VOLVO Complaints

SUBJECT: ENGINE COMPARTMENT FIRE, RESULT: TOTAL LOSS, EHICLE: 2000, VOLVO, S80 2.9, VIN: [XXX]. SHORTLY BEFORE 3:00PM MY WIFE AND I DEPARTED BRIDGEPORT, CONNECTICUT FOR THE TRIP HOME TO MASSACHUSETTS. THE FIRST 7 OR 8 MINUTES WERE LOCAL STOP AND GO DRIVING (MAXIMUM SPEED 25MPH). AT THIS POINT WE ENTERED THE MERRITT PARKWAY (EASTBOUND ENTRANCE 48). WE JOINED THE RIGHT LANE TRAFFIC FLOW, WHICH VARIED BETWEEN 55 AND 60 MPH. APPROXIMATELY 2 MINUTES LATER ? JUST BEFORE THE MERRITT PARKWAY EASTBOUND ENTRANCE 49 OR 50 THE CAR ENGINE LOST POWER. I WAS ABLE TO COAST THE VEHICLE OFF THE HIGHWAY TO THE ISLAND BETWEEN THE HIGHWAY AND THE ON-RAMP. IT LOOKED LIKE STEAM WAS COMING OUT FROM UNDER THE HOOD NEAR THE RADIATOR. I LOOK AT THE DASHBOARD TEMPERATURE GAUGE AND WAS SURPRISED TO SEE IT READING NORMAL. I PULLED THE HOOD RELEASE LEVER INSIDE THE VEHICLE, GOT OUT OF THE VEHICLE, WENT TO THE FRONT OF THE VEHICLE AND ATTEMPTED TO RELEASE THE HOOD SAFETY LATCH WHICH WAS SO HOT THAT MY HAND WITHDREW INVOLUNTARILY. AT THIS POINT I BECAME AWARE THAT SMOKE WAS COMING OUT FROM THE FRONT OF THE HOOD, NOT STEAM. I ALERTED MY WIFE TO GET OUT OF THE CAR. SHE DID, AND AFTER MOVING AWAY FROM THE VEHICLE, LOOKED BACK AND NOTICED FLAMES COMING OUT FROM UNDER THE FRONT OF THE ENGINE COMPARTMENT. MY WIFE AND I WITNESSED TWO EXPLOSIONS, EMINATING FROM THE ENGINE COMPARTMENT. THE FIRST EXPLOSION CAUGHT MY ATTENTION BECAUSE IT WAS LOUD AND SHOT FLAME AND SMOKE ABOUT 15 FEET INTO THE AIR.*AK UPDATED 07/27/2012 *JS INFORMATION REDACTED PURSUANT TO THE FREEDOM OF INFORMATION ACT (FOIA), 5 U.S.C. 552(B)(6)

I WAS SLOWING DOWN ON THE INTERSTATE FOR MY EXIT AND MY STEERING WHEEL STARTING SHAKING SEVERELY TO THE POINT THAT I WAS BARELY ABLE TO CONTAIN IT THIS WAS WHEN I DECIDED TO TAKE MY S40 TO THE DEALERSHIP. I HAD NOTICED SOME SHAKING PREVIOUSLY BUT WASN'T SURE WHAT THE PROBLEM WAS AND SINCE MY CAR HAD JUST BEEN SERVICED I FIGURED ANYTHING SERIOUS WOULD HAVE BEEN IDENTIFIED. WHEN I TOOK MY CAR IN I WAS TOLD THAT I NEEDED NEW ROTORS AND PADS. MY MILEAGE SEEMED RATHER LOW FOR MY ROTORS TO BE SHOT SO I ASKED WHY THIS MIGHT HAVE HAPPENED AS I WORK FROM HOME. I WAS TOLD IT WAS PROBABLY DUE TO LACK OF DRIVING. THE DEALERSHIP COVERED THE ROTORS UNDER MY WARRENTY BUT CHARGED ME FOR THE BRAKE PADS WHICH MADE NO SENSE AS I WOULD NOT HAVE NEEDED NEW PADS IF IT HADN'T BEEN FOR THE ROTORS BEING SHOT.*AK

VEHICLE STALLED WHILE DRIVING. THE CONSUMER WAS ABLE TO RESTART THE VEHICLE AND PULLED OVER TO SHUT DOWN THE VEHICLE. CONSUMER NOTICED THAT THE CHECK ENGINE LIGHT APPEARED ON THE DASHBOARD AND REMAINED ON. THE CONSUMER DROVE IT TO THE DEALER, AND THE MECHANIC DETERMINED THAT THE COMPUTER SYSTEM, AND OTHER PARTS OF ENGINE NEEDED TO BE REPLACED. *AK *JB

THE VEHICLE STARTED SHAKING UNCONTROLLABLY FOLLOWED BY A LOUD BANGING NOISE COMING FROM THE FRONT. CONSUMER DROVE VEHICLE TO THE DEALER, AND MECHANIC DETERMINED THAT THE TRANSMISSION BOLT SHEARED OFF, CAUSING THE TRANSMISSION TO DROP DOWN FROM THE VEHICLE. TRANSMISSION NEEDED TO BE REPLACED. *AK

THE ABS SYSTEM FAILED DURING A PANIC STOP, CAUSING THE BRAKES TO LOCK UP AND THE CAR TO SKID UNCONTROLLABLY INTO THE MIDDLE OF AN INTERSECTION. FORTUNATELY IT DID NOT RESULT IN ANY SIGNIFICANT DAMAGE. *AK THERE HAD BEEN NO INDICATION OF A PROBLEM PRIOR TO THE INCIDENT AND THE ABS LIGHT WAS ON AFTER THE INCIDENT AND HAD NOT BEEN ON PREVIOUSLY. THE PROBLEM WAS REPAIRED BY REPLACING THE ABS CONTROL MODULE. UPON DISCUSSIONS WITH THE TECHNICIAN, IT WAS CLEAR THAT THIS IS A VERY COMMON FAILURE WITH THESE MODELS AND IT LEAVES THE THE ABS SYSTEM COMPLETELY DISABLED WHEN IT OCCURS. AS MY INCIDENT SHOWS, THIS FAILURE CAN OCCUR WITHOUT WARNING AND CAUSE A VERY DANGEROUS SITUATION WHERE THE DRIVER IS RELYING ON THE ABS SYSTEM AND INSTEAD HAS THE BRAKES LOCK UP CAUSING AN UNCONTROLLABLE SKID. IN ADDITION TO THIS INCIDENT, THE TECHNICIAN ALSO TOLD ME THAT THE MODULE HAD ALREADY FAILED AND BEEN REPLACED PREVIOUSLY AT 31K MILES. THIS APPEARS TO BE A DEFECT THAT IS VERY COMMON AND WILL CAUSE UNSUSPECTING DRIVERS TO SUDDENLY LOSE CONTROL OF THEIR VEHICLES IN A PANIC STOP SITUATION.

1998 VOLVO V70XC, REPLACEMENT OF MECHANICAL TIMING BELT TENSIONER NOT SPECIFIC AS TO MILEAGE FOR SUCH REPLACEMENT, REPLACED TIMING BELT AT 70,000 MILES AS REQUIRED, TENSIONER APPEARED GOOD ON INSPECTION, NO VOLVO TSB ADVISING REPLACEMENT, TENSIONER FAILED AT 84,000 MILES, VOLVO WARRANTY REJECTED REPAIR CLAIM FOR TENSIONER, VALVE DAMAGE, TIMING BELT REPLACEMENT APPROX. $2,400.00 NO RESPONSE FROM VOLVO CUSTOMER CARE TO EMAIL FOR REVIEW OF CLAIM. HAD I BEEN ON THE TURNPIKE LOSS OF POWER MAY HAVE RESULTED IN A CRASH SINCE ALL POWERED SYSTEMS WOULD NOT HAVE WORKED. VOLVO DOES NOT PARTICIPATE IN ARBITRATION DISPUTE THROUGH THE BBB. MY ONLY RESOURCE IS A GOVERNMENT AGENCY INVESTIGATING THE PROBLEM AND NOTIFYING VOLVO OF A MANUFACTURER DEFECT OR FAILURE TO ADVISE THIS CONSUMER THAT CORRECT SERVICE SHOULD HAVE INCLUDED REPLACEMENT OF THE TENSIONER AT A SPECIFIED MILEAGE. SINCE THIS TENSIONER FAILURE ALSO AFFECTS FUEL DELIVERY, EMISSIONS CONTROLS, VALVES ETC. I SENT AN INQUIRY TO THE EPA WEBSITE.*AK

THE SERVICE ENGINE LIGHT IS ON. WHILE DRIVING, IT CUTS BACK TO THE IDLING SPEED. THE CONSUMER WAS UNABLE TO DRIVE OVER THE IDLE SPEED. THE CONSUMER WAS DRIVING THE VEHICLE WHEN IT COMPLETELY SHUT DOWN. THE THROTTLE BODY WAS REPLACED. *JB

PRIOR TO DEALER VISIT FOR 60,000 MILE SERVICE, THE ABS AND TRACS LIGHTS BEGAN COMING ON PERIODICALLY. DEALER CHECKED AND FOUND CODES ABS-314 & 324 SET IN SYSTEM. DEALER STATED THAT MODULE REPLACEMENT WOULD COST APPROXIMATELY $675. DEALER SAID THAT ALTHOUGH THE LIGHTS INDICATED LOSS OF ABS, BRAKING ABILITY SHOULD NOT BE COMPROMISED. AT THAT TIME I DECLINED THE REPAIR. SINCE THAT SERVICE VISIT, THE LIGHTS HAVE CONTINUED TO GO ON AND OFF PERIODICALLY; ON SEVERAL OCCASIONS, IT OCCURED DURING BRAKING AND IT FELT AS THOUGH THE BRAKES WERE NOT GOING TO GRAB APPROPRIATELY, IF ONLY MOMENTARILY. I AM NOW WONDERING IF THIS IS A SAFE CONDITION, ESPECIALLY WITH THE ONSET OF WINTER DRIVING. WHEN I SAW THE NUMBER OF OTHER COMPLAINTS ON THE SAME ISSUE AT THE NHTSA WEBSITE, I DECIDED I SHOULD INCLUDE MY OWN. MY SUGGESTIONS FOR REMEDIATION RANGE FROM: 1) HAVE THE MANUFACTURER INVESTIGATE THE ISSUE FURTHER, 2) HAVE THE MANUFACTURER REPLACE ALL MODULES THAT ARE REPORTED TO HAVE THIS PROBLEM, OR 3) AT LEAST HAVE THE MANUFACTURER ASSIST THE CUSTOMER BY PAYING A PORTION OF THE REPLACEMENT COST. *AK

I HAVE A 1997 VOLVO MODEL 850 T-5 THAT I WAS DRIVING DURING A SNOW AND ICE STORM WHEN THE HEATER/BLOWER STOPPED WORKING FOR NO REASON, THUS CAUSING CONSIDERABLE DRAIN ON MY DRIVING REFLEXES AND BEING ABLE TO SEE SINCE THE WINDOWS ALL STARTED TO FOG UP ON THE INSIDE AND ICE ON THE OUTSIDE. THIS COULD HAVE CAUSED THE DRIVER TO BECOME INVOLVED IN AN ACCIDENT DUE TO THE FAILURE OF THE HEATER/BLOWER. I WAS TOLD BY THE DEALER THAT THIS IS COMMON FOR THIS TYPE OF VOLVO THAT THE HEATER BLOWERS FAIL FOR NO REASON AND WITHOUT WARNING. ALSO TO REPLACE THIS HEATER/BLOWER WILL COST OVER 500.00 . THIS IS NOT RIGHT SINCE A HEATER/BLOWER IS ONE OF THE MAIN COMPONENTS OF A VEHICLE IN THE NORTH EAST PART OF THE USA, AND FOR THAT MATTER ANYWHERE.. ALSO I WAS TOLD THAT EVEN WITH A NEW MOTOR BLOWER, IT COULD HAPPEN AGAIN WITHOUT WARNING. IT COULD EVEN HAPPEN A DAY AFTER THE INSTALLATION OF THE NEW ONE SINCE THIS IS THE WAY VOLVO HAS MADE THEM. I THINK IT SHOULD BE LOOKED INTO AS THIS IS VERY, VERY DANGEROUS.. *JB

AT ONLY 70,000 MILES MY ABS UNIT FAILED AND HAD TO BE REPLACED. THIS IS SUCH A COMMON PROBLEM THAT THE DEALER AGREED TO PAY HALF. VOLVO SHOULD REPLACE THIS CRITICAL SAFETY COMPONET ON EVERY VEHICLE AT THEIR EXPENSE. *JB