VOLVO Complaints

DRIVING ON HIGHWAY IN LEFT HAND LANE WHEN VEHICLE LOST POWER AND SUDDENLY DECREASED TO 10 MPH WITH NO PRIOR WARNING. DRIVER VEERED OVER TO LEFT HAND SHOULDER TO AVOID REAR END COLLISION. WARNING LIGHT APPEARED STATING POWER FAILURE! STATE TROOPER WITNESSED INCIDENT. THE NEXT DAY MY VEHICLE WAS REPAIRED BY REPLACING THE THROTTLE. I ASKED FOR THE OLD PART AND THEY WOULD NOT GIVE IT TO ME. *NM

EMT FAILURE IN 1999 S80T6 VOLVO. THE VEHICLE LOST POWER, THIS WAS THE SECOND TIME IN 2 WEEKS. THE FIRST TIME THE DEALER REPLACED THE ALTERNATOR >$900. THE NEXT TIME W/IN 2 WEEKS IT LOST POWER AND THEY REPLACED THE EMT >$1000. ONLY 41K MILES ON THE VEHICLE. *NM

IN THE SUMMER OF 2004 I THOUGHT I FELT MY BRAKES FREEZE UP, BUT JUST THOUGHT IT WAS ME, THINKING "I'M IN A YEAR OLD VOLVO, THERE'S NO WAY THAT COULD HAVE HAPPENED." A FEW MONTHS LATER IT DID HAPPEN AND I TOOK IT TO THE DEALERSHIP WHERE THEY REPLACED THE MASTER CYLINDER. THAT WAS 11/19/04. ON 2/28/05 I RETURNED THE VEHICLE TO THE DEALERSHIP AGAIN FOR THE SAME PROBLEM. THIS TIME THEY REPLACED THE MASTER CYLINDER AND BOOSTER. THEN, THE END OF APRIL I WAS GETTING ON THE HIGHWAY GOING ABOUT 50 MPH, AND HAD TO APPLY MY BRAKES, AND THEY FROZE UP AND I GLIDED FOR A FEW SECONDS BEFORE THEY RELEASED AND I WAS ABLE TO PUSH DOWN ON THEM (THIS IS WHAT HAPPENED THE OTHER TIMES.). VOLVO AGAIN REPLACED THE MATER CYLINDER AND BOOSTER (AND THEY TOLD ME THEY REPLACED ANOTHER PART THAT HAD TO DO WITH THE PUMPING MECHANISM (?) "JUST IN CASE." THE CAR MADE IT 4 1/2 MONTHS BEFORE IT HAPPENED AGAIN. I WAS GETTING ONTO A HIGHWAY 9/9/05, GOING ABOUT 60-70 MPH, WHEN THE CAR IN FRONT OF ME APPLIED HIS BRAKES. I APPLIED MINE, AND FOR A SPLIT SECOND THEY FROZE. I ACCELERATED AGAIN ALMOST IMMEDIATELY AND THEN HAD TO SLOW AGAIN. THIS TIME THE BRAKES FROZE FOR ABOUT 3-4 SECONDS BEFORE THEY RELEASED AND I WAS ABLE TO SLOW DOWN. IT IS IN THE SHOP NOW AND VOLVO ASSURES ME THAT THIS HASN'T HAPPENED IN A NEW CAR BEFORE. MY QUESTION IS: CAN THEY RECALL SOMETHING THEY CAN'T EVEN FIX??? *NM

DRIVING 01 VOLVO XC ALONG IN RUSH HOUR INTERSTATE TRAFFIC BOSTON. CAR ENGINE CUTS OUT. I SWERVE THREE TIMES NEARLY IN HUGE ACCIDENT! CAR RESTARTED BUT DID IT AGAIN ONE MORE TIME. PROGRESSIVELY DID IT MORE OFTEN UNTIL I REPLACED THROTTLE CONTROL MODULE WHICH VOLVO SAWEDEN IS REPLACING FREE ON RECALL. US VOLVO DENYING PROBLEM. IS THIS A FORD INFLUENCE? *NM

DURING LAST THANKSGIVING BREAK, MY HUSBAND AND I DROVE OUR 2000 VOLVO XC FROM NEW MEXICO HOME TO FORT COLLINS, CO. THE MORNING OF OUR DEPARTURE, THE ETS (ELECTRONIC THROTTLE MODULE) LIGHT CAME ON, THEN WENT OUT. ON THE WAY HOME, THE CARE SHUDDERED AND LURCHED, AND LOST POWER WITH ACCELERATION. IT TOOK US 6 HOURS TO TRAVEL 125 MILES FROM COLORADO SPRINGS TO FORT COLLINS, AND WE WERE TRYING TO BEAT A SNOW STORM. WE LITERALLY LIMPED HOME. IT WAS TERRIFYING. WE TOOK THE CAR TO OUR LOCAL VOLVO DEALER, AND THE DIAGNOSED IT AS A FAILED ELECTRONIC THROTTLE MODULE. IT COST ABOUT $854 TO REPLACE IT. IT WAS NOT WARRANTY WORK, AND THE DEALER SAID NOTHING ABOUT THIS BEING A COMMON PROBLEM VOLVO WAS ALREADY AWARE OF -- EVEN WHEN WE ASKED. I NOW UNDERSTAND VOLVO HAS KNOWN ABOUT THIS PROBLEM FOR MORE THAN FIVE YEARS AND HAS DONE NOTHING ABOUT IT. I AM ALSO AWARE THAT SOME VOLVO DEALERS HAVE BEEN PAYING THE COST TO REPLACE THE UNITS. WE WERE NOT SO LUCKY. VIRGINIA MOHR-CALLAHAN, FORT COLLINS, CO. *NM

I PURCHASED A 1999 VOLVO S80 ON AUGUST 30, 2005. WITHIN 2 WEEKS OF OWNERSHIP, THE CAR WOULD RACE AT A STOP SIGN, WHILE I APPLIED THE BRAKES. THE NEXT DAY, IT RAN ROUGH IN MY DRIVE WAY WHILE IT IDLED. I TOOK IT DIRECTLY TO THE VOLVO DEALER IN MEMPHIS. THEY TOLD ME I NEEDED A ETM AND AIR FLOW METER. THESE WERE REPLACED AT A COST TO ME OF $848.21 PARTS AND LABOR. *NM

MY S70 VOLVO, STALLED ON FREEWAY A NUMBER OF TIMES WITHIN A ONE DAY PERIOD, WOULD RESTART AND GOT IT TO VOLVO OF ESCONDIDO CA, HAD MY CAR FOR 3 DAYS AND I RENTED ( I AM A SINGLE MOM AND CANNOT AFFORD THIS OR TO BE WITHOUT A CAR) RECEIVED MY CAR& BILL $457.69 TO CLEAN THE THROTTLE BODY. ON 7/ 18 I RETURNED IT TO VOLVO BECAUSE IT BEGAN DOING IT AGAIN ON SEVERAL OCCASIONS. THAT TIME VOLVO HAD IT FOR 1 DAY AND SAID THERE WAS NOTHING WRONG WITH MY CAR AND TO COME GET IT. ON JULY 19TH IT HAPPENED AGAIN AND THEY HAD MY CAR FROM 7/ 19TH - 27TH BECAUSE THEY COULD NOT FIND A PROBLEM. ON THE 27TH, $160 FOR LABOR AND PARTS.(SPARK PLUGS) I REFUSED TO PAY FOR LABOR. MY CAR NEVER RAN THE SAME AND IT SEEMED TO BE SLUGGISH. I THEN RETURNED TO WORKING STRICTLY WITH MY OWN CERTIFIED VOLVO MECHANIC. HE HAS DONE ALL OF MY TUNE UPS, OIL CHANGES AND MINOR MAINTENANCE. (PRIOR TO THIS STALLING PROBLEM) LAST WEEK I HEARD A HORRIBLE AND SUDDEN NOISE AND ALTHOUGH NO LIGHTS OR WARNING INDICATORS APPEARED I TOOK IT TO HIM IMMEDIATELY. HE HAS FOUND THAT IT HAS A CRACK IN THE LOWER BLOCK WHICH HAS NOW LEFT ME WITH A SHELL OF A CAR AND NO ENGINE. MY REGULAR MECHANIC SAID THAT HE HAS NEVER SEEN THIS ON A CAR AS WELL KEPT AND MAINTAINED AS MINE. HE BELIEVES IT IS POSSIBLE THAT THE FAULTY STALLING PROBLEM THAT IS STILL A MYSTERY TO VOLVO COULD BE THE REASONING. I PUT A LOT OF TIME, MONEY AND ENERGY OUT AS A RESULT OF THIS CAR AND MOST IMPORTANTLY RISKED THE LIVES OF MY CHILDREN AND MYSELF WITH THIS PROBLEM. I NEED TO KNOW WHAT THE NHTSA IS DOING TO RESOLVE THIS AND HAS ANYONE ELSE HAD A CRACK LOWER BLOCK AS AN END RESULT?. I FEEL VOLVO SHOULD HAVE TO REPLACE MY ENGINE. TIME, LOSS OF WORK AND COSTS HAVE RESULTED IN A MAJOR HARDSHIP FOR ME. I CRINGE AT THE FACT THAT IT COULD HAVE BEEN SUCH A TRAGIC ENDING AS AN ACCIDENT OR DEATH. PLEASE LET ME KNOW WHAT THE NEXT STEP IS OR HOW I PURSUE VOLVO. THANK YOU, [XXX]. *NM INFORMATION REDACTED PURSUANT TO THE FREEDOM OF INFORMATION ACT (FOIA), 5 U.S.C. 552(B)(6). *TR

ETM FAILURE ON MY 2001 VOLVO S80 HAS LEFT IT INOPERABLE AND A SERVICE BILL OF $1004.00 THIS IS A COMMON PROBLEM THAT HAS ALREADY BEEN STATED BY SEVERAL OTHER CUSTOMERS. I WOULD LIKE TO SEE SOMETHING DONE ABOUT THIS. VOLVO HAS A BETTER REPUTATION THAN THIS!PLEASE HELP. *NM

I OWN A 1999 VOLVO V70 AWD WAGON WITH 55,000 MILES. WE WERE TRAVELING ON THE HIGHWAY AT ABOUT 70 MPH AND THE CAR STARTED TO SURGE. THE ETS LIGHT CAME ON. WE WERE ABLE TO DRIVE HOME, BUT THE CAR WAS RUNNING ROUGHLY. I CONTACTED THE DEALER AND MADE AN APPOINTMENT TO BRING IT IN. I WAS TOLD THAT THE ELECTRONIC THROTTLE BODY MODULE NEEDED TO BE REPLACED. THEY ALSO SUGGESTED A COMPLETE VEHICLE SOFTWARE UPGRADE. I HAVE AN EXTENDED WARRANTY (SOLD TO ME BY THE DEALER), BUT IT DID NOT COVER THIS REPAIR. *JB

AT ABOUT 8,000 MILES, MY 2001 (PURCHASED SUMMER 2002) VOLVO V70 SUDDENLY STOPPED WHEN I SLOWED DOWN ON A ROAD NEAR MY HOME. THE CAR RESTARTED, BUT DID NOT SEEM TO HAVE THE SAME PICK-UP AS BEFORE. I SUBSEQUENTLY TOOK THE CAR INTO THE VOLVO DEALERSHIP AND WAS TOLD THE THROTTLE MECHANISM NEEDED CLEANING. AFTER THIS WAS DONE, THE CAR SEEMED FINE FOR SEVERAL MONTHS. AT ABOUT 15,000 MILES, THE SAME THING HAPPENED ON A DIFFERENCE STRETCH OF ROAD. THE SEEMED WEAKER THAN BEFORE AND IT TOOK LONGER TO RESTART. THE VOLVO DEALERSHIP AGAIN DIAGNOSED A DIRTY THROTTLE, CLEANED IT, AND RETURNED IT TO ME. THE CAR SEEMED NORMAL UNTIL ABOUT 24,000 MILES, WHEN I WAS UNABLE TO START THE CAR AFTER IT HAD BEEN PARKED FOR ABOUT TWO HOURS. THIS TIME, I TRIED MANY TIMES TO START THE VEHICLE, BUT ULTIMATELY HAD TO CALL A TOW TRUCK. IT WAS TOWED TO VOLVO, WHERE THEY TOLD IT WAS A THROTTLE PROBLEM AGAIN. AFTER CLEANING, IT APPEARED NORMAL. THE CAR IS CURRENTLY AT ABOUT 30,000 MILES, BUT I TAKE IT IN EVERY THREE MONTHS TO GET THE THROTTLE MECHANISM CLEANED AS A PRECAUTION. *JB