VOLVO Complaints

ON THE FIRST DAY I PICKED UP THE CAR IN OCTOBER, THE FRONT RIGHT HEADLIGHT (BI-XENON) BECAME INOPERATIVE. VOLVO STATES THIS ISA KNOWN DEFECT AND THAT 2004 MODELS WERE SHIPPED WITH DEFECTIVE BALLAST. PART ON ORDER NOW OVER THREE MONTHS.*AK

2 REAR STUDDED TIRES (ROTATED ON ONLY 2 WEEKS PREVIOUSLY) DELAMINATED AS I WAS EXITING THE FREEWAY. COINCIDENTAL VS RELATED DESTRUCTION OF U JOINT. LES SCHWAB TIRES WOULD ONLY PRORATE VALUE OF 2 TIRES, NOT PROVIDE 4 TIRES ALL ALIKE AS NEEDED ON AWD VEHICLE. ALSO DENIES SUCH INCIDENT COULD DAMAGE TRANSMISSION OR U JOINTS. CONCERN OTHER 2 TIRES ON CAR BOUGHT AT SAME TIME MAY ALSO BE DEFECTIVE AND NEED REPLACEMENT. CONCERN DEFECT WITH THEIR BRAND TO DELAMINATE LIKE THIS.*AK

HAIRLINE CRACK IN CIRCUIT BOARD ON VEHICLE COMPUTER MAKES ABS AND TRACS BRAKING SYSTEM INOPERATIVE. THIS IS AN INTERMITTENT PROBLEM AND GOES OFF IF THE VEHICLE IS STOPPED AND RE-STARTED. I TALKED TO AN INDEPENDENT VOLVO REPAIR SHOP AND HE INDICATED THAT HE HAS REPLACED TEN COMPUTER THIS YEAR IN BOISE, IDAHO THIS YEAR ON VARIOUS VOLVO MODELS, YEARS 1993 TO 1998.*AK

1997 VOLVO 850R. GRADUAL INCREASE IN FREQUENCY OF INTERMITTENT PROBLEM WHERE ABS AND TRACS LIGHTS ILLUMINATE AND THEN GO OFF. THERE SEEM TO BE SO MANY OF THESE COMPLAINTS THAT THIS ISN'T AN UNUSUAL PROBLEM FOR THIS VEHICLE. HAVING UNPREDICTABLE BRAKES IS A SERIOUS SAFETY ISSUE. ALSO I'VE GONE THROUGH 4 SETS OF FRONT BRAKE DISCS AND 5 SETS OF FRONT BRAKE PADS IN 90,000 MILES. EVEN WHEN THE DISCS ARE NOT WORN OUT THE BRAKE PEDAL IS SPONGY EVEN THOUGH THE SYSTEM HAS BEEN REPEATEDLY BLED OF AIR. THE DISCS ALSO WARP VERY EASILY EASILY. HOW CAN VOLVO TOLERATE THIS? I'VE OWNED THIS VEHICLE SINCE NEW AND WOULD NEVER BUY ANOTHER. WE PICKED UP A LEXUS YESTERDAY AND THE VOLVO IS UP FOR SALE. I CAN UNDERSTAND A MANUFACTURER HAVING PROBLEMS BUT I CANNOT FORGIVE IT'S TURNING A BLIND EYE TO THIS VERY SERIOUS SAFETY ISSUE.*AK

WHEN FILLING THE FUEL TANK FUEL SPILLED OUT. RECALL 91V010000 WAS ISSUED ON THIS MODEL/MAKE/YEAR; HOWEVER, THIS VEHICLE WAS NOT INCLUDED DUE TO VIN. *AK

SEAT HEATERS WERE REPLACED DUE TO RECALL, BUT HEATERS MALFUNCTIONED AFTER REPLACEMENT. DEALER WON'T TAKE RESPONSIBILITY. *LA THE CONSUMER RECEIVED RECALL 02V314000. THE DRIVER AND PASSENGER SEAT HEATERS WERE FULLY FUNCTIONAL AND THE CONSUMER HAD NO PROBLEMS. ONCE THE DEALER DID THE RECALL REPAIRS THE SEAT HEATERS NO LONGER FUNCTIONED. THE CONSUMER INFORMED THE DEALER OF THE PROBLEM. THE DEALER INDICATED THAT ONLY THE WIRING WAS RE-ROUTED, THEREFORE THEY WERE NOT RESPONSIBLE. *NM

FOR BOTH OUR 2001 VOLVO S60 2.4T AND OUR 2003 VOLVO XC90 2.5T AWD THERE HAVE BEEN UNSUCCESSFUL ATTEMPTS TO REPAIR A TRANSMISSION DEFECT (ESSENTIALLY SAME TRANSMISSION IN BOTH VEHICLES PER VOLVO TECH SUPPORT). BETWEEN 2ND AND 3RD THERE IS INTERMITTENT/UNPREDICTABLE FAILURE TO ENGAGE 3RD IN TIMELY FASHION WITH RESULTANT LOSS OF ACCELERATION AS VEHICLE IS FUNCTIONALLY IN NEUTRAL WITH ENGINE RACING FOR ~0.5-2.5 SECONDS. THIS CAN BE EXTREMELY DANGEROUS ESPECIALLY WHEN PULLING ON TO A HIGHWAY. WE HAVE EXPERIENCED 2 NEAR COLLISIONS (ALMOST BEING STRUCK FROM BEHIND). VOLVO TECH SUPPORT ACKNOWLEDGES A FLAW IN ENGINEERING WHEREBY SERVO FLUID AIR LOCK OCCURS IN THE 2001. A NEW TRANSMISSION IS SCHEDULED TO BE REPLACED FOR OUR S60, BUT IF THE PROBLEM IS STILL OCCURING IN OUR 2003, WILL THIS REALLY CORRECT THE PROBLEM AS THE TRANSMISSIONS ARE BASICALLY IDENTICAL? THE 2003 XC90 VOLVO SAYS CAN BE REPAIRED WITH "UPGRADED SOFTWARE" (WHICH IS SCHEDULED FOR THAT VEHICLE) BUT THIS REMEDY FAILED WHEN PERFORMED ON OUR 2001 S60. WE HAVE LET THE DEALER KNOW WE FEEL BOTH VEHICLES ARE UNSAFE WITH THIS PROBLEM AND WE ARE NOW STUCK WITH THEM TRYING TO REMEDY BOTH VEHICLES' GLARING DEFECTS. WE ARE NOT AWARE OF A FEDERALLY MANDATED RECALL TO REPAIR THIS VOLVO ACKNOWLEDGED (SAFETY) DEFECT. CAN NHTSA PURSUE THIS? *AK

WHILE DRIVING AT HIGH SPEEDS, THE REAR OF THE VEHICLE WOULD SPIN IF THE VEHICLE WAS TURNED TOO FAR IN EITHER DIRECTION. THE DEALER COULD NOT DETERMINE THE PROBLEM, BUT THERE WAS A LACK OF STABILITY IN THE REAR OF THE VEHICLE. *AK THE CONTROL ARM BUSHING WAS REPLACED. THE CONSUMER STATED THAT THE VEHICLE LOST CONTROL,THE CONSOLE HAD FAILED, THE LOCKS HAD BECOME INOPERATIVE, GRINDING NOISES WOULD OCCUR ON SHARP TURNS, AND THE VEHICLE WOULD LOSE TRACTION. *SCC *JB

WHILE DRIVING AT 20 MPH THE VEHICLE WAS IN A FRONTAL COLLISION AND NONE OF THE AIR BAGS DEPLOYED UPON IMPACT. DRIVER SUSTAINED CRACKED RIBS AND OTHER INJURIES. *AK *SCC *JB

MY 1999 VOLVO S-80 T-6 SUFFERS FROM A DESIGN FLAW ASSOCIATED WITH THE THROTTLE BODY AND ENGINE WARNING LIGHT. THE LIGHT IS ON ALL OF THE TIME. SERVICING DOES NOT CLEAR THE LIGHT, SO I HAVE BEGUN TO SIMPLY IGNORE THE LIGHT. THE THROTTLE BODY HAS A PROBLEM WHERE THE ENGINE RUNS PROPERLY FOR 20,000 THEN BEGINS TO OSCILLATE UPAND DOWN BY 200-300 RMPS AT IDLE. THIS SEEMS MINOR, BUT IT ALMOST CAUSED A MAJOR ACCIDENT YESTERDAY. WHEN SLOWING TO A STOP AT A MAJOR INTERSECTION, THE ENGINE SLOWED TO IDLE AND THEN SPED UP JUST AS I WAS ABOUT TO COME TO A STOP. THE HIGHER RPM CAUSED THE CAR TO MOVE INTO THE INTERSECTION. IF ANOTHER CAR HAD BEEN APPROACHING, IT WOULD HAVE STRUCK MY CAR. I ASKED MY WIFE (THIS IS HER PRIMARY CAR)IF SHE HAD EXPERIENCED THE SAME PROBLEM AND SHE SAID SHE HAD SEVERAL TIMES. I WENT ON THE WEB AND FOUND THAT MANY VOLVO OWNERS ARE EXPERIENCING THE SAME RPM AND ENGINE LIGHT PROBLEMS. I DO NOT KNOW IF THEY HAVE HAD THE SAME NEAR ACCIDENT I DID, BUT I MUST ASSUME THEY HAVE. HAVE YOU RECEIVED OTHER COMPLAINTS ABOUT THIS PROBLEM AND HAS VOLVO BEEN NOTIFIED? I CONTACTED VOLVO AND THEY DENIED ANY PROBLEM. THE WORDS ON THE INTERNET TELL ME THEY ARE MISTAKEN. SOME ONE COULD GET KILLED BY THIS DESIGN FLAW. *AK