VOLVO Complaints

REPEATED INCIDENTS OF ABS/TRACTIONCONTROL WARNING LIGHT. COMPUTER READOUT SHOWS FAILURE OF ABS/TRACS COMPUTER BOARD. THIS PROBLEM IS MULTIPLY DESCRIBED ON THE INTERNET THJROUGH THE VOLVO CLUB OF AMERICA BULLETIN BOARD.*AK

FAILURE TO START, STALLING AT IDLE AS A RESULT OF A FAILED COMPUTER PROGRAM. *PH THE VEHICLE FAILED TO START OR STALLED AT IDLE. THE VEHICLE WAS TOWED TO AN INDEPENDENT MECHANIC WHO INFORMED THE CONSUMER THAT THE VEHICLE NEEDED TO BE REPROGRAMMED BUT THAT IT HAD TO BE DONE AT A VOLVO DEALER. THE VEHICLE WAS THEN TOWED TO THE VOLVO DEALER WHERE THEY REPROGRAMMED THE THROTTLE BODY SOFTWARE. THE CONSUMER REQUEST REIMBURSEMENT FOR TOW COST. *NLM *JB

CONSUMER COMPLAINED ABOUT PROBLEMS WITH THE WHOLE WIRING HARNNESS FOR THE ENGINE COMPARTMENT. MANUFACTURER WAS CONTACTED, AND THEY ONLY GAVE THE RUN AROUND.ALSO, DEALER WAS CONTACTED AND STATED THAT THEY WOULD TRY TO HELP CONSUMER, BUT HAS NOT AS OF YETHEARD FROM HIM.*AK

FAILED TRANSMISSION AFTER 45,000 MILES. EXTENDED WARRANTY REPLACED IT. FAILED CONTROL SWITCH FOR AIR CONDITIONING A/C AND EVAPORATOR UNIT AT 135,000. *AK

THE DASH BOARD WAS TOO LIGHT IN COLOR, WHICH CAUSED A BLINDING GLARE ON THE WINDSHIELD. *JB CONSUMER STATED WHEN ENTERING A DARK AREA (TUNNEL, GARAGE ETC.) THE DASHBOARD WOULD REFLECT ON THE WINDSHIELD. THE CONSUMER HAD NUMBEROUS NEAR COLLISIONS DUE TO THIS DISTRACTION. CONSUMER FEELS THE ONLY SOLUTION IS TO WEAR POLARIZED SUN GLASSES. *PH

I BOUGHT A VOLVO S80 IN JANUARY 2003. BOTH OF THE HEADLIGHT GLASS ASSEMBLIES HAVE CRACKED FROM NO APPARENT IMPACT. THE FIRST WAS IN APRIL, AND THE SECOND IN AUGUST. I BELEIVE THERE IS A HEADLIGHT ASSEMBLY DEFECT. I LIVE IN A VERY HOT CLIMATE, AND THE HEAT MAY CRACK THE GLASS. *AK

SPEED CONTROL. HAVE HAD A VARIETY OF SPEED/ENGINE CONTROL PROBLEMS. ENGINE WOULD DIE. ENGINE WOULD CAUSE "BUCKING". ENGINE WOULD NOT ACCELERATE. THROTTLE BODY AND AIR MASS METER REPLACED. THROTTLE BODY COVERED BY WARRANTY BUT I HAD TO PAY FOR AIR MASS METER REPLACEMENT. CURRENT PROBLEM TRAVELING @ 55 TO 60 MPH PRESS ON ACCELERATOR AND CAR WILL NOT ACCELERATE BUT WILL SLOW DOWN WITH RPMS HESITATING AT 5000 AND 4500 WITHOUT ACCELERATING. CAR SLOWS DOWN,LOSES POWER. THIS OCCURS USUALLY UNDER A HILL CLIMBING SITUATION BUT HAS OCCURRED ON FLAT TERRAIN. IN HILL CLIMBING ONCE MORE GRADUAL SLOPE REACHED, CAR ACCELERATES.*AK UPDATED 01/03/06. *JB

VOLVO CUSTOMER RELATIONS RE: VIN [XXX], 1998 S70 SIR OR MADAM MY WIFE AND I PURCHASED A PRE-OWNED 1998 VOLVO S70 IN 2000. TWO NIGHTS AGO AS WE WERE DRIVING ON A 30-MILE RURAL-STRETCH HOME, OUR HEADLIGHT SWITCH BEGAN TO MALFUNCTION. WITH THE SWITCH IN THE ON POSITION, THE DASHBOARD LIGHTS WERE OFF AND THE HEADLIGHTS AND TAILLIGHTS WOULD INTERMITTENTLY GO OUT. WE PULLED OFF THE ROAD AND DISCOVERED THAT BY PUSHING THE SWITCH INWARD TOWARD THE DASH, THE DASHBOARD LIGHTS, HEADLIGHTS AND TAILLIGHTS WOULD STAY LIT, SO LONG AS YOU WERE CONSTANTLY PUSHING IN THE SWITCH. YESTERDAY I SEARCHED THE INTERNET AND DISCOVERED THAT THIS IS A PROBLEM THAT HAS BEEN ADDRESSED BY NHTSA RECALL NO. 99V235/VOLVO RECALL NO. 94. I IMMEDIATELY STARTED MAKING PHONE CALLS TO GET THIS PART REPLACED. VOLVO OF LISLE RETRIEVED MY CARS INFORMATION AND INFORMED ME THAT THE SWITCH HAD ALREADY BEEN REPLACED UNDER THE RECALL ON 051799, PRIOR TO OUR PURCHASE OF THE VEHICLE. THEY ALSO INFORMED ME THAT BECAUSE THE ORIGINAL SWITCH HAD ALREADY BEEN REPLACED ACCORDING TO THEIR RECORDS, I WOULD BE REQUIRED TO PAY FOR THE REPAIR. THE RECALL ON THE SWITCH WAS ISSUED BY THE NHTSA BECAUSE THE PROBLEM PUT THE DRIVER AT RISK OF HAVING AN ACCIDENT. OBVIOUSLY, THE PROBLEM STILL EXISTS, AND TO MY DISMAY I AM FORCED TO PAY FOR IT. I FEEL THAT VOLVO IS ALWAYS RESPONSIBLE FOR FIXING THE DESIGN, REGARDLESS OF HOW MANY TIMES THE PART UNDER RECALL BREAKS. I EXPECT THE NHTSA TO INVESTIGATE THIS ISSUE, AS I AM SENDING THEM A COPY OF THIS LETTER. I KEPT THE BROKEN SWITCH AND I WOULD LIKE A NAME AND ADDRESS IN YOUR WARRANTY DEPARTMENT TO SEND IT TO. I EXPECT TO BE REFUNDED THE COSTS I INCURRED FOR THIS REPAIR, AS WELL AS RECEIVING A NEW SWITCH INSTALLED FREE OF CHARGE, ONCE THIS PROBLEM IS FIXED. I AM LOOKING FORWARD TO HEARING FROM YOU. CC: NHTSA. *AK INFORMATION REDACTED PURSUANT TO THE FREEDOM OF INFORMATION ACT (FOIA), 5 U.S.C. 552(B)(6). *TR

SINCE THE EARLY 80'S, AND AS FAR AS I CAN TELL TROUGH 1989, VOLVO'S HAVE A CONTINUOS PROBLEM WITH THE ENGINE WIRING HARNESS, THE INSULATION AT THE FIREWALL PAR T OF THE WIRING, DESINTEGRATES, NO MATTER HOW WELL YOU TAKE CAE OF YOUR CAR. THIS IS HAPPENING WITH MY 1981 240, AND IT ALSO HAPPENED WITH MY 1984 {THIS ONE CAUSE FOR THE COMPUTERS TO FRY} HOWEVER @ THAT TIME VOLVO OF AMERICA PICKED UP PART OF THE TAB, I BELIEVE IT WAS OVER $2000.00. IT IS A DANGEROUS THING, AS IT QUITS RUNNING ANYWHERE, ANYTIME, AND I DO BELIEVE IT COULD CAUSE A FIRE , IF THE ENGINE IS NOT CLEAN. THE PROBLEM IS SO WELL KNOWN , THAT THESE WIRING HARNESSES ARE READELY AVAILABLE, FOR CARS THAT ARE 20 YEARS OLD. THIS IS A SHAME, AS THEY ARE GREAT CARS OTHERWISE. THE DATE BELOW REFLECTS MY NOW PROBLEM AGAIN, WITH THE 1981. THE 1984 WAS FIXED AROUND 1995.I DO NOT KNOW IF ANYONE HAS BEEN INJURED.BUT DO KNOW OF THOUSANDS OF VOLVO OWNERS , IN NEWSGROUPS, WHO ARE/HAVE RUN INTO THIS PROBLEM. IT IS COMMON KNOWLEDGE.*AK

WHEN BRAKING AT VARIOUS SPEEDS BRAKES WOULD INTERMITTENTLY WORK, RESULTING IN EXTENDED STOPPING DISTANCE.*AK