VOLVO Complaints

DURING THE MONTH OF MARCH, 2005, I WAS DRIVING MY 1999 VOLVO V70 ON THE INTERSTATE AT 65 MILES PER HOUR WHEN THE CAR JERKED SEVERAL TIMES AND SLOWED TO 10 MILES PER HOUR; NOT ACCELERATING PASS THAT SPEED. I EXITED THE INTERSTATE AND DROVE HOME AT THE SPEED OF 10 MILES PER HOUR OR LESS. TO PREVENT THE CAR FROM STOPPING AT RED LIGHTS, I PLACED THE CAR IN PARK AND PRESSED THE ACCELERATOR TO KEEP THE CAR FROM STOPPING. I HAD THE CAR TOWED TO VOLVO SOUTH ATLANTA AND IT WAS DETERMINED THAT THE THROTTLE BODY HAD TO BE REPLACED AT A COST OF $905.44. THE PARTS WERE DISPOSED OF BUT I HAVE A RECEIPT FOR THE THROTTLE BODY, GASKET AND ETM RELOAD. *NM

DT: CONSUMER WAS TRAVELING FROM CHARLOTTE TO CINCINNATI IN 2001 VOLVO V70 WHEN VEHICLE SUDDENLY LOST POWER . COULD NOT DRIVE FASTER THAN 20 MPH. WAS ABLE TO EXIT ONTO THE HIGHWAY SHOULDER. MESSAGE LIGHT SAID PERFORMANCE REDUCED, BUT THERE WAS NO EXPLANATION FOR THIS MESSAGE IN THE SERVICE MANUAL. VOLVO ROADSIDE SERVICE CLAIMED TO BE UNAWARE OF WHAT COULD BE WRONG, AS DID THE NEAREST DEALER. AFTER TWENTY MINUTES THE CAR RESTARTED AND RAN WELL FOR TWO DAYS . THIS WAS A HOLIDAY WEEKEND AND CONSUMER COULD NOT OBTAIN SERVICE. HOWEVER, ON RETURN TRIP TO CHARLOTTE VEHICLE EXPERIENCED THE SAME FAILURE 4 OR 5 TIMES, A VERY SCARY AND DANGEROUS CONDITION FOR INTERSTATE DRIVING. WHEN CONSUME R SCHEDULED AN APPOINTMENT WITH LOCAL DEALER SERVICE DEPARTMENT THE SERVICE MANAGER CLAIMED TO BE UNAWARE OF ANY SUCH PROBLEM WITH OTHER VOLVOS. BY THE TIME CONSUMER ARRIVED FOR THE APPOINTMENT SHE RESEARCHED THE ISSUE ON THE INTERNET AND LEARNED ABOUT THE ELECTRONIC THROTTLE CONTROL MODULE (ETM) FAILURE. THE SERVICE DEPARTMENT AGAIN DENIED KNOWING ABOUT THIS FAILURE BUT ADNITTED THAT THE THROTTLE FAILED ON THIS VEHICLE. IT WAS REPLACED AT A COST OF OVER $900. CONSUMER ATTEMPTED TO PURSUE COMPENSATION AND A RECALL DUE TO SAFETY ISSUES BUT VOLVO REFUSED TO DISCUSS THE MATTER WITH CONSUMER. *AK

MY 2001 VOLVO V70XC W/APPROX 91,000 MILES STALLED WHILE I WAS ACCELERATING FROM A STOP LIGHT IN HEAVY TRAFFIC -- NEARLY RESULTING IN A SERIOUS ACCIDENT AS THE TRUCK BEHIND ME NEARLY REAR-ENDED ME. ALSO, BECAUSE THE ENGINE SHUT DOWN THE POWER STEERING NO-LONGER WORKED, MAKING IT VERY DIFFICULT TO MANEUVER THE CAR TO THE SIDE OF THE ROAD SAFELY. MY VOLVO DEALER TOLD ME I HAD A "BROKEN" ELECTRONIC THROTTLE MODULE" (ETM) WHICH COST ME OVER $750 TO REPLACE. SINCE THEN, I LEARNED ON LOCAL CT NEWS THAT THERE HAVE BEEN OVER 160 COMPLAINTS INVOLVING 1999-2001 VOLVOS OF VARIOUS MODELS (INCLUDING THE V70XC) FOR THE SAME THROTTLE FAILURE PROBLEMS - WHICH POSES A VERY SERIOUS SAFETY CONCERN. I INTEND TO RAISE HELL WITH VOLVO ABOUT THIS SAFETY ISSUE AND SEE IF THEY STAND UP TO THEIR REPUTATION FOR MAKING SOME OF THE SAFEST CARS IN THE WORLD BY RECALLING THESE VEHICLES AND REPLACING THESE DEFECTIVE ETMS! *NM

RECENTLY PURCHASED 2002 VOLVO S60 FOR MY DAUGHTER, CERTIFIED USED. SHE WAS DRIVING AND THE CAR JUST STOPPED RUNNING, IT DIED IN THE MIDDLE OF THE ROAD. JUST READ YOUR ARTICLE ABOUT 1999-2001 AND THOUGHT YOU SHOULD CHECK INTO ALL YEARS. VOLVO SAID IT IS FIXED, WE PICK IT UP TOMORROW, HOWEVER I AM VERY CONCERNED THAT THIS WILL HAPPEN TO HER AGAIN. PURCHASED A VOLVO FOR SAFETY, NOW I AM VERY WORRIED. *NM

DRIVING ON EXPRESSWAY AT APPROX. 60 MPH, CAR LOST SPEED AND POWER STEERING. TOWED INTO VOLVO DEALERSHIP IN OKLAHOMA CITY. REPAIRS COSTING APPROX. $1,200 WERE MADE TO ELECTRONIC THROTTLE OR TRANSMISSION. I CAN PROVIDE THE STATEMENT INDICATING THE REPAIRS. *JB

VEHICLE RANDOMLY SHUTS OFF WHILE DRIVING. ENGINE SHUT-DOWN WITH LOSS OF POWER STEERING CONTROL. DISABLED VEHICLE WITH GROCERIES AND SMALL CHILDREN INSIDE ON A 90+ DEGREE (VERY HOT!!)AFTERNOON IN MID-JULY. $322 FOR REPLACEMENT OF AIR FLOW DEVICE (METER OR SENSOR?) TO CORRECT PROBLEM. APPROX. $50, LOSS OF PERISHABLE FOOD. *JB

I WAS DRIVING MY CAR YESTERDAY AUGUST 4TH, 2005 AND ALL OF A SUDDEN THE ACCELERATOR WOULD NOT WORK. I WAS IN THE MIDDLE OF AN INTERSECTION AND HAD TO COAST THE CAR TO THE SHOULDER OF THE ROAD. VERY SCARY WITH A 1 MONTH OLD INFANT IN MY BACK SEAT AND A VERY BUSY INTERSECTION. I TOOK THE CAR TO THE VOLVO DEALER OF PLEASANTON YESTERDAY WHO SAID HE WOULD HAVE TO REPLACE THE ACCELERATOR PEDAL ASSEMBLY. THE SAME THING HAPPENED ONCE BEFORE ABOUT 2 MONTHS AGO IN WALNUT CREEK ON A SIDE STREET. AFTER I COASTED TO THE SIDE OF THE ROAD, I RESTARTED THE CAR WITHOUT A PROBLEM. *JB

I BEGAN HAVING TROUBLE AT ABOUT 22,500 MILES IN MY NEW 2001 V70XC VOLVO. I NOTICED THE CAR RAN ROUGH AND SHIFTED ERRATICALLY AND STALLED. THEN I NEXT HAD A SIGNIFICANT EXPERIENCE WITH A SUDDEN LOSS OF POWER DRIVING ON THE HIGHWAY. I WAS OUT OF TOWN AND WAS FORCED TO HAVE THE CAR TOWED AND OBTAIN A RENTAL CAR AND ACCOMMODATIONS. I HAD THE CAR IN AND OUT OF THE SHOP WITH STALLING PROBLEMS AS WELL AS "INTAKE" VALVE PROBLEMS RESULTING IN ERRATIC SHIFTING AND ROUGH RUNNING OF THIS VEHICLE. IT TOOK SEVERAL YEARS AND NUMEROUS TRIPS TO THE DEALERSHIP FOR REPAIR. I RECENTLY HAD A VERY EXPENSIVE REPAIR DONE ON THE VEHICLE TO RESOLVE THE PROBLEM. I SUBMITTED ALL MY DOCUMENTATION TO VOLVO CUSTOMER SERVICE AS WELL AS THE BILLS AND EXPENSES INCURRED WITH THIS PROBLEM. BY THE TIME THE ISSUE WAS RESOLVED MY NEW CAR WARRANTY HAD EXPIRED ( HOW TIMELY!) THE VOLVO PEOPLE WERE NOT WILLING TO REIMBURSE ME FOR ANY OF THE REPAIRS NOR ADMIT THERE WAS A PROBLEM WITH THIS MODEL EVEN THOUGH I HAD HEARD OF OTHER OWNERS WITH SIMILAR PROBLEMS. *JB

I OWN A 2000 VOLVO S70. I EXPERIENCED THE FAILURE OF THE ELECTRONIC THROTTLE MODULE SEVERAL TIMES THIS YEAR, 2005. THE CAR WOULD OFTEN RUN ROUGH AND ATTEMPT TO STALL WHILE DRIVING. ON ONE TRIP FROM NEW ALBANY, IN, TO CLEVELAND, OH, IT HAPPENED SO OFTEN THAT I HAD TO LEAVE THE CAR IN CINCINNATI AND RENT A CAR FROM ENTERPRISE CAR RENTAL IN ORDER TO GET TO CLEVELAND. THAT RENTAL COST ME $236.04. I TRIED TO HAVE THE PROBLEM DIAGNOSED AT SEVERAL GARAGES IN SOUTHERN INDIANA, BUT TO NO AVAIL. FINALLY, I TOOK THE CAR TO VOLVO OF LOUISVILLE, KENTUCKY, ON JULY 7, 2005. THEY DIAGNOSED THE PROBLEM AS A FAULTY ELECTRONIC THROTTLE MODULE AND REPLACED THE ENTIRE THROTTLE BODY SYSTEM AT A COST OF $803.73. WHAT PROMPTED MY FILING THIS COMPLAINT WAS AN ARTICLE THAT APPEARED IN THE LOUISVILLE COURIER-JOURNAL ON AUGUST 2, 2005. IT WAS WRITTEN BY ASSOCIATED PRESS REPORTER KEN THOMAS. IT INDICATED THAT THERE HAD BEEN 136 COMPLAINTS REGARDING THE ELECTRONIC THROTTLE MODULE. ONE OF THE MODELS MENTIONED WAS THE 2000 S70 SEDAN, WHICH I OWN. *JB

ELECTRONIC THROTTLE (ETM) HAS FAILED AFTER A RECENT INSPECTION BY DEALER. NOW $1200 ESTIMATE TO FIX PROBLEM. WARRANTY IS FOR 6 YEARS, 100K MILES. ONLY 93K ON CAR BUT DEALER STATES WARRANTY EXPIRED IN FEBRUARY. LOTS OF REPORTS OF SIMILAR PROBLEMS. *JB