2000 Volvo S80

ELECTRONIC THROTTLE SYSTEM THE PROBLEM IS NOT BEING HANDLED RESPONSIBLY AND THE DEALERS USE INTIMIDATION AND THEN BULLY THEIR CLIENTS INTO PAYING FOR OTHER SERVICES. THEY REFUSE TO ADDRESS THIS LIFE THREATENING ISSUE. THEY ARE WITHHOLDING VALUABLE INFORMATION. I OWN BOTH VOLVO S70 AND S80 AND THEY HAVE SHUT DOWN IN HIGHWAY TRAFFIC. *THIS IS A DIRECT QUOTE I RECEIVED FROM A MASTER VOLVO MECHANIC WHEN I POSTED A QUESTION CONCERNING ELECTRONIC THROTTLE SYSTEM. " YOUR ETS LIGHT IS A LITTLE MORE SEVERE THEN THAT THIS IS A VERY COMMON PROBLEM THE MANUFACTURE KNOWS THIS AND WILL NOT STAND BEHIND PROBLEM . HOWEVER THE PROBLEM IS THE THROTTLE UNIT, IT HAS A MALFUNCTION AND NEEDS TO BE REPLACED THE DEALER WILL PROBABLY TELL YOU IT NEEDS A DOWNLOAD,THAT IS UNFORTUNATELY ONLY GOING TO FIX PROBLEM FOR A SHORT WHILE.". *NM

CAR HAS SHUT OFF 6-8 TIMES WHILE DRIVING. THE MAJORITY OF TIMES HAVE BEEN ON THE INTERSTATE IN RUSH HOUR. THE FIRST FEW TIMES THIS HAPPENED THE CAR WOULD "SURGE" AND THE LIGHTS INSIDE WOULD FLICKER BEFORE THE REDUCED PERFORMANCE LIGHT CAME ON AND THE CAR COMPLETELY SHUT DOWN. EACH TIME IT HAS TAKEN LONGER TO GET THE CAR TO START BACK UP. THE CAR WOULD TURN OVER AND THEN IMMEDIATELY CHOKE DOWN. THE LAST INCIDENT HAPPENED WITHOUT WARNING WHILE DRIVING 80 ON THE INTERSTATE AT 5:30PM ON A WEEKDAY. NOW, THE CAR WILL TURN OVER, BUT WILL NOT STAY CRANKED. I HAVE MADE THREE PAYMENTS ON THIS CAR AND HAVE NOT DRIVEN IT FOR TWO MONTHS FOR FEAR THAT I WILL BE KILLED OR STRANDED.

SUBJECT: ENGINE COMPARTMENT FIRE, RESULT: TOTAL LOSS, EHICLE: 2000, VOLVO, S80 2.9, VIN: [XXX]. SHORTLY BEFORE 3:00PM MY WIFE AND I DEPARTED BRIDGEPORT, CONNECTICUT FOR THE TRIP HOME TO MASSACHUSETTS. THE FIRST 7 OR 8 MINUTES WERE LOCAL STOP AND GO DRIVING (MAXIMUM SPEED 25MPH). AT THIS POINT WE ENTERED THE MERRITT PARKWAY (EASTBOUND ENTRANCE 48). WE JOINED THE RIGHT LANE TRAFFIC FLOW, WHICH VARIED BETWEEN 55 AND 60 MPH. APPROXIMATELY 2 MINUTES LATER ? JUST BEFORE THE MERRITT PARKWAY EASTBOUND ENTRANCE 49 OR 50 THE CAR ENGINE LOST POWER. I WAS ABLE TO COAST THE VEHICLE OFF THE HIGHWAY TO THE ISLAND BETWEEN THE HIGHWAY AND THE ON-RAMP. IT LOOKED LIKE STEAM WAS COMING OUT FROM UNDER THE HOOD NEAR THE RADIATOR. I LOOK AT THE DASHBOARD TEMPERATURE GAUGE AND WAS SURPRISED TO SEE IT READING NORMAL. I PULLED THE HOOD RELEASE LEVER INSIDE THE VEHICLE, GOT OUT OF THE VEHICLE, WENT TO THE FRONT OF THE VEHICLE AND ATTEMPTED TO RELEASE THE HOOD SAFETY LATCH WHICH WAS SO HOT THAT MY HAND WITHDREW INVOLUNTARILY. AT THIS POINT I BECAME AWARE THAT SMOKE WAS COMING OUT FROM THE FRONT OF THE HOOD, NOT STEAM. I ALERTED MY WIFE TO GET OUT OF THE CAR. SHE DID, AND AFTER MOVING AWAY FROM THE VEHICLE, LOOKED BACK AND NOTICED FLAMES COMING OUT FROM UNDER THE FRONT OF THE ENGINE COMPARTMENT. MY WIFE AND I WITNESSED TWO EXPLOSIONS, EMINATING FROM THE ENGINE COMPARTMENT. THE FIRST EXPLOSION CAUGHT MY ATTENTION BECAUSE IT WAS LOUD AND SHOT FLAME AND SMOKE ABOUT 15 FEET INTO THE AIR.*AK UPDATED 07/27/2012 *JS INFORMATION REDACTED PURSUANT TO THE FREEDOM OF INFORMATION ACT (FOIA), 5 U.S.C. 552(B)(6)

VEHICLE STALLED WHILE DRIVING. THE CONSUMER WAS ABLE TO RESTART THE VEHICLE AND PULLED OVER TO SHUT DOWN THE VEHICLE. CONSUMER NOTICED THAT THE CHECK ENGINE LIGHT APPEARED ON THE DASHBOARD AND REMAINED ON. THE CONSUMER DROVE IT TO THE DEALER, AND THE MECHANIC DETERMINED THAT THE COMPUTER SYSTEM, AND OTHER PARTS OF ENGINE NEEDED TO BE REPLACED. *AK *JB

VEHICLE EXPERIENCED ENGINE SURGES AT IDLE SPEED WHILE AT STOP IN INTERSECTIONS FORCING SUDDEN BRAKE APLLICATION TO AVOID COLLISION. FOLLOWING APPROXIMATELY 2 WEEKS OF SIMILAR SPORADIC EPISODES, ALL WITHOUT ANY MESSAGE INDICATORS, VEHICLE WOULD ONLY TRAVEL 15 MPH. THROTTLE ASSEMBLY REPLACED TO RECTIFY PROBLEM. SERIOUS RISK OF INJURY BARELY AVOIDED! SHOULD BE A RECALL AS THERRE APPEAR TO BE NUMEROUS DEFECTS REPORTED.*AK

AT 70MPH MY CAR SAID REDUCED PERFORMANCE, AND WITHIN 30 SEC. MY CRUISE CONTROL FAILED, THE CAR REDUCED TO 5MPH, AND THERE WAS NO ACCELERATION. I WAS IN 5 LANES OF RUSH HOUR TRAFFIC DOING 70-80MPH. AN EIGHTEEN WHEELER SKIDDED APPROX. 50 FEET IN ORDER TO AVOID HITTING ME. HE THEN HAD TO BLOCK OFF TWO LANES OF TRAFFIC TO ASSIST ME TO THE SHOULDER. MY CAR WOULD ONLY COAST. IT WAS A NEAR DEATH EXPERIENCE FOR ME. I'M THANKFUL MY CHILDREN WERE NOT WITH ME. AFTER BEING TURNED OFF OVER NIGHT, MY HUSBAND ATTEMPTED TO DRIVE IT TO THE VOLVO DEALERSHIP. HE EXPERIENCED THE SAME. WE WERE TOLD THAT IT WAS DUE TO A COMPUTER CHIP MALFUNCTION. A CHIP WHICH CONTROLS THE THROTTLE, FUEL-INJECTION, AND CRUISE CONTROL. WOW! THE SERVICE REP. "WE HAVEN'T SEEN ANYMORE PROBLEMS AFTER REPLACING THE CHIP". WE ASKED WHY HAS THIS NOT BEEN RECALLED. THE REP. SAID "THERE HAVE TO BE SO MANY ACCIDENTS AND FATALITIES REPORTED, BEFORE THEY WILL RECALL IT". THIS HAS LEFT ME VERY DISTURBED, AND RELUCTANT TO EVER DRIVE A VOLVO AGAIN. I FEEL SURE IF IT HADN'T BEEN FOR MY QUICK USE OF THE HAZARD LIGHTS, IT COULD HAVE BEEN FATAL. THE TRUCK DRIVER ALSO CONCURRED. I DO NOT WANT THIS TO HAPPEN TO ANYONE ELSE. THEY MAY NOT BE SO LUCKY.

ALL ELECTRICAL POWER HAS BEEN SHUT OFF TO VEHICLE ON 4 DIFFERENT OCCASSIONS. THE FIRST TIME WAS WHILE ENTERING A RIGHT TURN LANE AT A SLOW SPEED. ALL POWER EQUIPMENT FAILED...NO POWER BRAKES, NO POWER STEERING, ETC. I WAS ABLE TO RESTART THE ENGINE WITHOUT DIFFICULTY AFTER TURNING THE IGNITION OFF (WITH THE TRANSMISSION IN NEUTRAL) AND STARTING IN A NORMAL FASHION. THIS FAILURE MODE AND RESOLUTION IS TYPICAL. THE SECOND TIME, I WAS TURNING LEFT ACROSS A FAIRLY BUSY INTERSECTION. FORTUNATELY, I HAD ENOUGH MOMENTUM TO CONTINUE WITHOUT BEING HIT BY ONCOMING TRAFFIC. THE THIRD TIME WAS IN AN ENCLOSED PARKING LOT AS I MADE A SLOW RIGHT TURN TO GO UP A RAMP. THE FOURTH TIME, AND THIS ONE WAS UNUSUAL, I WAS TRAVELLING ABOUT 45 MPH WHEN ALL THE FAILURE LIGHTS CAME ON FOR ABOUT 1 SEC. FORTUNATELY, THE POWER CAME ON BY ITSELF. IMAGINE THE CONSEQUENCES OF A TOTAL ELECTRICAL FAILURE AT 40+ MPH IN TRAFFIC...NO POWER TO THE BRAKES OR STEERING. TS