2000 Volvo S80

IN AUGUST 2005, WE TOOK OUR VEHICLE IN FOR ROUTINE MAINTENANCE AT 67500 MILES. I AM THE PRIMARY DRIVER OF THIS VEHICLE AND HAD NOTICED SOME PROBLEMS WHICH WERE DISCUSSED WITH THE SERVICE DEPARTMENT. THIS VEHICLE HAD STALLED AT PARKING LOT SPEEDS AND IT HAD BEEN SPUTTERING AT TAKE-OFF. MY HUSBAND PRESENTED THE SERVICE DEPARTMENT WITH A PUBLICATION FROM THE HIGHWAY SAFETY BOARD WHICH DISCUSSED A PROBLEM WITH THE THROTTLE BODY ON THE VOLVO S80. AS WE WERE HAVING THE SAME PROBLEMS DESCRIBED IN THIS PUBLICATION, MY HUSBAND ASKED THE SERVICE DEPARTMENT TO REPLACE THE THROTTLE BODY ON OUR VEHICLE. THE SERVICE DEPARTMENT WAS AWARE OF THE PROBLEM BUT AS VOLVO HAD NOT ISSUED A RECALL, THEY WERE NOT AUTHORIZED TO REPLACE THIS WITHOUT THE VOLVO WARRANTY COMPANY REVIEWING THIS ISSUE WITH OUR VEHICLE. THE WARRANTY COMPANY DID EXAMINE OUR VEHICLE, BUT DECLINED TO REPLACE THE THROTTLE BODY AT THAT TIME. ON DECEMBER 11, 2005 MY FAMILY (HUSBAND AND TWO CHILDREN, AGES 2 AND 10 MONTHS) WERE TRAVELING HOME TO THE ATLANTA AREA FROM NASHVILLE, TENNESSEE. WHILE DRIVING THIS VEHICLE, I NOTICED THAT IT BEGAN TO ACCELERATE AND DECELERATE AND THEN COMPLETELY LOST POWER. WE WERE TRAVELING ON I-75 SOUTH AT INTERSTATE HIGHWAY SPEEDS AND WERE ABLE TO GET TO THE SHOULDER OF THE ROAD WHEN THIS HAPPENED. UNFORTUNATELY, WE HAD TO PULL OVER ONTO THE LEFT SHOULDER AS THE TWO RIGHT LANES WERE IN A CONSTRUCTION ZONE. WE WERE THEN ENDANGERED BY TRAFFIC MERGING TO THE LEFT WHICH IN SOME CASES ATTEMPTED TO PASS ON THE LEFT SHOULDER. WE HAD TO HAVE THE CAR TOWED TO NALLEY VOLVO IN MARIETTA, GEORGIA WHICH WAS APPROXIMATELY 34 MILES FROM WHERE WE ORIGINALLY BROKE DOWN. AS THIS HAPPENED ON A SUNDAY EVENING AND NO RENTAL CAR BUSINESSES WERE OPENED, WE THEN HAD TO GET A TAXI TO TAKE US THE REST OF THE WAY TO OUR HOME. ON MONDAY MORNING, MY HUSBAND SPOKE WITH THE SERVICE DEPARTMENT ABOUT WHAT HAD HAPPENED. THE PROBLEM WAS DIAGNOSED AS A DEFECTIVE THROTTLE BODY. *JB

DT*: THE CONTACT STATED WHILE STOPPING AT A RED LIGHT THE VEHICLE STALLED WITH NO WARNING. THE ENGINE WAS RESTARTED AND AGAIN STALLED. THE VEHICLE WAS TOWED TO A LOCAL DEALERSHIP WHERE THE VEHICLE WAS INSPECTED. THE DEALER DETERMINED THAT THE THROTTLE BODY NEEDED CLEANING AND THE SOFTWARE UPDATED. AFTER THE REPAIRS WERE MADE THE VEHICLE WAS SOLD.*AK

IN MID 2005, I STARTED HAVING PROBLEMS WITH MY VOLVO S80 (YR 2000) IDLING AT STOP LIGHTS. THE IDLE WOULD FLUCTUATE FROM 400 TO 1100 RPMS. AT TIMES THIS WOULD CAUSE MY CAR TO DIE. WHILE IT WAS A NUISANCE AT STOP LIGHTS, IT STARTED TO FLUCTUATE AT HIGHER RPMS AND THREE TIMES WHILE ON THE INTERSTATE GOING APPROXIMATELY 55 MPH THE CAR DIED AND I HAVE TO PUT IN NEUTRAL AND RESTART WHILE IN RUSH HOUR TRAFFIC. I TOOK TO SERVICE PLACE AND THEY DID A DIAGNOSTIC, AND REMOVED AND CLEANED THE THROTTLE BODY BEFORE REPLACEMENT. THE FOLLOWING CODES WERE FOUND IN THE ECM 9160, 9150, 904C 903F 9040 AND 130A. AFTER THEY RESET THE FAULTS AND REMOVED AND CLEANED THE THROTTLE BODY, THEY TEST DROVE THE CAR AND THE SAME IDLE AND (AND IT DIED) PROBLEMS EXISTED. THEY REPLACED THE THROTTLE BODY ACTUATOR ASSY, UPGRADE ENGINE MANAGEMENT SOFTWARE TO WORK WITH NEW ACTUATOR. SINCE THEY HAVE REPLACED THE ELECTRONIC THROTTLE BODY I HAVE HAD ZERO IDLING PROBLEMS TO DATE. I HAVE ALL COPIED OF MY PAPERWORK IF NEEDED. *JB

WHEN MERGING ONTO HWY. CAR LOST POWER WHILE TRYING TO ACCELERATE TO ENTER LANE. CAR BEHIND ME ALMOST HIT ME AND SWERVED INTO THE OTHER LANE WHERE HE WAS ALMOST HIT BY ANOTHER CAR. THE ELECTRONIC THROTTLE SYSTEM OF MY CAR FAILED. VOLVO IS REPLACING THESE PER AN EXTENDED WARRANTY. HAD I KNOWN ABOUT THIS PROBLEM, I WOULD HAVE HAD THE CAR REPAIRED BEFORE THERE WAS A PROBLEM. I HAD TO HAVE THE CAR TOWED AND WAS THEN TOLD THIS WAS A COMMON PROBLEM WITH THIS CAR. WHY HAS THERE BEEN NO RECALL. I AM THE ONLY PRIVATE OWNER OF THIS VEHICLE, HAVING PURCHASED IT FROM A DEALERSHIP. YET WHEN I CALLED VOLVO ABOUT THIS PROBLEM, THEY FOUND MY NEIGHBOR'S CAR IN THEIR DATABASE, BUT NOT MINE. I FEEL THERE ARE OTHERS BEING PUT AT RISK DUE TO THE AUTOS THROTTLE SYSTEM FAILURE. I HAVE SEEN A LETTER SENT TO A TELEVISION STATION STATING THAT THESE CARS HAVE A PROBLEM THEY CALL, "LIMP HOME MODE" . WELL, MINE WAS ALMOST "DEAD IN THE ROAD MODE" I HOPE THERE ARE NO DEATHS DUE TO THIS PROBLEM. I HAVE HAD MY CAR FIXED, BECAUSE I COULD NOT DRIVE IT UNLESS I DID. I WILL NOT PURCHASE ANY MORE VOLVOS, DUE TO THE OMISSION OF THE TRUTH CONCERNING THIS VEHICLE. THANK YOU. BRENDA TILLEY. *NM

200 S80 WAS ACCELERATING SPONTANEOUSLY AND LUNGING FORWARD. THE CAR CRASHED INTO A GARAGE WALL WHILE COASTING INTO A PARKING SPACE, AND THE ACCELERATOR WAS NOT DEPRESSED. THE ELECTRONIC THROTTLE MODULE WAS REPLACED. THE VOLVO DEALERSHIP MECHANIC COULD NOT GET THE COMPUTER ERROR CODE, OR APPRECIATE THE SYMPTOMS WHEN HE TEST DROVE THE VEHICLE, AND HAD TO CALL MY LOCAL MECHANIC (WHO IDENTIFIED THE FAULTY ETM) FOR HELP. VOLVO WILL NOW REIMBURSE ALL CUSTOMERS WHO PAID FOR THROTTLE MODULE REPAIR/REPLACEMENT IN THE PAST. I FOUND THIS OUT ONLY AFTER I WENT TO MY DEALERSHIP'S SERVICE DEPARTMENT AND LODGED A COMPLAINT ABOUT THE ETM REPAIR. *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

DECEMBER 2004, ETM / SPEED CONTROL FAILS ON EXPRESSWAY. CAR SLOWS DANGEROUSLY - UNCONTROLLABLE THROTTLE. TAKEN TO DEALER, TWO WEEKS OUT OF WARRANTY - ALL REPAIRS $1,000,OUT OF MY POCKET - NO ASSISTANCE BY VOLVO - COMPLAINED TO NORTH AMERICA HQ - NO RESPONSE. TOLD AT SERVICE DESK THIS WAS NOT AN ISSUE WITH OTHER VEHICLES - AFTER READING SEVERAL NEWS ARTICLES AND THE VARIOUS ISSUES SURROUNDING THIS S -80 COMPONENT - IT IS APPARENT THERE IS A MAJOR ISSUE WITH THIS COMPONENT AT VOLVO. *JB

(1) NONE OBVIOUS (2) 2000 VOLVO S80 T6 "ENGINE REDUCED POWER" ON INTERSTATE PLACED CAR IN "LIMP" MODE. IMPAIRED TRAFFIC CREATING HAZARD WHILE COASTING TO ONE OF A FEW AVAILABLE ROAD SHOULDERS. REPEATED FAILURES AND INCIDENTS WITHIN LAST 50 MILES SINCE VOLVO ATTEMPTED 1ST REPAIR. (3) READ ECM CODES 9150 9160 904C 904D 903F - PREVIOUS CODES READ AS P121 AND P1608. CLEANED PCV BREATHER FITTING, CHECKED BATTERY VOLTAGE, INSTALLED UPGRADED ETM SWITCH PN 30677023. *JB