2001 Volvo S80

VEHICLE REPEATEDLY STALLS AT LOW RPMS, DECELERATING, OR COMING TO STOP AT TRAFFIC LIGHTS, OFF-RAMPS, TOLL BOOTHS ETC. PROBLEM IS INTERMITTANT, AND DOESN NOT YIELD DIAGNOTICS ON CONSISTANT BASIS. DEALERS REFUSE TO FOLLOW-UP ON PROBLEM AS DIAGNOSTICS ARE INCONSISTANT. ONE INJURY AVOIDING ONCOMING VEHICLE UPON EXITING STALLED VEHICLE. INJURY MINOR, AND TREATED LOCALLY. *NM

THE CONTACT OWNS 2000 VOLVO S80. PURCHASED IT UNDER AN EXTENDED WARRANTY CERTIFIED USED CAR PROGRAM FROM CLAYTON VOLVO IN KNOXVILLE TENNESSEE IN APRIL 2001. SEVERAL MONTHS LATER, WHILE THE CAR WAS STILL UNDER WARRANTY, THE CAR DIED IN THE MIDDLE OF AN INTERSECTION. AFTER TOWING IT TO THE DEALER IT WAS DISCOVERED THE ELECTRONIC THROTTLE MODULE WASFILLED WITH CARBON. THAT UNIT WAS REPLACED UNDER WARRANTY. A COUPLE YEARS LATER, THE CAR AGAIN DIED. THIS TIME IT HAPPENED IN A PARKING LOT. THANKFULLY, IN BOTH CASES IT HAPPENED IN A SAFE SITUATION. AGAIN, THE ETM WAS DETERMINED TO BE THE PROBLEM. BUT, THE WARRANTY HAD EXPIRED. THE DEALER AND THE MANUFACTURER REFUSED TO RECOGNIZE THAT THE PROBLEM WAS AN ONGOING ISSUE. THIS TIME THE CONTACT WAS FORCED TO PAY NEARLY $1000 FOR REPAIRS. IT WAS THE CONTACT'S UNDERSTANDING THAT INFORMATION WAS BEING COLLECTED ON THIS PROBLEM, SO HE FELT COMPELLED TO ADD THIS COMPLAINT. ALTHOUGH HAD SPECIFIC DATES AVAILABLE , THE CONTACT COULD CHECK MY RECORDS AND PROVIDE THEM IF NECESSARY. *NM. X-REF 10131424, 2 ETMS INSTALLED, SMCH. *AK THE THROTTLE BODY WAS CLEANED TWICE AND THE MASS AIR FLOW SENSOR WAS REPLACED. UPDATED 12/07/05. *JB

WELL, WELL - LET'S SEE, I BOUGHT A 2001 VOLVO S-80, T-6 IN FEBRUARY 2005 TO REPLACE MY 1996 740 IL BMW - I THOUGHT I WOULD GET A MORE ECONOMICAL AND SAFE CAR. BOY WAS I WRONG! TO MY DISGUST I PAID ALMOST $20,000 FOR THIS USED CAR AND WITHIN WEEKS IT STARTED ACTING UP. IT TURNED OUT TO BE THE MASS AIRFLOW SENSOR AND THE THROTTLE BODY. I FINALLY - 9 MONTHS AFTER PURCHASING THE CAR - HAVE HAD TO GET IT FIXED - OVER $1200.00. I, LIKE ANOTHER PERSON WHO FILED A COMPLAINT, WAS MAKING A LEFT HAND TURN ON A VERY BUSY ROAD, AND THE CAR DIED WHILE IN THE MIDDLE OF MY TURN. LUCKILY I WAS ABLE TO PUT IT IN NEUTRAL QUICK ENOUGH AND RESTART IT BEFORE I GOT HIT. THE CAR ALSO SURGES DANGEROUSLY AT STOPS. IF YOU DON'T HAVE YOUR FOOT ON THE BRAKE 110%, THE CAR WOULD LURCH FORWARD AND HIT THE CAR IN FRONT OF IT. I'M SO DISAPPOINTED IN THIS CAR I WILL NEVER BUY ANOTHER VOLVO. SO MUCH FOR LOOKING FORWARD TO "ONE DAY PURCHASING THIS SAFE CAR". NOW THAT I HAVE DUMPED LOTS OF MONEY INTO THIS CAR, TAKEN VACATION TIME TO PICK IT UP AND DROP IT OFF, IT WORKS OKAY. THE THROTTLE BODY WAS REPLACED ABOUT 2 WEEKS AGO, BUT THE CAR STILL FEELS LIKE ITS NOT GIVING ME 100% - BUT AT LEAST IT ISN'T STALLING OR SURGING. I STILL HAVE MY BMW - THANK GOODNESS. I'LL BE GETTING RID OF THIS VOLVO. FORD BOUGHT VOLVO AND THEY ARE RESPONSIBLE FOR MAKING THIS UNRELIABLE CAR. I ALSO UNDERSTAND THAT THERE A CLASS ACTION LAWSUIT AGAINST VOLVO (FORD) - IT'S TIME THEY DO THE RIGHT THING AND REIMBURSE CUSTOMERS WHO HAVE BEEN SUBJECTED TO THIS DANGEROUS AND POORLY DESIGNED FUEL SYSTEM. *JB

WHILE DRIVING ON AN INTERSTATE HIGHWAY AT 65-70 MPH, 2001 VOLVO S80 T6 DISPLAYED A MESSAGE INDICATING REDUCED POWER. WAS ABLE TO STEER THE CAR, BUT PUSHING THE ACCELERATOR PEDAL IT HAD NO EFFECT. THE CONTACT WAS FORCED TO MANEUVER TO THE SHOULDER, AND HAD THE CAR TOWED TO LOCAL DEALER. THE CAR WOULD START AND CONTINUED TO RUN, BUT THE CAR WOULD NOT GO. IT WAS AS IF THE ACCELERATOR PEDAL HAD BEEN DISCONNECTED. THIS HAPPENED AT ALL SPEEDS. THE MECHANIC DETERMINED THAT THE ELECTRICAL THROTTLE MODULE (ETM) MALFUNCTIONED. *AK

ETM BAD/ ELECTRONIC THROTTLE MODULE THIS HAS BEEN A NIGHTMARE AND IT'S NOT RESOLVED YET! I BOUGHT MY USED VOLVO S-80 T6 OCTOBER 20 TH WITH 76,000 MILES. WITHIN THE DAY OF OWNERSHIP THE SERVICE ENGINE REQUIRED LIGHT CAME ON, AND I FAILED MASS INSPECTION. I TRIED TO GET MY MONEY BACK, BUT I BOUGHT OUT OF STATE, AND THEY REFUSE TO RETURN CALLS. I RESEARCHED THE PROBLEM AND FOUND IT WAS THE ETM. ON WEDNESDAY NOV 10TH 2005, I CALLED MY LOCAL DEALER PIONEER VOLVO IN SOUTH DEERFIELD MASS 1 800 680 2140, AND WAS INFORMED THAT THE ETM WARRANTY EXPIRED AT 70,000 MILES, AT 76,000 MILE, THERE WAS NO WARRANTY. I ASKED HIM ABOUT KNOWN PROBLEMS WITH THE ETM, AND DENIED THAT HE WAS AWARE OF ANY! I ASKED HIM FOR AN APPOINTMENT, EXPLAINED THAT HE IS THE CLOSEST DEALER AT 47 MINUTES AWAY, AND THAT I NEEDED HELP ASAP DUE TO FAILED EMISSIONS. HE TOLD ME "BRING IT IN...AT 9 30 AM AND MAYBE I'LL LOOK AT IT....WHEN I ASKED HIM FOR A GUARANTEED TIME....HE SAID ..."MAYBE IN 2 WEEKS" I DECIDED TO FIX THE PROBLEM MYSELF BY CLEANING THE ETM, WHICH I UNDERSTAND HELPS TEMPORARILY. I HAD NO CHOICE BEING I AM EXTREMELY BUSY IN AN UNFLEXIBLE JOB AND FINANCIALLY STRAPPED. HOWEVER, WHEN REINSTALLING THE ETM, THE BOLTS ARE DESIGNED TO SHEER. THE BOLT SNAPPED AND I HAVE BEEN UNDER MY CAR FOR 3 DAYS....STILL CAN'T EXTRACT IT. I NEED MY CAR! I NEED IT TO PASS INSPECTION! WHY WON'T VOLVO COVER THIS? *NM

I WAS DRIVING DOWN A US HIGHWAY WHEN I NOTICED MY CAR WAS 'LURCHING' FORWARD THEN WOULD LOOSE SPEED ALL TOGETHER KIND OF LIKE IT WANTED TO STALL. I WOULD PUSH ON THE ACCELERATOR AND NOTHING WOULD HAPPEN, THEN ALL OF A SUDDEN THE CAR WOULD DRIVE NORMALLY. I WAS ABOUT A MILE FROM MY WORK, SO I DIDN'T PULL OVER IMMEDIATELY. THE NEXT TWO STOP LIGHTS I ALMOST STALLED, BUT DIDN'T. AT THE THIRD TRAFFIC LIGHT ON ANOTHER US HIGHWAY, I WASN'T SO LUCKY - MY CAR STALLED AND WOULD NOT RE-START. I HAD TO CALL FOR A TOW TRUCK. MY SERVICE REPORT STATES THAT THE CODE ECM-130A WAS DETECTED. I FIGURED FOR SURE THIS WOULD BE COVERED UNDER MY EXTENDED WARRANTY. VOLVO SAID NO AS IT WAS 'JUST A DIRTY THROTTLE UNIT'. THEY SUPPOSEDLY TOOK IT APART, CLEANED IT, REPLACED A GASKET, UPGRADED THE ECM PET, AND PUT IT ALL BACK TOGETHER AND TOLD ME TO BE SURE TO USE PREMIUM GASOLINE BY ONLY A REPUTABLE GAS STATION, AND ONCE EVERY FEW MONTHS USE A FUEL SYSTEM CLEANER AND I SHOULDN'T HAVE ANY MORE PROBLEMS. *NM

FOR THE PAST YEAR (10/04-10/05), MY 2001 VOLVO S80 SEDAN HAS HAD REPEATED PROBLEMS WITH STALLING AND LOSS OF POWER STEERING. IT HAS OCCURRED AT SLOW SPEEDS AND UP TO 40 MPH IN TRAFFIC. I HAVE TAKEN THE CAR TO THE DEALER TWICE. THEY CAN NOT FIND ANY FAULT CODES DURING THE COMPUTER TROUBLESHOOTING, SO MY WARRANTY WILL NOT COVER ANY REPAIR. THEY SUGGESTED IT MIGHT BE "BAD GAS" AND HAVE SENT ME HOME TWICE HAVING DONE NOTHING. THE STALLING PROBLEM HAS OCCURRED FIVE TIMES IN THE LAST MONTH. THE CAR HAS 66,500 MILES ON IT. *JB