VOLVO Complaints

MY WIFE WAS DRIVING OUR VOLVO XC (2001) BACK FROM THE GROCERY STORE. IN EXITING THE STORE PARKING LOT SHE HAD MAKE A LEFT TURN ONTO RT. 24W IN MENDHAM, NJ FROM A STOP SIGN. AS SHE GOT ON TO THE SINGLE LANE HIGHWAY THE CAR STALLED LEAVING HER WITHOUT POWER IN THE MIDDLE OF A SINGLE LANE HIGHWAY WITH OUR 2 YEAR OLD SON IN THE BACK SEAT. INCOMING TRAFFIC SUDDENLY HAD TO COME TO A STOP IN ORDER NOT TO HIT HER CAR. SHE WAS ABLE TO MOVE THE CAR TO THE SIDE OF THE ROAD AND RESTART IT AND MAKE THE 5 MINUTE TRIP BACK HOME. THE CAR WAS NOT ABLE TO MAKE THE SLIGHT INCLINE UP THE DRIVEWAY. THE NEXT MORNING I WAS ABLE TO START THE CAR AND TAKE IT TO THE VOLVO DEALER. ALL ALONG THE TRIP THE FELT LIKE IT WAS GOING TO STALL ANY MINUTE. I KEPT A CONSTANT SPEED AND DID NOT TAKE ANY CHANCES WITH SUDDEN ACCELERATION OR PASSING. AFTER THE DEALER SERVICE DEPARTMENT LOOKED AT THE CAR I WAS INFORMED THAT THE THROTTLE ASSEMBLY NEEDED TO BE REPLACED. THE REPAIR COST ME $1004.52. (I KEPT THE REPAIR INVOICE) THE CAR HAD 56157 MILES ON IT AND HAD JUST COME OFF THE MANUFACTURERS WARRANTY. I CALLED VOLVO NORTH AMERICA TO COMPLAIN AND THEY SAID SOMEBODY WOULD GET BACK TO ME. I THEN GOT A CALL FROM THE DEALER. APPARENTLY VOLVO PASSED THE BUCK THE DEALER AND ALL THEY TOLD ME WAS THAT THEY SIMPLY REPAIRED MY CAR. AFTER READING ABOUT YOUR PROBE OF VOLVO CARS SPECIFIC TO THE KIND OF PROBLEM WE HAD I DECIDED TO FILE A COMPLAINT. *NM

I OWN A 1999 VOLVO V70XC. WHILE DRIVING TO WORK ON 9/8/05, SUDDENLY THE ELECTRONIC THROTTLE SYSTEM (ETS) LIGHT LIT UP ON MY DRIVER CONTROL PANEL, AND I LOST A CONSIDERABLE AMOUNT OF ACCELERATION AS I WAS DRIVING THROUGH AN INTERSECTION. I QUICKLY PULLED OVER TO THE SIDE OF THE ROAD, AND CHECKED MY OWNER'S MANUAL. AS THE MANUAL INSTRUCTED, I CONTACTED MY MECHANIC FROM THE ROAD AND HE SUGGESTED I BRING IT IN RIGHT AWAY. AFTER SEVERAL STOPS & DRIVING ON THE SHOULDER I MADE IT TO MY MECHANIC (15 MILES) WHO WAS ACTUALLY SURPRISED I HAD BEEN ABLE TO DRIVE IT THERE AT ALL. HE TOLD ME THE ETS WOULD PROBABLY NEED TO BE REPLACED AT APPROXIMATELY $950 TO $1150. I WAS FLOORED BY THE NEWS, ESPECIALLY SINCE IT SEEMED TO BE A SAFETY ISSUE. AFTER SOME INVESTIGATING I FOUND OUT THAT THERE IS A CLASS ACTION SUIT AGAINST VOLVO CONCERNING THE ETS, AND I'M GOING TO COMPLAIN AS MUCH AND AS LOUDLY AS I CAN ABOUT THIS MATTER. I AM EXTREMELY FRUSTRATED--MY CAR IS SITTING IN THE DRIVEWAY BECAUSE IT IS UNSAFE TO DRIVE, AND I DON'T FEEL I SHOULD HAVE TO SPEND $1000 TO HAVE IT FIXED IF THERE IS PENDING LITIGATION FOR A CAMPAIGN TO RECALL THE CAR FOR THE ETS. MY HUSBAND AND I BOUGHT THIS CAR BECAUSE WE KNEW VOLVO HAD A REPUTATION FOR BEING A VERY SAFE CAR--SO MUCH SO THAT WE BOUGHT A 2001 VOLVO V70XC--TWO WAGONS IN ONE FAMILY! NOW WE'RE CONSIDERING SELLING BOTH CARS. I'M EXTREMELY DISGUSTED ABOUT THIS MATTER. ELLENORE PRINGLE. *NM

THE THROTTLE BODY HAS FAILED IN TRAFFIC AND ON THE HWY. THE PART HAS BEEN REPLACED 2 TIMES AND WAS CLEANED 2 - 3 TIMES. AT THIS TIME I AM UNABLE TO DRIVE IT OVER 15 MPH. NEEDLESS TO SAY IT IS SITTING. I AM GUESSING AT THE DAY IT STATED. *NM

HAD PROBLEMS WITH CAR STALLING AT SLOW SPEEDS, BUT ALL OF A SUDDEN WHILE DRIVING ON A MAJOR HIGHWAY AT 65 MPH AND CAR LOST POWER. WE WERE ABLE TO GLIDE TO SHOULDER WHERE CAR STALLED. IT RESTARTED IMMEDIATELY, BUT ABOUT EVERY 5 MI. THE CAR WOULD STALL AGAIN. THE SERVICE DEPT. AT STAMFORD VOLVO TOLD ME I HAD BAD GAS AND THEY REPLACE A SENOR IN THE FUEL SYSTEM. AS SOON AS I LEFT THE DEALERSHIP AND GOT ON THE HIGHWAY THE CAR STALLED AGAIN. I BROUGHT IT BACK TO THE DEALER. THEY SERVICED THE CAR AGAIN AND TOLD ME THE WATER IN THE GAS RUSTED SOME SCREEN IN THE FUEL SYSTEM. THEY REPLACED IT AND THUS FAR THE CAR HASN'T' STALLED BUT THERE IS STILL SOME HESITATION WHILE DRIVING AT HIGH SPEEDS. *NM

ENGINE LIGHT AND ETS WARNING LIGHTS COME ON. WAS SUPPOSEDLY REPAIRED AT DEALER BUT LIGHTS ARE COMING ON AGAIN. HAVE READ ON A NUMBER OF FORUMS THAT THE ETS FAILURE CAN CAUSE DANGEROUS DRIVING CONDITIONS...SUDDEN LOSS OF POWER. IF THIS PROBLEM CAN CAUSE THIS PROBLEM VOLVO SHOULD OFFER A RECALL ON THE DEVICE. I HAVE ALSO RESEARCHED THAT INCORRECT DIAGNOSTIC SOFTWARE WAS INSTALLED ON SOME MODELS. *NM

MY 2000 S80 VOLVO HAS A DEFECT WITH THE EMISSION CONTROL MODULE IT WAS LOSING POWER AND IDLING VERY BAD. BECAUSE OF THIS PROBLEM THE CAT CONVERTER AND O2 SENSORS ALSO MISS FUNCTIONED WHICH COST OVER $4000 TO REPAIR AFTER I GOT THE CAR BACK 2 DAYS LATER THE EMISSION MESSAGE APPEARED AGAIN AND THE CAR IS NOT RUNNING WELL. *NM

I HAD BEEN EXPERIENCING A HESITATION FOR APPX SIX MONTHS, JUST WONDERING WHEN THE CAR WOULD FINALLY FAIL AND WHERE. I DROVE THE CAR HOME ON LIMP MODE TWICE. I'D TAKEN THE CAR TO THE DEALERSHIP ON 4 SEPARATE OCCASIONS TO FIGURE OUT THE PROBLEM. EACH TIME THEY COULD NOT FIGURE OUT THE PROBLEM AND CHARGED ME TO LOOK AT THE CAR. THE FOURTH TIME THE CAR PUT OUT AN ETM CODE AND THEY REPLACED THE ETM. *NM

RECENTLY WHILE DRIVING AT SPEEDS AROUND 40 MPH MY CAR EXPERIENCED A LOSS OF SPEED AND THEN STALLED. EACH EXPERIENCE HAS BEEN PRECEDED BY A BRIEF LOSS AND THEN BY A MORE PROLONGED LOSS AND FINALLY A COMPLETE ENGINE FAILURE WHICH LOCKS UP STEERING. IN EACH INSTANCE THE CAR HAS RESTARTED. THE MECHANIC SAID IT WAS MOST LIKELY A FAILURE OF THE ELECTRONIC THROTTLE CONTROL MODULE (ETM). STEPS ARE CURRENTLY BEING TAKEN TO REPLACE THE ETM. *NM

CAR RAN ROUGH RPMS UP & DOWN FELT LIKE CAR WOULD STALL IF FOOT DID NOT STAY ON GAS PEDAL. DID NOT FEEL SAFE DRIVING BECAUSE OF POTENTIAL TO STALL AT ANY TIME. TOOK TO DEALER WHO REPLACED THE ELECTRONIC THROTTLE MODULE (AT OUR EXPENSE). NOW WE ARE READING THAT VOLVO HAS REVERSED ITS POSITION--BUT ONLY IN SWEDEN NOT NORTH AMERICA. NOW CAR IS RUNNING ROUGH AGAIN AND RPMS ARE STICKING HIGH, THEN DROPPING, DO NOT FEEL COMFORTABLE DRIVING. VOLVO SAYS TOO BAD. *JB

THE VEHICLE WAS NOT IDLING PROPERLY. WHILE STOPPED AT A STOP LIGHT, THE ENGINE WOULD SPEED UP AND SLOW DOWN. WHEN STARTING TO MOVE FROM A STOP, THE CAR WOULD LURCH FORWARD AS THE ENGINE SPEED INCREASED. THIS RESULTED IN NUMEROUS CLOSE CALLS OF ME HAVING TO STOP SUDDENLY BEFORE HITTING THE CAR IN FRONT OF ME, ALSO INCREASING THE CHANCE OF BEING HIT FROM BEHIND FROM CARS AS I STOPPED SUDDENLY. THE VOLVO DEALER REPLACED THE ELECTRONIC THROTTLE MODULE AS WELL AS THE MASS AIR SENSOR TO CORRECT THE PROBLEM. THIS IS SIMILAR TO THE OTHER COMPLAINTS THAT HAVE BEEN REPORTED ABOUT THE ETM ON THE VOLVO. *JB