VOLVO Complaints

DT: WHILE DRIVING AT 35 MPH VEHICLE STALLED LOST POWER DUE TO THROTTLE BODY FAILURE. DEALER REPLACED THROTTLE BODY. *AK

1999 VOLVO S70 T5, DURING 2004 CAR STARTED AN IDLE/SURGE PROBLEM. TOOK IT TO DEALER WHO SAID THE MASS AIR FLOW CONTROL REGULATOR NEEDED CLEANING. PAID AROUND $200 AND CAR SEEMED FINE FOR AWHILE. IN JAN 2005 THE PROBLEM RETURNED, BUT WORSE. TOOK IT TO TWO DIFFERENT VOLVO CERTIFIED MECHANICS WHO SAID THERE WERE NO CODES IN COMPUTER, THEY COULD SEE THERE WAS A PROBLEM BUT HAD NO CLUE WHAT WAS CAUSING IT, JUST OPINIONS ON A COUPLE OF PART WE COULD TRY REPLACING. IN MARCH 05 THE VEHICLE STALLED WHILE DRIVING IN TRAFFIC, RESTARTED AND SEEMED TO RUN FINE, ASIDE FROM THE SURGING. HOWEVER, SURGING CONTINUED AND STALLING, IN TRAFFIC, OCCURRED AGAIN TWO WEEKS AGO. DOING MY OWN RESEARCH, I'M NOW FINDING THIS IS A KNOWN AND DANGEROUS PROBLEM WITH THIS MODEL VEHICLE. DUE TO FINANCIAL RESTRAINTS AT THIS MOMENT, I CANNOT AFFORD TO REPLACE THE ELECTRONIC THROTTLE CONTROL MODULE AND SO MY CAR MOSTLY SITS, BEING DRIVEN ONLY IF ABSOLUTELY NECESSARY. LUCKILY WE HAVE A SECOND VEHICLE. WE PURCHASED OUR VOLVO, DESPITE THE REPUTATION FOR PRICEY MAINTENANCE, WITH FAITH IN VOLVO'S REPUTATION FOR SAFETY AND RELIABILITY. A REPUTATION BUILT, IN PART, BY RATINGS SUPPLIED BY SEVERAL CONSUMER REPORTING AGENCIES, INCLUDING YOUR OWN. THE MANUFACTURER NEEDS TO TAKE RESPONSIBILITY FOR THIS DEFECTIVE EQUIPMENT, AND CONSUMER ADVOCACY AGENCIES SHOULD SEE TO IT THAT THEY DO. *NM

ON SEPTEMBER 10, 2005 AT APPROXIMATELY 2:30 PM, MY ENGINE ABRUPTLY STALLED WHILE TRAVELING AT HIGHWAY SPEEDS WITH CRUISE CONTROL ENGAGED. I PULLED THE CAR OFF TO THE SIDE OF THE ROAD. IT WOULD NOT RESTART. UPON EACH ATTEMPT TO RESTART, THE ENGINE WOULD ACTUALLY RUN ROUGHLY FOR 1-2 SECONDS AND THEN STALL. I HAD THE CAR TOWED ABOUT 35 MILES TO MY VOLVO DEALER. WHEN IT ARRIVED, IT STARTED. THIS IS THE SECOND TIME THIS HAS HAPPENED. THE LAST TIME, THE DEALER FOUND NO PROBLEM. I AM AWARE THAT VOLVO SUSPECTS THE THROTTLE BODY IN THESE MATTERS. MINE HAS ALREADY BEEN REPLACED! *NM

THE LIGHTING OF DASH INSTRUMENTS, I.E. RADIO AND HVAC CONTROLS IS TOO DIM TO READ DURING NORMAL SUNNY DAYLIGHT CONDITIONS. THIS CONDITION CREATES A SAFETY HAZARD IN THAT THE DRIVER CANNOT SEE IMPORTANT INFORMATION.*JB

(1)CAR STALLED IN TRAFFIC FOUR TIMES OVER THREE MONTHS. POWER STEERING/BRAKES FAILED.(2) CAR STALLED AND WOULD NOT MAINTAIN IDLE IN DRIVE-LIMPED HOME TO DEALER 30 MILES AWAY. CAR WOULD START AND RUN IF RPM WERE OVER 1500. LOWER THAN THAT WOULD RESULT IN STALL...AND RESTART TO GET HOME. (3) PARTS REQUIRED WERE MAP SENSOR, THROTTLE BODY, ETM RELOAD. *JB

CAR STALLED (POWER LOST) SEVERAL TIMES EVEN AFTER DRIVING FOR AWHILE. STALLED OUT AT STOP SIGN, RED LIGHT, AND WHILE DRIVING AT LOW RATE OF SPEED. TOOK TO MARTENS VOLVO DEALER. THEY CHARGED US $400+ TO CLEAN THE THROTTLE AND SOME PART NEAR THE THROTTLE. *JB

HELLO, THE ETM (ELECTRONIC THROTTLE MODULE) IN OUR 2001 VOLVO XC70 FAILED ON MY WIFE IN THE MIDDLE OF HEAVY TRAFFIC ON COLORADO HIGHWAY 83. SHE WAS IN THE MIDDLE LANE OF THREE AND WAS TRAVELING ABOUT 50 MPH. THE ENGINE DIED COMPLETELY AND SHE HAD A HARD TIME MAKING IT THROUGH TRAFFIC TO THE SIDE OF THE ROAD. SHE HAD TO LET TRAFFIC PASS BEFORE DOING SO. SHE HAD TO SIT ON THE SHOULDER FOR ABOUT 15 MINUTES BEFORE THE CAR WOULD START AGAIN. I DISCUSSED THE HEAVY FAILURE RATE OF VOLVO ETMS WITH MCDONALD VOLVO OF DENVER, CO AND TOLD THEM VOLVO WAS RECALLING THIS PART IN SWEDEN AND THAT AT LEAST ONE CLASS ACTION SUIT WAS FILED. THEY SAID THAT THERE WAS NO RECALL NOR WOULD THEY PERFORM A GOODWILL REPLACEMENT. WE HAD TO REPLACE IT AT A COST OF $1,090.45. THE MILEAGE ON OUR VOLVO WAS 67,487. DO YOU HAVE ANY MORE INFORMATION REGARDING THE SAFETY ISSUES AND THE UNUSUALLY HIGH FAILURE RATE OF VOLVO ETMS? MY WIFE AND I ARE CONCERNED ABOUT OUR SAFETY IN OUR VOLVO. RURIK LUBINSKI. *JB

FAULTY ELECTRONIC THROTTLE MODULE (ETM) ON 1999 VOLVO S80 T6 ON A REPLACEMENT PART. CAR HAS STALLED NUMEROUS TIMES ON OPEN HIGHWAY RESULT IN A SEVERE SAFETY SITUATION. THE MILEAGE ON THE CAR IS ONLY 43,000 DESPITE BEING A 6 YEAR OLD VEHICLE. THE ORIGINAL ETM WAS DETERMINED FAULTY AND A REPLACEMENT UNIT WAS PUT IN ON SEPTEMBER 19, 2002. INDEPENDENT VOLVO REPAIR DEALER HAS DETERMINED THAT THE REPLACEMENT UNIT HAS FAILED AGAIN DESPITE ONLY HAVING 17,000 MILES PUT ON THE CAR SINCE BEING REPLACED IN 2002. *JB

DT: THE RPMS WOULD DROP TO 500 OR BELOW, AND THE CAR WOULD STALL. TOOK VEHICLE TO THE DEALER, AND THEY CLEANED THE THROTTLE. WITHIN 2-3 MONTHS, IT WAS THE SAME PROBLEM OR WORSE. THIS WAS A SAFETY ISSUE. THE CONSUMER SENT VOLVO A LETTER, AND THEY SAID NHTSA WAS IN THE MIDDLE OF AN INVESTIGATION AND WOULDN'T DO ANYTHING UNTIL THE RESULTS WERE PUBLISHED.*AK

REMOTE KEY TRANSMITTER ON 2005+ VOLVO V50 IS A PERSONAL SAFETY HAZARD AND POTENTIAL SWINDLE FOR VOLVO ON SELLING REPLACEMENT TRANSMITTERS. THE DESIGN IS SUCH THAT THE KEY WILL INADVERTENTLY FALL OFF THE VALET KEY (WHICH INCIDENTALLY CANNOT BE USED TO START THE CAR). THE LATCHING MECHANISM IS IN CLOSE PROXIMITY (+/- 3MM) TO THE KEY RING IT WOULD NORMALLY SIT ON AND WHEN THE KEY RING BUMPS AGAINST THE LATCH IN YOUR POCKET OR PURSE, IT CAN PARTIALLY DISLODGE KEY AND WHEN YOU PULL IT FROM POCKET, THE KEY GOES FLYING ELSEWHERE UNKNOWN TO THE OWNER. NO THIS COMPLAINT DOESN'T INVOLVE DIRECT PERSONAL INJURY, BUT IMAGINE LOSING YOUR KEY IN AN UNSAFE PLACE OR SITUATION AND HAVING TO CRAWL AROUND AND TRY TO FIND THE THING. DELPHI IS THE MANUFACTURER OF THE KEYFOB. THE USE TESTING OF THIS KEY MUST HAVE BEEN NON-EXISTENT AS I HAVE LOST ONE KEY WITHIN 60 DAYS OF OWNERSHIP (COST ME $60, COULD HAVE BEEN MORE SINCE DEALER NORMALLY CHARGES 2 HOURS LABOR TO PROGRAM KEY). NOW I HAVE MINE HOOKED TOGETHER WITH SAFETY WIRE. VOLVO WILL NOT RESPOND TO REPEATED EMAILS, CALLS. DEALER WON'T ADDRESS ISSUE AT ALL. I CANNOT BE THE ONLY PERSON. MY WIFES KEY DOES THE SAME THING. I HAVE SEARCHED INTERNET FORUMS TO FIND OTHER USES WITH SIMILAR ISSUES ON OTHER VOLVO KEYS. IT'S JUST A SHAME VOLVO WON'T FIX WHAT ISN'T RIGHT. *NM