VOLVO Complaints

DT*: THE CONTACT STATED THE PASSENGER FRONT AIRBAG LIGHT ILLUMINATED INTERMITTENTLY. THE VEHICLE WAS TAKEN TO A LOCAL DEALER WHO COULD NOT DUPLICATE THE PROBLEM. THE GENERAL MANAGER SUGGESTED THAT THE CONTACT TAKE THE VEHICLE TO ANOTHER DEALERSHIP FOR SERVICE BECAUSE THE DEALER WAS NOT WILLING TO SERVICE OR FURTHER EXAMINE THE VEHICLE.

DT*: THE CONTACT STATED WHEN HE PULLED THE REAR SEAT CUSHION TO FLIP THE SEAT BACK UP, THE SEAT PULLED RIGHT OUT. THE VEHICLE WAS INSPECTED BY A DEALER WHO DETERMINED THREE METAL CLIPS (SLIDES) ON THE SEAT WERE FRACTURED IN HALF AND NEEDED TO BE REPLACED. ADDITIONALLY, WHILE DRIVING 20 MPH, THERE WAS A THUMPING NOISE COMING FROM UNDERNEATH THE VEHICLE. IT WAS TOWED TO AN INDEPENDENT REPAIR SHOP WHO DETERMINED THE RIGHT REAR WHEEL WAS FRACTURED AND NEEDED TO BE REPLACED. THE MANUFACTURER WAS ALERTED. UPDATED 12/5/2006 - *NM

I HAVE APPROXIMATELY 80,000 MILES ON MY VEHICLE AND ON INTERMITTENT OCCASIONS I HAD EXPERIENCED PROBLEMS WITH IDLE FLUCTUATION AND SLIGHT ERRATIC ACCELERATION AND POWER BEHAVIOR. ON ANOTHER OCCASION I WAS ENTERING THE FREEWAY AND AS I ACCELERATED INTO POSITION ON THE FREEWAY THE CAR FELT SLOW TO RESPOND AND SLUGGISH, THEN I RECEIVED AN URGENT ENGINE SERVICE REQUIRED MESSAGE ON MY DASH DISPLAY. AS SOON I HAD THE CHANCE I PULLED OVER TO CHECK ENGINE VITALS, OIL, COOLANT ETC, EVERYTHING WAS GOOD AND I HADN'T NOTICED ANY SERIOUS DRIVABILITY ISSUES BUT RELUCTANT TO TRAVEL AT HIGHWAY SPEEDS ON THE FREEWAY. I INQUIRED WITH THE VOLVO DEALER AT MY NEXT SERVICE WHICH COINCIDED WITH THIS MOST RECENT ISSUE. IT WAS EXPLAINED TO ME THAT THE FAULT CODE INDICATED PROBLEMS WITH THE ELECTRONIC THROTTLE MODULE/SYSTEM (ETM/ETS), AND THAT I COULD EITHER HAVE IT CLEANED WHICH WOULD BE A TEMPORARY FIX, OR REPLACED WHICH WOULD COST OVER $1000.00. THE SERVICE REP CHECKED TO SEE IF THERE WERE ANY RECALLS FOR MY VEHICLE AND THERE WERE NONE THAT APPLIED TO MY VEHICLE AND AS FAR AS TECHNICAL SERVICE BULLETINS WERE CONCERNED THERE WERE TWO THAT APPLIED BUT EVEN THOUGH, MY VEHICLE STILL WOULD NOT QUALIFY UNDER ANY EXTENDED WARRANTY BECAUSE MY VEHICLE WAS PURCHASED IN EUROPE AND SHIPPED IT BACK TO THE U.S. WHAT IS THAT? I THOUGHT ALL VOLVO'S INEVITABLY COME FROM THE SAME PLACE. WHAT SETS MY VEHICLE APART FROM ANY OTHER, ITS STILL U.S. SPEC AND ITS STILL A VOLVO AND WE ARE ALL EXPERIENCING THE SAME PROBLEMS IT APPEARS. AFTER DOING SOME RESEARCH ON THE INTERNET, I HAVE LEARNED THAT THIS IS A COMMON PROBLEM EFFECTING SEVERAL MODEL VEHICLES RANGING FROM YEARS 1999-2002 AND IS A POTENTIALLY LIFE-THREATENING PROBLEM UNDER CERTAIN CIRCUMSTANCES AND WHICH VOLVO HAS REFUSED TO RECOGNIZE AND REFUSES TO ISSUE A RECALL ON THE PROBLEM PART THAT IS NOT MECHANICAL AND IN MY OPINION DOES NOT QUALIFY AS NORMAL WEAR AND TEAR. *JB

WINDSHIELD WIPERS LEAVE A STREAK ACROSS WINDSHIELD, SIGNIFICANTLY IMPAIRING VISION AND MAKING DRIVING IN RAIN HAZARDOUS. BOTH WIPER BLADES AND WINDSHIELD WIPER ARMS WERE REPLACED BY DEALER - PROBLEM PERSISTS. THIS HAS BEEN AN ONGOING ISSUE SINCE THE CAR WAS PURCHASED; DEALER ACKNOWLEDGE THE PROBLEM BUT HAS NOT ADEQUATELY REPAIRED THE CAR. *JB

I WAS DRIVING MY 2004 VOLVO S60 ON THE NJ TURNPIKE. WINDS REPORTED THAT DAY TO BE UP TO 50 MPH AND I AM DRIVING AT AROUND 50 TO 60 MPH WHEN I HEARD A LOUD SOUND FROM THE REAR OF MY CAR. I STARTED TO SLOW DOWN TO ENTER ONTO THE BREAKDOWN LANE ON THE TURNPIKE DRAGGING THE BUMPER AS I PULLED OVER. WHEN I GOT OUT TO INSPECT I FOUND THAT MY BUMPER COVER HAVE BLEW OFF OF THE CAR AND WAS HANGING ON DUE TO A WIRE THAT WAS CONNECTED TO IT ON THE RIGHT SIDE. I CALLED MY VOLVO DEALER AND WAS OFFERED AN APPT TO BRING IT IN. THE SERVICE MANAGER ALONG WITH HIS REGIONAL REP IS DISPUTING THAT THIS COULD HAVE HAPPENED. THEY ARE SAYING THAT THEY HAVE NEVER HEARD OF THIS BEFORE AND THAT IT COULD NOT HAVE HAPPENED BECAUSE IT HAS NEVER HAPPENED AND WILL NOT TAKE RESPONSIBILITY FOR THE REPLACEMENT UNLESS IT IS PAID FOR BY ME. NEITHER THE DEALER OR THE REP IS CONCERNED ABOUT THE SAFETY OF THIS INCIDENT AND WHY THIS ACTUALLY HAPPENED. IT IS BY THE GRACE OF GOD THAT THIS BUMPER COVER DID NOT COMPLETELY DISLODGE CAUSING FATALITIES TO OCCUR HAD THE WIND BLEW IT IN THE PATH OF OTHER CARS ON THE ROADS. NOT ONLY AM I NOT GETTING GOOD SERVICE VOLVO IS NOT CONCERNED ABOUT SAFETY WHICH IS THE CORE OF THEIR COMMITMENT TO THE CONSUMERS. MY CHARACTER AND MY INTEGRITY AND CREDIBILITY IS BEING CHALLENGED BY THE SERVICE MANAGER AND HIS REGIONAL REP RATHER THE REASON FOR THE BUMPER COMING OFF IN THIS WAY. MY CONFIDENT IN THE SAFETY OF THE CAR AND VOLVO CUSTOMER SERVICE HAS BEEN DESTROYED. VOVLO IS SAYING THAT THIS IS THE FIRST TIME THEY HAVE HEARD OF A BUMPER BLOWING OFF. THERE IS ALWAYS A FIRST AND BEING THE FIRST DOES NOT INDICATED THAT IT'S IMPOSSIBLE TO HAVE HAPPENED. *JB

DEADLOCKS ON MY VEHICLE WILL NOT ALLOW THE LOCKS IN MY VEHICLE TO LOCK DURING VEHICLE OPERATION. THIS PROBLEM IS VERY COMMON, AND MANY VOLVO OWNERS EXPERIENCE THIS ISSUE. IT IS A SAFETY ISSUE IN KEEPING MINE AND OTHER FAMILIES SAFE FROM OUTSIDE INFLUENCES SUCH AS CRIMINALS AND CAR JACKINGS. *NM

THE ABS / TRACTION CONTROL UNIT ON THESE CARS FAIL IN UNREASONABLY HIGH NUMBERS. IT'S SUCH A BIG BUSINESS, THAT MECHANICS SELL THOUSANDS OF REFURBISHED UNITS ON EBAY. VOLVO CHARGES OVER $700 FOR THE PARTS, AND IS AVOIDING REPAIRING THIS ITEM BECAUSE I'M SURE SOME ACTUARY TOLD THEM IT'S CHEAPER TO PAY CLAIMS AND DEFEND LAWSUITS THAN TO PROTECT THEIR CUSTOMERS. I HAVE NOT EXPERIENCED AN ACCIDENT OR CRASH AS A RESULT, BUT I'M SURE HUNDREDS OF PEOPLE HAVE. *NM

FAILURE OF 2002 VOLVO S-80 TRANSMISSION WITH ONLY 46,000 MILES BUT 10 MONTHS OUT OF WARRANTY (4 YEAR/ 50000 MILES). DEALER FOUND CODE 5300, TCM 0008. FOUND INTERNAL HYDRAULIC FAULT IN TRANSMISSION. SHIFT SOLENOID S1 REPLACED TRANSMISSION. A DEAL WAS WORKED OUT WHERE VOLVO, THE DEALER AND MYSELF EACH PAID 1/3 THE COST OF $4200. GENERAL MANAGER OF DEALERSHIP TOLD ME THAT "VOLVO KNOWS THEY HAVE PROBLEM WITH S-80 TRANSMISSION". *NM

IN EARLY JUL 05, I EXPERIENCED ELECTRONIC THROTTLE SYSTEM (ETS) PROBLEMS WITH MY 2000 VOLVO S80. PARTICULARLY CONCERNING TO ME FROM A SAFETY STANDPOINT WAS THAT SEVERAL TIMES, INCLUDING WHEN I WAS IN HIGHWAY DRIVING SITUATIONS, THE CAR ON ITS OWN SUDDENLY ACCELERATED AND DECELERATED, HESITATED ON ACCELERATION OR WOULD NOT ACCELERATE, AND DISPLAYED ENGINE STALL SYMPTOMS. THE COMPUTER INDICATED DEGRADED ENGINE PERFORMANCE (LIMP MODE). I LINED UP A SERVICE APPOINTMENT WITH LOVERING VOLVO OF MEREDITH. AFTER LOVERING'S FIRST ATTEMPT AT REPAIRS, THE CAR WAS STILL NOT OPERATING NORMALLY AND I TOOK IT BACK TO THE DEALER A SECOND TIME. I PAID A TOTAL OF $2,074.42 FOR REPAIRS, $1,741.44 THE FIRST TIME AND $332.98 DURING THE SECOND VISIT. IN ACCORDANCE WITH A JUNE 2006 VOLVO LETTER, I TOOK MY S80 BACK TO LOVERING FOR INSPECTION AND ETS SOFTWARE UPGRADE. I SUBMITTED TO VOLVO A CLAIM FOR REIMBURSEMENT FOR ETS REPAIRS. THE ADVERTISING CHECKING BUREAU (ACB), WHICH ADMINISTERS THE ETS WARRANTY REBATE PROGRAM ON BEHALF OF VOLVO, SENT ME A CHECK FOR $747.93 FOR THE ETS REPAIRS. ACB SAID IT WAS AUTHORIZED TO REIMBURSE ME ONLY THE $587.93 COST OF ELECTRONIC THROTTLE BODY, ELECTRONIC THROTTLE MODULE RELOAD, AND GASKET, AND ASSOCIATED $160.00 LABOR COST. ACB ADVISED ME TO CONTACT THE VOLVO CUSTOMER CARE CENTER. A VOLVO CUSTOMER CARE REPRESENTATIVE CONFIRMED THAT ACB HAD DONE AS INSTRUCTED AND SUGGESTED THAT I TAKE UP THE MATTER OF THE REMAINING REPAIR COSTS WITH LOVERING. THE LOVERING INVOICES, DATED JULY 26, 2005 AND AUGUST 8, 2005, INDICATE THAT A $295.65 PORTION OF THE INITIAL $1,741.44 REPAIR BILL HAD TO DO WITH TOTALLY UNRELATED STEERING/SUSPENSION AND ENGINE MOUNT REPAIRS. STILL QUESTIONABLE IN MY MIND ARE THE OXYGEN SENSOR REPAIRS WHICH ADDED UP TO $897.86 AND THE SUBSEQUENT MASS AIR FLOW SENSOR REPAIRS WHICH CAME TO $332.98. I SUSPECT THE PROBLEMS ARE ALL ETS-RELATED AND I AM CURRENTLY PURSUING THE MATTER WITH THE DEALERSHIP. *NM

RIGHT FRONT POWER WINDOW AND LOCK IN OPERABLE. LEFT (DRIVER'S SIDE) DOOR LOOK SWITCH INOPERABLE. AMBIENT TEMPERATURE READOUT INOPERABLE. *NM