VOLVO Complaints

CAR WOULD SUDDENLY LOSE POWER, CAUSING UNSAFE SITUATIONS IN TRAFFIC. WARNING LIGHT WOULD COME ON ALONG WITH CHECK ENGINE LIGHT AND MESSAGE SAYING "REDUCED PERFORMANCE". FAILURE WAS INTERMITTENT AT FIRST AND INSTRUMENT LIGHTS WOULD GO BACK TO NORMAL. *NM

STOPPED TO DROP OFF PASSENGER, WHEN ATTEMPTED TO PULL AWAY, TRANSMISSION FAILED TO ENGAGE. TURNED VEHICLE OFF TO CHECK IT. ON RESTART ENGAGED FINE. APPROX 1/2 MILE DOWN THE ROAD, TRANSMISSION FAILED AGAIN WHILE VEHICLE WAS IN MOTION. COASTED TO THE SIDE OF THE ROAD, TURNED VEHICLE OFF FOR A FEW MINUTES, ON RESTART TRANSMISSION ONCE AGAIN ENGAGED FOR ME TO GO A FEW HUNDRED FEET TO SAFETY. VEHICLE WAS TOWED TO DEALERSHIP WHICH DIAGNOSED THE TRANSMISSION WITH 'INTERNAL FAULTS' WHICH WOULD REQUIRE A COMPLETE REPLACEMENT OF THE TRANSMISSION. THE VEHICLE IN QUESTION HAS NEVER HAD ANY WARNINGS THAT THE TRANSMISSION WAS FAILING, NOR HAD IT EVER HESITATED TO ENGAGE PRIOR TO IT'S COMPLETE FAILURE. THE VEHICLE IS 4 1/2 YEARS OLD WITH ONLY 32K MILES. *NM

MY CAR WAS JERKING AND STALLING WITHOUT ANY NOTICE. MY WIFE USE TO TELL ME ALL THE TIME THAT IT WAS DOING THAT. THIS WENT ON FOR A FEW MONTHS OR MAYBE EVEN LONGER. I DECIDED TO DRIVE THE CAR AND IT NEVER HAPPENED WITH ME UNTIL I WAS DRIVING ON VACATION TO N.C. AND IT JUST CUT OFF WHILE I WAS WITH MY FAMILY. I HAD TO PUSH THE CAR OF THE ROAD. I CONTINUED TO ATTEMPT TO RESTART THE VEHICLE. IT RESTARTED, AND I WENT TO THE NEAREST VOLVO DEALER AND HAD TO HAVE THE ELECTRONIC THROTTLE MODULE (ETM) REPLACED. $1014 WORTH OF REPAIRS, FROM ONE OF THE BEST CARS KNOWN FOR SAFETY AND RELIABILITY IN THE WORLD AND I FELT HELPLESS. I KNOW THAT THIS IS A DEFECT AND RECALL ISSUE AND WOULD LIKE TO BE REIMBURSED OR GIVEN CREDIT AT A VOLVO DEALERSHIP TO MAKE UP FOR MY LOSS AND JUST MAKE THIS MATTER RIGHT. I STILL HAVE THE INVOICE SERVICE RECEIPT WITH ALL THE INFORMATION ON IT. THE VOLVO DEALERSHIP WHERE THE REPAIRS WERE MADE WAS CROWN VOLVO IN GREENSBORO N.C. THANK YOU FOR ALLOWING ME TO MAKE A COMPLAINT. HOPEFULLY ENOUGH PEOPLE WITH THE SAME PROBLEM CAN MAKE SOME KEY PERSONNEL THINK ABOUT THE SAFETY ISSUES AND RELIABILITY CONCERNS OF THESE VEHICLES. *NM

DT:THE CONTACT STATED WHILE DRIVING IN TRAFFIC VEHICLE LOST POWER. THE VEHICLE SURGED AND LOST MOST OF THE POWER FOR ABOUT FOUR MILES. THE VEHICLE WAS THEN TURNED OFF. A FEW MINUTES LATER, THE VEHICLE RESTARTED. SHE TOOK THE VEHICLE TO THE DEALERSHIP. THE THROTTLE BODY AND A CP VALVE WERE REPLACED AT CONTACT'S EXPENSE. THIS HAPPENED A FEW MONTHS BEFORE, AND THE DEALER MADE MINOR ADJUSTMENTS, BUT DID NOT FIX THE VEHICLE. THE CONTACT WAS THE ORIGINAL OWNER OF THE VEHICLE. *AK

THE TIE ROD SYSTEM ON VEHICLE HAS BEEN REPLACED FOUR TIMES DUE TO WEAR. IT HAS BEEN REPLACED WITHIN THE MANUFACTURER'S WARRANTY PERIOD. UPON INSPECTION OF THE VEHICLE DURING A SAFETY CHECK BY THE DEALER, IT WAS DETERMINED THAT THE TIE ROD NEEDED TO BE REPLACED AGAIN, ONLY 12,000 MILES AFTER THE PREVIOUS REPLACEMENT. THIS TIME IT IS NO LONGER IN WARRANTY. I HAVE SPOKEN TO THE MANUFACTURER AND DEALER ABOUT THIS PARTICULAR PROBLEM WITH THE VEHICLE TO SEE IF IT IS A CONSISTENT PROBLEM AND THEY WILL NOT PROVIDE THE INFORMATION TO ME. THEY REINSPECTED MY VEHICLE TO "WORK" WITH ME REGARDING REPLACEMENT OF THE TIE ROD FOR A REDUCED RATE AND DETERMINED THAT IT DID NOT NEED TO BE REPLACED. I DON'T KNOW IF THAT IS BECAUSE I WAS FIGHTING FOR THEM TO REPLACE IT ENTIRELY SINCE THIS WOULD BE THE 5TH REPLACEMENT IN 52,000 MILES FOR A PART THAT SHOULD LAST MUCH LONGER. *NM

SINCE THE CAR WAS PURCHASED THERE HAVE BEEN ROUGH START AND ROUGH IDLE ISSUES AND ACCELERATION ISSUES. THE ISSUES WERE RAISED TO THE DEALER ON THREE OCCASIONS ALL WITH NO RESOLUTION. THE DEALER HAS NOW IDENTIFIED THE ISSUE AS A FAILURE IN THE ETM AFTER THE SERVICE ENGINE LIGHT CAME ON AND REMAINED LIT. DEALER QUOTES REPAIR COSTS OF $1,100. *NM

FAILURE OF THE THROTTLE CONTROL MODULE ON A 2000 VOLVO V70 CROSS COUNTRY, BEVEL GEAR FAILURE IS LIKELY AS WELL, BOTH ARE FREQUENT FAILURES AMONG OWNERS. *NM

2002 VOLVO 75,000 MI HAS A DEFECTIVE ELECTRONIC THROTTLE WHICH CAUSES CAR TO SUDDENLY SHUT OFF WHILE IN DRIVE. I UNDERSTAND THIS TO BE A COMMON PROBLEM AND THERE IS A CLASS ACTION LAWSUIT FILED IN CALIFORNIA FOR MODEL YEARS 1999-2001. COST TO REPLACE IS $1200.00. *NM

SURGING IDLE SPEED. CAR LURCHES FORWARD AT TIMES WHEN ACCELERATING FROM A STOP. CAR ALMOST STALLS WHEN IDLING IN BUMPER TO BUMPER TRAFFIC, REQUIRING YOU TO PRESS ON THE GAS TO KEEP IT FROM STALLING, BUT THIS MAKES THE CAR LURCH FORWARD EVEN MORE. SEVERAL TIMES I HAVE ALMOST HIT THE CAR IN FRONT OF ME. THIS PROBLEM IS DUE TO A FAULTY ETM (ELECTRONIC THROTTLE MODULE) THAT IS DESCRIBED IN THE NHTSA DEFECT INVESTIGATION SHOWN BELOW. THE ETM IN MY CAR WAS REPLACED TWO YEARS AGO AT 46K MILES BUT THE SAME SYMPTOMS ARE RECURRING. NHTSA ACTION NUMBER : PE05041 NHTSA RECALL CAMPAIGN NUMBER : N/A MAKE : VOLVO MODEL: S80 MANUFACTURER : VOLVO CARS OF N.A. LLC. YEAR : 2001 COMPONENT : VEHICLE SPEED CONTROL DATE INVESTIGATION OPENED : JULY 26, 2005 DATE INVESTIGATION CLOSED : OPEN SUMMARY: THE OFFICE OF DEFECTS INVESTIGATION (ODI) HAS RECEIVED ONE HUNDRED AND THIRTY-ONE (131) CONSUMER COMPLAINTS ALLEGING A VARIETY OF CONCERNS RESULTING FROM FAILURE OF THE ELECTRONIC THROTTLE CONTROL MODULE (ETM) IN THE SUBJECT VEHICLES, INCLUDING A SUDDEN LOSS OF SPEED AND STEERING ASSIST WHEN DRIVING IN HIGHWAY TRAFFIC AND SUDDEN AND COMPLETE STALL WITHOUT WARNING. IN SOME INSTANCES, IT HAS BEEN REPORTED THAT THE VEHICLES WOULD RESTART, AND IN SOME CASES THE VEHICLES WERE TOWED. SOME CONSUMERS ALLEGE THAT AFTER HAVING THE ETM REPLACED THE NEW COMPONENT FAILED IN A SIMILAR MANNER. A PRELIMINARY EVALUATION HAS BEEN OPENED TO DETERMINE THE SCOPE, FREQUENCY, AND POTENTIAL SAFETY-RELATED CONSEQUENCES OF THE ALLEGED DEFECT. *JB

DT: THE CONTACT'S WIFE HAD THE ELECTRONIC THROTTLE MODULE (ETM)REPLACED. THE VEHICLE WOULD SLOW DOWN, ALMOST STALLING, AND THEN THE VEHICLE WOULD SURGE. THE REPLACEMENT OF THE ETM REMEDIED THE PROBLEM.*AK UPDATED 11/29/2005 - *NM