VOLVO Complaints

INITIALLY, I TOOK MY 2001 VOLVO V70 STATION WAGON TO THE DEALER BECAUSE THE CRUISE CONTROL FUNCTION WAS NOT WORKING AND THE "CHECK ENGINE" LIGHT CAME ON. THEY RAN A DIAGNOSTIC COMPUTER CHECK AND TOLD ME THAT EVERYTHING CAME BACK FINE -EVEN THOUGH IT WAS OBVIOUS THAT THE CRUISE CONTROL WAS NOT WORKING WHEN WE DROVE IT AROUND THE LOT. THEY SAID THAT IF THE COMPUTER DID NOT DETECT AN ERROR THEY WERE NOT ABLE TO FIX ANYTHING, ALTHOUGH THEY SUSPECTED THAT THE ELECTRONIC THROTTLE CONTROL MIGHT BE CAUSING THE PROBLEM. THEY RESET THE COMPUTER SO THAT THE "CHECK ENGINE" LIGHT WENT OFF. A MONTH LATER, I WAS PULLING OUT INTO TRAFFIC FROM MY DRIVEWAY WITH MY THREE-YEAR OLD IN THE BACK SEAT AND LOST ALL POWER. THE MAX SPEED I COULD GO WAS ABOUT 10 MPH. FORTUNATELY, I WAS ABLE TO PULL OFF TO THE SIDE OF THE ROAD. IT IS A VERY BUSY UNCONTROLLED ACCESS - I WAS FORTUNATE THAT THERE WASN'T MORE TRAFFIC AS AN ACCIDENT WOULD HAVE OCCURRED. THERE WAS NO WARNING LIGHTS OR INDICATION THAT THIS WAS GOING TO OCCUR - IT JUST STOPPED. I HAD THE CAR TOWED TO THE VOLVO DEALER WHO DIAGNOSED A MALFUNCTIONING ELECTRONIC THROTTLE MODULE. THE CAR HAD 72,000 MILES ON IT. I EXPRESSED MY DISAPPOINTMENT THAT A CAR WITH A REPUTATION FOR SAFETY WOULD FAIL IN SUCH A WAY THAT COULD CAUSE A TERRIBLE ACCIDENT. I ALSO LODGED A COMPLAINT WITH VOLVO CUSTOMER SERVICE. RECENTLY, I HEARD ABOUT THE INVESTIGATION ON THIS SAME ISSUE. I WAS DIRECTED TO YOUR WEBSITE WHEN I SEARCHED FOR ADDITIONAL INFORMATION ON THE INTERNET. *JB

I EXPERIENCED A SUDDEN LOSS OF ENGINE POWER WHILE DRIVING ON THE INTERSTATE. AT APPROXIMATELY 60 MPH, MY VOLVO 2001 S80 SEDAN EXPERIENCED A SUDDEN LOSS OF POWER WITH AN INSTRUMENT INDICATION OF "REDUCED POWER". THE PROBLEM RECURRED TWICE BEFORE I WAS FORCED TO TAKE THE CAR TO A VOLVO DEALER FOR DIAGNOSIS AND REPAIR. THE DEALERSHIP ADVISED ME THAT THE AUTO REQUIRED A MAJOR REPAIR, FOR WHICH I INCURRED A BILL OF $1142.68. THE FOLLOWING ITEMS WERE BILLED: REPLACE THROTTLE BODY AND DOWNLOAD NEW SOFTWARE FOR THROTTLE BODY MODULE: (1) 8644347 0 THROTTLE BODY ($561.90) (1) 8636753 9 GASKET ($4.69) (1) 9438290 0 ETM RELOAD ($40.95) (1) 1003 CLAMP ($1.75) REPLACE PEDAL SENSOR: (1) 111 CP ($85.00) (1) 30683516 ACCELERATOR PE ($108.39) PARTS TOTAL: $717.68 LABOR TOTAL: $425.00. *JB

MONTHS PRIOR TO ELECTRONIC THROTTLE MODULE NEEDING REPLACEMENT , AT MY COST, 1999 VOLVO S80T (@85K MILES) ENGINE IDLE SURGING AND ENGINE WARNING LIGHTS RANDOMLY OCCURRED, REQUIRING RESTARTING CAR WHEN IT STALLED IN HEAVY TRAFFIC. NEW THROTTLE(GAS PEDAL) WAS REPLACED BUT DID NOT RESOLVE PROBLEM. LASTLY, WHILE DRIVING ON AN INTERSTATE HIGHWAY, CAR WOULD NOT ACCELERATED BEYOND 20 MPH(LIMP HOME MODE) AND VOLVO DEALER REPLACED ETM TO RESOLVE PROBLEM. ABOUT A YEAR BEFORE, THE ABS MODULE WAS REPLACED(UNDER EXTENDED WARRANTY) BECAUSE A MULTITUDE OF WARNING LIGHTS WERE OCCURRING (ABS, BRAKES, POWER STEERING). WHILE I'M LISTING FAILURES, THE ENGINE COOLING FAN NEEDED TO BE REPLACED(UNDER EXTENDED WARRANTY). *JB

ON TWO SEPARATE OCCASIONS MY VEHICLE ENGINE HAS LOST SPEED AND ENGINE HAS STALLED WITHOUT WARNING. CAR HAS BEEN REPAIRED BY LOCAL CAR DEALERSHIP ONCE AND IS ONCE AGAIN IN THE SHOP FOR POSSIBLY THE SAME PROBLEM. WHILE DRIVING AT 60 MPH ON THE FREEWAY WITH MY 3 CHILDREN IN CABIN THERE WAS A VERY STRONG ODOR OF GAS FOLLOWED MY A SUDDEN ENGINE SHUTDOWN TODAY. I AM VERY GRATEFUL AND BLESSED I WASN'T HIT FROM THE BACK THIS WOULD HAVE BEEN VERY, VERY DISASTROUS TO MY FAMILY.*JB

THE CAR STALLED IN HIGHWAY TRAFFIC LOSING PARTIAL CONTROL OF THE AUTOMOBILE SCARED DRIVER AND CAR LUCKILY RESTARTED OR COULD HAVE BEEN MAJOR ACCIDENT - FOUND OUT THROTTLE BODY MODULE WAS TO BLAME. THIS IS ONE SIGNIFICANT EXAMPLE THE CAR OFTEN STALLED AT STOP LIGHTS AND GOING AROUND CORNERS. *JB

MY CARS ELECTRONIC THROTTLE HAD TO BE REPLACED. THIS WAS DONE UNDER THE WARRANTY PERIOD BUT I'M WRITING TO MAKE YOU AWARE OF THIS FOR THE BENEFIT OF THE PEOPLE WHOSE CARS SYSTEMS LASTED SLIGHTLY LONGER, OUT OF WARRANTY. VOLVO KNEW THEY HAD ISSUES WITH DEFECTIVE THROTTLES AND SHOULD STAND BEHIND THEIR PRODUCT. THESE CARS ARE NOT CHEAP AND OWNERS SHOULD NOT BE 'BETA' TESTERS FOR NEW SYSTEMS.*JB

I PURCHASED A NEW 1999 VOLVO S70 GLT SEDAN. ABOUT SIX MONTHS AGO I NOTICED THAT THE HOOD WAS NOT CLOSING. UPON EXAMINATION I DISCOVERED THAT BOTH HOOD LATCHES WERE FAILING BECAUSE OF METAL FATIGUE. AT THIS POINT ONE LATCH HAS FALLEN OFF COMPLETELY AND THE OTHER IS SO WEAKENED IT WILL NOT HOLD THE HOOD. I AM CURRENTLY HOLDING THE HOOD DOWN WITH A BUNGIE CORD. FAILURE OF THE HOOD LATCHES COULD LEAD TO A DANGEROUS SITUATION IF A HOOD FLIES UP AT HIGH SPEED. *NM

I OWN A 2001 VOLVO S80. I HAVE HAD TROUBLE WITH THE ELECTRONIC THROTTLE MODULE NOT RESPONDING TO THE THROTTLE INPUTS AND SURGING AT IDLE. IT WOULD SOMETIMES KILL THE CAR WITHOUT WARNING WHEN COMING TO A STOP (LOSING POWER-STEERING WHILE IN TURNS) OR MAKE THE CAR LUNGE FORWARD UNEXPECTEDLY. THE LUNGING FORWARD HAS ALMOST CAUSED ACCIDENTS AT INTERSECTIONS. I'VE BEEN LUCKY FOR NOW, BUT I WILL NOT LET MY WIFE DRIVE THE CAR WHILE IT IS DOING THIS BECAUSE SHE MAY NOT BE ABLE TO CONTROL THE CAR WITHOUT POWER STEERING AND BRAKES. I TOOK IT IN FOR REPAIR AND THEY TOLD ME THAT IT WAS THE ELECTRONIC THROTTLE MODULE, AND THEY NEED REPLACING AFTER A WHILE, SO I REPLACED IT. 4 MONTHS LATER, I'M EXPERIENCING THE SAME IDLE PROBLEMS AS WELL AS THE LUNGING PROBLEMS. I AM BEING TOLD THAT IT IS THE SAME PROBLEM WITH THE THROTTLE MODULE. I'VE LOOKED AT MANY WEBSITE FORUMS AND FOUND MANY OTHER PEOPLE HAVE THE SAME PROBLEM THROUGH OUT THE GLOBE. THERE HAVE ALSO BEEN TIMES WHEN IT HAS DIED WHILE IN REVERSE AND I LOOSE POWER BRAKES WHILE BACKING, WITHOUT NOTICE. I WOULD REQUEST A RECALL AND AN IMPROVED PART. USA TODAY IS ALSO REPORTING ON THIS ISSUE AS WELL: HTTP://YAHOO.USATODAY.COM/MONEY/AUTOS/2005-08-01-VOLVO_X.HTM?CSP=1 FORUM WEB SITE: HTTP://WWW.VOLVOXC.COM/FORUMS/SHOWTHREAD.PHP?MODE=HYBRID&T=6026 THANK YOU FOR YOUR TIME. *NM

I OWN A 2005 VOLVO S60R WITH ADJUSTABLE SUSPENSION. THE CAR EXHIBITS SIGNIFICANT "SIDE-STEP" PROBLEM WHICH IS A POTENTIAL SAFETY HAZARD WHILE DRIVING THROUGH DIP OR POTHOLES. OFTEN THE REAR END OF THE CAR WOULD SWAY DRAMATICALLY WHEN DRIVING ON THE HIGHWAY AT SPEED OF 40 TO 70 MPH. ONE TIME I DROVE THROUGH A FREEWAY THAT IS NOT WELL PAVED AND MY CAR'S REAR-END WOULD SKIPS TO ANOTHER LANE! IF THERE IS ANOTHER CAR NEXT TO ME I'D DEFINITELY HIT IT. *NM

LAST YEAR, I BROUGHT MY CAR TO THE LOCAL VOLVO DEALER (GOODWIN'S IN BRUNSWICK, ME) BECAUSE THE ENGINE WAS "SURGING". THIS MEANS THAT THE ENGINE WAS REVVING AND SLOWING INDEPENDENT OF THE ACCELERATOR PEDAL. THEY TOLD ME THAT THIS IS A DEFECT IN THE ELECTRONIC THROTTLE CONTROL, THAT IT WAS DANGEROUS AND NEEDED TO BE FIXED, THAT LOTS OF VOLVO'S UP TO THE YEAR 2003 HAD IT, AND THEN VOLVO FINALLY MANAGED TO ENGINEER A FIX. IN FACT, THE SERVICE MANAGER SAID HE WOULDN'T BY A VOLVO CAR UNLESS IT WAS 2003 MODEL OR NEWER FOR THIS REASON. WHEN I ASKED WHY IT WASN'T A RECALL ISSUE SINCE THERE ARE SO MANY PROBLEMS, THEY SIMPLY REPLIED THAT IT WASN'T. I WAS CHARGED ABOUT $1000.00 TO HAVE IT REPLACED. *NM