1998 Volvo V70

DT*: THE CONTACT STATED WHILE PARKED IN THE DRIVEWAY FOR ONE DAY, SMOKE WAS NOTICED COMING FROM UNDER THE HOOD. THE FIRE DEPARTMENT WAS CONTACTED AND EXTINGUISHED THE FIRE. THE VEHICLE WAS TOWED TO AN INDEPENDENT REPAIR SHOP WHO DETERMINED THE WIRING HARNESS CAUSED THE FIRE. THE WIRING HARNESS WAS REPLACED. THE DEALER WAS NOT NOTIFIED. UPDATED 10/18/2006 - THE VEHICLE WAS LAST DRIVEN ABOUT 14 HOURS PRIOR TO THE VEHICLE CATCHING ON FIRE. THE SERVICE DEALER REPLACED THE HARNESS TO THE ABS CONTROL UNIT. *NM

DT*: THE CONTACT STATED THE PADS AND CALIPERS CAME INTO CONTACT WITH THE ROTORS. THE REAR PADS, ROTORS AND CALIPERS WERE REPLACED THREE TIMES. THE FRONT PADS, ROTORS AND CALIPERS WERE REPLACED TWICE. PRIOR TO EACH REPLACEMENT, THE BRAKES MADE A LOUD SQUEAKING SOUND AND THE FRONT AND REAR END SHOOK WHEN THE BRAKES WERE APPLIED. CURRENTLY THE BRAKES MADE A LOUD SQUEAKING NOISE AND THE FRONT END SHOOK WHEN THE BRAKES WERE APPLIED. THE DEALERSHIP WAS NOTIFIED.

THE FUEL TANK ON MY 1998 VOLVO V70 HAS FAILED. THE CHECK ENGINE LIGHT CAME ON IN MY CAR ABOUT 6 MONTHS AGO. AFTER REPLACING ALMOST MY ENTIRE FUEL EVAP SYSTEM, VOLVO DETERMINED MY FUEL TANK HAD A LEAK. I REQUESTED THAT VOLVO REPLACE MY FUEL TANK AT THEIR EXPENSE, BECAUSE I FEEL THAT A FUEL TANK SHOULD BE EXPECTED TO LAST MORE THAN 8 YEARS. VOLVO HAS REFUSED TO RECALL THE TANK AND HAS ABSOLVED THEMSELVES OF ANY RESPONSIBILITY FOR THE FAILURE. *NM

DT*: THE CONTACT STATED WHILE DRIVING 20 MPH THE REAR HATCHBACK OPENED WITHOUT WARNING DUMPING THE CARGO ONTO THE HIGHWAY. A CRASH WAS AVOIDED AND THE POLICE WERE NOT CONTACTED. THE VEHICLE WAS SEEN BY A DEALER WHO DETERMINED THE HATCHBACK LOCK WAS INOPERABLE AND NEEDED TO BE REPLACED. THE HATCHBACK LOCK WAS REPLACED ONCE BEFORE DUE TO A SIMILAR INCIDENT. UPDATED 05/04/06. *JB

AUTOMOBILE: VOLVO V70 WAGON 1998 ON THE DRIVER'S SIDE DOOR, THERE IS A SWING ARM THAT ATTACHES TO THE DOOR AND THE CAR FRAME. ITS PURPOSE APPEARS TO STOP THE DOOR FROM HYPER EXTENDING. THE SWING ARM ATTACHES TO CAR FRAME VIA A BRACKET. THIS BRACKET IS WELDED ON THE FRAME. IN MY CASE THE BRACKET CAME UNWELDED AND ON THE FORWARD SIDE OF THE ATTACHED AREA, PUNCHED THREW THE FRAME COLUMN. ON THE REAR SIDE OF THE BRACKET, IT REMAINS WELDED TO THE CAR FRAME. IT IS NOT CLEAR TO ME WHETHER IT HAS WEAKENED THE FRAME COLUMN THAT RUNS FROM THE FLOOR TO THE ROOF. THE DAMAGE WAS DUE TO NORMAL OPENING AND CLOSING THE DOOR AND WOULD APPEAR TO BE DUE TO METAL FATIGUE. UPON VISITING A FEW BODY SHOPS IN THE SAN FRANCISCO AREA, SOME HAD TOLD ME THAT THIS IS A WIDE SPREAD PROBLEM WITH VOLVO. ALSO, UPON SEARCHING ON THE INTERNET FOR OTHER PEOPLE WHO MAY HAVE HAD THIS PROBLEM, THERE WERE NUMEROUS. HENCE, THE REASON FOR MY COMPLAINT. THE BODY SHOP INFORMED ME THAT THEY WOULD NEED TO REPLACE THE METAL COLUMN THAT RUNS FROM THE FLOOR OF THE CAR PAST THE WHERE THE DOOR ATTACHES TO THE FRAME AND ENDS IN PROXIMITY OF THE FRONT WINDOW SHIELD. SINCE THE COST WILL BE APPROXIMATELY $2,400 AND THE CAR IS A 98, I HAVE NOT DECIDED IF I WILL GET IT REPAIRED. TO INSTALL THIS METAL COLUMN, THE DASH PANEL WOULD NEED TO BE REMOVED. *JB

MY CAR IS A 1998 VOLVO V70 T5 WITH 75,000 MILES ON THE ODOMETER. AT ABOUT 7PM ON DECEMBER 28TH, 2005, I MOVED THE CAR FROM MY DRIVEWAY OUT ONTO THE STREET IN FRONT OF MY HOUSE, IN ORDER TO ALLOW A SECOND TANDEM-PARKED CAR OUT. THE VOLVO REMAINED PARKED ON THE STREET, DOORS LOCKED AND WINDOWS UP, UNTIL ABOUT 10PM. AT 10PM I WENT TO MOVE IT BACK INTO THE DRIVEWAY, ONLY TO DISCOVER THAT THE INTERIOR HAD CAUGHT FIRE - THE FIRE WAS NO LONGER BURNING. THE PASSENGER SEAT WAS BURNT DOWN TO THE FRAME, AND SOME OF THE SURROUNDING TRIM ON THE DOOR, DASH AND CENTER CONSOLE WAS BURNED AND MELTED. THE REST OF THE INTERIOR WAS NOT BURNED BUT WAS COVERED WITH SOOT. MY INSURANCE COMPANY - COMMERCE INSURANCE OF MASSACHUSETTS - APPRAISED THE CAR AND DECLARED IT TO BE A TOTAL LOSS. I CAN'T SAY CONCLUSIVELY, BUT, IT APPEARS TO ME THAT THE PASSENGER SIDE SEAT HEATER WAS THE CAUSE OF THE FIRE. I NOTE THAT FOR MODEL YEARS 1996 AND 1997 THERE WAS A RECALL AGAINST VOLVO 850 SEAT HEATERS RELATED TO A FIRE HAZARD, BUT THIS RECALL DOES NOT APPLY TO 1998 MODELS. PERHAPS THE RECALL SHOULD BE EXTENDED TO LATER MODELS. *NM

VOLVO V70 1998 - FIRE IN ENGINE COMPARTMENT - CAR DESTROYED DURING ROUTINE DRIVING, ENGINE STOPS. DRIVER NOTICES SMOKE COMING FROM ENGINE COMPARTMENT AND ELECTRICAL SYSTEMS (LIGHTS) BLINKING. IN A FEW MINUTES THE CAR IS TOTALLY DESTROYED BY FIRE. WHEN I VISITED THE WRECKER'S YARD I FOUND A VOLVO 850 WAGON THAT WAS DESTROYED BY FIRE IN THE SAME WAY! *NM

MY WIFE WAS DRIVING ABOUT 30 MPH ON A LOCAL STREET WHEN SHE FELT A PULL WHEN TURNING LEFT THEN SHE HEARD AND FELT A SOUND LIKE THE MUFFLER WAS FALLING OFF AND HEARD A GRINDING NOISE COMING FROM THE FRONT WHEELS. SHE IMMEDIATELY TURNED INTO A SHOPPING PLAZA AND SHUT OFF THE CAR. WHAT WE FOUND WAS THAT THE AXLE NUT AND PART OF THE AXLE HAD BROKEN OFF AND FALLEN OUT OF THE RIGHT FRONT REAR WHEEL. THE WHEEL COULD HAVE POTENTIALLY FALLEN OFF AND LUCKILY SHE WAS NOT ON A HIGHWAY MOVING FAST. THE VOLVO DEALER BELIEVES THAT THE CV JOINT FOR SOME REASON (WHICH HAVE NOT YET EXPLAINED) SEIZED AND CAUSED THE AXLE TO BREAK. THE DEALER RECOMMENDS REPLACING THE CV JOINT AND BEARING AND THE AXLE. THE ROTOR WAS ALSO IRREPARABLY DAMAGED AND NEEDS TO BE REPLACED. I WILL KEEP THE OLD PARTS. *NM

IN LATE FEBRUARY 2005, MY WIFE NOTICED THAT THE CHILD SEATS IN OUR 1998 VOLVO V70 WOULD LOOSEN UP WHEN OUR CHILDREN WOULD GET IN OR MOVE IN THEIR SEATS. THESE CHILD SEATS WERE OF THE STATIONARY TYPE AND OF DIFFERENT MAKES. AS ONE OF THE REAR OUTBOARD SEAT BELTS HAD ALREADY BEEN REPLACED AT NO CHARGE FOR A SIMILAR CONCERN IN JUNE 2003, WE VISITED OUR REGIONAL VOLVO DEALERSHIP TO REPORT THE ISSUE. NEW BELT ASSEMBLIES WERE ORDERED AND ON MARCH 15TH OF THIS YEAR, BOTH OUTER REAR SEAT BELTS WERE REPLACED. THIS TIME, SINCE WE HAD TO PAY FOR THE REPAIR, I RETRIEVED THE FAILED PARTS. EXAMINATION OF BOTH SEAT BELTS BUCKLES SEEM TO SUGGEST THAT THE FAILURE OF THE BELTS' CHILD SEAT LOCKING TAB, WHICH IS PART OF THE BUCKLE, PREVENTED THE CHILD SEAT FROM STAYING SECURELY HELD IN POSITION. THESE ASSEMBLIES ARE AVAILABLE FOR YOU TO ANALYZE AND DRAW AN EXPERT CONCLUSION. WE REQUESTED A REVIEW OF THE PROBLEM BY THE DISTRICT SERVICE MANAGER AND FILED AN E-MAIL COMPLAINT WITH VOLVO'S CUSTOMER ASSISTANCE CENTER. THE VIN OF THE CAR IS [XXX]. *NM UPDATED 07/18/2012 *JS INFORMATION REDACTED PURSUANT TO THE FREEDOM OF INFORMATION ACT (FOIA), 5 U.S.C. 552(B)(6)