VOLVO Complaints

2000 S70 STALLS AFTER APPLYING BRAKES. *TS THE VEHICLE HAS BEEN TAKEN TOT HE DEALER SEVERAL TIMES BUT THE TECHNICIANS WERE UNABLE TO DETERMINE THE CAUSE OF THE STALLING. THE CONSUMER DID SOME RESEARCH AND FOUND SOME INFORMATION ON FAULTY ELECTRONIC THROTTLE MODULE IN VOLVOS WHICH CAUSE STALLING. *NM

THE FIRST FAILURE OCCURRED IN AUG. 2004, FORTUNATELY I DO NOT DRIVE VERY FAR, BECAUSE THE CAR SLOWED AS IF IT WAS STALLING AND THEN RAN SLUGGISH FOLLOWED BY THE CHECK ENGINE LIGHT. AT THE TIME I WAS ALONE WITH MY TWO CHILDREN WHO WERE 20 MONTHS AND 1 MONTH OLD AND THANK GOD IT WAS A SIDE STREET BECAUSE THERE WAS NO ACCELERATION. AS I WAS ON THE WAY TO HOME, THE ETS LIGHT CAME ON. I CALLED THE MECHANIC WHO LOOKED AT IT BUT THE CODES HE CAME UP WITH HAD TO BE FIXED BY A VOLVO DEALERSHIP MECHANIC. THE PRICE TAG FOR THE FIRST FIX $1100. THE ETM WAS REPLACED SOFTWARE DOWNLOADED AND BRAKE PEDAL SENSOR WAS REPLACED. THE MILEAGE AT THE TIME 68574. TODAY LUCKILY I HAD NOT EVEN LEFT MY DRIVEWAY, I STARTED MY CAR THAT ALL TO FAMILIAR SPUTTER AND THE ETM LIGHT IS ON AGAIN NOT EVEN 10,000 MILES LATER. *JB

THE FRONT PASSENGER SEAT BELT IN MY 1999 VOLVO S80 STOPPED WORKING. THE BELT FROZE IN THE RETRACTED POSITION MAKING IT IMPOSSIBLE TO USE. THIS RESULTED IN THE FRONT PASSENGER SEAT BEING UNUSABLE. MY OUT OF POCKET COST TO REPAIR THE PROBLEM WAS $433.45. *JB

SPEED CONTROL PROBLEM. MY 2001 VOLVO S60 LOST POWER LAST NIGHT, WHILE I WAS IN THE FAST LANE DRIVING 70 MPH ON INTERSTATE 5! I RAPIDLY LOST SPEED AND BY SOME MIRACLE WAS ABLE TO WEAVE THROUGH TRAFFIC TO THE ROADSIDE. THE ENGINE CONTINUED TO RUN BUT IT WAS AS IF THE GAS PEDAL WAS NOT CONNECTED TO THE ENGINE. I MANAGED TO PROCEED AT FAST IDLE SPEED TO AN OFF RAMP AND FOUND A PARKING LOT, WHERE I SHUT OFF THE ENGINE. I CONTACTED THE COMPANY I BOUGHT THE CAR FROM AND THEY SUGGESTED THAT I TRY TO RE-START THE ENGINE, WHICH I DID AND THE PROBLEM HAD CORRECTED ITSELF. I HAVE SCHEDULED MY VOLVO FOR SERVICE. THE IRONY IS THAT MY WIFE HAS A 2001 VOLVO XC STATION WAGON AND THE SAME PROBLEM OCCURRED WITH HER VEHICLE LAST SEPTEMBER. THE VOLVO DEALER CORRECTED THE PROBLEM BY REPLACING AN ECM AND RE-PROGRAMMING IT. THE PROBLEM WITH HER VOLVO XC HASN'T RE-OCCURRED. THE REAL CONCERN IS THAT IN BOTH INSTANCES, WE WERE TRAVELING ON AN INTERSTATE FREEWAY AT HIGH SPEED WHEN THE PROBLEM OCCURRED AND ONLY BY PURE LUCK DIDN'T CAUSE AN ACCIDENT!!*JB

CAR STALLED IN THE MIDDLE OF A BUSY INTERSECTION. CAR HAS STALLED INTERMITTENTLY SEVERAL TIMES. *NM

ON 2/3/06 OUR VOLVO V70 YEAR 2000, 74000M SHOWED AN ETS LIGHT AND CHECK ENGINE LIGHT. CAR STALLED AT UPON STOPPING AND ALSO UPON STOPPING AT A STOP LIGHT THE VEHICLE WOULD NOT ACCELERATE. UPON TURNING THE CAR OFF AND BACK ON I WAS ABLE TO HAVE IT ACCELERATE. THE CAR WOULD RUN OK FOR ABOUT 20 MILES THEN LIGHTS CAME ON AGAIN. CONTACTED VOLVO BYERS IN COLS OH 614-864-0780 WHOM INFORMED ME THAT THE THROTTLE SYSTEM IS NEEDING REPLACED. HAD THE VEHICLE SERVICED ON 2/6/06. BYERS PERFORM FAULT TESTS AND NOTED THAT THERE WAS LOW VOLTAGE AND STATED CABLES FROM BATTERY WERE NEEDING REPLACED. I INFORMED THEM THAT I WAS CONFUSED WITH HOW THIS COULD CAUSE THE ETS LIGHT AND CHECK ENGINE LIGHT TO COME ON AND CAUSE MY CAR TO STALL AND AT TIMES NOT ACCELERATE WHILE THE CAR IS RUNNING. THEY INDICATED THAT PRIOR TO FIXING THE ETS THEY NEEDED TO FIX THIS ISSUE. THE COST $463.59. THEY THEN CLEARED ALL FAULT CODES AND NOTED THAT THERE WAS NO ETS CODE PRESENT. I INFORMED THEM THAT THIS IS PROBABLY BECAUSE THEY DID NOT DRIVE THE CAR ENOUGH AFTER IT HAD BEEN TURNED OFF AS THIS IS WHAT OCCURRED TO ME THE DAY THE ETS CAUSED PROBLEMS. THEY INSISTED THAT IT WAS REPAIRED. HOWEVER, ON FEBRUARY 15, 2006 THE ETS AND CHECK ENGINE LIGHT CAME ON AGAIN AND THE CAR STALLED UPON STOPPING AND THE LIGHTS WOULD TURN OFF UPON RESTARTING THEN DRIVING 10 MILES TURNED BACK ON. I CALLED THE DEALER COMPLAINING ABOUT THE ISSUE AND FAILURE TO REMEDY THE INITIAL CAUSE OF THE PROBLEM. I ADDRESSED MY FRUSTRATION THAT I SPENT OVER $450 TO FIX A PROBLEM THAT MAY NEVER HAVE HAD TO BE FIXED. RESEARCHED OTHER PROBLEMS WITH VOLVO ETS AND FOUND SIMILAR ISSUES AND EXPERIENCES WITH THIS MODULE. FURTHERMORE, I LEARN OF A WARRANTY EXTENSION BUT NEVER RECEIVED ANY DOCUMENTATION OF ANY POTENTIAL PROBLEM WITH THE VEHICLE. THIS IS A SAFETY HAZARD. HAD I BEEN STOPPED IN AN INTERSECTION/RAILROAD TRACK I WOULD NOT HAVE BEEN ABLE TO ACCELERATE THE CAR TO AVOID POTENTIAL INJURY. VERY FRUSTRATED WITH VOLVO IN OHIO. *NM

DT*: THE CONTACT STATED WHILE IN REVERSE THE VEHICLE ACCELERATED SUDDENLY AND RAN INTO A CACTUS. AS A RESULT, THE VEHICLE SUSTAINED BODY DAMAGE. THE DEALERSHIP INSPECTED THE VEHICLE; HOWEVER THEY WERE UNABLE TO DUPLICATE THE PROBLEM. THE VEHICLE WAS TAKEN TO AN INDEPENDENT REPAIR SHOP, WHICH REPLACED THE REAR PASSENGER DOOR AND PANEL. THE MANUFACTURER WAS NOTIFIED; HOWEVER NO ADDITIONAL REPAIRS WERE MADE. UPDATED 5/10/2006 - THE DEALER REPLACED THE ELECTRONIC CONTROL MODULE. *NM

LOUD NOISE FROM REAR WHEELS. FIRST THOUGHT TO BE WORN TIRES. TURNED OUT TO BE THE BEARINGS FAILED. CAUSED DAMAGE TO SPEED SENSOR, ROTOR, REAR AXLE DRIVE SHAFT. CAR SHOOK VIOLENTLY AS SPEEDS WHERE REDUCED. DEALER WILL NOT FIX PROBLEM. ALL PARTS TO BE REPLACED AT OWNERS EXPENSE. *NM

WE HAVE EXPERIENCED THE "REDUCED POWER MODE" ON OUR 2001 VOLVO XC70 NUMEROUS TIMES BETWEEN DEC '05 AND FEB '06. THE VEHICLE REFUSED TO GO OVER 15 MPH UNTIL THE ENGINE WAS SHUT-OFF AND RESTARTED. THIS OCCURRED TWICE PULLING OUT OF OUR NEIGHBORHOOD ONTO A MAJOR ROAD, ENTERING THE HIGHWAY WHILE ATTEMPTING TO ACCELERATE TO HIGHWAY SPEED AND WHILE ATTEMPTING A PASSING MANEUVER ON THE HIGHWAY AROUND 60 MPH. IN ALL SITUATIONS, WE WERE FORTUNATE THAT SOMEONE WAS NOT RIGHT BEHIND US (MY WIFE AND 2 SMALL CHILDREN) WHEN THIS OCCURRED, AS THE POTENTIAL FOR AN ACCIDENT IS VERY HIGH. I TOOK THE VEHICLE TO MY LOCAL VOLVO DEALER, WHERE THEY DIAGNOSED A PROBLEM WITH THE ELECTRONIC THROTTLE MODULE (ETM), BUT STATED THERE WAS AN EXTENDED WARRANTY COVERING THIS COMPONENT. HOWEVER, INSTEAD OF REPLACING IT IMMEDIATELY, THE "PROCEDURE" CALLED FOR CLEANING THE ETM AND DOWNLOADING NEW SOFTWARE. ONLY AFTER THIS PROCEDURE WAS FOLLOWED AND THAT THE EVENT RECURRED (STORING A CODE IN MEMORY), WOULD THEY BE ALLOWED TO REPLACE THE ETM. I PICKED UP THE CAR THE SAME NIGHT AND AGAIN, WHEN PULLING OUT OF THE NEIGHBORHOOD, THE FAMILIAR "REDUCED POWER MODE" MESSAGE WAS DISPLAYED. I DO NOT SEE WHY IF THERE IS A POTENTIAL FOR REPEATED FAILURE, THAT VOLVO WOULD NOT REPLACE THE COMPONENT IMMEDIATELY, SINCE THEY ARE EQUATED WITH VEHICLE "SAFETY". THE ETM WILL NOW BE REPLACED, BUT I CANNOT SAY THAT I WILL BE ANY MORE COMFORTABLE WITH DRIVING OUR XC70. *NM

AFTER REPORTING SEVERAL PROBLEMS TRACED TO EMT MALFUNCTION I HAD TO PAY OUT OF POCKET IN EXCESS OF $800.00 TO HAVE EMT REPLACED IN 11/2002. LESS THAN TWO YEARS AFTER THAT, I'VE EXPERIENCED THE SAME PROBLEMS LISTED ON PREVIOUS COMPLAINTS, TO THE POINT WHERE I CONSIDER THE VEHICLE UNSAFE. I HAVE EXPERIENCED NO LESS THAN 15-20 INCIDENTS IN THE PAST 6 MONTHS ALONE. THE LAST ONE BEING JUST YESTERDAY WHERE THE VEHICLE ALL OF A SUDDEN STALLED DOWN TO ABOUT 20 MPH ON THE HIGHWAY FOR NO APPARENT REASON AND THEN BACK TO NORMAL SPEED SEVERAL TIMES. *NM