2000 Volvo S80

IN JULY, 2005 I TOOK MY 2000 S80 IN FOR SERVICE COMPLAINING OF GENERAL PERFORMANCE PROBLEMS INCLUDING SURGING WHEN STOPPED, PARTICULARLY WHEN THE A/C IS RUNNING. SOMETIMES I SAW THE TACHOMETER JUMPING DURING THE SURGE ACTIVITY. RED BANK VOLVO, MY REGULAR SERVICE FACILITY, ADVISED ME THAT THE PROBLEM REQUIRED SOFTWARE UPGRADES FOR ECM AND ETM, AND IF IT PERSISTED THAT MY ALTERNATOR WOULD NEED CLEANING. THEY NEVER MENTIONED AN ETM DEFECT. BASED UPON THE ETM COMPLAINTS LISTED ON NHTSA'S WEBSITE, MY EARLY PROBLEMS SEEM SIMILAR. *NM

I WAS TRAVELING ON INTERSTATE 20 FROM ATLANTA, GA HEADED TO CHARLESTON, SC. BETWEEN AUGUSTA, GA AND COLUMBIA, SC, THE CAR LOST POWER AS IF SOMEONE WERE APPLYING THE BRAKES WHILE I HAD MY FOOT ON THE GAS PEDAL. SUDDENLY, I HAD A WARNING LIGHT COME ON THAT SAID "PERFORMANCE REDUCED". I WOUND UP HAVING TO LOCATE THE LOCAL VOLVO DEALER IN COLUMBIA WHERE I LEFT MY CAR FOR REPAIR AND HAD TO PROCEED TO CHARLESTON IN A RENTED VEHICLE. THIS HAPPENED LATE IN THE DAY ON FRIDAY AND I HAD TO BE IN CHARLESTON FOR A MEETING ON SATURDAY MORNING. THE "THROTTLE BODY CONTROL" WAS DEEMED TO BE THE PROBLEM AND THE DEALER REPLACED IT AT A COST OF CLOSE TO $1,000. WHEN I ASKED WHAT WOULD HAVE HAPPENED IF I HAD CONTINUED TO DRIVE I WAS TOLD THAT THE CAR EVENTUALLY WOULD HAVE LOST TOTAL POWER AND DIED. UNFORTUNATELY, I DO NOT HAVE THE PART THAT WAS REPLACED. WHEN I READ ABOUT YOUR INVESTIGATION, I WAS OUTRAGED THAT THIS IS OBVIOUSLY A DANGEROUS AND FAIRLY COMMON PROBLEM. *NM

MY WIFE WAS DRIVING OUR CAR AND THE RIGHT FRONT WHEEL FELL OFF. SHE HAD JUST PULLED OUT OF A DRIVEWAY AND WAS NOT GOING VERY FAST. THE CONSEQUENCES WERE THAT THE SUSPENSION WAS DAMAGED AND THE BALL JOINTS, WHICH HAD FAILED AND CAUSED THE COLLAPSE, AND THE CV JOINTS HAD TO BE REPLACED AND SOME OTHER BODY WORK AND REPAIRS HAD TO BE DONE. THE BALL JOINTS WERE SUBJECT OF A RECALL IN 2001, THEN OUR ACCIDENT WAS CAUSED BY A SUBSEQUENT FAILURE AND NOW I AM TOLD THE FRONT SUSPENSION IS LOOSE AND THE BALL JOINTS NEED REPLACING AGAIN. SOMETHING IS SERIOUSLY WRONG WITH THAT SYSTEM ON THE CAR. *JB

VEHICLE WOULD SHUT DOWN AT HIGHWAY SPEEDS THIS HAPPENED TWICE ON 1-95 IN SOUTH FLORIDA CAUSING NEAR ACCIDENTS. SECOND TIME WHILE IN THE MIDDLE HIGHWAY LANE I CALLED FOR A TOW. BEFORE THE TOW ARRIVED THE CAR STARTED UP JUST FINE AS IF THERE WAS NO PROBLEM. THIS INCIDENT HAPPENED AN ADDITIONAL 2X BEFORE I COULD GET THE CAR TO VOLVO/PALM BEACH, FL WHERE THEY REPLACED THE ETM ELECTRONIC THROTTLE MODULE AT A COST OF $1259.00.. *NM

THERE WAS NOTHING LEADING UP TO THE ENGINE STALLING OUT, IT JUST HAPPENED ALL OF A SUDDEN. I HAVE HAD A SUDDEN LOSS OF SPEED/ POWER TO VEHICLE IN THE PAST AND ALSO JUST RECENTLY...ALONG WITH NO ABILITY TO STEER WHILE DRIVING IN HIGHWAY TRAFFIC AND THEN THE VEHICLE WILL JUST STALL OUT COMPLETELY IN THE MIDDLE OF TRAFFIC, UNABLE TO RESTART UNTIL THE CAR FEELS LIKE CRANKING UP AGAIN. I TOOK THE VEHICLE TO A VOLVO REPAIR SHOP AND THE MECHANIC COULD FIND A PROBLEM BUT A WEEK LATER THE SAME THING HAPPENED AGAIN. THE STALLING HAPPENS SPORADICALLY, SO YOU JUST NEVER KNOW WHEN IT WILL HAPPEN NEXT. *NM

I OWNED A 2000 VOLVO S-80 SEDAN THAT HAD A THROTTLE BODY FAILURE ON 08/13/03 WHILE TRAVELING ON I-35 IN IOWA. THE ENGINE STALLED ON THE INTERSTATE. THE CAR HAD 53,487 MILES ON IT. I UNDERSTAND THAT YOU HAVE HAD A NUMBER OF COMPLAINTS ABOUT VOLVO THROTTLE BODY FAILURES AND THOUGHT YOU SHOULD BE INFORMED. I CONSIDERED THE CAR TO DANGEROUS TO DRIVE AND SOLD IT WITHIN A MONTH OF THE INCIDENT. THE CAR WAS REPAIRED WITH A NEW THROTTLE BODY AND ACCESSORIES AT BETTS AUTO CAMPUS IN DES MOINES, IOWA AT A COST OF $895.50. *NM

I WOULD JUST LIKE TO ADD MY CONCERN TO THE LIST OF INDIVIDUALS WHO EXPERIENCED STALLING CONDITION WITH THE VOLVO. WE OWN A 2000 VOLVO MODEL S-80 T-6. IN APRIL OF THIS YEAR WE WERE EXPERIENCING STALLING CONDITIONS WITH OUR CAR AT SLOW SPEEDS MAINLY AFTER A FEW MILES OF DRIVING AFTER THE FIRST START OF THE DAY. THE CAR WAS TAKEN TO THE LOCAL DEALERSHIP FOR TROUBLESHOOTING AND POSSIBLE REPAIR. AFTER A WEEK IN THE SHOP THE VEHICLE WAS RETURNED TO US AND WE WERE ADVISED THAT THEY COULD NOT DUPLICATE ANY STALLING. SINCE THEN WE HAVE EXPERIENCED A STALL CONDITION TWICE AND AGAIN IT WAS WITHIN THE FIRST FEW MILES AFTER THE INITIAL START OF THE DAY. THE CAR ALWAYS STARTS AND PERFORMS SATISFACTORY AFTERWARDS. IT WAS NOT AN EVERYDAY OCCURRENCE, BUT DOES MAKE ONE UNCERTAIN ABOUT RELIABILITY. *JB

ON MAY 9, 2005 MY HUSBAND AND I WERE TRAVELING NORTH ON THE NEW JERSEY TURNPIKE NEAR EAST RUTHERFORD, NJ WHEN OUR 2000 VOLVO S80 SEDAN LOST ACCELERATION. AS THE VEHICLE SLOWED FROM 60 MPH IN TRAFFIC TO 15 MPH, THE MESSAGE WINDOW READ, "PERFORMANCE REDUCED." AS MY HUSBAND NEGOTIATED THE FAILING VEHICLE FROM THE CENTER LANE, SURROUNDED BY 60 MPH TRAFFIC, TO THE SHOULDER, I PHONED OUR VOLVO DEALERSHIP IN PA FOR ROADSIDE ASSISTANCE. THEY INFORMED ME TO GET THE VEHICLE OFF THE ROAD AND TO TAKE IT TO THE NEAREST VOLVO DEALERSHIP. AS WE INCHED ALONG THE SHOULDER AT 15 MPH, A NJ STATE TROOPER SPOTTED US AND RECOGNIZED THAT WE WERE IN TROUBLE. HE PULLED ALONG SIDE US AND THEN OFFERED TO FOLLOW US, WITH LIGHTS FLASHING, INTO THE NEAREST REST AREA, WHICH WAS 8 MILES NORTH. AS HE SAID, "YOU'RE A SITTING DUCK." ONCE AT THE SERVICE AREA, THE VEHICLE WOULD NOT RESTART, AND WE HAD IT TOWED TO KUNDERT VOLVO IN HASBROUCK HEIGHTS, NJ. ALL IN ALL, WE WERE FORTUNATE UNDER THE CIRCUMSTANCES. IT WAS 10:30 AM ON A CLEAR SPRING DAY. THE STATE TROOPER'S ASSISTANCE WAS FORTUITOUS AND OUR CAR SERVICE WAS COMPLETED BY 4 PM. AT KUNDERT VOLVO, THE SERVICE AREA REPLACED THE THROTTLE BODY, A GASKET AND PERFORMED AN ETM RELOAD. TOTAL LABOR AND PARTS WAS $729.00 PLUS $150 TOWING CHARGE. ALTHOUGH ALL IS WELL THAT ENDS WELL, THERE WAS GREAT POTENTIAL FOR A SERIOUS ACCIDENT DURING OUR TIME UNASSISTED ON THE NJ TURNPIKE, CAUSED BY VEHICLE FAILURE. *NM