2000 Volvo S80

CAR STALLING. I THOUGHT THAT IT WAS JUST MY BAD LUCK- THAT I HAD BOUGHT A LEMON. I PURCHASED MY 2000 VOLVO S80 T6 SEDAN BRAND NEW IN DECEMBER 1999. I HAVE HAD MANY, MANY PROBLEMS WITH THIS CAR, ALL OF WHICH WERE COVERED BY WARRANTY. THE REASON I AM WRITING TO YOU JUST NOW IS BECAUSE OF WHAT I JUST READ ON THE INTERNET. MY CAR STALLED IN TRAFFIC LAST MONTH. I WAS COMING TO A STOP AT A LIGHT. THE CAR RE-STARTED. THE VOLVO DEALER COULD NOT FIND A PROBLEM. THERE HAS BEEN NO STALLING SINCE. *JB

OVER THE COURSE OF OWNERSHIP OF A 2000 VOLVO S80 (I.E., FOUR YEARS), I HAVE THE TRANSMISSION OVERHAULED AT 67,000 MILES;HAD THE THROTTLE REPLACED WHEN MY CAR CHOKED ( LUCKILY ON A SIDE STREET); HAD A BAR ON THE SUNROOF DROP OFF; ENGINE MOUNTS BROKEN; WHEEL STOPS BROKEN; AND, MOST RECENTLY REPLACED AN ABS PANEL. NOT WITHSTANDING IN ANY OF THESE INCIDENTS IS THE COOLING FAN AND BALL JOINT REPLACED DUE TO RECALL. TRULY THIS CAR HAS BEEN MORE EXPENSIVE THAN ANY OTHER KNOWN TO BE DRIVEN. EVERY TRIP TO THE DEALERSHIP IS EASILY $1000 PLUS. AT THE TIME OF PURCHASE, THE RESEARCH WAS SCANT IN TERMS OF PROBLEMS. I HAVE TRULY BEEN DISMAYED BY VOLVO'S COMMITMENT TO ITS PRODUCT AND IS DESIGN FLAWS AND/OR DEFECTS. AFTER, THE TRANSMISSION WAS CORRECTED AT THE DEALERSHIP, I WENT TO TRADE THE CAR IN---TO PURCHASE ANOTHER CAR. THE DEALERSHIP WHERE I PURCHASED THE CAR BASICALLY WOULD NOT GIVE MONEY ON ITS TRADE. AFTER SEVERAL THOUSAND DOLLARS LATER IN REPAIRS, I AM STILL FUMING OVER A CAR THAT WAS PURCHASED SOLELY FOR THE "HISTORICAL" VOLVO STANDARD AND ITS COMMITMENT TO SAFETY. *JB

WHILE DRIVING THE VEHICLE GOES INTO "LIMP" MODE AND A ERROR MESSAGE SAYING "SAFELY PULL OVER AND RESTART VEHICLE" GOES ON. THE VEHICLE WOULDN'T EXCEED 5 MPH WITH TRAFFIC BEHIND ME. IT IS A POTENTIALLY DANGEROUS SITUATION, WHICH HAS HAPPENED SEVERAL TIMES. BUT I'VE FINALLY BROUGHT THE CAR TO THE DEALERSHIP AND APPARENTLY THE ELECTRONIC THROTTLE BODY MODULE, AND THE ANTI-LOCK BRAKE MODULE BOTH HAVE TO BE REPLACED. THEN AFTER CHECKING SEVERAL FORUMS THIS SEEMS TO BE AN EPIDEMIC FOR THE VOLVO S80.

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

SHORTLY AFTER MY VEHICLE'S 60K MILE SERVICE, I NOTICED SLIGHT HESITATION WHILE CRUSING AROUND 60 MILES PER HOUR ON HIGHWAY. ONCE I EXPERIENCE THE HESITATION, THE ENGINER SERVICE LIGHT WOULD COME ON THEN THE "ENGINE SYSTEM SERVICE URGENT" MESSAGE WOULD COME ON AS WELL. WHEN THE HESITATION STARTS, I WOULD FEEL AS IF I NO LONGER HAVE THE FULL CONTROL OF THE GAS THROTTLE AS IT DOES NOT RESPOND AT ALL. EG. WHEN I TAKE OFF MY FOOT OFF THE GAS PEDAL, I WOULD FEEL A SUDDEN SURGE IN VEHICLE ACCELERATION! WHILE WAITING TO GET THE CAR SERVICED BY MY DEALED TO TAKE A LOOK AT THE PROBLEM, THE WARNING LIGHTS WOULD COME AND GO. FINALLY, DURING MY TRIP TO GET MY CAR SERVICED, THE GAS THROTTLE STOP RESPONDING THUS THE CAR CRUISED TO A FULL STOP. I WAS ABLE TO RESTART THE CAR AFTER ABOUT 15 MINUTES AND CONTINUE WITH MY JOURNEY. LATER I WAS TOLD THAT I NEED TO REPLACE THE WHOLE THROTTLE BODY IN ORDER TO FIX THIS PROBLEM. MY CONCERN IS WHY THIS PROBLEM WAS NOT DETECTED DURING MY "MAJOR" TUNEUP SERVICE ABOUT 3 WEEKS PRIOR INSETAD,I HAD TO MAKE A SEPARATE TRIP TO THE DEALERSHIP AND POTENTIALLY GET INTO A VERY DANGEROUS SITUATION WHILE TRAVELING AT HIGH SPEED THEN TO LOSE THE CONTROL OVER THE VEHICLE'S GAS THROTTLE WHERE IT MAY SUDDENLY ACCELERATE OR DECELERATE. *AK

SERVICE ENGINE LIGHT - URGENT WENT ON. I NOTICED SLIGHT HESITATION IN CAR ONLY WHEN THIS LIGHT IS ON. SERVICE LIGHT COMES ON & OFF. WENT TO DEALER AND INFORMED THAT I NEED A NEW THROTTLE BODY UNIT AT A COST OF $1129.95. CAR ONLY HAS 73,000 MILES AND IS REGULARLY SERVICED BY VOLVO. INFORMED THAT THIS IS NOT UNDER WARRANTY. WENT ON LINE TO NHTSA AND DISCOVERED MANY COMPLAINTS REGARDING SIMILAR PROBLEM. *NM

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.

MY WIFE WAS DRIVING THE CAR AND MAKING A LEFT TURN ACROSS TRAFFIC (WITH PLENTY OF ROOM TO MAKE THE TURN). AS SHE DECELERATED TO MAKE THE TURN, THE CAR DIED. AS THIS HAPPENED, OF COURSE ALL POWER STEERING AND BRAKES WERE LOST. SHE NARROWLY AVOIDED AN ACCIDENT, AS SHE WAS STUCK OUT IN THE INTERSECTION. I HAVE SPENT SOME TIME RESEARCHING THIS PROBLEM AND ITS CAUSES AND I HAVE FOUND AMPLE SUPPORTING INFORMATION THAT MANY OWNERS OF THIS VEHICLE ARE HAVING THIS PROBLEM OF THE CAR DYING ON DECELERATION. THE PROBLEM IS APPARENTLY DUE TO AN ELECTRONIC THROTTLE MODULE (ETM). THIS IS A UNIQUE SYSTEM INSTALLED BY VOLVO THAT DOES AWAY WITH THE TRADITIONAL THROTTLE CABLE. APPARENTLY THESE DEVICES ARE FAILING REGULARLY, AND MUST BE REPLACED TO THE TUNE OF ABOUT $1000 COST TO THE OWNER OF THE VEHICLE. I THINK THAT IF A NORMAL THROTTLE-CABLE VEHICLE HAD A GREAT TENDENCY TO BREAK THROTTLE CABLES, EVEN ON CARS WITH LOW MILES, THIS WOULD LEAD TO SOME SORT OF RECALL BECAUSE THIS LEADS TO AN UNSAFE SITUATION. THIS WAS SUCH A NEAR MISS FOR MY WIFE THAT SHE IS AFRAID TO DRIVE THE CAR UNTIL IT IS REPAIRED. CHECK WWW.BRICKBOARD.COM SITE. THIS IS A SITE FOR VOLVO OWNERS. A SEARCH FOR S80 AND ETM WILL GENERATE MANY HITS FROM OWNERS WHO HAVE HAD THE SAME UNSAFE CONDITION LEADING TO A NEED TO REPLACE THIS FAULTY DEVICE. *NM