VOLVO Complaints

1999 VOLVO V70 W/61,000. ELECTRONIC THROTTLE MODULE FAILURE (ETS AND CHECK ENGINE LIGHTS: ROUGH IDLE ON START (SURGING);SLOW SPEED ONLY. DEALER SERVICE MGR. INDICATED THEY REPLACE MANY, BUT NOT AT SUCH LOW MILEAGE. NO INDICATION THAT FAILURE WAS IMMINENT EXCEPT SLIGHT, OCCASIONAL HESITATION AFTER STARTUP. TRIP LENGTH OF 3 MILES. SUBSEQUENT STARTUP AND COMMUTE TO DEALER UNEVENTFUL EXCEPT CHECK ENGINE LIGHT WAS LIT. *NM

THE VEHICLE EXPERIENCES SUDDEN, UNEXPECTED, DECELERATION AND ACCELERATIONS WHILE DRIVING UNDER NORMAL CONDITIONS. MUST TURNOFF VEHICLE AND ATTEMPT TO RE-START. DOESN'T ALWAYS RESTART IMMEDIATELY. *NM

I OWN A 2001 VOLVO S 80. IT DIED ON THE HIGHWAY IN THE MIDDLE OF BUSY RUSH HOUR TRAFFIC. HAD IT TOWED TO VOLVO AND REPAIRED. NEED A NEW THROTTLE BODY AND MASS AIR FLOW SENSOR. VERY EXPENSIVE REPAIR AND WAS TOLD OFF THE RECORD THAT THIS PART FAILURE HAS BEEN MUCH MORE COMMON THAN IT SHOULD BE. I AM NOTIFYING YOU SO THAT YOU WILL LOOK INTO MANNER. SEEMS THIS SHOULD BE A RECALL ITEM. THANK YOU. *NM

VEHICLE SURGES IN RPM WHILE DRIVING,VEHICLE STARTED BY NO ACCELERATION WARNING LIGHT ON ENGINE MALFUNCTION. SHUT OFF WHILE DRIVING. *NM

DT: THE CALLER SAID WHILE DRIVING AT 55 MPH COOLANT LIGHT ON DASHBOARD CAME ON AND THE VEHICLE BROKE DOWN AND CAUGHT ON FIRE. SHE SAID THE LIGHT CAME ON BEFORE SHE LEFT FOR A TRIP, AND THE DEALER SAID THEY FIXED IT. THE CALLER SAID WHILE ON THE TRIP THE LIGHT CAME ON AGAIN AND SHE CALLED DEALER, AND WAS TOLD AS LONG AS THE TEMPERATURE WAS NOT RISING THE VEHICLE WOULD BE OKAY. THE DEALER SAID THE PROBLEM WAS THE COOLANT SENSOR. THE CALLER STATED THE TEMPERATURE DID NOT CLIMB BEFORE THE VEHICLE LOST POWER, STOPPED RUNNING ,AND CAUGHT ON FIRE. THERE WAS A REPORT FILED BY THE FIRE DEPARTMENT. VEHICLE WAS TOTALED. VEHICLE WAS BADLY BURNED TO DETERMINE THE CAUSE OF THE FIRE.*AK

DT: WHILE DRIVING AT 65 MPHICLE STALLED/HESITATED, AND OPERATED AT REDUCED SPEED OF 20 MPH. THE THROTTLE MODULE MALFUNCTIONED, CAUSING THE VEHICLE TO STALL. THE THROTTLE MODULE WAS REPLACED. *AK

DT: THE CONSUMER STATED THAT THE 1999 VOLVO V70 HAD TO HAVE THE THROTTLE MODULE REPLACED. THE CAR HAD ALL THE LIGHTS COME ON BEFORE THE CAR LOST POWER. THE CAR WOULD INTERMITTENTLY STOP GIVING ANY INFORMATION AT ALL FROM THE DASH. THERE WAS AN ARROW IN THE DASH THAT INDICATED THAT THERE WAS A THROTTLE PROBLEM. THE CONSUMER WAS THE SECOND OWNER OF THIS VEHICLE, AND IT COST HER $904.00 TO REPLACE THE THROTTLE. *AK

I'VE HAD NUMEROUS ELECTRONIC PROBLEMS WITH MY VOLVO V70 SINCE I BOUGHT IT IN 1998. THE VEHICLE HAS BEEN BROUGHT BACK TO THE VOLVO REPAIR DEALER FOR MANY REPAIRS (I HAVE ORGANIZED DOCUMENTS OF ALL THE REPAIR ORDERS) CLEARLY IDENTIFIED AS "LOST OF POWER" WHILE DRIVING. MOSTLY ON SMALL ROADS AND ONLY ONCE ON AN INTERSTATE. ORIGINALLY STARTED UNDER WARRANTY, I WAS TOLD THAT THE SAME PROBLEM WAS NOT COVERED OUTSIDE OF WARRANTY WHEN I SPOKE WITH THE PRESIDENT OF VOLVO NORTH AMERICA'S SECRETARY. I HAVE HAD MANY PARTS REPLACED TRYING TO CORRECT THE SITUATION INCLUDING TWO ELECTRONIC THROTTLE CONTROL UNITS (TOTALING THREE IF YOU INCLUDE THE ONE THAT CAME WITH THE CAR). "LOSS OF POWER", "STALLING AT TRAFFIC LIGHTS", "HESITATION WHEN PRESSING ON ACCELERATOR", AN OTHER COMMENTS ARE ALL DOCUMENTED IN THE VOLVO REPAIR SHOP REPAIR ORDERS. THE PROBLEMS CONTINUED UNTIL THROUGHOUT MY OWNERSHIP OF THE CAR. I FINALLY GAVE UP AND SOLD IT JUNE 05. THE REPAIRS THAT VOLVO DID TO MY V70 WOULD WORK FOR A WHILE AND THEN THE LIGHTS WOULD SOON COME BACK ON. I'D PUT UP WITH IT FOR A WHILE UNTIL THE CAR STARTED TO BECOME TO DANGEROUS TO DRIVE (HESITATION) AND THEN I'D BRING IT IN FOR REPAIR. VOLVO TRIED DIFFERENT SOLUTIONS AND TOLD ME THAT THE COMPUTER CODES INDICATED DIFFERENT REPAIRS, BUT TO ME IT WAS ALWAYS THE SAME SYMPTOMS. I WOULD BE GLAD TO SHARE THE ENTIRE BOOK OF REPAIR ORDERS OVER THE 7 YEARS (AND 167,000 MILES) THAT I OWNED THE CAR. AGAIN THEY WERE ALWAYS DONE AT A CERTIFIED VOLVO DEALERSHIP. *JB

WE PURCHASED A 2001 VOLVO V70 2.4T WAGON 12-16-01 FROM THE DEALER, WHO HAD USED IT AS A LOANER VEHICLE. THIS COMPLAINT IS REGARDING THE THROTTLE CONTROL. FOR ABOUT A MONTH IT WOULD FEEL AS IF A PLUG WAS BAD OR A FUEL LINE CLOGGED WHEN DRIVING AT A STEADY SPEED. IT WASN'T AT FIRST NOTICEABLE DURING ACCELERATION. THEN A "REDUCED PERFORMANCE" MESSAGE CAME ON THE DASH. FINALLY, ON 8-20-05, THE CAR STALLED ON THE WAY TO THE DEALER IN RENO TO GET IT REPAIRED. FORTUNATELY, WE WERE IN THE RIGHT LANE AND MANAGED TO PULL OFF THE ROAD OUT OF TRAFFIC. JUST A MATTER OF TIMING AND THIS PROBLEM COULD WELL HAVE BEEN DEADLY. IT RESTARTED AND WE MADE IT INTO THE DEALER. THE THROTTLE BODY WAS REPLACED AND THE PVC SYSTEM CLEANED, AS THE SERVICE MANAGER STATED THE PROBLEM CAUSED IT TO NEED CLEANING. THE TOTAL BILL WAS $1,336.49. I FEEL VOLVO HAS A SERIOUS PROBLEM HERE, AND JUDGING BY THE NUMBER OF COMPLAINTS, WHICH MUST BE ONLY A FRACTION OF THE NUMBER OF INCIDENTS, IT IS ONLY A MATTER OF TIME BEFORE IT CAUSES DEATHS ON THE HIGHWAY IF IT HASN'T ALREADY. *JB

WE HAVE 1999 VOLVO GLT. DURING ROUTINE MAINTENANCE OUR MECHANIC NOTED THAT OUR ELECTRONIC THROTTLE MODULATOR (?) NEEDED TO BE REPLACED. HE SAID THAT HE HAS SEEN THIS PROBLEM ON MANY 1999-2001 VOLVOS. THE CLUE FOR HIM WAS THE IRREGULAR AND HIGH IDLE OF THE CAR. IT COST APPROXIMATELY $1000.00 TO REPAIR. THE CAR ONLY HAS 54K MILES. *JB