VOLVO Complaints

2001 VOLVO V70XC - FAILED ETM. FIRST OCCURRED ON 4/25/05, BUT THE CAR RESTARTED. WHEN IT RECURRED ON 4/28, I BROUGHT IT TO THE DEALER FOR (WARRANTY) SERVICE. THE DEALER BLAMED A CLOGGED PCV SYSTEM FOR THE FAILURE (RATHER EXPENSIVE LABOR THAT WAS NOT COVERED BY THE EXTENDED WARRANTY.) THE PROBLEM IS ACCURATELY DESCRIBED IN NHTSA ACTION NUMBER PE05041. I WOULD LIKE TO ADD MY INCIDENT REPORT TO THIS LIST. *NM

VOLVO S80 THE ENGINE PART THAT REGULATES THE AMOUNT OF AIR INTO THE VEHICLE'S ENGINE. THIS HAS HAPPENED TO US TWICE AND MY WIFE HAS BEEN STRANDED TWICE HAVING TO BE TOWED. WE HAVE HAD TO PAY ALL THE COSTS AS THEY ARE NOT COVERED UNDER WARRANTY. HAVE EMAILED VOLVO CUSTOMER SERVICE 3 TIMES WITH NO RESPONSE ABOUT THE ISSUE. *NM

2001 VOLVO S80 SEDAN TRAVELING AT 70 MPH ON US 75 (LIMITED ACCESS EXPRESSWAY) IN DALLAS TX. SUDDEN LOSS OF FUEL SUPPLY CAUSED THE CAR TO DECELERATE TO 15 MPH AND WOULD NOT RESPOND TO THE ACCELERATOR. MANAGED TO GET CAR TO THE SIDE OF THE ROAD NARROWLY AVOIDING TWO COLLISIONS. CAR WAS TOWED TO THE DEALER WHERE THE THROTTLE BODY WAS REPLACED AT A COST OF $1048.00. I REPORTED THE REPAIR TO VOLVO CARS OF AMERICA AND ALSO GAVE THE DEALER SERVICE MANAGER COPIES OF COMPLAINTS LOGGED ON THE INTERNET BY OWNERS EXPERIENCING THE SAME PROBLEM. NO RESPONSE FROM EITHER VCOA OR THE DEALER.

MY WIFE AND I NOTICED THAT THE NHTSA IS INVESTIGATING POWER LOSS COMPLAINTS REGARDING THE S-80 MODEL OF THE 2000 VOLVO. WE HAD A QUICK AND COMPLETE LOSS OF POWER ON THE INTERSTATE ON OCTOBER 24, 2003. WE WERE ABLE TO DRIVE OFF THE INTERSTATE AND GET TO A PARKING LOT. THE ENGINE STOPPED AND COULD NOT BE RESTARTED. WE HAD THE CAR TOWED TO THE CROWN VOLVO DEALERSHIP IN GREENSBORO, NC (TEL: 336 834-7350). CROWN VOLVO REPLACED THE ELECTRONIC THROTTLE MODULE AND DOWNLOADED NEW SOFTWARE. THE REPAIR COST US $899.48. THE MILEAGE ON THE CAR WAS 79,089 MILES. IN FEBRUARY 2003, THE CAR WAS STALLING REPEATEDLY. WHEN RESTARTED, THE ENGINE REVVED AND STALLED AGAIN. THE CAR WAS TOWED TO VOLVO SAAB OF CHARLOTTE (TEL: 704 563-8816) AND A REPAIR WAS MADE. THE MASS AIR FLOW SENSOR WAS REPLACED AT A COST $443.23. THE ODOMETER AT THE TIME OF THE REPAIR WAS 68,066 MILES. THE CAR HAD NO MALFUNCTIONS BETWEEN THE FEBRUARY AND OCTOBER REPAIRS. THE SERVICE CENTERS RETAINED ALL REPLACED COMPONENTS. THE VEHICLE ID IS [XXX]. SERVICE REFERENCE NUMBERS ARE THE FOLLOWING: CROWN VOLVO - [XXX] VOLVO SAAB OF CHARLOTTE - INVOICE [XXX]. *NM UPDATED 07/19/2012 *JS

I WAS DRIVING THE CAR TO WORK ONE MORNING. I STOPPED TO MAKE A LEFT TURN. I PROCEEDED TO ACCELERATE, BUT THE CAR HAD VERY LITTLE POWER. I COULD ONLY GO A MAXIMUM OF 20 MPH. I HAD TO PULL-OVER ONTO THE SHOULDER SO THAT I DIDN'T GET REAR-ENDED BY ONCOMING TRAFFIC. I DECIDED TO 'LIMP" HOME ABOUT 1/2 MILE, AGAIN THE CAR WOULD NOT GO FASTER THAN 20 MPH. MY HUSBAND CHECKED OUT THE CAR LATER THAT DAY, AND EVERYTHING SEEMS TO BE BACK TO NORMAL HOWEVER THE ETS LIGHT IS ON THE DASH-BOARD. I AM CONCERNED THIS MAY HAPPEN AGAIN. I AM TOLD IT COSTS OVER $1,000 TO REPAIR. *NM

ENGINE CONSTANTLY SURGES FORWARD WHILE BRAKES ARE APPLIED. AT A STOPLIGHT, THE CAR WILL JUST SUDDENLY LURCH FORWARD. ON HIGHWAY, CAR LOST POWER AND ACCELERATION. WHEN I PULLED OVER, THE ENGINE CUT OFF. DEALERSHIP TOLD ME TO THE PROBLEM WAS THE ELECTRONIC THROTTLE, WHICH I REPLACED FOR $2100. THE CAR CONTINUES TO HAVE ENGINE SURGES. *NM

WE HAVE A 1999 V70 VOLVO STATION WAGON THAT ABOUT 1 YEAR AGO BEGAN LOSING POWER AND/OR STALLING WITHOUT WARNING WHILE I WAS DRIVING ON THE HIGHWAY. IT WOULD RE-START IF I WAS ABLE TO GUN IT AND GET THE CAR MOVING. VOLVO REPLACED THE THROTTLE SYSTEM AND THE ISSUE SEEMED TO BE RESOLVED. IN MAY 2005, THE ENGINE AGAIN BEGAN TO LOSE POWER AS I DECELERATED WHILE DRIVING ON THE HIGHWAY (E.G. WHEN APPROACHING A TOLL OR IN TRAFFIC) AND THEN WOULD COMPLETELY STALL ONCE I EXITED THE HIGHWAY ONTO THE LOCAL ROADS AND WAS DRIVING AT A SLOWER SPEED. IT APPEARED TO HAPPEN MORE FREQUENTLY WHEN I HAD A FULL TANK OF GAS AND/OR THE AIR CONDITIONER WAS ON. IT WOULD RE-START FAIRLY EASILY. THE VOLVO DEALER WHERE WE PURCHASED THE CAR (SUMMIT, NJ) LOOKED AT THE CAR IN MAY AND COULD FIND NOTHING WRONG, AS THE COMPUTER DID NOT REGISTER ANY FAILURE; THEY RETURNED THE CAR TO US AS IS. IT CONTINUED TO HAPPEN PERIODICALLY AND EVENTUALLY WOULD NOT RE-START. ON MONDAY, JUNE 13 I HAD IT TOWED TO A LOCAL REPAIR SHOP IN JERSEY CITY WHO COULD FIND NOTHING WRONG; THEY RETURNED THE CAR TO US AS IS. ON FRIDAY, JUNE 17, WE THEN BROUGHT IT TO ANOTHER VOLVO DEALER (MONTCLAIR, NJ) WHERE THREE MECHANICS LOOKED AT IT OVER THE COURSE OF ONE WEEK AND COULD FIND NOTHING WRONG, AGAIN CITING THAT THE COMPUTER DID NOT REGISTER ANY FAILURES. IT HAS HAPPENED A FEW MORE TIMES, SO NOW IT IS AT ANOTHER LOCAL REPAIR SHOP (GARWOOD, NJ) WHERE THE MECHANIC CAN FIND NOTHING WRONG. I HAVE NOT DRIVEN THE CAR SINCE MID-JUNE AS I HAVE TWO SMALL CHILDREN AND DO NOT FEEL SAFE DRIVING A CAR THAT CAN STALL WITHOUT WARNING IN HIGHWAY TRAFFIC AND BE SLAMMED FROM BEHIND. *NM

DT: IN APRIL THE VEHICLE STALLED WHEN MAKING A RIGHT HAND TURNS. DID THE SAME THING A FEW DAYS LATER. TOOK VEHICLE TO THE DEALER, THEY CHECKED THE VEHICLE AND THEY HADN'T HEARD OF THIS BEFORE. SOME KIND OF PLATE HAD TO BE CLEANED . THE VEHICLE JUST TURNED 30,000 MILES. THEN A MONTH LATER WHILE MERGING AT 55 MPH THE VEHICLE DIED. IT DID START AGAIN. BROUGHT THE VEHICLE BACK TO DEALER, THEY KEPT THE CAR A WEEK AND DID TESTING, AND CLAIMED ONE OTHER PERSON HAD THE SAME COMPLAINT. THEY DID THE SAME THING TO CONSUMER'S VEHICLE THAT THEY DID TO OTHER PERSON' VEHICLES. THEN, DEALER SAID THERE WAS A RECALL. *AK

DT: 2003 VOLVO S60. WHILE DRIVING 35 MPH VEHICLE STALLED INTERMITTENTLY, AND THEN ACCELERATED. TOOK VEHICLE TO DEALER 4 TIMES. REPLACED THROTTLE BODY. *AK

I BOUGHT MY 1998 VOLVO C70 CONVERTIBLE IN JAN 1999. ON MAY 20, 1999 AT APPROX 11:45 PM, I WAS DRIVING IN THE LEFT-HAND LANE ON RT.175-W IN COLUMBIA, MD, APPROX. 1 MILE FROM MY HOME. STOPPED AT RED TRAFFIC LIGHT AT DOBBIN RD/RT.175 INTERSECTION. NO OTHER CARS. LIGHT TURNED GREEN. PROCEEDED FORWARD. I WAS ACCELERATING FORWARD THEN RPMS DROPPED. I PRESSED ON THE PEDAL AND HAD NO RESPONSE. THE HEADLIGHTS FADED OUT AND THE RPMS DROPPED TO 5 MPH. NO CARS AROUND ME, I STOPPED THE CAR, PUT INTO PARK AND TRIED TO RESTART IT TWICE. NOTHING HAPPENED ?? NO SOUNDS FROM THE ENGINE. I IMMEDIATELY PUT MY HAZARD LIGHTS ON. THEN A CAR PASSED ME ON THE RIGHT. I SAW HEADLIGHTS OF A CAR APPROX. 200 FEET BEHIND ME IN THE SAME LANE. I SAID OUT LOUD, "PLEASE DON'T HIT ME. GET IN THE OTHER LANE. PLEASE DON'T HIT ME." THAT IS THE LAST THING I REMEMBER UNTIL WAKING UP IN SHOCK TRAUMA EMERGENCY ROOM AT U OF MD MEDICAL CENTER IN BALTIMORE, MD LYING ON A GURNEY - 2 POLICEMEN AT MY FEET AND MY PARENTS ON MY LEFT. SOMEWHAT AWARE THAT I HAD A NECK BRACE ON, BUT MORE CONCERNED AT THE TIME THAT MY HEAD WAS KILLING ME. I HAD A LARGE GASH IN THE BACK OF MY HEAD THAT REQUIRED 8 STAPLES. I FRACTURED 2 VERTEBRAE IN MY NECK, (C4, C5). THE DOCTORS DECIDED ON NATURAL HEALING INSTEAD OF SURGERY. I WAS REQUIRED TO WEAR A SUMI NECK BRACE FOR 12 WEEKS. I WAS ADMITTED TO THE ORTHOPEDIC CRITICAL CARE FLOOR FOR 6 DAYS. I RECEIVED MORPHINE AND PERCOCET. AFTER 6 DAYS, I WAS RELEASED TO MY PARENTS CARE TO CONT. ROUND THE CLOCK CARE GIVING. I WAS UNABLE TO TAKE CARE OF MYSELF - REQUIRED ASSISTANCE TO TAKE A BATH AND SUPERVISED WHEN USING THE TOILET, EATING, AND SLEEPING. MY MOTHER DROVE ME TO MY DOCTOR DURING THE 12 WK. PERIOD. THE SUMI NECK BRACE WAS REMOVED ON AUGUST 12, 1999. AFTER WHICH I WORE THE CUSHION WHIPLASH BRACE FOR ANOTHER 4-WEEK PERIOD. DID NOT RETURN TO WORK UNTIL MID-SEPT 1999. *NM