VOLVO Complaints

DT: THE CONTACT STATED VEHICLE SURGED FORWARD AFTER PLACING IT INTO GEAR. SHE TRIED TO STOP THE VEHICLE BY APPLYING THE BRAKES, BUT THEY WOULD NOT WORK. SHE LOST CONTROL OF THE VEHICLE AND STRUCK A POLE. THE VEHICLE HAS NOT BEEN INSPECTED TO DETERMINE THE CAUSE OF THE PROBLEM. *AK UPDATED 11/29/2005 - THE FEW WEEKS PRIOR TO THIS ACCIDENT THE VEHICLE HAD A COMPUTER PROBLEM AND THE PASSENGER DOOR, WINDOW AND TURN SIGNAL WERE INOPERATIVE. THESE PROBLEMS WERE FIXED BY THE DEALER. *NM

DT: THE CONTACT COMPLAINED ABOUT THROTTLE FAILURE. THE RPMS WILL INCREASE WHEN THE CONTACT LETS OFF THE ACCELERATOR PEDAL. WHEN THE RPMS DECREASE THE ENGINE WILL STALL. THE PROBLEM OCCURRED EVER TIME THE CONTACT DROVE THE VEHICLE AND AT A VARIETY OF SPEEDS. THE MANUFACTURER TOLD HIM THEY KNEW WHAT THE PROBLEM WAS AND HOW TO FIX IT. THE REPAIRS HAVE NOT BEEN MADE. *AK

DT: THE CONTACT STATED VEHICLE WAS LEAKING OIL BUT HE WAS UNSURE WHERE IT WAS COMING FROM. THE DEALERSHIP SUGGESTED CHANGING THE MASTER CYLINDER AND IT WAS CHANGED AT A LOCAL SERVICE STATION, HOWEVER THE LEAK CONTINUED. THE CONTACT CLAIMED THE LEAK WAS COMING FROM THE ABS. THE MODULE WAS CHANGED, THE LEAK STOPPED AND THE BRAKES WORKED PROPERLY. HE THEN RECEIVED NHTSA RECALL 04V368000 CONCERNING THE FUEL SYSTEM. RECALL REPAIR WAS PERFORMED BUT THERE WAS STILL A SMELL OF FUEL. THIS HAPPENED WITH THE WINDOWS UP OR DOWN. THE CHECK ENGINE LIGHT WAS CAME ON. UPON INSPECTION AT THE DEALERSHIP THE COMPUTER FOUND THE AIR MASS FLOW METER WAS NOT WORKING PROPERLY. THIS CAUSED THE VEHICLE TO IDLE ROUGHER AND NOT RUN SMOOTHLY. THE AIR MASS FLOW METER HAS BEEN REPLACED FOUR TIMES BY THE DEALERSHIP. THE CHECK ENGINE LIGHT WAS STILL ON. *AK UPDATED 12/27/2005. *NM

I OWN A 2001 VOLVO S40. IN EARLY APRIL 2005, MY VEHICLE WAS DIAGNOSED AS BEING IN NEED OF OXYGEN SENSORS, WHICH WAS THE REASON FOR MY "CHECK ENGINE" TO BE ACTIVATED. THE PROBLEM IS THAT MY CAR HAD APPROXIMATELY 25,000 MILES ON IT. AS OF MID OCTOBER 2005, THE "CHECK ENGINE" LIGHT HAS BEEN REACTIVATED AND THE VEHICLE WAS RECENTLY DIAGNOSED AT THE VOLVO DEALERSHIP AS NEEDING NEW OXYGEN SENSORS-AGAIN. CURRENTLY, MY CAR HAS 32,000 MILES AND IS GOING ON ITS THIRD SET OF OXYGEN SENSORS. THE PARTS AND LABOR THAT ARE REQUIRED TO FIX THE PROBLEM ARE TRULY EXPENSIVE. ALL MY COMPLAINTS TO VOLVO HAVE FALLEN ON DEAF EARS. I TRULY BELIEVE THAT THIS PROBLEM IS A RESULT OF POOR ENGINEERING SKILLS, OR WORSE YET, INTELLIGENT ENGINEERING THAT IS INTENDED TO KEEP THE CUSTOMERS SPENDING ON COSTLY REPAIRS. *JB

I COMMUTE APPROXIMATELY 30 MILES TO WORK. DURING MY COMMUTE ON NOV. 2, 2005 THERE WAS NOTHING OUT OF THE ORDINARY. ALL GAUGES READING WITHIN NORMAL LIMITS. I PARKED MY CAR. WENT INSIDE MY PLACE OF WORK. WITHIN 7 (SEVEN) MINUTES I WAS NOTIFIED BY A COWORKER THAT MY CAR WAS ON FIRE. THE RESULTING ENGINE FIRE TOTALED MY 2001 S60 T5 VOLVO. THERE WAS NOTHING LEFT OF THE ENGINE EXCEPT THE ENGINE BLOCK SITTING UPON THE TRANSMISSION. *JB

1) ETS LIGHT AND CHECK ENGINE LIGHT WOULD ILLUMINATE WITHIN A FEW MINUTES OF STARTING CAR. CHECK ENGINE LIGHT WOULD OCCASIONALLY TURN OFF WHILE DRIVING, ETS STAYED ON. CAR BEGAN TO HESITATE AND SURGE, PARTICULARLY NOTICEABLE AROUND 35-MPH AND 60-MPH. 2) ALL MOST COMPLETE LOSS OF POWER WHILE DRIVING ON SIDE STREET, UNDER NORMAL CONDITIONS. WHEN PRESSING THE ACCELERATOR THERE WAS VERY LITTLE RESPONSE. PARKED THE CAR OVER NIGHT ON SIDE OF ROAD. NEXT DAY IT WAS MORE RESPONSIVE, THOUGH STILL HAD THE ETS AND CHECK ENGINE LIGHTS ON. 3) VOLVO DEALER REPLACE THE ELECTRONIC THROTTLE BODY. TOTAL COST $1300. I ASKED FOR THE OLD THROTTLE BODY, BUT WAS TOLD IT WOULD COST SEVERAL HUNDRED DOLLARS, AS THERE WAS A "CORE CHARGE" FROM VOLVO. WAS ALSO TOLD THAT IF THERE EVENTUALLY WAS A RECALL ON THIS PART MY RECEIPT WOULD BE SUFFICIENT FOR REIMBURSEMENT. *JB

DT: RECENTLY WHILE DRIVING 2001 VOLVO XC 70 ALONG WITH ELDERLY MOTHER FROM OREGON TO CALIFORNIA HAD A VERY UNPLEASANT EXPERIENCE THAT COULD HAVE COST THEIR LIVES. ALL OF A SUDDEN VEHICLE LOST T POWER. HAD TO SIT ON A VERY BUSY FREEWAY FOR 2 HOURS IN 100 DEGREE HEAT,AND WAS UNABLE TO RUN THE AIR CONDITIONER OR GET OUT OF THE VEHICLE DUE TO HEAVY TRUCK TRAFFIC. THE CONTACT AND MOTHER WERE FINALLY TOWED FOR 70 MILES TO THE NEAREST VOLVO DEALER. THEY WERE TOLD THAT ELECTRONIC THROTTLE MODULE (ETM) FAILED, A $1200.00 REPAIR. BUT THEY WOULD FIX THE PART AT NO COST TO THE CONTACT BECAUSE OF CALIFORNIA EMISSION LAWS. WHEN THE CONTACT GOT HOME HE DECIDED TO DO A LITTLE RESEARCH INTO THE MATTER, AND DISCOVERED THAT VOLVO WAS WELL AWARE OF THIS PROBLEM ,BUT HAVE NEVER TRIED TO FIX IT. IN FACT, THE CONTACT CLAIMED THAT HE WAS FORTUNATE TO BREAK DOWN IN CALIFORNIA OR BEING STUCK WITH A $1200.00 REPAIR BILL BECAUSE THIS SHOWED THAT VOLVO WAS DISHONEST ABOUT SAFETY AND DESIGN SINCE THE PART REPLACED IN CALIFORNIA WAS SIMPLY MORE OF THE SAME FAULTY EQUIPMENT THAT VOLVO ORIGINALLY INSTALLED, AND WERE NOW UNDER INVESTIGATION ABOUT IT. *AK

IT WAS A STALL. WHEN THE VEHICLE STALLS, IT WOULD SHUT OFF, BE ABLE TO RESTARTED, BUT NOT STAY STARTED WITHOUT STALLING, X-REF VOQ 10141399 AND E-MAIL, SEPERATE INCIDENT WITH PREVIOUS ETM

2000 VOLVO S80 T6 SEDAN - CAR BEGAN TO JERK AS THOUGH MISSING; GOT PROGRESSIVELY WORSE, EVEN AFTER COMPLETE MAINTENANCE UPDATE. HAS ESSENTIALLY GONE TO NO POWER AND I'V HAD TO COAST TO THE SIDE OF THE HIGHWAY - TURN OFF- WAIT - RESTART AND THEN RUN AWHILE LONGER. LOCAL MECHANIC SAYS ITS A THROTTLE MODULE OR MY MAIN COMPUTER AND MUST BE FIXED AT DEALER (220 MILES AWAY) BECAUSE NO ONE ELSE CAN PROGRAM THE NEW MODULE WHEN REPLACING. *JB

THE THROTTLE ON OUR 1999 VOLVO V70 HAS FAILED. THE PROBLEM WAS NOTICED BY UNUSUAL THROTTLE BEHAVIOR ON THE FREEWAY AT 60 - 70 MILES PER HOUR. AFTER THIS BEHAVIOR HAD OCCURRED SEVERAL TIMES OVER A PERIOD OF MONTHS, THE ETS LIGHT CAME ON INDICATING A THROTTLE PROBLEM. THE PROBLEM CAUSED AN UNUSUAL FEELING TO DRIVING THE CAR AS IF THERE WERE SOME RESISTANCE OR IMPEDIMENT TO THE ENGINE RUNNING PROPERLY. THE ETS WARNING LIGHT CAME ON THE DATE BELOW LISTED AS "INCIDENT DATE," BUT THE PROBLEM WAS OCCURRING OVER A FEW MONTH PERIOD BEFORE THAT DATE. THE ETS LIGHT DID NOT STAY ON, BUT THERE IS CLEARLY A PROBLEM WITH THE THROTTLE. I TOOK THE CAR TO THE DEALER, LEE VOLVO IN WELLESLEY, MA AND WAS TOLD THE THROTTLE NEEDED TO BE REPLACED. THIS IS WORRISOME, BECAUSE THE MANUAL SAYS TO TURN THE CAR OFF AND BACK ON WHEN THE ETS LIGHT COMES ON, BUT THE ETS LIGHT WILL NOT CONSISTENTLY INDICATE A PROBLEM, WHEN THE THROTTLE IS DEFECTIVE AS OURS IS. WE OWN A 2000 VOLVO S70, WHICH I UNDERSTAND MAY HAVE THE SAME THROTTLE, AND THAT YOU ARE CONSIDERING A RECALL FOR VOLVO THROTTLES. IT IS EXPENSIVE TO REPLACE THE THROTTLE $1,000+, AND DANGEROUS AS IT IS A PROBLEM WHICH MAY ARISE AT 70 MILES AN HOUR WITH NO WARNING. *NM