VOLVO Complaints

DT: THE CONSUMER STATES THAT 2003 VOLVO S60 HAS AN INABILITY TO STOP IN REVERSE . THE BRAKES FAILED AND THE CAR ACCELERATED IN REVERSE. THIS OCCURRED AFTER THE CAR STARTED AND SPUTTERED. THE CONSUMER TOOK THE CAR TO THE DEALER, AND THEY SAID IT WAS A SOFTWARE PROBLEM, THE SOFTWARE WAS UPDATED. BUT THE CAR WAS STILL DOING THIS. THE CONSUMER HAS NOT CALLED THE MANUFACTURER. THE SOFTWARE WAS THE ONLY THING MENTIONED AS BEING THE PROBLEM WITH THE CAR. THE CAR HAS BEEN DOING THIS FOR ABOUT 2 YEARS. LATELY, THE CAR HAS BEEN DOING THIS MORE FREQUENTLY. *AK

1) I WAS DRIVING ALONE ALONG STATE HIGHWAY 283 IN PA, WHICH IS A 4 LANE (2 EACH DIRECTION) HIGHWAY IN A RURAL AREA WITH A POSTED SPEED LIMIT OF 65, BETWEEN LANCASTER AND HARRISBURG. MOST TRAFFIC WAS TRUCKS (TRACTER TRAILERS). 2) THE CAR (VOLVO S70 AWD), TRAVELLING SMOOTHLY ON CRUISE CONTROL AT ABOUT THE SPEED LIMIT, SUDDENLY LOST POWER. ENGINE WAS STILL RUNNING, BUT AT A MUCH LOWER RPM, AND RUNNING BADLY. FORTUNATELY I WAS IN THE FAR RIGHT LANE. I PULLED OFF THE ROAD ALMOST IMMEDIATELY TO AVOID BEING HIT BY THE TRUCK BEHIND ME. I NOTICED THE ETS YELLOW WARNING LIGHT WAS ON. THE VEHICLE SEEMED ABLE TO OPERATE, ALBEIT ROUGHLY, AT ABOUT 30-35MPH. BEING IN A RURAL AREA, I DROVE IN THIS OFF THE HIGHWAY LANE UP TO THE NEXT EXIT. I TOOK THE RAMP OFF THE HIGHWAY, GOT TO THE TOP OF THE RAMP, AND THE CAR SEEMED TO BE REASONABLE. BEING IN A RURAL AREA WITH NOWHERE SEEN FOR REPARIRS, I ACCELERATED DOWN THE RAMP TO THE HIGHWAY, WITH THE CAR SEEMING A BIT SLUGGISH, BUT OTHERWISE OK. THEN IT LOST POWER AGAIN AT THE BOTTOM OF THE EXIT RAMP. I PULLED OVER, TO THE SOUND OF THE HORN OF ANOTHER TRUCK WHICH WAS BEHIND ME. I SHUT OFF THE CAR; WAITED A FEW SECONDS; AND RESTARTED THE CAR. IT RAN MUCH BETTER, BUT THE ETS LIGHT WAS STILL ON. AFTER PULLING BACK ONTO THE HIGHWAY, EVERYTHING WAS OK FOR AWHILE, BUT I RAN INTO PROBLEMS WHEN I HIT SOME SLOWING TRAFFIC. WHEN I TRIED TO ACCELERATE FROM THE SLOWDOWN THE CAR DID NOT RESPOND. IT WAS AS IF I HADN'T JUST PRESSED THE PEDAL. I NURSED IT TO A VOLVO DEALERSHIP AS SOON AS POSSIBLE THAT DAY. 3) THE THROTTLE BODY WAS REPLACED AFTER DEALERSHIP FIRST PERFORMED A DIAGNOSTIC ON THE ENGINE. THE DIAGNOSTIC SHOWED 5 LINE ITEMS FOR THE "THROTTLE UNIT, INTERNAL FAULT..." I HAVE A COPY OF THE PRINT OUT OF THIS REPORT. I HAVE DRIVEN THE CAR ABOUT 150 HIGHWAY MILES SINCE THE REPAR. THE PROBLEM HAS NOT BEEN OBSERVED DURING THIS TIME.

1999 VOLVO V70 XC DEVELOPED PROBLEMS WITH THE ELECTRONIC THROTTLE SYSTEM. *MR RECALL CAMPAIGN#10131400. WHILE IN MOTION THE VEHICLE EXPERIENCED A SUDDEN LOSS OF ENGINE POWER. THE CONSUMER NOTICED THAT THE ETS LIGHT HAD ILLUMINATED. *SC

WHILE DRIVING AT HIGHWAY SPEED 65-70 MPH CAR SUDDENLY JUMPED FORWARD THEN SLOWED AND STALLED WHILE DRIVING ON HWY. LUCKILY I WAS ABLE TO PULL TO THE SIDE OF THE ROAD WITHOUT A PROBLEM. AFTER A FEW MINUTES THE CAR RESTARTED AND WOULD DRIVE BUT WAS SURGING JUST LIKE BEFORE IT STALLED. I QUICKLY DROVE THE CAR HOME AND PARKED. THE PROBLEM HAS NOT YET BEEN CORRECTED BUT WAS QUOTED $1000 TO REPLACE THE ELECTRONIC THROTTLE MODULE BY DEALER (WILDE VOLVO IN BROOKFIELD, WI). THE SAME DEALER ALSO TOLD ME THAT THEY REPLACE AN AVERAGE OF THREE OF THE ELECTRONIC THROTTLE MODULES EVERY WEEK. THAT SEEMS LIKE A DEFECTIVE PART IF THEY CHANGE 3 A WEEK AT 1,000 EACH AND THE STALLING COULD CAUSE A SERIOUS ACCIDENT. *NM

WHILE DRIVING MY 2001 VOLVO V70 XC, THE CAR STOPPED RUNNING AND DISPLAYED THE MESSAGE - REDUCED PERFORMANCE MODE. I GOT THE CAR TO THE SIDE OF THE ROAD AND TURN OFF THE ENGINE. WHEN I RESTARTED IT RAN OK AGAIN. I TOOK IT TO MY VOLVO CERTIFIED REPAIR SHOP AND THEY FOUND IN THE RECORDED FAULT CODES A BAD ELECTRONIC THROTTLE BODY CONTROL UNIT (ETC). THEY TEST DROVE THE CAR AND IT STOPPED TWICE ON THE TECHNICIAN. ONCE AT HIGHWAY SPEEDS! I HAD IT THE UNIT REPLACED. THIS IS A SERIOUS SITUATION THAT NEEDS INVESTIGATED. TWO OTHER CARS AT THIS SHOP HAD THE SAME PROBLEM. VOLVO SHOULD BE REQUIRED TO ISSUE A RECALL AND FIX THIS SERIOUS DEFECT. THIS IS A SAFETY ISSUE AS THE CAR LOSES ALL POWER AND THE POWER ASSISTED BRAKES AND POWER STEERING BECOME INOPERABLE. THIS IS UNDER NHTSA ACTION NUMBER PE05041. *NM

1. EVENTS LEADING TO FAILURE.... ABOUT 3 WEEK PRIOR, EXPERIENCED HESITATION (ALMOST STALLING) WHEN SLOWING FROM HIGHWAY SPEEDS TO LOWER AND STOPPING SPEEDS. *NM 2. FAILURE.... FINALLY, IT HAPPENED. (I HAD JUST READ AN ARTICLE ABOUT THIS IN THE PAPER!) IT STALLING WHEN SLOWING DOWN AND WOULDN'T RESTART UNTIL SOME 2 HOURS LATER. LUCKILY IT WAS DAYTIME AND IN A GOOD NEIGHBORHOOD. 3. WHAT WAS DONE... TOOK IT INTO VOLVO DEALER WITH THE SYMPTOMS AND THEY REPLACED THE ETM. LOTS OF $$$!

ETS DASHBOARD LIGHT ON 2000 VOLVO V70 XC CAME ON WHILE DRIVING APPROX. 35 MPH. CAR IMMEDIATELY HESITATED AND SLOWED TO A SPEED OF APPROX. 15 MPH, THEN CAME TO A TRAFFIC LIGHT AND ENGINE SHUT DOWN. AFTER SEVERAL ATTEMPTS TO RESTART ENGINE, IT DID START AND ARRIVED AT DESTINATION WHICH WAS CAR REPAIR SHOP. TRAFFIC BEHIND VEHICLE WAS STOPPED WHILE ATTEMPTS MADE TO RESTART CAR, AMID MUCH HONKING OF HORNS AND ANGRY COMMENTS. ON AT LEAST FOUR PREVIOUS OCCASIONS WITHIN TWO WEEKS PRIOR TO THIS INCIDENT, ETS WARNING LIGHT CAME ON, AND EXCEPT FOR ONE OCCASION WHEN CAR STALLED BUT COULD BE MANEUVERED TO SIDE OF ROAD, ENGINE HESITATED BUT DID NOT SHUT DOWN. HENCE THE TRIP TO THE CAR REPAIR SHOP ON THIS DATE. AS I WRITE THIS, THE ETS SYSTEM IS BEING EVALUATED AND THE THROTTLE BODY IS BEING REPLACED. *NM

RECENTLY, THE MESSAGE CENTER IN MY VEHICLE INDICATED THAT THE EMISSIONS SYSTEMS EXPERIENCED A FAILURE. I TOOK THE CAR IN AND THE DEALER SAID THAT THE ETM NEEDED TO BE REPLACED. I OWN 2001 VOLVO V70 T5 WAGON. *JB

I HAVE A 2001 VOLVO S60 T5. IN OCTOBER 2004 I WAS DRIVING DOWN THE STREET WHEN I HAD A SUDDEN LOSS OF POWER AND THE VEHICLE WENT FROM GOING 45 MPH TO 5 MPH, I WAS ABLE TO PULL OVER AND SHUT OFF THE VEHICLE. I WAITED A FEE MINUTES AND STARTED THE VEHICLE WITHOUT ANY PROBLEMS AND WAS ABLE TO DRIVE HOME. THIS HAPPENED A SECOND TIME THE NEXT DAY AND I CALLED VOLVO AND THEY TOLD ME TO BRING THE CAR IN. AS I WAS DRIVING TO THE DEALERSHIP I WAS APPROXIMATELY 1/2 MILE AWAY AND IT HAPPENED A THIRD TIME. THIS TIME THE PROBLEM DID NOT CORRECT ITSELF AND I HAD TO HAVE THE VEHICLE TOWED. I WAS TOLD THAT MY ELECTRONIC THROTTLE BODY NEEDED TO BE REPLACED AND BECAUSE I WAS PAST 50K IT WAS NOT COVERED BY THE WARRANTY. I HAD PURCHASED AN EXTENDED WARRANTY TO 74K HOWEVER THEY STATED THAT THIS PART WAS NOT COVERED BY THE EXTENDED WARRANTY EITHER. I PAID OVER $1000.00 TO HAVE THE PART REPLACED. THE OLD PART WAS KEPT BY VOLVO OF LAS VEGAS.*JB

EVER SINCE PURCHASING OUR VOLVO, THERE HAS BEEN POWER REDUCTION AND SURGES OF WHICH I'VE BROUGHT UP TO THE DEALERSHIP WHERE PURCHASED. MY HUSBAND HAS ASKED WHAT MAY CAUSE THIS SORT OF THING BECAUSE WE DIDN'T WANT IT TO BE THE TRANSMISSION. WE WERE TOLD IT WAS PART OF THE WAY A VOLVO WORKS. THE INCIDENT THAT LED TO IT HAVING TO BE REPAIRED WAS WHEN WE RETURNED FROM AN HOUR AND HALF DRIVE AND PULLED INTO A PARKING LOT WHERE THE ENGINE STARTED REVVING CONTINUOUSLY. A LIGHT CAME ON THE DASH, ESL. THE ONLY THING IN THE MANUAL I COULD FIND WAS WHAT THE INITIALS STOOD FOR-ELECTRONIC THROTTLE SYSTEM. WE WERE ABLE TO DRIVE IT HOME AFTER SHORT WHILE BECAUSE OF A SAFETY DEVISE IN THE VEHICLE THAT ALLOWS THIS APPARENTLY. THE NEXT DAY MY HUSBAND CALLED OUR DEALERSHIP WHO WE BOUGHT IT FROM AND WAS TOLD WE HAD TO TAKE IT TO A GARAGE 50 MILES AWAY BECAUSE THEY'RE THE ONLY ONES WITH THE EQUIPMENT TO DIAGNOSE AND REPAIR THE PROBLEM. WE CONTINUED OUR QUESTIONING OF THE SITUATION AND 3 MECHANICS IN 3 DIFFERENT GARAGES TOLD US THEY WERE AWARE OF THE PROBLEM BUT THERE WAS NO RECALL (YET). HOWEVER, I UNDERSTAND FROM AN ACQUAINTANCE NOW THAT THE REPAIR IS ONLY A BAND AID AND THE PROBLEM WILL RETURN BECAUSE A COMPONENT NEEDS TO BE REPLACED. THE COST FOR THIS REPAIR WHICH IS ULTIMATELY A COMPUTER CHIP REPLACEMENT AND DOWNLOAD IS APPROXIMATELY $1100. THE GARAGE PERFORMING THE REPAIR HAS ALSO ALERTED US OF A HEAD LIGHT DEFECT THAT COST $55 TO REPAIR AND SUGGESTED WE TAKE CARE OF IT BECAUSE THE HEADLIGHTS MIGHT JUST STOP WORKING AT ANY GIVEN TIME. *JB