2000 Volvo S80

MY 2000 VOLVO S80 T6 STALLS (TYPICALLY IN JUNCTIONS) AFTER 120K MAINTENANCE SERVICE / RECALL 155 ETM SOFTWARE UPGRADE. THE SERVICE WAS PERFORMED ON 5/12/06 AT AUTHORIZED VOLVO DEALER (128VOLVO.COM). SINCE THE SERVICE, THE CAR STALLED 5 TIMES, AND HAS BEEN TO THE DEALERSHIP THREE MORE TIMES, WITHOUT A FIXING THE PROBLEM. THE DEALER REJECTS MY COMPLAINS AND WANTS THIS ISSUE TO "HAPPEN MORE FREQUENTLY BEFORE TAKING ACTION". SUDDEN STALLS ALMOST LEAD ME TO A TRAFFIC ACCIDENT ALREADY AT LEAST ONCE; THE DEALERSHIP ISN'T CONCERNED ABOUT TRAFFIC SAFETY. *NM

(1) NO WARNING PRIOR TO FAILURE (2) THE ENGINE SUDDENLY STALLED, LEADING TO INSTANT LOSS OF POWER / SPEED. THE VERY FIRST TIME IT HAPPENED TO ME WAS 2.5 YRS AGO(JULY, 2003) THE DAY AFTER I BOUGHT THE CAR AT 62 K MILES. THE ENGINE STALLED WHEN I WAS DRIVING @40-50 MILES/HR FOR 6 MILES. THE CAR WAS TOWED TO THE GARAGE AND A THROTTLE WAS REPLACED. THEN, AFTER 2.5 YEAR, WHEN THE MILEAGE REACHED 91K (LESS THAN 30K AFTER THROTTLE REPLACEMENT), THE SAME STALLING APPEARED AGAIN. THE FIRST TIME IT HAPPENED WAS AROUND 12/10, WHEN I PARKED THE CAR. THE SECOND TIME WAS ON 12/18, WHEN I PULLED OVER TO A TRAFFIC LIGHT THE THIRD TIME WAS ON 12/19, AGAIN WHEN I APPROACHED PARKING LOT, TO TAKE IT TO THE VOLVO SERVICE. (3) IN THE FIRST DAY AT VOLVO DEALER SERVICE (@ 96TH ST., INDIANAPOLIS) COULD NOT DIAGNOSE THE PROBLEM: NO ERROR CODE WAS FOUND. IN THE SECOND DAY, UPON MY REQUEST, THE SERVICE PERSONNEL DROVE THE CAR FOR TWO OR THREE MILES AND THE CAR STALLED AGAIN. I WAS TOLD THAT THEY FOUND THE ERROR CODE, AND DETERMINED IT RELATED TO AIR INTAKE / THROTTLE. I WAS ALSO TOLD THAT THE REPAIR WOULD BE UNDER VOLVO EXTENDED WARRANTY OF THROTTLE CLEANING, WHICH I WAS NOT NOTIFIED BUT FOUND THROUGH NHTSA WEBSITE, AND MADE INQUIRY TO THE SERVICE PERSONNEL. TODAY IS THE THIRD DAY OF CAR IN THE GARAGE, AND I HAVE NOT HEARD ANY WORD FROM VOLVO DEALER. I AM AFRAID ANY FIX I RECEIVE TODAY OR IN THE NEAR FUTURE IS JUST TEMPORARY, AS THE SAME PROBLEM HAPPENED AT 62K. EVEN AFTER NEW THROTTLE WAS INSTALLED, THIS PROBLEM APPEARED AT 91K. I WAS ALSO TOLD BY THE VOLVO DEALER THAT THE PREVIOUS OWNER HAD THE SAME PROBLEM. *NM

I OWN A 2000 VOLVO S80 2.9 - VIN: [XXX]. I HAD PURCHASED THE VEHICLE NEW FROM BRIDGEWATER VOLVO IN NJ ON AUG 15, 2000. I HAVE 49,100 MILES ON THE CAR AND I HAVE MAINTAINED THE VEHICLE IMPECCABLY IN THE LAST 5 YEARS OF OWNERSHIP. TWO WEEKS AGO THE CAR STARTED STALLING AND THE MESSAGE DISPLAY READ "REDUCED PERFORMANCE". MY WIFE USES THE CAR TO COMMUTE TO WORK AND THE STALLING OF THE CAR ON THE HIGHWAYS PUT HER INTO A POTENTIALLY DANGEROUS SITUATION. SHE WAS ABLE TO SAFELY PULLOVER AND THE CAR WOULD RE-START AGAIN EVERY TIME IT STALLED. SHE FINALLY GOT HOME AND AFTER THE SECOND DAY OF THE PROBLEMS SHE LEFT IT IN THE GARAGE AND USED THE SECOND CAR FOR COMMUTING. SHE THEN TOOK IT TO THE VOLVO DEALER IN EDISON NJ. VOLVO OF EDISON DIAGNOSED THE PROBLEM AND HERE IS THE DIRECT QOUTE FROM THEIR BILL - "PERFORMANCE REDUCED LIGHT FAULT TRACE ECM 91A7 AND ABS 00B1-FOUND INTERNAL FAULT IN ETM AND BRAKE PEDAL POSITION SENSOR REPLACE AND DOWNLOAD ETM AND BRAKE PEDAL POSITION SENSOR" SINCE THE CAR IS NO LONGER UNDER WARRANTY I HAD TO PAY THE FOLLOWING AMOUNTS: PARTS - THROTTLE BODY, GASKET & SENSOR = $655.42 LABOR - $472.50 TAXES = $67.68 TOTAL = $1,195.60 I CALLED VOLVO CUSTOMER SERVICE TO COMPLAIN ABOUT THE PRE-MATURE FAILURES AND THEIR RESPONSE WAS THERE IS NOTHING THEY CAN DO ABOUT IT. I ALSO STATED THAT I AM DISSATISFIED WITH THEIR PRODUCT QUALITY AND I MAY NOT CONSIDER BUYING ANOTHER VOLVO PRODUCT. THE CUSTOMER SERVICE REP TOLD ME THAT IN THAT CASE VOLVO MAY NOT EVEN CONSIDER REVIEWING MY CASE AS I MAY NOT CONSIDER BUYING ANOTHER VOLVO. IN ADDITION TO THE ABOVE PROBLEM LAST YEAR I HAD A COOLING FAN FAILURE WHICH WAS COVERED UNDER WARRANTY JUST BEFORE IT EXPIRED. NOW I HAVE NEVER EVER RECEIVED A RECALL NOTICE FROM VOLVO ON ANY PROBLEMS. I UNDERSTAND THAT THERE WAS A RECALL ON THE FRONT SUSPENSION BALL JOINTS AND I DO NOT KNOW IF VOLVO DURING THE ROUTINE SERVICE VISITS EVER APPLIED THE RECALL FIX. *NM UPDATED 07/17/2012 *JS INFORMATION REDACTED PURSUANT TO THE FREEDOM OF INFORMATION ACT

I GET PERFORMANCE REDUCED MESSAGES ON MY 2000 VOLVO S80 MESSAGE CONSOLE, AND THE CAR WILL SLOW DOWN ALMOST TO A STOP. THIS HAS HAPPENED MORE THAN 100 TIMES TO ME - EVEN AT HIGHWAY SPEEDS. I HAVE TO PUT THE HAZARD LIGHTS ON, AND MAKE MY WAY OFF OF THE ROAD ON TO THE SHOULDER. IF I TURN THE CAR OFF, AND RESTART THE CAR, (OFTEN SEVERAL TIMES), THE CAR SEEMS TO "RESET" AND I CAN OFTEN DRIVE ON. WESTSIDE VOLVO OF CLEVELAND, OHIO HAS QUOTED ME BETWEEN $1,200 AND $2,000 TO FIX THIS PROBLEM, AND HAS TOLD ME IT IS THE "ETM". MY CAR HAS 106,000 MILES ON IT. THE DEALER HAS TOLD ME THAT THE UNIT WAS "DESIGNED ONLY TO LAST UNTIL 100,000" MILES, AND THAT ONLY A VOLVO DEALER CAN REPLACE IT - BECAUSE OF COMPUTER SOFTWARE THAT MUST BE ENCODED ON THE PART. I PURCHASED THIS CAR USED WITH 59,000 MILES ON IT, THINKING I WOULD GET A CAR THAT MIGHT LAST ME ("VOLVO - FOR LIFE..." HAPPENS TO BE THE COMPANY'S MARKETING SLOGAN). HOWEVER, I CANNOT CURRENTLY AFFORD THE REPAIR, AND I CANNOT AFFORD TO GET ANOTHER CAR. I AM FORCED TO DRIVE THIS CAR AND IT IS UNSAFE. I HAVE HAD MORE THAN 5 INCIDENTS WHERE THERE WAS ALMOST A CRASH - MOSTLY DUE TO THIS "PERFORMANCE REDUCED" HAPPENING AT HIGHWAY SPEEDS ON MULTIPLE LANE HIGHWAYS IN HEAVY TRAFFIC. PLEASE DO SOMETHING ABOUT THIS - PLEASE HELP ME. THANK YOU. *JB

2000 VOLVO S80 T6 SEDAN - CAR BEGAN TO JERK AS THOUGH MISSING; GOT PROGRESSIVELY WORSE, EVEN AFTER COMPLETE MAINTENANCE UPDATE. HAS ESSENTIALLY GONE TO NO POWER AND I'V HAD TO COAST TO THE SIDE OF THE HIGHWAY - TURN OFF- WAIT - RESTART AND THEN RUN AWHILE LONGER. LOCAL MECHANIC SAYS ITS A THROTTLE MODULE OR MY MAIN COMPUTER AND MUST BE FIXED AT DEALER (220 MILES AWAY) BECAUSE NO ONE ELSE CAN PROGRAM THE NEW MODULE WHEN REPLACING. *JB

THIS CAR (2000 VOLVO S80 TURBO) HAS BEEN IN MY FAMILY SINCE IT WAS BRAND NEW. FIRST IT WAS MY MOTHER'S WHEN IT WAS PURCHASED IN 2000. THEN IN THE SUMMER OF 2005, IT BECAME MINE. BOTH WHILE MY MOTHER OWNED IT, AND NOW WHILE I'VE OWNED IT THERE HAVE BEEN A NUMBER OF PROBLEMS. THE CAR HAS NEVER BEEN IN AN ACCIDENT OF ANY SORT. STALLING IS THE BIGGEST PROBLEM. UNPREDICTABLY THE CAR WHEN DECREASING SPEED WILL JUST STALL AND THE CAR STOPS. EVERY TIME THIS HAS HAPPENED IF THE CAR IS PUT INTO PARK, TURNED OFF, AND THEN TURNED BACK ON IT WORKS FINE, HOWEVER IT IS VERY DANGEROUS FOR SOMETHING LIKE THIS TO HAPPEN. ALSO, TWICE SINCE I HAVE HAD IT THERE HAS BEEN NO OIL IN MY CAR. NO LIGHTS COME UP TO WARN ME AND THANKFULLY BOTH TIMES I GOT IT CHECKED OUT BEFORE MY CAR OVER HEATED. ANOTHER INSTANCE, THERE WAS A LEAK IN THE AUTOMATIC STEERING. TODAY I WENT TO START MY CAR AND A WARNING MESSAGE CAME UP SAYING "LOW BATTERY VOLTAGE" AND MY CAR DID NOT FEEL RIGHT WHEN I DROVE IT. I NEVER LEFT ANY LIGHTS ON OR ANYTHING OF THAT MATTER THAT WOULD CAUSE A DRAIN IN THE BATTERY AND THE BATTERY WAS JUST REPLACED NOT TOO LONG AGO. I THINK THAT WAS MY BREAKING POINT WITH THIS CAR. FOR A CAR THAT IS ONLY 5 YEARS OLD, AND IS SUPPOSED TO BE THAT GREAT OF A CAR. ITS AWFUL. *JB