VOLVO Complaints

DT*:THE CONTACT STATED WHILE DRIVING, THE VEHICLE INTERMITTENTLY LOST POWER AND LURCHED FORWARD. THIS HAPPENED WHEN THE GAS PEDAL WAS DEPRESSED AFTER DEPRESSING THE BRAKE PEDAL. THEN, THE VEHICLE LURCHED FORWARD WITH FORCE. THE PROBLEM BECAME CURRENT AND HAPPENED SEVERAL TIMES A DAY. *AK

VEHICLE SURGING FORWARD WITHOUT ACCELERATOR INPUT ROADS WET, BUT NOT FROZEN (LUCKILY). ON MAKING TURN IN RESIDENTIAL NEIGHBORHOOD, VOLVO S70 SURGED WITHOUT ACCELERATOR INPUT REQUIRING DRIVER TO TAKE CORRECTIVE ACTION AND BRAKE HARD. IN 2005, THIS VEHICLE EXPERIENCED ENGINE STALL, VEHICLE HESITATION UPON ACCELERATION. VEHICLE HESITATION WAS CONSISTENT AT APPROXIMATELY 2100 RPM AT FREEWAY SPEEDS. ON TAKING IT TO THE DEALER THEY REPROGRAMMED THE ETM. AFTER THIS REPAIR, WITHIN DAYS, THE VEEHICLE EXPERIENCED AND SUDDEN AND UNEXPECTED TRANSITION INTO REDUCED PERFORMANCE OPERATION (LIMP MODE) WHILE DRIVING ON THE PA TURNPIKE. DEALER INSTRUCTED US TO BRING CAR IN WHERE THEY INSTALLED A NEW ETM AND REPROGRAMMED IT WITH THE NEW SOFTWARE UPGRADE. AFTER FURTHER NEGOTIATIONS WITH THE DEALER, THE COST OF THESE REPAIRS WERE REIMBURSED BY THE DEALER IN AN AGREEMENT WITH VOLVO (SO-CALLED SECRET WARRANTY). NOTE THAT THIS OCCURED PRIOR TO THE SETTLEMENT IN CALIFORNIA. VOLVO WOULD REFER ME ONLY TO THE DEALER, AND WOULD NOT DISCUSS THE POSSIBLE PROBLEMN WITH ME. I BELIEVE THAT WE HAVE PREVIOUSLY HAD THE ETM CLEANED WHEN WE HAD SIMILAR PROBLEMS IN THE PAST. THE CURRENT SURGING AND HESITATION AT FREEWAY SPEEDS (2000-2200 RPM) AND THE SURGING WITH ACCELERATOR INPUTS ARE HAPPENING WITH THE NEW ETM THAT IS ONLY ABOUT FOUR MONTHS OLD IN THE VEHICLE. *NM

I HAVE INTERMITTENT FAILURE OF THE DIPPED BEAMS IN MY 2001 VOLVO V70 T5. I SEE AN ERROR REPORT ON THE DASH: BULB FAILURE. DIPPED BEAMS. BUT THERE IS NOTHING WRONG WITH MY BULBS. THERE IS AN ELECTRICAL PROBLEM THAT IS TOTALLY UNPREDICTABLE LEADING TO LOSS OF LOW BEAMS. VOLVO SERVICE MANAGERS SAY THEY DON'T KNOW WHAT CAUSES THE PROBLEM. AM I THE ONLY PERSON TO REPORT THIS DEFECT? IT STARTED ABOUT 2 YEARS AGO IN THE WINTER OF 2003 BUT IS NOW MORE REGULAR BUT NOT ALWAYS. *NM

WARMED UP CAR FOR 2 MINUTES; DROVE 2 MILES TO DRUG STORE--LET ENGINE IDLE WHILE WIFE IN THE STORE; DROVE .1 MILE AND ENGINE BEGAN ACTING VERY ERRATIC! SPUTTERING AND STALLING AND NO ENGINE POWER CAR DIED INTO PARKING LOT; VERY LIGHT TRAFFIC IN MIDTOWN ALLOWED ME LIMP CAR TO DROP FAMILY AT TRANSIT STATION AND LEFT VOLVO AT OFFICE .3 MILES AWAY; AFTER RETURNING FROM VACATION CAR RAN OK--CHECK ENGINE LIGHTS STILL ON + TWO URGENT ERROR MESSAGES. DEALERSHIP REFUSED TO REPLACE ETM DESPITE THE CHECK ENGINE LIGHT BEING ON. *NM

VEHICLE DEFECT MAKE: VOLVO YEAR: 1999 MODEL: S80 NATURE OF PROBLEM: CHECK ENGINE LIGHT IS ON AND VOLVO TECHNICIAN DIAGNOSES THE PROBLEM AS A DEFECTIVE ELECTRONIC THROTTLE CONTROL MODULE WHICH I FOUND LATER TO BE A COMMON PROBLEM WITH VOLVOS. THE DEALERSHIP ESTIMATED THE REPAIR TO BE $850 PLUS THE COST OF THE DIAGNOSIS ($82.00). I REFUSED TO AUTHORIZE THE REPAIR AND SOUGHT ALTERNATIVES. PRESENTLY, THE CAR'S CHECK ENGINE LIGHT IS STILL ON AND THE CAR IDLES ROUGHLY AND SUFFERS FROM POOR GAS MILEAGE BUT CONTINUES TO START AND RUN. AS THIS IS AN APPARENT PROBLEM WITH VOLVOS AS I WAS TOLD BY OTHER MECHANICS, I FELT THAT THIS DEFECT SHOULD BE THE RESPONSIBILITY OF VOLVO RATHER THAN MYSELF. *JB

FAILURE OF THE ELECTRONIC THROTTLE MODULE RESIULTED IN ERRATIC THROTTLE RESPONSE. SURGING ON IDLE WAS CAUSING PROBLEMS IF BRAKE WAS NOT APPLIED STRONGLY ENOUGH. CRUISE CONTROL WAS ALSO ERRATIC IN FUNCTION. TOOK TO THE DEALER FOR REPLACEMENT @ $1200.00. THEY GAVE NO INDICATION THAT THIS WAS A CHRONIC PROBLEM. I ONLY DISCOVERED THE CHRONIC NATURE OF THE PROBLEM ON A BULLETIN BOARD WEB SITE FOR VOLVO'S. *NM

DT: THE CONTACT STATED WHILE DRIVING THE VEHICLE STALLED INTERMITTENTLY. THE VEHICLE HAS BEEN TO THE DEALERSHIP NUMEROUS TIMES TO HAVE THE ELECTRONIC THROTTLE MODULE REPLACED. THE CONTACT WAS AFRAID TO DRIVE THE VEHICLE. THE PROBLEM RECURRED AFTER REPAIRS MADE. THE VEHICLE SURGES AND STUTTERS VIOLENTLY THE MANUFACTURER HAS BEEN CONTACTED.*AK THE DOOR LATCH WAS BROKEN. A LOOSE BALL JOINT WAS REPLACED. THE DRIVERS WINDOW WOULD NOT GO UP. UPDATED 01/25/06. *JB

VEHICLE REQUIRED A NEW ELECTRONIC THROTTLE BODY DESPITE BEING ONLY SIX YEARS OLD AND HAVING ONLY 56,410 MILES. VEHICLE WAS INITIALLY MILDLY HESITATING AND JERKING, THEN WORSENED TO THE POINT WHERE WE WERE CONCERNED FOR OUR SAFETY. WE HAD NO CHOICE BUT TO GO TO THE DEALER AND SPEND $1,078.93 TO REPLACE THE PART. (KBB VALUES VEHICLE AT $14,365, SO THIS REPAIR COST APPROX. 7.5% OF THE VALUE OF THE VEHICLE!) WORSE YET, THE PART WAS REPLACED WITH THE EXACT SAME PART, NOT A NEWER/RE-ENGINEERED ONE LESS LIKELY TO FAIL. WE HAVE SAVED THE PART IF ANYBODY WANTS TO LOOK AT IT. THIS IS NOT WHY WE BOUGHT A VOLVO. *NM

I AM SUBMITTING ETM FAILURE IN MY 2000 VOLVO V70 SE WAGON IN OCTOBER OF 2005. I AM CONCERNED FOR MY SAFETY DRIVING THIS CAR BECAUSE THE CAR HESITATES UPON ACCELERATION, THERE'S SUDDEN AND UNEXPECTED TRANSITION INTO REDUCED PERFORMANCE OPERATION (LIMP MODE) AND SOMETIMES WHEN THE ETS INDICATOR HAS ENGAGED WHILE MY FOOT IS ON THE BRAKE THE CAR SURGES FORWARD AS IF I WERE GIVING IT A LOT OF GAS. I WENT TO THE DEALER IN CULVER CITY, CALIFORNIA, TODAY, DECEMBER 28, 2005, AND THE MODULE WAS NOT REPLACED BUT, THE SERVICE REPS DID SAY THEY CLEANED THE THROTTLE - WHATEVER THAT IS - AND UPGRADED THE SOFTWARE PROGRAM ON THE COMPUTER. FIVE MINUTES AFTER LEAVING THE VOLVO SERVICES DEPARTMENT THE ETM FAILED AGAIN. I CALLED THE DEALER AND THEY TOLD ME THEY DID ALL THAT THEY COULD DO. *JB

CONSISTENT ENGINE PROBLEMS WITH 2001 VOLVO S40 RESULTING IN ENGINE DELAYS, IDLING, PAUSING, OVER HEATING AND BURNING WHILE ON THE FREEWAY AND AT BOTH ACCELERATED (65 MPH) AND RESIDENTIAL (35 MPH) SPEEDS. *NM