VOLVO Complaints

DT: 2002 VOLVO S60. THE CONTACT STATED THE ENGINE TURNED OFF WHILE DRIVING. THE VEHICLE WAS GOING APPROXIMATELY 25 MPH WHEN THIS OCCURRED. HE WAS THE ORIGINAL OWNER OF THIS VEHICLE. THE VEHICLE WAS TOWED TO THE DEALERSHIP, AND THEY COULD NOT FIND THE CAUSE OF THE PROBLEM. THIS HAPPENED IN JANUARY 2005. THERE HAS NOT BEEN A RECURRENCE. *AK

ENGINE SURGES STALLS AT HIGHWAY SPEEDS. FUEL THROTTLE BODY FOUND TO BE FAULTY REQUIRING REPLACEMENT. ATTEMPT TO CLEAN COMPONENT UNSUCCESSFULLY. *NM

AT 45000 MILES CONSUMER REPLACED THE THROTTLE UNIT ON 2000 VOLVO S 70. *TS THE MANUFACTURER REIMBURSED THE CONSUMER FOR REPLACING THE DEFECTIVE THROTTLE UNIT. THE DID NOT REIMBURSE THE CONSUMER FOR THE LABOR AND TAX PAID TO INSTALL THE NEW UNIT. *NM

WEEK OF 10/10/05 AS TRAVELING UPHILL, MY CAR SPUTTERED AND LOSS POWER. AFTER NEARLY BEING REAR ENDED ON THE BUSY ROAD, I WAS ABLE TO LIMB MY CAR INTO A PARKING LOT AND TURN OFF THE ENGINE. AFTER A FEW MINUTES, I WAS ABLE TO RESTART MY CAR AND CONTINUE DRIVING. TODAY, 10/18/05, AS I WAS ENTERING I-85, MY CAR ONCE AGAIN SPUTTERED AND STALLED. THE ENTRANCE RAMP WAS DOWNHILL, SO I WAS ABLE TO COAST INTO THE EMERGENCY LANE AS TRACTOR TRAILERS AND CARS WHIZZED BY ME. I RESTARTED THE CAR AFTER A FEW MINUTES OF BEING TURNED OFF. I WENT TO A MECHANIC FRIEND AND HE TOLD ME THAT IT WAS PROBABLY THE ETM AND IF IT WAS NOT, IT WOULD BE THE NEXT TIME THE CAR BREAKS DOWN. HE COULD NOT REPAIR IT. HE ESTIMATED THE DEALERSHIP WOULD CHARGE ME $1200.00. HE REPORTED THAT HE SEES THIS AT LEAST ONCE A MONTH IN VOLVOS. I TOOK THE CAR TO THE DEALER. AN HOUR AND A HALF LATER, I WAS INFORMED MY ETM NEEDED TO BE REPLACED AND THE COST WOULD BE $1150.00. I RELUNCTANTLY AGREED TO THE REPAIR. I HAVE RESEARCHED THE ETM PROBLEM OVER THE INTERNET AND HAVE LEARNED THAT VOLVO KNEW OF THIS PROBLEM YEARS BEFORE THEY SOLD THE CAR TO ME. AT A PERSONAL LEVEL, I HAD TO PAY FOR A DEFECTIVE PART THAT VOLVO HAS KNOWN IT HAS A 94%-100% FAILURE RATE! AT A MUCH HIGHER LEVEL, VOLVO IS RISKING PEOPLE LIVES BY NOT INFORMING OR VOLUNTARILY RECALLING THIS DEFECTIVE PART. CARS STALL UNEXPECTIVELY. I WAS FORTUNATE THAT I WAS NOT ON THE INTERSTATE YET. OTHERWISE, THE OUTCOME COULD HAVE BEEN DEADLY.

WE JUST BOUGHT A USED 2001 VOLVO V70XC WITH 70,000 MILES AND A 90 DAY WARRANTY. THE DAY I REMOVED THE 30 DAY TEMP TAG THE TROUBLE. ON THE INTERSTATE GOING 70 MPH AT 1:00AM ABOUT 6 HOURS FROM HOME THE CAR LOST POWER AND DIED. IT RESTARTED AFTER A FEW MINUTES. WE THOUGHT IT WAS BAD FUEL. LATER THAT WEEKEND, OCT 15, 2005, WE LOST POWER GOING THROUGH A TUNNEL. I THOUGHT WE WERE GOING TO DIE. LUCKILY WE MADE IT OUT. FOUND OUT IT WAS THE ETM. NOT COVERED BY WARRANTY AND NOT REPAIRABLE BY ANYONE BUT VOLVO WHO ACCORDING TO THEM-NEVER HAVE PROBLEMS WITH THIS PART. PLEASE ADVISE. I AM SCARED TO DEATH AND I DO NOT HAVE $1200.00 TO FIX THIS PROBLEM. *NM

PURCHASED 2001 VOLVO S80 ABOUT A MONTH AND A HALF AGO. IN THE PAST TWO WEEKS THE VEHICLE HAS DEVELOPED AN ENGINE SURGE AND ON TWO OCCASIONS HAS SIMPLY LOST POWER WHILE TRAVELING AT 55 MILES PER HOUR. BOTH TIMES A MESSAGE WAS DISPLAYED STATING REDUCED PERFORMANCE BUT THE VEHICLE HAD NO POWER AT ALL. AFTER PULLING ON TO THE SHOULDER I WAS ABLE TO GET IT STARTED AGAIN. THE PROBLEM HAS SUBSEQUENTLY BEEN DIAGNOSED AS THE ETM. THE CAR IS NOW PARKED WHILE I TRY TO RAISE THE MONEY TO HAVE IT FIXED. AS A RETIRED STATE TROOPER I CAN ONLY SAY THAT THIS IS A VERY DANGEROUS SITUATION AND I HOPE THE NHTSA AND VOLVO WILL NOT WAIT UNTIL THERE ARE INJURIES OR FATALITIES TO CORRECT THE PROBLEM. *NM

DT: CONTACT OWNS A 2000 VOLVO. WHILE DRIVING THE VEHICLE LOST SPEED AND STALLED. THE PROBLEM WAS THE ELECTRONIC THROTTLE CONTROL MODULE. THE NHTSA CAMPAIGN, PE05041. *AK

DT: 2000 VOLVO V70 CROSS COUNTRY. WHILE DRIVING 30 MPH THE VEHICLE STALLED AND LOST POWER. THE DEALER REPLACED THE ELECTRONIC THROTTLE MODULE. *AK UPDATED 11/29/2005 - *NM

1999 VOLVO C70 WITH 52,000 MILES. CAR STARTED RUNNING STAGGERED AT ABOUT 48,000 MILES. CHECK ENGINE AND ETS LIGHTS SOMETIMES COME ON. TOOK IT IN FOR COMPUTER DIAGNOSIS AND MECHANIC'S TEST DRIVE. PROBLEM IS FAULTY ELECTRONIC THROTTLE MODULE. NEEDS REPLACEMENT AT COST OF $900.00.*JB

(1) DRIVING NORMALLY DOWN THE ROAD, SUDDENLY (2) THE CAR HAD NO POWER (COULD NOT ACCELERATE, IT FELT LIKE THE POWER STEERING AND POWER BRAKES WERE GONE), BUT THE ENGINE APPEARED TO BE RUNNING (I COULD STEP ON THE ACCELERATOR PEDAL AND CHANGE THE ENGINE RPMS), BUT DIDN'T GENERATE ANY POWER (IMPROPER AIR/FUEL RATIO?). ONCE I TOOK MY FOOT OFF THE ACCELERATOR, THE ENGINE STALLED. (3) I PULLED OVER TO THE SIDE OF THE ROAD AND TURNED THE CAR OFF. IF I STARTED THE CAR NORMALLY, IT WOULD TURN OVER, BUT NOT START--IT ACTED LIKE IT WAS FLOODED. HOWEVER, BY STOMPING HARD ON THE ACCELERATOR PEDAL WHILE STARTING THE CAR ALLOWED IT TO START NORMALLY AND I COULD CONTINUE. THIS HAPPENED A TOTAL OF 5 TIMES DURING APPROXIMATELY 50 MINUTES OF DRIVING IN 3 DIFFERENT SEGMENTS. I HAVE SUBSEQUENTLY PARKED THE CAR AND HAVE NOT DRIVEN IT SINCE. I WAS VERY LUCKY, AS THE SITUATIONS IN WHICH THE CAR EXHIBITED THIS PROBLEM ALLOWED ME TO SAFELY GET OFF THE ROAD. I CAN IMAGINE MANY SITUATIONS IN WHICH I WOULD HAVE BEEN IN AN ACCIDENT, HENCE I HAVE STOPPED DRIVING THE CAR. *JB