2002 Volvo S40

TL* - THE CONTACT OWNS A 2002 VOLVO S40. THE CONTACT STATED THAT THE ENGINEWAS IDLING HIGH. VOLVO STATED THAT THE VEHICLE WAS OPERATING NORMALLY. THE RPM SURGE OCCURRED FREQUENTLY WHEN THE CONTACTWAS DRIVING THE VEHICLE. THE CHECK ENGINE LIGHT CAME ON PERIODICALLY. THERE WAS A RECALL FOR THIS FAILURE ON ALL VOLVO MODELS, BUT NOT FOR THE 240 MODEL. *AK

I BOUGHT A 2002 VOLVO S40 FROM AN INDIVIDUAL IN JANUARY OF 2004. IN A MATTER OF 3 MONTHS IN 2005, I HAD TO REPLACE MY PASSENGER HEADLIGHT 3 DIFFERENT TIMES AND MY DRIVER HEADLIGHT 2 DIFFERENT TIMES. I CALLED THE VOLVO DEALER AND THEY SAID THAT A BULB SHOULD LAST AROUND 2 YEARS. IN THE NEXT MONTH, MY PASSENGER HEADLIGHT WENT OUT AGAIN. I GOT UNDER THE HOOD TO REPLACE IT AS USUAL. WHEN I PULLED THE BLACK PLASTIC PIECE THAT CONTAINS THE MALE PART TO THE WIRE CONNECTION AND ACTS AS THE BULB SOCKET, IT WAS MELTED. IT WAS MELTED TO THE POINT THAT I COULD NOT GET THE BULB OUT UNTIL I USED PLIERS. I TOOK MY CAR TO THE VOLVO DEALER AND THEY SAID THAT I WOULD HAVE TO REPLACE THE WHOLE HEADLIGHT COMPARTMENT. SINCE VOLVO HEADLIGHT COMPARTMENTS ARE "FACTORY SEALED", THEY WOULD NOT BREAK THE SEAL. I WOULD HAVE TO BUY A BRAND NEW ONE @ $500. I DID NOT DO ANYTHING ABOUT IT, BECAUSE I AM NOT PAYING FOR A WHOLE NEW HEADLIGHT COMPARTMENT FOR A PIECE OF PLASTIC THE SIZE OF MY THUMB. TWO DAYS LATER, THE DRIVER SIDE BULB WENT OUT AND IT DID THE SAME EXACT THING, MELTED. THIS LEFT ME WITH NO HEADLIGHTS! WITHOUT $1000 TO SPEND ON TWO NEW HEADLIGHT COMPARTMENTS (INSTALLED), I DROVE DURING THE DAY. I FOUND, MYSELF, THAT THE WIRES (POSITIVE AND NEGATIVE) THAT ARE CONNECTED TO THE BLACK PLASTIC SOCKET ARE FAIRLY CLOSE TOGETHER AND ARE NOT SHIELDED FROM ONE ANOTHER. SO, WHEN THE WIRING HARNESS FOR THE HEADLIGHTS WAS PUT TOGETHER, THEY DID NOT PLACE THE WIRES NICE AND NEAT IN THERE TO WHERE THERE WAS NO WAY THEY WOULD TOUCH. WHEN I CAME TO THIS CONCLUSION, I PUT BLACK ELECTRICAL TAPE AROUND THE TWO WIRES (POSITIVE AND NEGATIVE) IN EACH HEADLIGHT COMPARTMENT SO THAT NOTHING ABOUT THE WIRE WOULD TOUCH AND OBVIOUSLY HAD TO PUT NEW BULBS IN. THIS HAPPENED DURING THE SECOND AND THIRD WEEK OF AUGUST 2005. SINCE, I HAVE NOT HAD ANY PROBLEMS. I HAVE ALSO REPLACED BOTH LICENSE PLATES BULBS, THE REAR FOG LIGHT BULB, AND ALL FOUR BRAKE LIGHTS. *NM

I PURCHASED A 2002 VOLVO S40 WHICH FROM THE DEALERSHIP IN JUNE 2002. IT WAS MY FIRST NEW CAR. ABOUT A YEAR AND HALF AGO, WITHOUT A WARNING LIGHT -COMING ON TO ALERT ME OF AN IMPENDING PROBLEM, THE CAR BEGAN EMITTING HEAVY BLACK SMOKE FROM THE EXHAUST SYSTEM. THE CAR HAD GONE THROUGH AN OIL CHANGE JUST 200 MILES BEFORE. WHEN THE CAR WAS BROUGHT TO THE DEALERSHIP, THEY INFORMED ME THAT DUE TO MY WAITING TOO LONG TO CHANGE OIL, THE TURBO FAILED AND OIL MAY HAVE GOTTEN INTO THE ENGINE, MAKING IT NECESSARY FOR ME TO REPLACE THE ENGINE AND THE TURBO. THE DEALERSHIP REFUSED TO HONOR THE WARRANTY AND INSISTED THAT I SPEND A $3000-$6000 FOR THE REPAIR/REPLACEMENT AFTER SOME DISCUSSION, THE DEALERSHIP PROPOSED CLEANING THE ENGINE AND REPLACING THE TURBO AS AN ALTERNATIVE. AS THE PRICE WAS EXORBITANT, I TOOK THE CAR TO AN INDEPENDENT REPAIR SHOP WHICH PERFORMED THE TURBO REPLACEMENT AND ENGINE CLEAN-UP, CHANGING THE OIL AND COOLANT. THE CAR RAN FINE WITHOUT A PROBLEM UNTIL 11/26/05 WHEN THE ENGINE, AT 57,000 MILES BUT OUT OF WARRANTY, BEGAN EMITTING WHITE SMOKE AT THE FRONT AND REAR OF THE CAR. FORTUNATELY I WAS ABLE TO DRIVE THE CAR TO A REPUTABLE REPAIR SHOP WHICH DIAGNOSED THE PROBLEM AS A TURBO FAILURE (FAILURE #2). THE ENGINE WAS CLEANED AS BEST THE SHOP COULD AND THE TURBO REPLACED AT SUBSTANTIAL EXPENSE. WHEN THE REPAIR WAS COMPLETED, I DROVE THE CAR 200 MILES TO BRING IT HOME WITHOUT INCIDENT. THE NEXT MORNING IT BEGAN TO MAKE ODD NOISES. I TOOK IT TO THE DEALERSHIP AND WAS TOLD THAT THE ENGINE NEEDED REPLACEMENT AND THE TURBO HAD BROKEN (FAILURE #3)--PRICE TAG $6600. I AM CONVINCED THAT I WAS SOLD A DEFECTIVE S40 AT THE OUTSET,AND THE PROBLEMS I'VE EXPERIENCED I RELATE TO THE DEALERS UNWILLINGNESS TO HONOR THE WARRANTY WHEN IT WAS STILL ALIVE AND FIX THE DEFECTIVE ENGINE/TURBO ON A NEW CAR. I WILL NEVER BUY ANOTHER VOLVO, AND I DO NOT RECOMMEND THAT ANYONE ELSE BUY ONE . *JB

IN SEPTEMBER OF 2004, I BEGAN EXPERIENCING PROBLEMS WITH MY VOLVO S40 SEDAN. THE VEHICLE WOULD SHUT OFF WHILE I WAS OPERATING IT FOR NO APPARENT REASON. I TOOK THE VEHICLE TO THE DEALER TWICE AND THEN CONTACTED THE VOLVO CUSTOMER CARE DEPARTMENT FOLLOWING AN INCIDENT WHEN THE VEHICLE SHUT OFF WHILE I WAS IN A VERY BUSY INTERSECTION IN TOWN. I NARROWLY AVOIDED A VERY SERIOUS CRASH. THEY SENT A REGIONAL TECHNICIAN TO THE VOLVO DEALER. VOLVO HAD THE CAR FOR AN EXTENDED PERIOD OF TIME AND SAID WHILE THEY COULD NOT DETERMINE THE PROBLEM, THEY REPLACED SEVERAL PARTS. I EXPERIENCED NO FURTHER PROBLEMS UNTIL JUNE OF 2005 WHEN THE EXACT PROBLEM RESURFACED. WHEN I TOOK THE CAR BACK TO THE DEALER AND CONTACTED VOLVO CUSTOMER CARE, THEY INDICATED TO ME THAT THEY STILL COULD NOT TELL WHAT WAS WRONG WITH THE CAR AND SO THEY WOULD NOT "THROW PARTS" AT A CAR. MY HUSBAND AND I ARE BOTH IN LAW ENFORCEMENT AND KNOW FIRSTHAND THE DEVASTATION OF CAR CRASHES. WE FELT SO UNSAFE IN THE VEHICLE, THAT WE DECIDED TO TRADE IT IN JULY OF 2005....A VERY COSTLY AND FINANCIALLY DEVASTATING RESULT. (WE LOST OVER $4,300) HOWEVER, I FELT TOO GUILTY TO SELL THE CAR TO ANYONE PRIVATELY. I WAS SO DISAPPOINTED THAT VOLVO REFUSED TO DEAL WITH THIS PROBLEM AND LEFT ME NO OTHER CHOICES THAN TO DRIVE IN A VERY UNSAFE CAR, OR FACE FINANCIAL DEVASTATION. *JB

VEHICLE BEING REPORTED IS A 2002 VOLVO S40 SEDAN. TRAVELING ON US ROUTE 13 SOUTH OF DOVER, DE. AND SLOWED DOWN FOR A TRAFFIC LIGHT IN MEDIUM TRAFFIC FROM A SPEED OF APPROXIMATELY 55 MPH. VEHICLE STALLED WITHOUT WARNING DURING DECELERATION. VEHICLE RESTARTED WITH SOME EFFORT. AT NEXT LIGHT, SITUATION REPEATED ITSELF - VEHICLE STALLED WITHOUT WARNING DURING DECELERATION. PLACED TRANSMISSION IN NEUTRAL TO COAST WHILE ATTEMPTING TO RESTART. VEHICLE RESTARTED ONLY WHEN ACCELERATOR WAS PARTIALLY DEPRESSED CAUSING ENGINE TO REV UP. VEHICLE CONTINUED TO STALL WHEN SPEED DROPPED TO APPROXIMATELY 25-30 MPH UNLESS THE ACCELERATOR WAS DEPRESSED TO MAINTAIN ENGINE RPM WHILE BRAKES WERE BEING APPLIED TO SLOW VEHICLE DOWN. CRITICAL SITUATION TRAVELING IN AREA WITH LOW SPEED LIMITS AND TRAFFIC CONTROL DEVICES SUCH AS STOP SIGNS AND TRAFFIC LIGHTS. VEHICLE WAS TAKEN TO LOCAL VOLVO DEALER WHO DETERMINED THAT A DEVICE THAT CONTROLS THE AIR GOING INTO THE ENGINE WAS AT FAULT. REPAIRS WERE MADE AT A TOTAL COST OF $600. *JB

I HAVE HAD TO REPLACE A HEADLIGHT 3 TIMES AND A TAILLIGHT 2 TIMES, A CONSOLE LIGHT, AND THE FUSE TO MY CIGARETTE LIGHTER IN MY 2002 VOLVO S40; 5 OF THESE THINGS IN THE LAST SIX WEEKS. THE VOLVO DEALERSHIP SAYS VOLVOS NOW ( THEY DIDN'T SPECIFY ANY PARTICULAR YEAR OF VOLVOS) ARE BLOWING HEADLIGHTS SO FREQUENTLY, THAT THE CUSTOMER REPS KEEP HEADLIGHT BULBS IN THEIR DESK DRAWERS AND REPLACE THEM FOR FREE. TO ME, THIS MEANS EITHER THERE IS A SIGNIFICANT PROBLEM WITH THE VOLVO VOLTAGE REGULATORS OR THIS PARTICULAR VOLVO DEALERSHIP IS PUTTING ME OFF TO TRY KEEP THIS REPAIR FROM BEING TAKEN CARE OF BY MY CAR WARRANTY. I SAY THIS BECAUSE THE FIRST TIME I ASKED ABOUT MY LIGHTS BLOWING SO FREQUENTLY, THEY TOLD ME IT WAS BECAUSE LIGHT BULBS TEND TO BLOW IN COLD WEATHER. THE SECOND TIME I ASKED, THEY SAID ALL VOLVOS WERE DOING THAT. I LOOKED ON YOUR SITE ABOUT SAFETY RECALLS ON VOLVOS AND SAW NOTHING ABOUT VOLTAGE PROBLEMS. TONIGHT I HAVE ALSO SENT AN EMAIL TO VOLVO.COM SITE SO OBVIOUSLY I HAVEN'T GOTTEN A RESPONSE FROM THEM. SINCE SAFETY LIGHTS (HEADLIGHT AND TAILLIGHTS) ARE AN ISSUE WITH THE PROBLEM I'M HAVING WITH MY CAR AND THE VOLVO DEALERSHIP SAYS IT'S A COMMON VOLVO PROBLEM, I THOUGHT I SHOULD PASS THIS BY YOUR SITE TO SEE WHAT YOU HAVE HEARD. *JB

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