VOLVO Complaints

ENGINE STALLED LEAVING ME STRANDED IN AN INTERSECTION IN RUSH HOUR TRAFFIC. ENGINE WOULD NOT RESTART. POLICE OFFICER HAD TO PUSH ME OFF THE STREET BECAUSE CAR WOULD NOT RESTART. DEALER STILL HAS NOT IDENTIFIED THE PROBLEM. *NM

FIVE YEARS AGO, WE BOUGHT A NEW 2000 VOLVO V70-XC. IT CURRENTLY HAS 39,600 MILES ON IT. STARTING IN ABOUT 2003, THE CAR BEGAN EXPERIENCING REPEATED ENGINE MALFUNCTIONS -- ROUGH IDLE, JERKY ACCELERATION, STALLING AND, MOST ALARMINGLY, SUDDEN LOSS OF POWER WHILE MOVING. I ONCE LOST POWER ON A TRAFFIC CIRCLE, WHICH WAS TRULY TERRIFYING -- ESPECIALLY SINCE THE MAIN REASON WE PURCHASED THE CAR WAS THE SAFETY OF OUR TWO SMALL CHILDREN. WE HAVE REPEATEDLY HAD THE CAR IN THE SHOP (MARTENS SERVICE CENTER ON RIVER ROAD). INITIALLY, WE WERE TOLD THE CAR WAS CLOGGED WITH CARBON AND THAT THE PROBLEM WAS ESSENTIALLY OUR FAULT FOR NOT DRIVING IT ON THE HIGHWAY MORE OFTEN. NOW THAT WE ARE PAST THE WARRANTY, WE HAVE BEEN PAYING FOR REPAIRS -- THOUGH ON OUR MOST RECENT VISIT IN SEPT 2005, WHEN I MENTIONED THE NHTSA INVESTIGATION, MARTENS REPLACED THE ETM FOR FREE. I THINK THIS IS A DEFECTIVE AND DANGEROUS VEHICLE AND IT SHOULD HAVE BEEN RECALLED A LONG TIME AGO. EARLIER IN THE CAR'S HISTORY, WE EXPERIENCED A RANGE OF ELECTRICAL MALFUNCTIONS INVOLVING THE TURN SIGNALS, WHICH FAILED FOR NO APPARENT REASON. BECAUSE THOSE PROBLEMS OCCURRED DURING THE WARRANTY PERIOD, WE DID NOT HAVE TO PAY TO HAVE THEM REPAIRED -- BUT THE DANGER AND HASSLE FACTORS WERE STILL SIGNIFICANT. *NM

1999 VOLVO V70 W/61,000. ELECTRONIC THROTTLE MODULE FAILURE (ETS AND CHECK ENGINE LIGHTS: ROUGH IDLE ON START (SURGING);SLOW SPEED ONLY. DEALER SERVICE MGR. INDICATED THEY REPLACE MANY, BUT NOT AT SUCH LOW MILEAGE. NO INDICATION THAT FAILURE WAS IMMINENT EXCEPT SLIGHT, OCCASIONAL HESITATION AFTER STARTUP. TRIP LENGTH OF 3 MILES. SUBSEQUENT STARTUP AND COMMUTE TO DEALER UNEVENTFUL EXCEPT CHECK ENGINE LIGHT WAS LIT. *NM

THE VEHICLE EXPERIENCES SUDDEN, UNEXPECTED, DECELERATION AND ACCELERATIONS WHILE DRIVING UNDER NORMAL CONDITIONS. MUST TURNOFF VEHICLE AND ATTEMPT TO RE-START. DOESN'T ALWAYS RESTART IMMEDIATELY. *NM

I OWN A 2001 VOLVO S 80. IT DIED ON THE HIGHWAY IN THE MIDDLE OF BUSY RUSH HOUR TRAFFIC. HAD IT TOWED TO VOLVO AND REPAIRED. NEED A NEW THROTTLE BODY AND MASS AIR FLOW SENSOR. VERY EXPENSIVE REPAIR AND WAS TOLD OFF THE RECORD THAT THIS PART FAILURE HAS BEEN MUCH MORE COMMON THAN IT SHOULD BE. I AM NOTIFYING YOU SO THAT YOU WILL LOOK INTO MANNER. SEEMS THIS SHOULD BE A RECALL ITEM. THANK YOU. *NM

VEHICLE SURGES IN RPM WHILE DRIVING,VEHICLE STARTED BY NO ACCELERATION WARNING LIGHT ON ENGINE MALFUNCTION. SHUT OFF WHILE DRIVING. *NM

DT: THE CALLER SAID WHILE DRIVING AT 55 MPH COOLANT LIGHT ON DASHBOARD CAME ON AND THE VEHICLE BROKE DOWN AND CAUGHT ON FIRE. SHE SAID THE LIGHT CAME ON BEFORE SHE LEFT FOR A TRIP, AND THE DEALER SAID THEY FIXED IT. THE CALLER SAID WHILE ON THE TRIP THE LIGHT CAME ON AGAIN AND SHE CALLED DEALER, AND WAS TOLD AS LONG AS THE TEMPERATURE WAS NOT RISING THE VEHICLE WOULD BE OKAY. THE DEALER SAID THE PROBLEM WAS THE COOLANT SENSOR. THE CALLER STATED THE TEMPERATURE DID NOT CLIMB BEFORE THE VEHICLE LOST POWER, STOPPED RUNNING ,AND CAUGHT ON FIRE. THERE WAS A REPORT FILED BY THE FIRE DEPARTMENT. VEHICLE WAS TOTALED. VEHICLE WAS BADLY BURNED TO DETERMINE THE CAUSE OF THE FIRE.*AK

DT: WHILE DRIVING AT 65 MPHICLE STALLED/HESITATED, AND OPERATED AT REDUCED SPEED OF 20 MPH. THE THROTTLE MODULE MALFUNCTIONED, CAUSING THE VEHICLE TO STALL. THE THROTTLE MODULE WAS REPLACED. *AK

DT: THE CONSUMER STATED THAT THE 1999 VOLVO V70 HAD TO HAVE THE THROTTLE MODULE REPLACED. THE CAR HAD ALL THE LIGHTS COME ON BEFORE THE CAR LOST POWER. THE CAR WOULD INTERMITTENTLY STOP GIVING ANY INFORMATION AT ALL FROM THE DASH. THERE WAS AN ARROW IN THE DASH THAT INDICATED THAT THERE WAS A THROTTLE PROBLEM. THE CONSUMER WAS THE SECOND OWNER OF THIS VEHICLE, AND IT COST HER $904.00 TO REPLACE THE THROTTLE. *AK

I'VE HAD NUMEROUS ELECTRONIC PROBLEMS WITH MY VOLVO V70 SINCE I BOUGHT IT IN 1998. THE VEHICLE HAS BEEN BROUGHT BACK TO THE VOLVO REPAIR DEALER FOR MANY REPAIRS (I HAVE ORGANIZED DOCUMENTS OF ALL THE REPAIR ORDERS) CLEARLY IDENTIFIED AS "LOST OF POWER" WHILE DRIVING. MOSTLY ON SMALL ROADS AND ONLY ONCE ON AN INTERSTATE. ORIGINALLY STARTED UNDER WARRANTY, I WAS TOLD THAT THE SAME PROBLEM WAS NOT COVERED OUTSIDE OF WARRANTY WHEN I SPOKE WITH THE PRESIDENT OF VOLVO NORTH AMERICA'S SECRETARY. I HAVE HAD MANY PARTS REPLACED TRYING TO CORRECT THE SITUATION INCLUDING TWO ELECTRONIC THROTTLE CONTROL UNITS (TOTALING THREE IF YOU INCLUDE THE ONE THAT CAME WITH THE CAR). "LOSS OF POWER", "STALLING AT TRAFFIC LIGHTS", "HESITATION WHEN PRESSING ON ACCELERATOR", AN OTHER COMMENTS ARE ALL DOCUMENTED IN THE VOLVO REPAIR SHOP REPAIR ORDERS. THE PROBLEMS CONTINUED UNTIL THROUGHOUT MY OWNERSHIP OF THE CAR. I FINALLY GAVE UP AND SOLD IT JUNE 05. THE REPAIRS THAT VOLVO DID TO MY V70 WOULD WORK FOR A WHILE AND THEN THE LIGHTS WOULD SOON COME BACK ON. I'D PUT UP WITH IT FOR A WHILE UNTIL THE CAR STARTED TO BECOME TO DANGEROUS TO DRIVE (HESITATION) AND THEN I'D BRING IT IN FOR REPAIR. VOLVO TRIED DIFFERENT SOLUTIONS AND TOLD ME THAT THE COMPUTER CODES INDICATED DIFFERENT REPAIRS, BUT TO ME IT WAS ALWAYS THE SAME SYMPTOMS. I WOULD BE GLAD TO SHARE THE ENTIRE BOOK OF REPAIR ORDERS OVER THE 7 YEARS (AND 167,000 MILES) THAT I OWNED THE CAR. AGAIN THEY WERE ALWAYS DONE AT A CERTIFIED VOLVO DEALERSHIP. *JB