Vehicle Speed Control. Review the 4 owner reports in this category and discuss these concerns during a pre-purchase inspection. Read reports →
Electrical System. Review the 2 owner reports in this category and discuss these concerns during a pre-purchase inspection. Read reports →
Air Bags. Review the 1 owner reports in this category and discuss these concerns during a pre-purchase inspection. Read reports →

NHTSA owner reports · September 18, 2026 snapshot.

1 crash reports0 fire reports0 injury reports

Electrical System complaints

2 reports

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105,400 miles · Jun 3, 2010

Electrical SystemService Brakes, ElectricCrash

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MY BRAKES WERE MAKING A WEIRD SQUEAKING NOISE IN FRONT. I TOOK TO ORANGE COUNTY VOLVO DEALER TWICE, BOTH TIMES WAS TOLD NOTHING WAS WRONG. TWO WEEKS LATER, I EXPERIENCED COMPLETE BRAKE FAILURE,WITHOUT WARNING AND THE ONLY WAY TO STOP WAS TO HIT THE CAR IN FRONT OF ME. NO WARNING LIGHTS ILLUMINATED, THERE WERE NO OTHER WARNINGS PRIOR TO COMPLETE BRAKE FAILURE. I CALLED MY DEALER WHO DENIED ANY PROBLEMS. I HAD IT TOWED TO ANOTHER DEALER (POWER VOLVO)WHO IDENTIFIED THE PROBLEM AS A COMPLETE BRAKE BOOSTER FAILURE. MY DEALER SAID THERE WAS NO WAY THE NOISE I PREVIOUSLY COMPLAINED ABOUT (WEIRD SQUEAK)COULD HAVE BEEN DUE TO A BRAKE BOOSTER PROBLEM(HE SAID BOOSTER FAILURE MAKES A HISSING SOUND). VOLVO OF NORTH AMERICA (VONA) "INSPECTED" THE VEHICLE AND STATED THAT THE PROBLEM IS "INTERMITTENT" AND THAT WHEN THEY DROVE IT, THEY COULD NOT FIND A PROBLEM, BUT THAT DUE TO THE FACT THAT POWER VOLVO EXPERIENCED A PROBLEM WITH THE BOOSTER, IT SHOULD BE REPLACED FOR SAFETY REASONS. IN A VOICE MESSAGE TO ME, VONA STATED THAT THE PROBLEM WAS A "SAFETY HAZARD" BUT SINCE MY CAR WAS "SO FAR OUT OF WARRANTY," VONA WOULD NOT PAY FOR THE COST OF THE BOOSTER REPLACEMENT (NEARLY $3,000). THEY DENIED THAT IT WAS THEIR RESPONSIBILITY TO FIX THE DAMAGE TO MY CAR, AND DENIED THAT THE DEALER IMPROPERLY DIAGNOSED PROBLEM. PRIOR TO INSPECTION, VONA SAID THEY WOULD PAY FOR THE FIX IF THE BOOSTER "FAILED TO PERFORM AS DESIGNED." NOW THEY SAY THAT THE BOOSTER WAS NOT DESIGNED TO PROVIDE ANY INDICATION THAT IT WAS GOING TO FAIL PRIOR TO CAUSING A COMPLETE BRAKE FAILURE. SO, BASICALLY, VONA SAYS IT IS PROPER FOR THESE BOOSTERS TO FAIL, AND IT IS PROPER FOR THEM TO FAIL SUDDENLY, WITHOUT WARNING, CAUSING A COMPLETE LOSS OF BRAKES. AND THAT THIS IS NORMAL. LATER VERSIONS OF VOLVOS HAVE BRAKE FAILURE LIGHTS. MY MAKE AND MODEL DOES NOT. I COULD HAVE DIED AND/OR KILLED SOMEONE, AND VOLVO DOES NOT CARE. LUCKILY I WAS TRAVELING SLOWLY COASTING TOWARD A STOP SIGN WHEN THIS HAPPENED. *TR

NHTSA ODI #10334370

48,000 miles · Oct 18, 2005

Electrical System

1999 VOLVO C70 WITH 52,000 MILES. CAR STARTED RUNNING STAGGERED AT ABOUT 48,000 MILES. CHECK ENGINE AND ETS LIGHTS SOMETIMES COME ON. TOOK IT IN FOR COMPUTER DIAGNOSIS AND MECHANIC'S TEST DRIVE. PROBLEM IS FAULTY ELECTRONIC THROTTLE MODULE. NEEDS REPLACEMENT AT COST OF $900.00.*JB

NHTSA ODI #10140117

Official recalls

06V441000 · Vehicle Speed Control

Nov 15, 2006

ON CERTAIN PASSENGER VEHICLES, A COMBINATION OF THROTTLE POSITIONING SENSOR IRREGULARITIES, A DIRTY THROTTLE HOUSING, AND/OR INEFFICIENT SOFTWARE CALIBRATION MAY CAUSE A WARNING LAMP TO LIGHT AND THE SUBSEQUENT ONSET OF LIMP HOME MODES.

Consequence & remedy

Consequence: THIS RESULTED IN A HIGH NUMBER OF VEHICLES GOING INTO THE LIMP HOME MODE WITHOUT NEED.

Remedy: DEALERS WILL INSTALL THE CURRENT SOFTWARE UPGRADE ONTO THE INVOLVED VEHICLES. THE RECALL BEGAN ON DECEMBER 29, 2006. OWNERS MAY CONTACT VOLVO AT 1-800-458-1552.

Model-level recall history does not show whether a particular VIN is affected or has received a repair. Check a VIN with NHTSA ↗

NHTSA investigations

EA05021 · Throttle Control Malfunction

Opened Dec 6, 2005 · Closed Dec 12, 2006

Status: closed (inferred from source dates) · Vehicle Speed Control

ON NOVEMBER 14, 2006 VOLVO SUBMITTED A DEFECT INFORMATION REPORT TO NHTSA CONCERNING ETM FAILURES IN MODEL YEAR (MY) 1999 THROUGH 2001 VOLVO MODELS (NOT INCLUDING THE S40 AND V40), MY 2002 S60 AND V70 WITH NATURALLY ASPIRATED ENGINES AND MY 2002 V70S.ACCORDING TO VOLVO, ?A COMBINATION OF THROTTLE POSITIONING SENSOR IRREGULARITIES, A DIRTY THROTTLE HOUSING AND/OR INEFFICIENT SOFTWARE CALIBRATION MAY CAUSE A WARNING LAMP TO LIGHT AND THE SUBSEQUENT ONSET OF LIMP HOME MODES.VOLVO FURTHER STATED THAT,THIS RESULTED IN A HIGH NUMBER OF THESE VEHICLES GOING INTO LIMP HOME MODE WITHOUT NEED.?VOLVO INDICATED THAT THIS WAS THE MOST SEVERE CONSEQUENCE OF AN ETM FAULT IN THE SUBJECT VEHICLES.THE RECALL REMEDY IS A SOFTWARE UPGRADE INTRODUCED BY VOLVO ON MARCH 16, 2006 IN A CUSTOMER SATISFACTION PROGRAM.AT THE TIME OF THE NOTIFICATION 161,202 VEHICLES OF THE POPULATION OF 331,301 HAD ALREADY HAD THE SOFTWARE UPLOADED AND WERE THEREFORE NOT INCLUDED IN THE POPULATION COUNT OF THE RECALL. ODI?S ANALYSIS OF COMPLAINTS TO ODI AND VOLVO, VOLVO FIELD REPORTS AND WARRANTY DATA FOUND THAT ETM FAILURE COULD RESULT IN (1) ENGINE STALL; (2) MECHANICAL LIMP MODE; (3) LUNGING FORWARD DURING LOW-SPEED DRIVING MANEUVERS; AND (4) FALTERING DURING HIGH SPEED MERGES OR WHEN CROSSING TRAFFIC.ODI IDENTIFIED 12 CRASHES RELATED TO ETM FAILURE, WITH 6 CAUSED BY LUNGING INCIDENTS, 3 CAUSED BY STALLING INCIDENTS, 2 CAUSED BY MECHANICAL LIMP MODE AND 1 FROM THE FALTERING CONDITION.ODI'S ANALYSIS OF COMPLAINT DATA AND INFORMATION OBTAINED FROM CONSUMER INTERVIEWS IDENTIFIED 1,289 INCIDENTS WITH SAFETY RELATED CONSEQUENCES (389.1 PER 100,000 VEHICLES), INCLUDING 479 INVOLVING ENGINE STALL (144.6 PER 100,000 VEHICLES) AND 729 INVOLVING MECHANICAL LIMP MODE (220.0 PER 100,000 VEHICLES).ODI'S ANALYSIS OF WARRANTY CLAIM NARRATIVE TEXT SHOWS AT LEAST 14,965 WARRANTY CLAIMS WITH CODES INDICATING AN ETM FAULT RESULTING IN VEHICLE OPERATION IN MECHANICAL LIMP MODE (4.5% OF THE SUBJECT VEHICLES). VOLVO?S RECALL ADDRESSES ODI?S SAFETY CONCERNS WITH ETM FAILURES.ODI WILL CONTINUE TO MONITOR THE SUBJECT VEHICLES TO DETERMINE IF ADDITIONAL ACTION IS REQUIRED.THIS ENGINEERING ANALYSIS IS CLOSED.

PE05041 · Throttle Control Malfunction

Opened Jul 26, 2005 · Closed Dec 7, 2005

Status: closed (inferred from source dates) · Vehicle Speed Control

PE05-041 WAS OPENED ON JULY, 26, 2005, BASED ON 136 CONSUMER COMPLAINTS TO ODI ALLEGING THROTTLE CONTROL MALFUNCTIONS IN THE SUBJECT VEHICLES.ODI HAS NOW RECEIVED 591 COMPLAINTS OF ETM FAILURES WHICH ALLEGE SYMPTOMS WITH POTENTIAL SAFETY RELATED CONSEQUENCES.THESE INCLUDE ALLEGATIONS OF ENGINE STALL, VEHICLE SURGING FORWARD WITHOUT ACCELERATOR INPUT, VEHICLE HESITATION UPON ACCELERATION AND SUDDEN AND UNEXPECTED TRANSITION INTO REDUCED PERFORMANCE OPERATION (LIMP MODE).VOLVO SUBMITTED OVER 2,900 COMPLAINTS CONCERNING THE ETM IN THE SUBJECT VEHICLES DURING PE05-041.ODI'S PRELIMINARY ANALYSIS OF A SAMPLE THE VOLVO COMPLAINTS IDENTIFIED APPROXIMATELY 55 PERCENT WITH ONE OR MORE OF THE SYMPTOMS DESCRIBED ABOVE.ODI IS CONTINUING ITS ASSESSMENT OF THE INFORMATION CONTAINED IN THE VOLVO COMPLAINTS. IN NOVEMBER 2005, TO RESOLVE AN INVESTIGATION BY THE CALIFORNIA AIR RESOURCES BOARD, VOLVO ANNOUNCED THAT IT WOULD EXTEND THE WARRANTY COVERAGE TO 10 YEARS / 200,000 MILES FOR THE ETM IN APPROXIMATELY 356,000 MODEL YEAR 1999 THROUGH 2002 PASSENGER CARS SOLD IN THE UNITED STATES AND CANADA.UNDER VOLVO'S POLICY, VEHICLES THAT EXPERIENCE ETM FAILURES WILL RECEIVE A VARIETY OF REPAIRS INCLUDING ETM CLEANING, REPROGRAMMING THE ENGINE CONTROL MODULE AND/OR REPLACEMENT OF THE ETM. THIS INVESTIGATION HAS BEEN UPGRADED TO AN ENGINEERING ANALYSIS (EA05-021) TO CONTINUE TO ASSESS THE SAFETY CONSEQUENCES OF ETM FAILURES IN THE SUBJECT VEHICLES.