VOLVO Complaints

1. ETS (ELECTRONIC THROTTLE CONTROL SYSTEM) WARNING LIGHT CAME ON WHILE DRIVING. THIS CAN AFFECT DRIVABILITY OF A VEHICLE. 2. THROTTLE BODY FOR VOLVO 2001 C70 HAD TO BE REPLACED AT A COST OF $1075. 3. THIS IS WIDE SPREAD PROBLEM WITH VOLVO CARS MADE FROM 1999 TO 2001 AFFECTING MODELS S70, V70, C70, S80 AND S60, BUT VOLVO REFUSES TO COMPENSATE FOR THE COST OF REPAIRS OR ISSUE A RECALL. *JB

ON OR ABOUT MAY 3RD, 2005, MY WIFE WAS DRIVING OUR 2001 VOLVO T6 WHEN SHE SUDDENLY LOST ENGINE PERFORMANCE. SHE WAS TRAVELING ALONG A BUSY INTERSTATE AND SHE MANAGED TO GET THE CAR INTO THE EMERGENCY LANE WHILE HOLDING UP TRAFFIC BEHIND HER. THE FOLLOWING MSG APPEARED ON THE DASH, "ENGINE PERFORMANCE REDUCED". WHEN SHE GOT THE CAR TO THE SIDE OF THE ROAD, SHE TURNED THE CAR OFF AND CALLED ME TO INFORM ME THE CAR WAS NOT WORKING PROPERLY. SHE STARTED THE CAR AFTER A FEW MINUTES AND IT PERFORMED OKAY ON THE WAY HOME. AT THIS TIME, I THOUGHT IT MIGHT HAVE BEEN A FUEL OR GAS CAP PROBLEM. SHE WAS VERY CLOSE TO HAVING A SERIOUS ACCIDENT. THE NEXT DAY SHE WAS TRAVELING WITH OUR CHILDREN ON A VERY BUSY BYPASS AND THE SAME PROBLEM OCCURRED. THIS TIME, I MADE A CALL TO THE VOLVO DEALER AND THEY INFORMED ME TO LEAVE THE CAR OFF FOR A MINUTE AND THE COMPUTER WOULD RESET. NOT A GOOD SOLUTION. NEEDLESS TO SAY, SHE HAD TO NAVIGATE THE CAR FROM THE INSIDE LANE TO THE EMERGENCY LANE WHILE TRAVELING NO FASTER THAN 20 MPH. AGAIN, THIS WAS A VERY BUSY BYPASS AND LUCKILY SHE MANAGED TO GET THE CAR TO THE SIDE OF THE ROAD. FINALLY, I DROVE THE CAR THE NEXT DAY TO SEE HOW IT PERFORMED FOR ME. AGAIN, THE CAR FAILED (I.E. SLOWED TO 20 MPH ON A 70 MPH INTERSTATE) WHILE I WAS DRIVING. I CALLED THE DEALER AGAIN THE NEXT DAY AND THEY INFORMED ME THEY WOULD NEED TO SEE THE CAR IN ORDER TO DIAGNOSE. I INFORMED THEM I NEEDED RECALL WORK PERFORMED ON AN ELECTRICAL FAN SO THEY COULD CHECK INTO MY "ENGINE PERFORMANCE REDUCED" PROBLEM AT THE SAME TIME. ALL THIS SAID, THE CAR FAILED APPROXIMATELY 8-10 TIMES BEFORE I COULD GET THE CAR TO THE SHOP AND REPAIRED ($933.00). THE PROBLEM PART WAS DETERMINED TO BE AN ELECTRONIC THROTTLE MODULE. LUCKILY, MY WIFE, AS WELL AS MYSELF, WERE ABLE TO GET THE CAR TO THE SIDE OF THE ROAD WITHOUT GETTING RAN OVER BY TRAFFIC. THIS PROBLEM DEFINITELY NEEDS THE ATTENTION OF THE NHTSA. THANKS FOR ANY HELP YOU CAN PROVIDE. *JB

CAR HESITATES AND/OR STALLS ON ACCELERATION FOR PAST 20,000 MILES. INITIAL DIAGNOSIS FROM VOLVO DEALER SHOWED "NO FAULT CODES STORED, UNABLE TO DIAGNOSE." FINALLY, TODAY I STALLED WHILE MAKING A TURN AND ALMOST GOT BROADSIDED. JUST AFTER THAT AN ETS LIGHT CAME ON. I CALLED THE DEALER AND WAS TOLD "IT WILL COST UP TO $1000 TO REPLACE THE PART." THIS IS A MAJOR SAFETY HAZARD AND TO THINK THAT VOLVO KNOWS ABOUT THIS PROBLEM (I SURFED THE INTERNET AND FOUND RIGHT AWAY THAT THIS IS A COMMON PROBLEM) AND LET ME TAKE THE CAR OUT WITH THIS ISSUE KNOWN. (REGARDLESS OF A FAULT CODE STORED)*JB

COMPLAINT: NONE OF THE ELECTRIC WINDOW SWITCHES (ALL 4 DOORS) OPERATE; SIDE-VIEW MIRRORS ELECTRIC SWITCH INOPERABLE. RESOLUTION: FAULT TRACED TO INTERNAL FAULT IN WINDOW SWITCH PACK MASTER CONTROL. DEALER REMOVED & REPLACED. THIS IS THE 2ND TIME THIS VEHICLE HAS HAD A PROBLEM WITH INOPERABLE ELECTRIC WINDOW SWITCHES. THE 1ST TIME HAS ALSO BEEN REPORTED TO NHTSA'S WEBSITE (ODI #10133081).*JB

COMPLAINT: PASSENGER-SIDE FRONT ELECTRIC WINDOW SWITCH INOPERABLE. RESOLUTION: DEALER REMOVED & REPLACED RIGHT FRONT WINDOW SWITCH. THIS IS THE 1ST OF 2 ELECTRIC WINDOW SWITCH FAILURES. I WILL ALSO BE REPORTING THE LATER 2ND FAILURE ON NHTSA'S WEBSITE AS WELL, AS A SEPARATE INCIDENT. *JB

I OWNED A VOLVO S70 2000 MODEL WITH A VARIETY OF MAINTENANCE ISSUES RELATED TO STALLING AND SURGING. I HAD TO PAY FOR A NEW THROTTLE MODULE, AIR MASS SENSOR AND THROTTLE CLEANING. I BELIEVE THIS COST OVER $1000 ON PARTS THAT SHOULD HAVE BEEN DESIGNED TO LAST FAR LONGER THAN THEY DID. YOU CAN FIND MORE INFO ON THIS PROBLEM AT HTTP://WWW.VOLVO-FORUMS.COM/LOFIVERSION/INDEX.PHP/T1877.HTML. *JB

CHECK ENGINE LIGHT CAME ON FIRST WEEK OF AUGUST '05. HAD OBD II CODE READ, FAILURE LOW IDLE. TOOK CAR TO VOLVO DEALERSHIP, DIAGNOSTIC TROUBLE CODE ECM-620 IDLE FAULT, ELECTRONIC THROTTLE MODULE IS FAILING. I HAD THE ETM REPLACED. IT APPEARS FROM WHAT I HAVE READ THAT AN EXCESSIVE NUMBER OF ETM'S HAVE FAILED ON VOLVOS 1999-2001 MODEL YEARS AND ARE CURRENTLY UNDER INVESTIGATION BY THE NHTSA. I HOPE THAT THIS INVESTIGATION LEADS TO A RECALL IN WHICH CASE CONSUMERS THAT HAVE ALREADY PAID FOR THE REPAIR WILL BE REIMBURSED BY VOLVO OR THE DEALERSHIP WHERE SERVICE AND PAYMENT WAS MADE. *NM

MY CAR WOULD STALL IN TRAFFIC, STALL WHILE IDLING AT STOP LIGHTS, VARIOUS THINGS WERE REPLACED IN THE LAST YEAR, INCLUDING THE SPEED SENSOR, AND IT STILL IS DOING IT. IT LOSES POWER AT TIMES WHILE MAINTAINING 60 MPH, SHIMMIES AND SHAKES AT IDLE WHEN STOPPED IN TRAFFIC, IT SOMETIMES "HICCIPS", APPEARS TO STOP THEN ACCELERATES AGAIN WHILE DRIVING ON THE HIGHWAY. *NM

PRIOR TO THE FAILURE, THE IDLE OF THE CAR WOULD SURGE UP AND DOWN AT AN IDLE BETWEEN 500-1500 RPM'S. TRYING TO PARK THE CAR THE CAR WOULD JUMP FORWARD AT EACH SURGE. A COUPLE OF TIMES AS MY WIFE WAS DRIVING THE CAR DIED ON HER, ONE TIME AROUND A CORNER AND SHE COULD HARDLY STEER. THE CAR WOULD ONLY SURGE IF THE FOOT WAS OFF THE THROTTLE, THEREFORE IT WOULD STALL AS YOU TRIED TO CORNER OR WENT TO HIT THE BRAKE. ANOTHER TIME IT STALLED WAS IN A TRAFFIC SLOW DOWN ON THE FREEWAY. THE PART FINALLY FAILED ONE DAY WHEN THE CAR JUST WOULD NOT START. WE HAD TO HAVE IT TOWED TO THE DEALER WHERE THEY REPLACED THE THROTTLE CONTROL. TWO MORE TIMES AFTER THE TC WAS REPLACED THE CAR STARTED TO SURGE AGAIN. AT THOSE TIMES AS SOON AS THE CAR STARTED TO SURGE I BROUGHT TO THE DEALER. BECAUSE IT WAS THE SAME PART THAT WAS REPLACED THERE WAS NO CHARGE. THE DEALER TOLD ME THEY MUST HAVE BEEN DEFECTIVE PARTS. ONE MORE TIME THE CAR DID THE SAME THING AND I RETURNED TO THE DEALER AND ONCE AGAIN THEY SUPPOSEDLY REPLACED THE TC AND TOLD ME THAT THE FLAME TRAP WAS THE CAUSE OF ALL THE PROBLEMS AND NEEDED TO BE REPLACED. SINCE THEY WANTED ANOTHER $1000 TO REPLACE THAT PART I DECIDED I WOULD DO IT MYSELF. THE DEALER TOLD ME THEY WOULD NOT WARRANTY THE TC ANYMORE. AFTER I REPLACED THE FLAME TRAP, WHICH THERE WAS NOTHING WRONG WITH IT, 6 MONTHS LATER THE CAR STARTED AGAIN WITH THE SAME PROBLEM ALL AVER AGAIN. THAT'S WHERE I AM AT NOW. ORIGINALLY WHEN THE CAR DIED AND WAS TOWED TO THE DEALER IT COST ME $1390. THEY REPLACED THE MASS AIR FLOW SENSOR $222.53, THE THROTTLE BODY $573.10, GASKET $3.44, ETM RELOAD $35.75, LABOR $439.75 AND TAX. THIS OCCURRED ON JULY 3, 2003. THE CAR THEN WENT IN SEVERAL TIMES FOR THE SAME THING WITH THE LAST BEING MAY 18, 2004. AND NOW WE ARE BACK TO THE SAME PROBLEM AGAIN!!! *NM

THE VEHICLE IS A 2000 VOLVO AWD CROSS COUNTRY. THE CAR WHILE AT HIGHWAY SPEED DECELERATED ABRUPTLY AND NEARLY CAUSED A REAR END IMPACT ON THE BACK OF MY CAR. THIS ALSO HAPPENED EARLIER ON A VACATION TRIP IN MAY 2005. I WAS TOLD BY A FRIEND AND THE DEALERSHIP THAT SOLD US THE CAR TO US (NEW) THAT THERE WAS A CLASS ACTION SUIT FOR THE REASONS CAUSING OUR PROBLEM REGARDING THE ATC COMPUTER /THROTTLE CONTROL. HAVING SPENT OVER 1500 DOLLARS FOR THE REPAIR IT APPEARS THAT THE DEALER WILL NOT REIMBURSE US FOR THE RECALL COSTS AND ALSO DID NOT INDICATE OR ASSURE US THAT THE CAUSE OF THE PROBLEM WOULD BE TAKEN CARE OF BY THE REPAIR. THE CAR PROBLEMS WE EXPERIENCED WHERE DESCRIBED IN AN ISSUE OF VOLVO CLUB MAGAZINE. *NM