VOLVO Complaints

DECEMBER 2004, ETM / SPEED CONTROL FAILS ON EXPRESSWAY. CAR SLOWS DANGEROUSLY - UNCONTROLLABLE THROTTLE. TAKEN TO DEALER, TWO WEEKS OUT OF WARRANTY - ALL REPAIRS $1,000,OUT OF MY POCKET - NO ASSISTANCE BY VOLVO - COMPLAINED TO NORTH AMERICA HQ - NO RESPONSE. TOLD AT SERVICE DESK THIS WAS NOT AN ISSUE WITH OTHER VEHICLES - AFTER READING SEVERAL NEWS ARTICLES AND THE VARIOUS ISSUES SURROUNDING THIS S -80 COMPONENT - IT IS APPARENT THERE IS A MAJOR ISSUE WITH THIS COMPONENT AT VOLVO. *JB

2001 VOLVO V70 BRAKING SYSTEM FAILED AND ENGINE COMPLETELY SHUT DOWN WITHOUT WARNING. *TS *NM *** NO ANSWER REQUIRED***

DT: THE CONTACT STATED HIS VEHICLE HESITATED AND SURGED. RIGHT BEFORE THE VEHICLE HESITATED OR SURGED IT LOST POWER. IT STARTED AS AN INTERMITTENT PROBLEM BUT IS NOW OCCURRING DAILY. THE RATE OF SPEED DOES NOT SEEM TO BE A FACTOR. HOWEVER, IT DOES OFTEN OCCUR BETWEEN 40 AND 50 MPH. BUT, IT HAS OCCURRED AT LOWER SPEEDS. THE VEHICLE STALLED TWICE. THE FIRST TIME THE VEHICLE WOULD NOT RESTART AND WAS TOWED INTO THE DEALERSHIP. THE DEALER CLEANED THE ELECTRIC CONTROL (ETM), AND THIS SOLVED THE PROBLEM FOR ONE WEEK. THE SECOND TIME THE VEHICLE STALLED THE CONTACT TURNED THE IGNITION OFF AND WAITED TWENTY MINUTES. THE VEHICLE IMMEDIATELY RESTARTED, AND HE WAS ABLE TO DRIVE THE VEHICLE HOME. THE VEHICLE IS CURRENTLY IN THE DEALERSHIP AWAITING DIAGNOSTIC TESTING AND REPAIRS. THE DEALER HAS BEEN IN CONTACT WITH THE MANUFACTURER. THEY ARE DISCUSSING REPLACING THE ETM AND OTHER PROCEDURES TO FIX THE PROBLEM. *AK

ELECTRONIC THROTTLE FAILURE ON 2001 VOLVO V70 XC. AUTOMOBILE EXIBITED "SURGING" PERFORMANCE AT ABOUT 90K MILES (OUT OF WARRANTY). DEALER DIAGNOSED ETM FAILURE AS EMMINENT; REPLACED ETM AT VOLVO DEALER. COST APPROXIMATELY $1000. *NM

THREE TIMES MY DAUGHTER'S 2000 VOLVO S40 ACCELERATED UNEXPECTEDLY. TWICE (ON THE SAME NIGHT) IT ALMOST PULLED HER INTO A BUSY INTERSECTION. THE THIRD TIME IT HAPPENED TO THE SERVICE MANGER (JEFF) AT A LOCAL VOLVO DEALERSHIP. AFTER TWO VISITS FROM A TECHNICIAN FROM VOLVO IT WAS DETERMINED THAT A TEMPERATURE SENSOR HAD FAILED. THIS FAILURE LED TO EXCESS AIR BEING FED TO THE ENGINE WHICH IN TURN LED TO EXCESS FUEL BEING FED TO THE ENGINE, WHICH IN TURN ACCELERATED THE ENGINE. VOLVO REPLACED A TEMPERATURE CONTROL SENSOR THAT OPERATES THE AIR SLIDE IN THE ENGINE ON 12/7/05. *NM

(1) NONE OBVIOUS (2) 2000 VOLVO S80 T6 "ENGINE REDUCED POWER" ON INTERSTATE PLACED CAR IN "LIMP" MODE. IMPAIRED TRAFFIC CREATING HAZARD WHILE COASTING TO ONE OF A FEW AVAILABLE ROAD SHOULDERS. REPEATED FAILURES AND INCIDENTS WITHIN LAST 50 MILES SINCE VOLVO ATTEMPTED 1ST REPAIR. (3) READ ECM CODES 9150 9160 904C 904D 903F - PREVIOUS CODES READ AS P121 AND P1608. CLEANED PCV BREATHER FITTING, CHECKED BATTERY VOLTAGE, INSTALLED UPGRADED ETM SWITCH PN 30677023. *JB

MY WIFE & DAUGHTER SMELLED SMOKE WHILE DRIVING ON A NEIGHBORHOOD STREET. IT SEEMED TO BE COMING FROM UNDER THE DRIVER'S SEAT. THEY STOPPED THE CAR RIGHT AWAY AND GOT OUT. AS MY WIFE OPENED THE DOOR TO THE BACK SEAT TO GET HER PURSE, SHE SAW FLAMES COMING FROM UNDER THE DRIVER'S SEAT. THEY RAN TO THE NEAREST HOUSE TO CALL 911. WHILE ON THE PHONE WITH 911, LESS THAN A MINUTE AFTER GETTING OUT OF THE CAR, MY WIFE SAW THE ENTIRE INSIDE OF THE CAR BECOME ENGULFED IN FLAMES. THE FIRE DEPARTMENT WAS ON THE SCENE WITHIN 3 MINUTES, BUT IT WAS TOO LATE. THE ENTIRE INSIDE OF THE CAR WAS BURNED BEYOND RECOGNITION. WHAT HAD BEEN LEATHER SEATS WERE NOW METAL FRAMES, THE DASHBOARD HAD EVAPORATED, AND THE CAR WAS TOTALED. ALTHOUGH OUR INSURANCE COMPANY COVERED THE LOSS OF THE CAR, WE HAVE HAD TO SPEND SEVERAL THOUSAND DOLLARS TO REPLACE BURNT POSSESSIONS (LIKE A CELL PHONE AND A PDA) AND PAY FOR CAR RENTAL. THE FIRE DEPARTMENT INDICATED THAT THE SEAT HEATER WAS THE LIKELY CAUSE OF THE FIRE, BUT VOLVO HAS NOT ADMITTED ANY PRODUCT FAILURE. WHEN WE BOUGHT A VOLVO BECAUSE OF ITS REPUTATION FOR SAFETY ("VOLVO FOR LIFE"), WE CERTAINLY DIDN'T EXPECT IT TO BURN UP! *NM

DT: THE CONTACT STATED PRIOR TO PURCHASING THE VEHICLE THERE WAS NHTSA RECALL CAMPAIGN 00V405000 CONCERNING THE TURN SIGNAL. THE RECALL REPAIR WORK WAS COMPLETED AND THE VEHICLE WORKED PROPERLY. THEN, SHE RECEIVED RECALL 04V504000 CONCERNING THE HEADLIGHT SWITCH. THE VEHICLE WAS TAKEN TO DEALER FOR THE REPAIRS. WHEN SHE GOT THE VEHICLE HOME SHE TRIED TO TURN THE HEADLIGHTS ON AND NOTICED THEY DID NOT WORK. SHE TOOK THE VEHICLE BACK TO THE DEALERSHIP, AND THEY REPAIRED THE HEADLIGHTS. THE HEADLIGHTS FAILED AGAIN FIVE DAYS LATER. THE DEALERSHIP DETERMINED THAT THE TURN SIGNAL SWITCH NEEDED TO BE REPLACED IN ORDER TO FIX THE HEADLIGHTS. SHE CONTACTED THE MANUFACTURER, AND THEY AGREED WITH THE DEALERSHIP. THEY STATED NONE OF THE RECALLS INCLUDED THE TURN SIGNAL SWITCH, AND SHE WOULD HAVE TO PAY FOR THE REPAIRS. THE VEHICLE HAS NOT BEEN REPAIRED. THE CONTACT FELT THE HEADLIGHT FAILURE WAS RELATED TO ONE OF THE TWO PREVIOUS RECALLS. *AK

CAR BEGAN TO RUN IN AN UNCONTROLLABLE MANNER, SPEEDING UP THEN LOOSING POWER WHILE SHAKING VIOLENTLY. MY WIFE WAS DRIVING WITH MY DAUGHTER IN THE CAR. THEY WERE TERRIFIED. I DROVE IT AFTER SHE CALLED FOR HELP IT WAS A TERRIBLE RIDE. HAD THIS OCCURRED IN TRAFFIC ON ONE OF THE MANY HIGH SPEED ROADS AROUND HERE, THIS COULD HAVE BEEN A TRAGIC EVENT. THE FOLLOWING MORNING IT ACTED THE SAME AND I DROVE IT TO THE NEAREST VOLVO REPAIR SHOP. IT WAS DETERMINED THAT IT WAS A FAILED ELECTRONIC THROTTLE BODY. THE REPAIR COST AS OVER $1100. IT WAS NOT COVERED BY THE EXTENDED WARRANTY I HAD PURCHASED FOR THE CAR. I HAD THE CAR REPAIRED. THE SHOP TOLD ME THAT THEY HAD SEEN MANY SUCH FAILURES IN VOLVOS AT ABOUT 50K . THEY JOKED IT WAS A SERIOUS MID-LIFE CRISIS FOR VOLVOS. I DID NOT FIND IT FUNNY. IT WAS A DEVASTATING, UNPLANNED COST. I CALLED VOLVO, THEY WERE NOT INTERESTED IN COST SHARING OR ANY SORT OF HELP. *JB

ANY DAY THE SUN IS SHINING, THE GLARE OFF THE DASHBOARD IS EXTREME AND RESULTS IN LITTLE TO NO VISIBILITY WHEN ENTERING TUNNELS, UNDERPASSES OR EVEN SECTIONS OF ROAD THAT ARE SHADED BY TREES. *JB