VOLVO Complaints

ETM/ECM REPLACED 1/2006. SUBSEQUENT SOFTWARE UPGRADE 05/08/2006, 08/09/2006. ROUGH CRANKING IDLE. SUBSEQUENT SHIFTING PROBLEM WITH TRANSMISSION. FOLLOW UP WITH SOFTWARE UPGRADE TCM ON AUG. 9, 2006. PROBLEM STILL PRESENT. TRANSMISSION SHIFTING JERKS BETWEEN 2 AND 3RD GEAR UPON ACCELERATION/DECELERATION. ROUGH SHIFTING WITH KICK DOWN SHIFTING AT SPEEDS +60 MPH. *JB

ON 6/2/06 I WAS DRIVING ON THE FREEWAY ( AT ABOUT 60 MPH), AND SUDDENLY MY CAR SLOWED DOWN AND I COULD NOT ACCELERATE, FORTUNATELY I WAS IN THE RIGHT HAND LANE AND ABLE TO EXIT THE FREEWAY AND SLOWLY MOVE TO THE SIDE OF THE ROAD, A WARNING LIGHT WAS ON STATING" ENGINE PERFORMANCE REDUCED". I TURNED OFF THE IGNITION AND WAITED A FEW MINUTES. I RESTARTED THE ENGINE AND THE WARNING LIGHT WAS NOT ON, HOWEVER, I WAS VERY CONCERNED AND CALLED THE DEALER AND WAS TOLD TO BRING THE CAR IN. THE CAR WAS A LITTLE HESITANT AT FIRST BUT I WAS ABLE TO DRIVE SLOWLY ON SIDE STREETS, TO THE DEALER. HE KEPT THE CAR OVERNIGHT AND DIAGNOSED A PROBLEM WITH THE ETM, HE CLEANED THE ETM AND DOWNLOADED NEW SOFTWARE. IT WAS $20 FOR THE PARTS AND $307.00 FOR THE LABOR! I HAVE NOT HAD A RECURRENCE OF THIS PROBLEM WITH THE ETM. HOWEVER, I HAVE BECOME AWARE OF NUMEROUS COMPLAINTS ABOUT THIS ETM AND SPOKE TO THE SERVICE DEPARTMENT AT MY DEALER, WHO HAD NEVER MENTIONED IT TO ME, AND HAD NEVER OFFERED TO CHECK OR CLEAN THE ETM BEFORE THIS HAPPENED. HE WAS AWARE OF THE ETM FAILURES. I ASKED ABOUT THE EXTENDED THE WARRANTY VOLVO HAS PUT IN PLACE ON THE ETM BUT THE DEALER SAYS THAT IS ONLY FOR SERVICE AFTER THE CLEANING IS TRIED ONCE. THIS MEANS I WILL HAVE TO HAVE ANOTHER DANGEROUS FAILURE OF THE SYSTEM BEFORE THEY WILL REPLACE AND PAY FOR THE SERVICE! I FEEL THAT VOLVO SHOULD HAVE WARNED THE CAR OWNERS ABOUT THIS POSSIBLE PROBLEM AND SHOULD GIVE THE WARRANTY TO ALL THEIR CARS. *JB

DT*: THE CONTACT STATED THAT WHILE DRIVING AT 70 MPH, THE VEHICLE PULLED TO THE RIGHT, AND THE TIRES WORE UNEVENLY. THE VEHICLE WAS TAKEN TO SEVERAL SERVICE DEALERS, WHERE SEVERAL ALIGNMENTS WERE PERFORMED. THE PROBLEMS PERSISTED. THE DEALER WAS SUBSEQUENTLY UNABLE TO DETERMINE THE CAUSE OF THE PROBLEM.

DT*: THE CONTACT STATED WHILE DRIVING 20MPH THE VEHICLE ACCELERATED WITHOUT WARNING WHICH CAUSED THE CONTACT TO LOSE CONTROL OF THE VEHICLE. THE VEHICLE THEN SUDDENLY SLOWED, AND SUBSEQUENTLY WOULD NOT ACCELERATE BEYOND 15MPH. THE CHECK ENGINE LIGHT ILLUMINATED. THE VEHICLE WAS TAKEN TO THE DEALER WHO DETERMINED THE PROBLEM WAS CAUSED BY THE ELECTRONIC THROTTLE MODULE. THE CONTACT EXPRESSED THERE WAS NO BRAKE INTERFERENCE TO CAUSE THE VEHICLE TO DECELERATE. THE MANUFACTURER WAS ALERTED WHO WILL BE INVESTIGATING THE PROBLEM. *AK

DT*: THE CONTACT STATED WHILE DRIVING AT 40MPH, THE VEHICLE HESITATED, AND THE ELECTRICAL SYSTEM FAILED. THE SERVICE AIR BAG MESSAGE READOUT ILLUMINATED, THE BRAKES BECAME SPONGY, AND THE STEERING STIFFENED. THE VEHICLE WAS TAKEN TO A SERVICE DEALER WHO UNABLE TO DETERMINE THE PROBLEM.

1. VEHICLE "SPUTTERED", ENGINE WOULD REV WITH NO CHANGE IN PRESSURE ON GAS PEDAL, FOLLOWED BY NEARLY COMPLETE LOSS OF POWER AND NEAR ENGINE CUT OFF. 2. NO COMPLETE FAILURE, AS SOON AS SYMPTOMS BEGAN, IT WAS TAKEN TO A DEALER 3. VOLVO DEALER AND REPAIR SHOP DETERMINED THE FAILURE WAS ECM CODE 903C, 91A7: "THROTTLE INTERNAL FAULT". REPLACED ELECTRONIC THROTTLE MODULE. OLD PART IS NOT AVAILABLE. 15 MAR 2005 - 1. SAME SYMPTOMS; CAR WAS UNABLE TO MAINTAIN HIGHWAY SPEED OF 60 MPH. 2. ENGINE STALLED ONCE BEFORE GOING TO DEALER REPAIR BUT STARTED BACK UP WITHOUT PROBLEM. 3. EXACT FAILURE CODES NOT PROVIDED, BUT WAS DETERMINED TO BE "ENGINE CONTROL MODULE FAULT". ELECTRONIC THROTTLE MODULE WAS REPLACED. COVERED BY VOLVO PARTS WARRANTY. OLD PART IS NOT AVAILABLE. *JB

I AM WRITING BECAUSE MY CAR HAS LOST POWER WITHOUT WARNING. I HAVE EXPERIENCED THIS SEVERAL TIMES, FORTUNATELY NONE IN LIFE THREATENING SITUATIONS LIKE PULLING ONTO A BUSY ROAD OR FREEWAY. THE DEALER RELOADED THE SOFTWARE, BUT THE ETS LIGHT CAME BACK ON WITHIN A FEW DAYS. I TOOK IT BACK TO THE DEALER, THEY KEPT IT A WEEK, TEST DROVE IT FOR SOME TIME AND SAID THERE WAS NOTHING ELSE THEY COULD DO. I ASKED THE VOLVO SERVICE MANAGER, GREG, AT TURNER VOLVO IN SACRAMENTO WHETHER VOLVO KNOWS WHAT THE ROOT CAUSE OF THE PROBLEM AND WHETHER THIS SOFTWARE FIXES IT. HE SAID THAT IT FIXES THE PROBLEM IN 95% OF THE CASES. HE REFUSED TO ANSWER WHETHER THE SPECIFIC PROBLEM THAT CAUSES THE LOSS OF POWER HAS BEEN ADDRESSED BY THE SOFTWARE THEY RECENTLY LOADED AND WHETHER IT IS CORRECTED IN MY PARTICULAR VEHICLE. SINCE I HAVE DRIVEN THIS CAR OVER 180,000 MILES WITH ONLY RECENT PROBLEMS, THIS IS INDEED A RARE OCCURRENCE. MY CONCERN IS THAT NEITHER GREG AT TURNER VOLVO (916)488-2400. OR FRANK AT VOLVO CUSTOMER CARE 800-458-1552 X 1981, SEEMS TO BE WILLING TO STATE THAT THE DEFECT THAT CAUSES THE POWER LOSS PROBLEM HAS BEEN ELIMINATED FROM MY CAR. I ASKED FRANK WHETHER VOLVO WAS WILLING TO PUT IN WRITING THAT THE ROOT CAUSE OF THE PROBLEM HAS BEEN IDENTIFIED AND ELIMINATED FROM MY VEHICLE, AND FRANK SAID HE DID NOT KNOW WHETHER VOLVO IS WILLING TO DO THAT. I HAVE OPENED A FORMAL COMPLAINT WITH VOLVO AND AM AWAITING THEIR RESPONSE. *JB

VEHICLE WENT INTO 'LIMP HOME MODE' ON HIGHWAY. SPEED WENT FROM 65 MPH IN PASSING LANE TO 15 MPH. I HAD TO CROSS 4 LANES OF TRAFFIC TO GET TO THE BREAK DOWN LANE. AUTO IS 2000 VOLVO V70 CROSS COUNTRY WAGON. ETS SYSTEM WAS REPLACED AT 66,800 MILES WHEN THIS PROBLEM OCCURRED BEFORE. THE CAR NOW EXHIBITS THE SAME BEHAVIOR AT 122,000 MILES. *JB

DT*: THE CONTACT STATED THE VEHICLE LEAKED GASOLINE BEHIND THE REAR PASSENGER WHEEL WHERE THE FUEL TANK WAS LOCATED. THE DEALERSHIP AND AN INDEPENDENT REPAIR SHOP INFORMED THE CONTACT THIS WAS A COMMON PROBLEM WITH THE VOLVO FUEL PUMPS. THE DEALER DETERMINED THAT A PART ON THE TOP OF FUEL PUMP FRACTURED WHICH CAUSED THE FUEL PUMP TO LEAK FUEL.

AT 53,000 MILES (FEBRUARY 2006) MY CHECK ENGINE LIGHT, SERVICE TRANSMISSION LIGHT AND URGENT SERVICE WARNING LIGHTS CAME ON AT THE SAME TIME. HOWEVER, I WAS I NOT EXPERIENCING ANY NOTICEABLE DRIVABILITY ISSUES. (WITH THE EXCEPTION OF SOME SLIGHTLY ROUGH GEAR SHIFTING - BUT I DIDN'T THINK MUCH OF IT). THE DEALER TOLD ME THAT THE FAULT CODE WAS RELATED TO MY TRANSMISSION AND THAT I NEED A SOFTWARE UPGRADE TO MY TCM (TRANSMISSION CONTROL MODULE). IF THE FAULT CODE RETURNED AFTER THE UPGRADE, MY TRANSMISSION WOULD HAVE TO BE REPLACED. AND THAT MOST LIKELY (99.9%) THE SOFTWARE UPGRADE WOULD CORRECT THE PROBLEM. IN ADDITION, I HAD TO PAY $340 FOR THE SOFTWARE UPGRADE BECAUSE I WAS 6 MONTHS / 3,000 MILES OUT OF WARRANTY AND SOFTWARE ISSUES WHERE NOT COVERED BY THE EXTENDED WARRANTY (3RD PARTY - EASYCARE -[VIA FORD]). A FEW WEEKS LATER (3/5/06), THE CHECK ENGINE COMES ON AGAIN AND THE DRIVABILITY DETERIORATES RAPIDLY ON MY TRIP HOME FROM WORK. HIGH RPM'S - LITTLE POWER - ABRUPT SHIFTING. FORTUNATELY, I WAS CLOSE TO HOME (WITHIN 1 MILE). IT FELT LIKE THE TRANSMISSION FELL APART. I BROUGHT IT TO THE DEALER (3/8/06), AFTER TWO DAYS OF 'TESTING', I'M TOLD THE ETM WAS REPLACED AT NO CHARGE AND TO COME PICK UP THE CAR. I PICKED IT UP AND COULD NOT LEAVE THE DEALER DRIVEWAY. THEY APOLOGIZED PROFUSELY AND SAID THE ETM WAS REPLACED BUT NOTICED THAT THERE IS STILL A PROBLEM. AFTER A FEW DAYS OF TROUBLESHOOTING BY THE DEALER, I WAS INFORMED THAT THE CAR NEEDED A NEW TRANSMISSION (AND I HAD TO PAY AN ADDITIONAL $200 FOR EXTENDED WARRANTY CO-PAY). *NM