VOLVO Complaints

DT: 2001 VOLVO S60. THE CALLER STATED THE AIR FLOW METER WAS REPLACED AT THE COST $290.00. THIS STARTED ABOUT A YEAR AGO, ANDS HAPPENED 5-6 TIMES . THE CAR WILL LOSE POWER AND STALL. THE CHECK ENGINE LIGHT CAME ON. TOOK VEHICLE TO THE DEALER, AND THEY RAN A DIAGNOSTIC TEST, REPLACED AIR MASS METER. THE WORK WAS PERFORMED ON APRIL 5 2005, BY WC MOTOR COMP INC. THE CALLER HEARD ABOUT THE INVESTIGATION, AND I KNEW THAT THIS WAS WHAT WAS WRONG WITH VEHICLE. DID NOT CONTACT THE MANUFACTURER, BUT JUST CALLED NHTSA. *AK *NM

I HAVE A 2000 VOLVO S80 2.9 SEDAN. ABOUT ONE YEAR AGO, THE CAR STALLED AS I WAS DRIVING THE VEHICLE. THERE WAS NO WARNING SIGN IT SIMPLY LOST POWER AND STALLED. I WAS ABLE TO USE THE EMERGENCY BRAKE TO COME TO A STOP AND AVOID AND ACCIDENT (AT THE TIME I HAD A 4 YEAR OLD AND A 2 YEAR OLD IN THE CAR). THE INCIDENT OCCURRED CLOSE TO MY HOME, SO AFTER A BRIEF PERIOD, I WAS ABLE TO START THE CAR AGAIN AND GET IT HOME. THE NEXT DAY IT SEEMED FINE AND THE DEALERSHIP RECOMMENDED AN ENGINE CLEANER ADDITIVE. ABOUT SIX MONTH LATER THE SAME THING HAPPENED TO MY WIFE AFTER AND SHE WAS ALSO ALMOST IN AN ACCIDENT. SHE WERE ABLE GET THE CAR STARTED AND GET IT HOME. AFTER THAT THE CAR SEEMED TO SURGE FROM TIME TO TIME. THE DEALER TOLD ME IT WAS CALLED "SURGING" AND RECOMMENDED A $ 1,600.00 REPAIR JOB. I DECLINED. TODAY ONCE AGAIN, THE CAR, FOR NO REASON, STALLED. I BECAME AWARE THE OTHERS HAVE HAD THIS ISSUE. I AM SUBMITTING THIS COMPLAINT BECAUSE MY CONCERN IS THAT THE VEHICLE MAY NOT BE SAFE. *NM

1) DRIVING IN A 35 MPH ZONE. SLOWING DOWN TO TURN TO SIDE STREET, APPROXIMATELY 5 MPH. 2) WITHOUT WARNING, THE CAR STALLED. LOST POWER STEERING AND BRAKES. I COASTED TO THE INTERSECTION AND STOPPED. PLACED CAR IN PARK AND RESTARTED ON SECOND ATTEMPT. 3)TOOK THE CAR INTO DEALER JIM FISHER VOLVO, PORTLAND OREGON. THEY CHECKED THE THROTTLE CONTROL MODULE FOR CLEANING. IT WAS CLEAN SO NO WORK WAS PERFORMED. THEY COULD NOT REPLICATE PROBLEM, SO THE RETURNED CAR WITH NO CORRECTIVE ACTION. NO CHARGE. *NM

I HAVE HAD MULTIPLE PROBLEMS WITH THIS CAR: 1) ENGINE/THROTTLE SYSTEM: A) INTERMITTENTLY, THE CAR WILL NOT START WHEN THE ENGINE IS WARM, WHETHER FROM DRIVING OR IT IS A HOT DAY. I HAD IT TOWED TO THE VOLVO DEALER FROM MY GARAGE WHEN IT HAD <20K MILES AND WAS TOLD THAT I WAS NOT DRIVING IT HARD ENOUGH. THEY ADVISED THAT THE ENGINE HAD TO BE BLOWN OUT AND SUGGESTED THAT I REV-UP THE ENGINE WHILE THE CAR WAS IN PARK TO CLEAN IT OUT. THAT DID NOT HELP. I HAVE HAD THE CAR SERVICED MULTIPLE TIMES. THE PROBLEM HAD GOTTEN SO BAD, THAT THE CAR BEGAN STALLING WHILE I WAS DRIVING IT, PARTICULARLY, IF I STOPPED FOR A TRAFFIC LIGHT OR TURNED A CORNER. I PAID $1,500 IN JANUARY 2005 TO HAVE IT REPAIRED AGAIN, AND NOW THE PROBLEM IS BACK. THE VOLVO DEALER IS USELESS. B) THE ENGINE EITHER LEAKS OR BURNS OIL. I WILL INTERMITTENTLY HEAR A CLICKING NOISE TO FIND OUT THAT ALL OF THE OIL IS GONE. THE OIL LIGHT DOES NOT COME ON. I ROUTINELY HAVE TO ADD 3-4 QUARTS OF OIL. 2) SAFETY FEATURES: THE REARVIEW MIRROR BROKE OFF IN MY HAND AND I WAS TOLD BY THE DEALER THAT IT WAS A SAFETY FEATURE. WHEN IT BROKE OFF, IT LEFT A METAL SPIKE STICKING OUT THAT WOULD HAVE DONE FAR MORE DAMAGE IN AN ACCIDENT THAN THE MIRROR. THE CHILD LOCK ON THE REAR CENTER SEAT BELT FAILED. I TOOK IT TO THE DEALER AND WAS TOLD THAT I WAS PULLING THE BELT TOO TIGHT AND IT WAS SUPPOSED TO HAVE SOME "GIVE". OF COURSE, I KNOW THAT THE CHILD SEAT IS NOT SUPPOSED TO WIGGLE AROUND IN THE BACK SEAT, SO I INSISTED THAT IT BE REPLACED. BODY: THE MECHANISMS TO HOLD UP THE TRUNK LID NO LONGER FUNCTION. THE LATCH TO RELEASE THE HOOD HAS HAD TO BE REPLACED. *NM

MY CAR IS A 2005 VOLVO V70R PURCHASED NEW IN JULY 2005. THREE WEEKS AGO, WITH NO WARNING, THE CAR SUDDENLY LOST POWER, BUT KEPT RUNNING WITH GREAT HESITATION (I WAS DRIVING AT ONLY 30 MPH AT THE TIME). TOWED TO DEALER AND THROTTLE SENSOR REPLACED UNDER WARRANTY. YESTERDAY (9/15), THE SAME THING HAPPENED AGAIN, AFTER ONLY ABOUT 250 MILES OF DRIVING. CAR WAS TOWED TO DEALER AGAIN AM I AWAITING WORD. IN BOTH CASES AN ERROR MESSAGE "DECREASED ENGINE PERFORMANCE" WAS DISPLAYED. THERE WAS NO ADVANCE WARNING. IN BOTH CASES, I WAS DRIVING AT ABOUT 30 MPH ON A SECONDARY ROAD. THESE 2 INSTANCES HAVE CAUSED ME TO LOSE CONFIDENCE IN THE CAR, ESPECIALLY TO DRIVE ON HIGHWAY.*JB

ON THREE OCCASIONS (BETWEEN JAN. 2005 AND AUG. 2005), WHILE DRIVING MY 2000 VOLVO S80 IT HAS CUT OFF ON ME. THE FIRST TIME I WAS PULLING INTO A PARKING SPOT AT A SHOPPING CENTER. WHILE GIVING THE CAR GAS AND PULLING INTO THE PARKING SPOT THE CAR SHUT OFF ON ME. THE SECOND TIME I HAD COASTED PROBABLY 20 FEET AND WAS GOING TO PULL INTO A DRIVEWAY AND WHEN I GAVE THE CAR GAS IT SHUT DOWN ON ME. THE THIRD TIME I WAS STUCK IN TRAFFIC AND I WAS GIVING IT GAS TO MOVE UP A LITTLE AND THE CAR CUT OFF. I AM REPORTING THIS BECAUSE I SAW AN ARTICLE RELATED TO THESE OCCURRENCES IN THE GREENSBORO NEWS & RECORD. *JB

1) 1999 VOLVO V70. ETS LIGHT APPEARED ON DASHBOARD. 2) THROTTLE BODY ASSEMBLY DEFECTIVE 3) PARTS REPLACED WITH NEW. *JB

SEE EXISTING NHTSA ACTION NUMBER PE05041 FOR THIS FAILURE TYPE (1) DROVE THROUGH PUDDLE (2) "ENGINE SYSTEM SERVICE REQUIRED" LIGHT; LOSS OF POWER (LIMP-HOME MODE) (3) FAILED ELECTRONIC THROTTLE MODULE REPLACED (TOTAL COST $1106.82); FAILED MODULE IS AVAILABLE ALTHOUGH I TOOK IT APART TO FIND PROBLEM - WORN-THROUGH BUTTERFLY VALVE POSITION SENSOR AS DESCRIBED AT HTTP://VEXEDVOLVO.ORG/. *JB

MY 2001 VOLVO S80 WITH 43,000 MILES WAS LURCHING SO BADLY THAT I HAD TO RIDE THE BRAKE PEDAL TO KEEP THE CAR UNDER CONTROL. ON 6-9-05, I TOOK THE CAR TO THE VOLVO DEALER IN SANTA ANA, CA WHERE I PURCHASED THE VEHICLE. I WAS TOLD THAT THEIR DIAGNOSTIC SOFTWARE SHOWED THAT I HAD A THROTTLE PROBLEM; I WAS CHARGED (AS I'M OUT OF WARRANTY) FOR THE DIAGNOSIS AND CLEANING OF THE THROTTLE. I TOLD THE SERVICE PERSONNEL AT THE DEALERSHIP THAT I UNDERSTOOD THAT CLEANING THE ETM WOULD ONLY BE A TEMPORARY FIX FOR THIS EMISSION PART AND THAT VOLVO NEEDED TO ACKNOWLEDGE THAT THEIR ELECTRONIC THROTTLE IS AN INHERENT PROBLEM IN ALL 1999, 2000 AND 2001 SERIES 60, 70, 80 MODELS (WITH GAS ENGINES) AND ETMS NEED TO BE REPLACED. UPON FURTHER INVESTIGATION, IT'S BEEN SHOWN THAT VOLVO KNEW ABOUT THIS WHOLE ETM ISSUE IN 1998 BEFORE THE FIRST CARS WERE SOLD. A REDESIGN TO ELIMINATE THE FAILURE PRONE POTENTIOMETER THROTTLE POSITION SENSOR WOULD HAVE FIXED THIS ISSUE. I UNDERSTAND THAT THE ETMS IN NEWER MODEL VOLVOS NOW USE A HALL EFFECT SENSOR WHICH IS A NON CONTACTING DEVICE, MEANING VOLVO KNOWS HOW TO MAKE A NON CONTACTING UNIT. PLEASE ADVISE HOW TO GET VOLVO TO RE-CALL THE CARS IN QUESTION AS THEY ARE NOT SAFE. LIKE MANY VOLVO OWNERS, WE BOUGHT THIS CAR FOR IT'S SAFETY. WE CERTAINLY WANT TO AVOID THE SITUATION WHERE WE PRESS THE ACCELERATOR, SUDDENLY LOSE POWER, AND GET CAUGHT IN THE FAST LANE ON A MAJOR HIGHWAY, BECOMING AN IMMEDIATE TARGET FOR OTHER CARS ON THE ROAD.*JB

1998 VOLVO S70 LOST POWER THEN STALLED MULTIPLE TIMES (9) WHILE DRIVING APPROXIMATELY JULY 27, 2005 . I AM CONCERNED ABOUT DANGER OF STALLING IN TRAFFIC AND GETTING REAR ENDED OR IF STALLS IN INTERSECTION. OR BEING STRANDED. WAS ABLE TO GET IT TO THE DEALER. THEY FOUND "FAILING MASS AIR FLOW SENSOR". THEY REPLACED IT AND IT RUNS FINE NOW. OLD PART IS NOT AVAILABLE. BUT SERVICE AND REPAIR COST $369.20. I NOTICED THAT THERE ARE OTHER S70 OWNERS WITH THIS PROBLEM ON MYCARSTATS.COM AND AN ARTICLE IN CARANDDRIVER.COM.*JB