VOLVO Complaints

NARRATIVE DESCRIPTION: #1: IN MID/LATE 2003, THE INTERIOR LEATHER DOOR PANELS BEGAN TO "BUBBLE" OR PULL AWAY FROM THE DOOR FRAME. HAVING PURCHASED A FOUR DOOR MODEL, EACH DOOR HAD NOTICABLE DEFECTS WHICH BECAME SIGNIFICANT OVER A SHORT PERIOD OF TIME. #2: UPON FURTHER INVESTIGATION THROUGH LOCAL VOLVO DEALERSHIPS, THE "BUBBLES" WERE ACTUALLY DUE TO A POOR QUALITY ENVIRONMENTALLY FRIENDLY GLUE FROM EUROPE, THAT WAS USED TO ATTACH THE INTERIOR LEATHER DOOR PANELS TO THE DOOR FRAMES, WHICH VOLVO DID NOT APPARENTLY TEST IN THE UNITED STATES. AS FOR MY MODEL, THE CONSEQUENCE OF THE DEFECT RESULTED IN SEVERE FAILURE OF THE INTERIOR LEATHER DOOR PANELS. ALTHOUGH MY MODEL YEAR IS A 2000, I UNDERSTAND THAT THIS HAS ALSO HAPPENED ON BOTH EARLIER AND LATER MODEL YEAR VEHICLES. #3: VOLVO "IS" AWARE OF THIS DEFECT AND HOW EXTENSIVE IT HAS AFFECTED ITS VEHICLES INCLUDING THE MODEL YEAR 2000. IN SPEAKING WITH LOCAL VOLVO DEALERSHIPS, VOLVO MADE A SUBTLE ATTEMPT TO CORRECT THE PROBLEMS INCLUDING SUPPLYING THE DEALERSHIPS WITH A REPAIR KIT THAT EACH DEALERSHIP WAS RESPONSIBLE FOR COMPLETING. ALTHOUGH INITIALLY REPORTED TO VOLVO, MY COMPLAINTS WERE NOT IDENTIFIED AS SAFETY RELATED ISSUES BUT RATHER COSMETIC AND REQUIRED APPROXIMATELY TWO YEARS BEFORE FINALLY AGREEING TO A THREE WAY SPLIT IN THE COST TO REPLACE THE INTERIOR LEATHER DOOR PANELS. ALTHOUGH THE DEFECT IS COSMETIC IN NATURE, IT WAS TO OEM PARTS THAT VOLVO INSTALLED WITH THE VEHICLE AND NOT OPTIONAL UPGRADES ON MY PART. PLEASE HELP US...

I DRIVE A 2002 VOLVO S-60. SINCE AUGUST, I HAVE BEEN EXPERIENCING ENGINE FAILURE AT RANDOM TIMES, MOST NOTICABLY WHILE BREAKING. AFTER RESEARCHING ON LINE, IT SEEMS THAT OTHER VOLVOS ARE EXPERIENCING SIMILAR PROBLEMS. I TOOK THE CAR TO A DEALER 3 MONTHS AGO AND WAS TOLD THAT THEY HAVE NO IDEA WHAT THE PROBLEM IS OR HOW TO FIX IT. THE PROBLEM HAS ESCALATED SINCE THAT TIME. I RETURNED TO THE DEALER THIS MORNING AND AM HOPING FOR A BETTER RESPONSE, BUT AM CONCERNED THAT VOLVO MAY HAVE A BIGGER PROBLEM ON THEIR HANDS THAT THEY ARE NOT DEALING WITH. *NM

2000 VOLVO CONVENTIONAL TIRE WENT FLAT WHILE DRIVING. *TS THE TREAD ON THE RIGHT INSIDE TIRE SEPARATED FROM THE TIRE. THE TIRE DEBRIS STRUCK THE LEFT SIDE FUEL TANK BREAKING THE FUEL LINE. THE TRUCK SPILLED APPROXIMATELY 30 GALLONS OF DIESEL FUEL INTO A DITCH. *NM

AUTOMOBILE: VOLVO V70 WAGON 1998 ON THE DRIVER'S SIDE DOOR, THERE IS A SWING ARM THAT ATTACHES TO THE DOOR AND THE CAR FRAME. ITS PURPOSE APPEARS TO STOP THE DOOR FROM HYPER EXTENDING. THE SWING ARM ATTACHES TO CAR FRAME VIA A BRACKET. THIS BRACKET IS WELDED ON THE FRAME. IN MY CASE THE BRACKET CAME UNWELDED AND ON THE FORWARD SIDE OF THE ATTACHED AREA, PUNCHED THREW THE FRAME COLUMN. ON THE REAR SIDE OF THE BRACKET, IT REMAINS WELDED TO THE CAR FRAME. IT IS NOT CLEAR TO ME WHETHER IT HAS WEAKENED THE FRAME COLUMN THAT RUNS FROM THE FLOOR TO THE ROOF. THE DAMAGE WAS DUE TO NORMAL OPENING AND CLOSING THE DOOR AND WOULD APPEAR TO BE DUE TO METAL FATIGUE. UPON VISITING A FEW BODY SHOPS IN THE SAN FRANCISCO AREA, SOME HAD TOLD ME THAT THIS IS A WIDE SPREAD PROBLEM WITH VOLVO. ALSO, UPON SEARCHING ON THE INTERNET FOR OTHER PEOPLE WHO MAY HAVE HAD THIS PROBLEM, THERE WERE NUMEROUS. HENCE, THE REASON FOR MY COMPLAINT. THE BODY SHOP INFORMED ME THAT THEY WOULD NEED TO REPLACE THE METAL COLUMN THAT RUNS FROM THE FLOOR OF THE CAR PAST THE WHERE THE DOOR ATTACHES TO THE FRAME AND ENDS IN PROXIMITY OF THE FRONT WINDOW SHIELD. SINCE THE COST WILL BE APPROXIMATELY $2,400 AND THE CAR IS A 98, I HAVE NOT DECIDED IF I WILL GET IT REPAIRED. TO INSTALL THIS METAL COLUMN, THE DASH PANEL WOULD NEED TO BE REMOVED. *JB

DT*: THE CONTACT STATED WHILE STOPPING AT A RED LIGHT THE VEHICLE STALLED WITH NO WARNING. THE ENGINE WAS RESTARTED AND AGAIN STALLED. THE VEHICLE WAS TOWED TO A LOCAL DEALERSHIP WHERE THE VEHICLE WAS INSPECTED. THE DEALER DETERMINED THAT THE THROTTLE BODY NEEDED CLEANING AND THE SOFTWARE UPDATED. AFTER THE REPAIRS WERE MADE THE VEHICLE WAS SOLD.*AK

DT*: THE CONTACT STATED WHILE DRIVING THE VEHICLE SURGED AND HESITATED. THE CHECK ENGINE LIGHT AND ETS LIGHTS ILLUMINATED. THE VEHICLE WAS TAKEN TO THE DEALERSHIP, BUT THE DEALER WAS UNABLE TO DETERMINE THE CAUSE OF THE PROBLEM. *AK

THROTTLE CONTROL MODULE OF MY 2001 VOLVO S60 FAILED. THE VEHICLE WOULD GO FROM A NORMAL DRIVING CONDITION (ROAD LOAD, APPROX. 45 MPH) TO A REDUCED SPEED OF A MAX. 20 - 25 MPH. AFTER TRAIL AND ERROR, I LEARNED THAT AFTER 5 TO 6 ENGINE RESTARTS, I COULD GET THE VEHICLE TO DRIVE NORMAL, WITHOUT THE REDUCED POWER. BUT OVER TIME THE VEHICLE WOULD GO BACK INTO THE SAME REDUCED POWER MODE. *JB

IN MID 2005, I STARTED HAVING PROBLEMS WITH MY VOLVO S80 (YR 2000) IDLING AT STOP LIGHTS. THE IDLE WOULD FLUCTUATE FROM 400 TO 1100 RPMS. AT TIMES THIS WOULD CAUSE MY CAR TO DIE. WHILE IT WAS A NUISANCE AT STOP LIGHTS, IT STARTED TO FLUCTUATE AT HIGHER RPMS AND THREE TIMES WHILE ON THE INTERSTATE GOING APPROXIMATELY 55 MPH THE CAR DIED AND I HAVE TO PUT IN NEUTRAL AND RESTART WHILE IN RUSH HOUR TRAFFIC. I TOOK TO SERVICE PLACE AND THEY DID A DIAGNOSTIC, AND REMOVED AND CLEANED THE THROTTLE BODY BEFORE REPLACEMENT. THE FOLLOWING CODES WERE FOUND IN THE ECM 9160, 9150, 904C 903F 9040 AND 130A. AFTER THEY RESET THE FAULTS AND REMOVED AND CLEANED THE THROTTLE BODY, THEY TEST DROVE THE CAR AND THE SAME IDLE AND (AND IT DIED) PROBLEMS EXISTED. THEY REPLACED THE THROTTLE BODY ACTUATOR ASSY, UPGRADE ENGINE MANAGEMENT SOFTWARE TO WORK WITH NEW ACTUATOR. SINCE THEY HAVE REPLACED THE ELECTRONIC THROTTLE BODY I HAVE HAD ZERO IDLING PROBLEMS TO DATE. I HAVE ALL COPIED OF MY PAPERWORK IF NEEDED. *JB

MY WIFE WAS ON ONE OF THE BUSIEST FREEWAYS IN SOUTHERN CALIFORNIA DURING RUSH HOUR TRAFFIC, WHEN OUR 2001 V-70 BEGAN MISSING AND LOSING POWER. BY THE TIME SHE LIMPED HOME TO THE NEXT OFF RAMP, SHE WAS TRAVELING AT APPROXIMATELY 20 MILES AN HOUR, IN TRAFFIC MOVING NEARLY 60 MILES AN HOUR. OBVIOUSLY, THIS CREATED A SIGNIFICANT SAFETY HAZARD FOR MY WIFE AND OTHER TRAVELERS. SHE WAS ABLE TO DRIVE THE CAR TO THE DEALER, CALABASAS VOLVO, AT ABOUT 20-30 MILES PER HOUR. AT THE DEALER, SHE WAS INFORMED THAT THE GAS PEDAL LINKAGE REQUIRED REPLACEMENT AT APPROXIMATELY $300 (COPY ENCLOSED), AND THAT THE ETM WOULD BE CLEANED. I HAD ALREADY FOUND INFORMATION ON THE WEB THAT SHOWED CLEANING WAS INEFFECTIVE, AND THE LIKELIHOOD OF CONTINUED SAFETY RISK. IN FACT, THE INFORMATION ON THE WEB EXPLAINED THAT VOLVO HAS AGREED TO AN EXTENSION OF THE WARRANTY ON THIS PART TO 200,000 MILES OR 10 YEARS. I, FRANKLY, WAS STUNNED THAT A CAR MANUFACTURER WOULD ACKNOWLEDGE SUCH A FUNDAMENTAL DESIGN FLAW AND COMMIT TO SUCH A LONG PERIOD OF TIME FOR REPLACEMENTS FOR THE EFFECTIVE LIFE OF THE CAR. IT APPEARS THAT SOMEONE AT VOLVO DOES RECOGNIZE THAT THE ETM FAILURE COULD CAUSE INJURY OR EVEN DEATH OF THE VEHICLE OPERATOR AND OCCUPANTS. I CALLED THE SERVICE DEPARTMENT AND URGED THEM TO REPLACE THE ETM. TO MY ABSOLUTE SURPRISE, THEY EXPLAINED THAT VOLVO HAS DIRECTED DEALERS TO CLEAN FIRST, REPLACE LATER, ALTHOUGH THEY AGREED THAT THE ETM WOULD PROBABLY FAIL WITHIN A SHORT PERIOD OF TIME. NOW MY WIFE IS MUCH NICER THAN ME, AND SINCE I HAD SOME DISCUSSIONS WITH THE CALABASAS VOLVO SERVICE DEPARTMENT REGARDING THEIR INCOMPETENCE WITH THE FAN RECALL, THEY CHOSE TO GIVE HER THE CAR BACK AFTER THE CLEANING AND SHE ACCEPTED IT. WITHIN TWO MILES, THE CAR WAS EXPERIENCING THE EXACT SAME SYMPTOMS THAT IT HAD EARLIER IN THE DAY. IN OTHER WORDS, VOLVO POLICY HAS PLACED MY WIFE AND FAMILY AT RISK OF DEATH OR INJURY. *JB

CONSUMER WAS REFUSED RENTAL VEHICLE WHILE 2001 VOVLO S80 WAS HAVING RECALL WORK DONE. CONSUMER HAS HAD PROBLEMS WITH FAULTY FUEL SENDING UNIT. *TS ****NO ANSWER REQUIRED*** THE CONSUMER STATED IT TOOK 4 TIMES TO FINALLY GET A WINDOW LIFT MOTOR REPLACED. *JB