIDED BY THE DEALER. THE BROCHURE MADE NO MENTION OF THIRD ROW SEATING HAVING AN IMPACT ON TOWING CAPACITY WHILE THE OWNER'S MANUAL INDICATED THE THIRD ROW SEATING REDUCED TOWING CAPACITY. WHILE TOWING A SNOWMOBILE TRAVELING 30MPH THE VEHICLE EXPERIENCED A LOSS OF POWER, THE REAR OF THE VEHICLE DROPPED DOWN AND THE FRONT WHEELS LOST TRACTION. THE VEHICLE WAS INSPECTED BY A REGIONAL REPRESENTATIVE FROM THE MANUFACTURER WHO WAS UNABLE TO DETERMINE THERE WAS A PROBLEM. *AK

VOLVO S60R 2005 HAD SEVERAL INSPECTIONS IN AUTHORIZED VOLVO DEALERS, BEING CHECKED FOR SUSPENSION NOISES X 3. HAD FLAT TIRE AND TIRE SHOP REALIZED THERE WAS THREE 17 INCHES TIRE AND THE FLAT ONE WAS 18 INCHES TIRE. CAR BROUGHT FROM RICHARDSON, HAD MAINTENANCE/SERVICE IN MCALLEN TEXAS. *NM

IN AUGUST 2005, WE TOOK OUR VEHICLE IN FOR ROUTINE MAINTENANCE AT 67500 MILES. I AM THE PRIMARY DRIVER OF THIS VEHICLE AND HAD NOTICED SOME PROBLEMS WHICH WERE DISCUSSED WITH THE SERVICE DEPARTMENT. THIS VEHICLE HAD STALLED AT PARKING LOT SPEEDS AND IT HAD BEEN SPUTTERING AT TAKE-OFF. MY HUSBAND PRESENTED THE SERVICE DEPARTMENT WITH A PUBLICATION FROM THE HIGHWAY SAFETY BOARD WHICH DISCUSSED A PROBLEM WITH THE THROTTLE BODY ON THE VOLVO S80. AS WE WERE HAVING THE SAME PROBLEMS DESCRIBED IN THIS PUBLICATION, MY HUSBAND ASKED THE SERVICE DEPARTMENT TO REPLACE THE THROTTLE BODY ON OUR VEHICLE. THE SERVICE DEPARTMENT WAS AWARE OF THE PROBLEM BUT AS VOLVO HAD NOT ISSUED A RECALL, THEY WERE NOT AUTHORIZED TO REPLACE THIS WITHOUT THE VOLVO WARRANTY COMPANY REVIEWING THIS ISSUE WITH OUR VEHICLE. THE WARRANTY COMPANY DID EXAMINE OUR VEHICLE, BUT DECLINED TO REPLACE THE THROTTLE BODY AT THAT TIME. ON DECEMBER 11, 2005 MY FAMILY (HUSBAND AND TWO CHILDREN, AGES 2 AND 10 MONTHS) WERE TRAVELING HOME TO THE ATLANTA AREA FROM NASHVILLE, TENNESSEE. WHILE DRIVING THIS VEHICLE, I NOTICED THAT IT BEGAN TO ACCELERATE AND DECELERATE AND THEN COMPLETELY LOST POWER. WE WERE TRAVELING ON I-75 SOUTH AT INTERSTATE HIGHWAY SPEEDS AND WERE ABLE TO GET TO THE SHOULDER OF THE ROAD WHEN THIS HAPPENED. UNFORTUNATELY, WE HAD TO PULL OVER ONTO THE LEFT SHOULDER AS THE TWO RIGHT LANES WERE IN A CONSTRUCTION ZONE. WE WERE THEN ENDANGERED BY TRAFFIC MERGING TO THE LEFT WHICH IN SOME CASES ATTEMPTED TO PASS ON THE LEFT SHOULDER. WE HAD TO HAVE THE CAR TOWED TO NALLEY VOLVO IN MARIETTA, GEORGIA WHICH WAS APPROXIMATELY 34 MILES FROM WHERE WE ORIGINALLY BROKE DOWN. AS THIS HAPPENED ON A SUNDAY EVENING AND NO RENTAL CAR BUSINESSES WERE OPENED, WE THEN HAD TO GET A TAXI TO TAKE US THE REST OF THE WAY TO OUR HOME. ON MONDAY MORNING, MY HUSBAND SPOKE WITH THE SERVICE DEPARTMENT ABOUT WHAT HAD HAPPENED. THE PROBLEM WAS DIAGNOSED AS A DEFECTIVE THROTTLE BODY. *JB

CAR WAS IN DRIVEWAY WARMING UP PRIOR TO DRIVING FOR SCHOOL. AFTER ABOUT 5 TO 10 MINUTES DASH CAUGHT FIRE AND FLAMES WERE COMING FOR HEATER VENTS. USED A GARDEN HOSE TO EXTINGUISH FIRE AND FIRE DEPARTMENT WAS CALLED. DASH AND INTERIOR WAS DAMAGED BUY SMOKE, WATER AND FIRE. *NM