VOLVO Complaints

A MONTH AND A HALF AGO MY 2000 VOLVO V70 THROTTLE HAD TO BE COMPLETELY REPLACED. AFTER FURTHER RESEARCH I HAVE DETERMINED THIS IS AN MAJOR ON GOING ISSUE. I AM VERY UPSET I HAD TO SPEND OVER $1100 TO REPLACE THE THROTTLE. MY CAR ONLY HAD 90,500 MILES WHEN THE THROTTLE FAILED. *NM

2004 VOLVO V70 ACCELERATED AT HIGH SPEED WHEN PLACED ON DRIVE AND CONSUMER COULD NOT STOP THE VEHICLE USING THE BRAKE. CONSUMER AIR BAGS DID NOT DEPLOY. *TS THE VEHICLE TRAVELED OVER A CEMENT BARRIER BLOWING OUT THE TWO REAR TIRES. THE CONSUMER HAD TO TURN OFF THE VEHICLE'S IGNITION TO STOP THE VEHICLE. THE MANUFACTURER SENT SOMEONE TO INSPECT THE VEHICLE BUT THEY WERE UNABLE TO FIND ANYTHING WRONG. *NM

AT APPROX. 80K MILES, MY 2000 VOLVO S70 COMPUTER SYSTEM BEGAN RETURNING A CHECK ENGINE LIGHT ALONG WITH A ETS LIGHT ON SEVERAL INCIDENTS. WHEN THOSE WARNING LIGHTS WERE ON, THE ENGINE WOULD NOT HOLD A STEADY CURB IDLE. RPMS WAVERED FROM 500 TO 1500 AND CAUSED A DANGEROUS SURGING AT STOP SIGNS AND STOP LIGHTS. CHECKING THE OWNERS MANUAL ON THE ETS LIGHT, IT SAID TO TURN THE ENGINE OFF THEN BACK ON, IF THE LIGHT WENT OUT-FINE. IF NOT, GO TO THE DEALER. THE INCIDENCE THIS HAPPENING GOT MORE AND MORE FREQUEST UNTIL FINALLY THE ETS LIGHT WOULD NOT GO OUT AND THE CAR COULD NOT BE SAFELY DRIVEN. RESEARCHING ON THE INTERNET, I FOUND THAT IT WAS A COMMON PROBLEM WITH THE ETM OR ELECTRONIC THROTTLE MODULE, ON THIS MAKE AND MODEL YEAR AND THAT THE ONLY THE DEALER COULD REPLACE IT. SO, I WENT TO THE DEALER AND HAD THEM REPLACE THE ETM ON AUG 19, 2005 AT THE EXCESSIVE COST OF $917.91. (IT WAS LESS EXPENSIVE THAN AN ACCIDENT.) EVEN THOUGH I HAVE NOT EXPERIENCED THE PROBLEM SINCE, I EXPECT THAT THE PROBLEM WILL REOCCUR SOME 50 TO 80K MILES IN THE FUTURE SINCE THE DEFECTIVE PART WAS JUST REPLACED WITH A NEW PART WITH THE SAME FLAWED DESIGN. I FEEL THAT VOLVO SHOULD RECALL THIS PART IMMEDIATELY AND MAKE REPARATIONS TO THOSE OF US WHO HAVE HAD TO HAVE IT REPLACED. I FEEL THAT THEY KNEW THAT THE PART WAS FLAWED AT THE TIME OF MANUFACTURE. WHY ELSE WOULD THEIR OWNER'S MANUAL EXPLAIN THE ETS ERROR AND THE TEMPORARY FIX LIKE IT DOES? THE "TURN THE ENGINE OFF" FIX JUST POSTPONES THE REPAIR UNTIL AFTER THE WARRANTED MILEAGE HAS PAST. *NM

I OWN A 2001 VOLVO S60 WITH A LITTLE OVER 18,000 MILES ON THE VEHICLE. ON 10-19-2005, I WAS STOPPED AT AN INTERSECTION WAITING FOR THE LEFT LANE TURN SIGNAL. WHEN THE SIGNAL TURNED GREEN, I PROCEEDED INTO THE INTERSECTION AND NOTICED THAT MY CAR STARTED TO LOSE POWER EVEN THOUGH MY FOOT WAS ON THE ACCELERATOR THROTTLE. I APPLIED MORE PRESSURE TO THE ACCELERATOR THROTTLE, BUT THE VEHICLE CONTINUED TO LOSE SPEED, THEN ALL OF A SUDDEN THE VEHICLE LURCHED FORWARD AS IF TO KICK IN AND THE ACCELERATION RESUMED. IT WAS ALARMING, BECAUSE IF I HAD BEEN ON A FREEWAY OR HAD BEEN IN A SITUATION WHEREBY I HAD TO PASS A SLOW DRIVER ON A TWO LANE HIGHWAY, I COULD HAVE BEEN IN SOME SERIOUS TROUBLE. AGAIN, MY CAR HAS VERY LOW MILEAGE FOR A 2001 VEHICLE. I WOULD APPRECIATE BEING INCLUDED IN ANY INVESTIGATION THAT MAY UNCOVER A POSSIBLE DEFECT IN THE VEHICLE REGARDING THIS MATTER. THANK YOU FOR YOUR TIME AND CONSIDERATION. SINCERELY, TERRY W. MORRIS. *NM

2000 VOLVO S70 MILEAGE: 49642 ETS (ELECTRONIC THROTTLE SYSTEM) LIGHT CAME ON. SUDDEN LOSS OF POWER, HESITATION, AND STALLING WITHOUT ANY INDICATION. SUBSEQUENT SEARCH ON THE INTERNET I FOUND OUT THE ETM (ELECTRONIC THROTTLE MODULE) AND THE ETS FAILURES WERE RELATED AND POSSIBLE RECALL ON PARTS BY VOLVO. SERVICED AT FAIRFAX VOLVO (703) 591-1820 ON 10/18/2005. SERVICE COST $900.00.*JB

2000 VOLVO S80 T6 ON NUMEROUS OCCASIONS THE VEHICLE WOULD STALL, EVEN WHEN DRIVING AT HIGHWAY SPEEDS. ON SEVERAL OCCASIONS WHILE DRIVING MY CHILDREN TO SCHOOL ON THE HIGHWAY THE VEHICLE STALLED FORCING ME TO CROSS 3-4 LANES OF HEAVY TRAFFIC WITHOUT THE USE OF POWER STEERING OR POWER BRAKES. THE ELECTRONIC THROTTLE MODULE WAS DETERMINED TO BE DEFECTIVE. THIS IS A KNOWN DEFECTIVE PART ON 1999-2001 VOLVO S80'S. THERE ARE EVEN DOCUMENTED REPORTS THAT THE ETM WILL FAIL ON OVER 90% OF ALL VOLVO S80'S WITHIN THIS YEAR RANGE ('99-01). I HAVE SPENT $900 TO HAVE THIS REPLACED. THE STATE OF CALIFORNIA IS FILING A LAWSUIT AGAINST VOLVO OVER THIS PART. I LIVE IN KY; THEREFORE I DON'T BELIEVE THAT LAWSUIT WILL HELP ME. I AM ASKING VOLVO FOR FULL REIMBURSEMENT TO REPLACE THIS PART. IT NOT ONLY WAS A FAULTY DESIGN, BUT ALSO POTENTIALLY DEADLY PART. THERE SHOULD HAVE BEEN A FULL RECALL ON THIS PART AND VOLVO KNEW ABOUT THIS PROBLEM EVEN BEFORE THE RELEASE OF THE VEHICLE IN '99. THERE IS ANOTHER KNOW DEFECTIVE PART ON THE SAME YEAR VOLVO THAT IS THE ABS MODULE. I HAD TO HAVE THAT REPLACED FOR A COST OF $1000. DOCUMENTED REPORTS SAY THE ABS MODULE WILL FAIL ON 60% OF THOSE VOLVOS. *JB

DT: THE THROTTLE WILL FLUTTER AND THE ACCELERATOR WILL CUT OUT WHEN PRESSING THE ACCELERATOR PEDAL AS WELL AS VIBRATE. THE VEHICLE STALLED/DIED AND LOST POWER. THE PROBLEM WAS FIXED IN FEBRUARY 2004, BUT IT RECURRED. *AK *MR WHEN THE CRUISE CONTROL FAILS THE ODOMETER FAILS AS WELL. THE ABS AND BRAKE LIGHT ILLUMINATED AS WELL. *JB

DT: THE VEHICLE WAS LOSING POWER, IT SHUTS DOWN. USUALLY IT WILL START BACK. CAN CUT ACROSS TRAFFIC, AND IT WILL JUST STALL. TOOK IT TO THE DEALER MANY TIMES, AND THEY COULD NOT DUPLICATE THE PROBLEM. THEY PUT DIFFERENT PARTS ON IT TO NARROW DOWN THE PROBLEM. THERE IS NO POWER STEERING AFTER IT STALLS. BACK IN JANUARY THE TURBO WENT IT OUT AND THEY REPLACED IT. THE VEHICLE WAS STILL SKIPPING. THIS STARTED HAPPENING AROUND JANUARY 15, 2005. *NM THE ABS CONTROL MODULE WAS REPLACED. *JB

NHTSA ACTION NUMBER : PE05041 WHILE DRIVING THROUGH A BUSY INTERSECTION OF A LOCAL HIGHWAY THE CAR DIED. I PUSHED THE CAR OFF INTO A LOCAL OIL CHANGE/ LUBE GARAGE. THEY MANAGE TO GET IT STARTED ALTHOUGH IT WAS IDLING ROUGHLY. I BROUGHT IT TO VOLVO OF FORT WASHINGTON TO HAVE THE ETM REPLACED AT A CHARGE OF OVER $600. VOLVO OF NORTH AMERICA SAID THAT THEY DON'T BELIEVE THEY ARE RESPONSIBLE ALTHOUGH MANY HAVE HAD THE SAME ISSUE. *JB

MY 2002 VOLVO S60 STALLED ABOUT 3 TIMES IN THE PERIOD OF A FEW MONTHS DURING THE SPRING OF 2005. IT OCCURRED ONLY WHILE I WAS DRIVING IN STOP AND GO TRAFFIC. I WAS ABLE TO RESTART THE CAR. I TOOK IT INTO THE VOLVO DEALERSHIP. THEY RAN ALL KINDS OF TESTS, BUT COULD FIND NOTHING WRONG. THEY REPLACED THE MASS AIRFLOW SENSOR ANYWAY ON MAY 10, 2005 AND THE PROBLEM SEEMED TO GO AWAY - UNTIL OCT 6. IT STALLED AGAIN WHILE I WAS AT A STOP LIGHT. ON OCTOBER 19, SIX DRIVING DAYS LATER (I TRAVEL OUT OF TOWN A LOT FOR MY JOB), IT STALLED AGAIN IN STOP AND GO TRAFFIC ON THE FREEWAY. I KNOW THAT YOU HAVE HAD SIMILAR COMPLAINTS ABOUT THIS, BUT NOT FOR A 2002 MODEL. I THOUGHT THAT IT WAS IMPORTANT TO TELL YOU ABOUT MY PROBLEM AS WELL. *JB