1998 Volvo S70

MY WIFE'S 1998 VOLVO S70 HAD 74,000 MILES WHEN HER ABS AND TRACS WARNING LIGHT CAME ON. AFTER TAKING IT INTO THE VOLVO DEALERSHIP IT WAS ASSESSED THAT THE ABS/TRACS IS NOT WORKING BECAUSE OF A FAILURE OF THE ABS/TRACS CONTROL MODULE. AFTER SOME RESEARCH I FOUND A LARGE NUMBER OF PEOPLE HAVING THE SAME ISSUE WHEN THEIR SAME MODEL CAR REACHED ANYWHERE BETWEEN 50 AND 100 THOUSAND MILES. THIS IS A SERIOUS SAFETY CONCERN AND VOLVO SHOULD RECALL AND REPLACE THE PART. *JB

I HAVE A 1998 VOLVO S70 T5. THE ANTI-LOCK BRAKE CONTROLLER BOARD IS MALFUNCTIONING CAUSING THE ANTI-LOCK BRAKE "RED" INDICATOR LIGHT TO COME ON AT VARIOUS "RANDOM" TIMES WHILE DRIVING THE CAR. WHEN THIS HAPPENS, THE BRAKE PEDAL DEPRESSES ON ITS OWN AND MANY NOISES ARE HEARD AROUND THE AREA OF THE FRONT LEFT TIRE AND THE ANTI-LOCK BRAKES STOP WORKING WHILE THE LIGHT IS ON. THIS HAPPENS VERY FREQUENTLY (AT LEAST ONCE EVERY TIME I DRIVE THE CAR). *JB

THE ABS / TRACKS WARNING LIGHT HAS BEEN COMING ON INTERMITTENTLY FOR THE PAST YEAR. INITIALLY IN 2002 THE DEALERSHIP WAS NOT ABLE TO PROVIDE US WITH A DEFINITIVE DIAGNOSIS, BUT WITHOUT LOOKING AT THE CAR, SAID THAT IT WAS THE ABS CONTROL UNIT FOR $1000+. WE DECLINED THE REPAIR ON THE BASIS THAT IT WAS A GUESS. ON MAY 1, 2003, WHILE IN FOR ROUTINE SERVICE, THE DIAGNOSIS WAS THE ABS/TRACKS CONTROL UNIT AT A COST OF $1000+. I ENTERED 1 FAILURE ON TODAY'S DATE BUT NUMEROUS TIMES THE ABS BRAKES ENGAGE WHEN THE BRAKE PEDAL IS NOT BEING TOUCHED AND SOMETIMES ENGAGES WHEN THE BRAKES ARE APPLIED AT SLOW SPEEDS IN NON-EMERGENCY STOPPING. THE DEALERSHIP TOLD ME THAT THE ABS BRAKES WILL NOT WORK IN AN EMERGENCY SITUATION. I HAVE SEEN NUMEROUS COMPLAINTS ON THE NHTSA WEBSITE WHICH LEADS ME TO BELIEVE THE ABS PROBLEM IS WIDESPREAD AS PROBABLY LESS THAN 1% OF CAR OWNERS KNOW TO FILE A REPORT. I ESTIMATE THAT 50% OF 1998 VOLVOS HAVE THIS PROBLEM AT 50000+ MILES. I CONSIDER THIS A SERIOUS SAFETY ISSUE AS A DRIVER WILL RELY UPON THE ABS IN AN ACCIDENT AND WILL APPLY THE BRAKE PEDAL ACCORDINGLY. IF THE ABS DON'T FUNCTION, THE WHEELS WILL LOCK AND POSSIBLY CAUSE THE DRIVER TO LOSE CONTROL OF THE CAR. THE OTHER SAFETY ISSUE IS THE ABS ENGAGING WHEN THE BRAKE PEDAL IS NOT APPLIED OR WHEN THE ABS ENGAGE IN NON-EMERGENCY STOPPING. THIS IS NOT CONTROLLED BRAKING AND COULD ALSO CAUSE AN ACCIDENT BY ALARMING AND CONFUSING THE DRIVER. WE BOUGHT THE VOLVO AFTER BEING HIT BY A DRUNK DRIVER AT 100+ MPH AND CAN'T AFFORD TO SUSTAIN FURTHER SERIOUS INJURY OR THE STRESS CAUSED BY WORRYING ABOUT SAFETY EQUIPMENT FAILURE ON WHAT IS CONSIDERED TO BE THE SAFEST CAR ON THE ROAD. PLEASE ADDRESS THIS VERY SERIOUS ISSUE. THANK YOU.*JB

THE ABS LIGHT WAS COMING ON INTERMITTENTLY. AFTER CONSULTING THE WEB I LEARNED THIS WAS A COMMON PROBLEM IN THE 98 S70'S. VOLVO IS AWARE OF THE PROBLEM! WHILE DRIVING WITH THE CONDITION I NOTICED IF THE ABS PUMP CYCLED AND THE LIGHTS COME ON YOU LOSE BRAKING UNLESS YOU PUMP THE BRAKES. EXTREMELY DANGEROUS CONDITION FOR A MANY DRIVERS. I'M A LAW ENFORCEMENT OFFICER AND MY TRAINING HELPED ME AVOID THE ACCIDENT. *NLM