1999 Volvo V70

MY HUSBAND AND I WERE BURNED BY SCOLDING HOT STEAM AND WATER THAT EXPLODED OUT OF OUR A/C HEATING VENTS ON OUR DASHBOARD. WE WERE WAITING IN A DRIVE THRU WITH THE CAR ON, BUT THE A/C HEATING UNIT WAS OFF. THE MAKE , MODEL AND YEAR OF OUR CAR IS A 1999 VOLVO V70. IT WAS TOWED TO OUR MECHANIC WHO SAID THE HEATER CORE WENT BAD AND THE HOSES RUPTURED. HE BYPASSED THE HEATER UNIT TO SAVE MONEY ON REPAIRS. WHEN MY HUSBAND WAS DRIVING THE VEHICLE HOME IT RAN HOT, HE PROMPTLY TOOK IT BACK TO THE REPAIR SHOP. THE RADIATOR FAN WAS INOPERATIVE THE MAIN CABIN FLOOR WAS FLOODED WITH COOLANT AND FOUL SMELLING. WE NO LONGER HAD FAITH IN THE CAR AND SOLD THE CAR TO THE MECHANIC. WE'RE JUST HAPPY WE WEREN'T DRIVING THE VEHICLE ON THE ROAD WHEN THAT HAPPENED. *TR

BACK IN JUNE OF 2008 - ON START UP MY 99 VOLVO V70 - WOULD ROUGH IDLE, REV TO 4000 AND WOULD NOT EXCEED 20 MPH. THE IDLE SOUNDED LIKE SNEAKERS IN A DRYER. I TOOK THE CAR TO MY GARAGE AND WAS QUOTED $2000.00 TO REPLACE THE ETM - I WAS TOLD BY MY GARAGE THAT THE ETM MAY STILL BE UNDER WARRANTY. AFTER SPEAKING WITH VOLVO USA - I WAS ADVISED THAT THIS PART WAS UNDER WARRANTY AND I SHOULD BRING TO THE NEAREST VOLVO DEALERSHIP. I DID. BOSTON VOLVO VILLAGE - DID A SOFTWARE UPDATE AND AFTER THAT REPORTED NO ISSUES WITH THE ETM - THEY CLAIMED CRACKED VACUUM HOSES WERE THE PROBLEMS. THEY REPLACED THE HOSES AND RETURN THE CAR. THE CAR BROKE DOWN A DAY LATER - REV TO 4000, ROUGH IDLE, WON'T GO OVER 20 MPH - SNEAKERS IN WASHING MACHINE SOUND. I BROUGHT THE CAR BACK TO BOSTON VOLVO VILLAGE - THIS TIME THEY TOLD ME THAT I HAD AN BAD ACCELERATOR PEDAL - WHICH WAS REPLACE COST WAS $225.00. THE CAR BROKE DOWN A THIRD TIME - THIS TIME ON A BUSY HIGHWAY - I WAS ABLE TO PULL OFF - BUT IF NOT FOR SOME EXCELLENT DRIVING BY OTHERS ON THE ROAD THERE WOULD HAD BEEN A 3 CAR PILE UP. BOSTON VOLVO VILLAGE TOWED THE CAR BACK TO THEIR GARAGE. ONE OF THEIR EMPLOYEES ADMITTED TO ME THAT THE EMT WAS THE PROBLEM - BUT THAT VOLVO MAKES IT IMPOSSIBLE TO REPLACE THE ETM. *TR

THE TENSIONER BEARINGS IN MY 1999 VOLVO V70 SEIZED, THUS CAUSING THE TIMING BELT TO FAIL, CAUSING THE CYLINDERS TO HIT AND BEND THE VALVES. THE RECOMMENDED SERVICE INTERVAL FOR THIS EQUIPMENT IS 105,000 MILES OR 72 MONTHS; THE VEHICLE HAS 76,200 MILES AND IS ABOUT 72 MONTHS OLD. IT'S UNCLEAR TO ME WHETHER THIS TYPE OF FAILURE AT HIGHWAY SPEED WOULD CAUSE THE CAR TO SUDDENLY FAIL, WHICH MIGHT CAUSE A CRASH. I HAVE NOT YET HAD THIS REPAIRED, BUT WILL SAVE ALL PARTS IF NHTSA IS INTERESTED. *NM

I AM WRITING BECAUSE MY CAR HAS LOST POWER WITHOUT WARNING. I HAVE EXPERIENCED THIS SEVERAL TIMES, FORTUNATELY NONE IN LIFE THREATENING SITUATIONS LIKE PULLING ONTO A BUSY ROAD OR FREEWAY. THE DEALER RELOADED THE SOFTWARE, BUT THE ETS LIGHT CAME BACK ON WITHIN A FEW DAYS. I TOOK IT BACK TO THE DEALER, THEY KEPT IT A WEEK, TEST DROVE IT FOR SOME TIME AND SAID THERE WAS NOTHING ELSE THEY COULD DO. I ASKED THE VOLVO SERVICE MANAGER, GREG, AT TURNER VOLVO IN SACRAMENTO WHETHER VOLVO KNOWS WHAT THE ROOT CAUSE OF THE PROBLEM AND WHETHER THIS SOFTWARE FIXES IT. HE SAID THAT IT FIXES THE PROBLEM IN 95% OF THE CASES. HE REFUSED TO ANSWER WHETHER THE SPECIFIC PROBLEM THAT CAUSES THE LOSS OF POWER HAS BEEN ADDRESSED BY THE SOFTWARE THEY RECENTLY LOADED AND WHETHER IT IS CORRECTED IN MY PARTICULAR VEHICLE. SINCE I HAVE DRIVEN THIS CAR OVER 180,000 MILES WITH ONLY RECENT PROBLEMS, THIS IS INDEED A RARE OCCURRENCE. MY CONCERN IS THAT NEITHER GREG AT TURNER VOLVO (916)488-2400. OR FRANK AT VOLVO CUSTOMER CARE 800-458-1552 X 1981, SEEMS TO BE WILLING TO STATE THAT THE DEFECT THAT CAUSES THE POWER LOSS PROBLEM HAS BEEN ELIMINATED FROM MY CAR. I ASKED FRANK WHETHER VOLVO WAS WILLING TO PUT IN WRITING THAT THE ROOT CAUSE OF THE PROBLEM HAS BEEN IDENTIFIED AND ELIMINATED FROM MY VEHICLE, AND FRANK SAID HE DID NOT KNOW WHETHER VOLVO IS WILLING TO DO THAT. I HAVE OPENED A FORMAL COMPLAINT WITH VOLVO AND AM AWAITING THEIR RESPONSE. *JB

I PURCHASED THIS CAR, A 1999 VOLVO V-70 STATION WAGON, IN 2002. THE CAR INTERMITTENTLY AND REPEATEDLY STALLS IN TRAFFIC IN ADDITION TO RANDOMLY ACCELERATING AND DECELERATING ON ITS OWN SO THAT DRIVING IS HAZARDOUS. CAR HAS BEEN SERVICED NUMEROUS TIMES FOR THESE PROBLEMS AND MOST OF THE WORK HAS BEEN ON ELECTRONIC THROTTLE SYSTEM. PROBLEMS MAY APPEAR TO BE FIXED FOR A SHORT TIME BUT NOT REALLY FIXED BECAUSE STALLING AND UNEXPECTED ACCELERATION/DECELERATION BEGIN AGAIN. CAR HAS PROBLEM UNIQUE TO IT IN THAT IT FAILS TO PRODUCE COMPUTER CODES REGARDING STALLING OR ETM FAILURE, AND BECAUSE CAR FAILS INTERMITTENTLY, EXCEPT FOR ONE MECHANIC, ALL OTHERS WHO HAVE SERVICED THE CAR HAVE FAILED TO EXPERIENCE THE STALLING AND RANDOM ACCELERATION/DECELERATION FIRST HAND. WHAT TO DO WITH A CAR THAT RELIABLY FAILS INTERMITTENTLY, FAILS TO FAIL WHEN THE MECHANIC NEEDS IT TO FAIL TO BE ABLE TO FIX IT AND PRODUCES NO COMPUTER CODES AS TO WHY IT IS FAILING? ON 7 APRIL, 2006, I TOOK CAR TO VOLVO OF RICHARDSON, RICHARDSON TX TO SERVICE THE PROBLEM OF THE CAR STALLING REPEATEDLY IN THE PREVIOUS FEW DAYS. THEY UPGRADED THE ETM SOFTWARE BUT THE CAR CONTINUED TO STALL AND STUTTER IN TRAFFIC. IN FACT, IT SEEMED THE STUTTERING AND SHUTTERING (NEAR STALLS) WERE WORSE. I HAD THE CAR TOWED BACK TO DEALER AND ASKED ABOUT THE REPAIRS UNDER THE EXTENDED WARRANTY AS PER NHTSA ACTION: EA05021. SERVICE DIRECTOR FOR DEALER REFUSED TO REPLACE ETM UNDER EXTENDED WARRANTY SAYING THEY WOULD NOT BE REIMBURSED IF THEY COULDN'T REPRODUCE THE STALLING ETC. LIKEWISE, AT VOLVO CUSTOMER CARE (1-800- 458-1552), "BART" REFUSED TO AUTHORIZE REPAIRS COVERED UNDER EXTENDED WARRANTY OF EA05021. THE NUMBER OF FAILURES/INCIDENTS OF CAR STALLING AND UNEXPECTEDLY ACCELERATING AND DECELERATING ARE TOO NUMEROUS TO COUNT ANYMORE. THE CAR RELIABLY STALLS INTERMITTENTLY AND REPEATEDLY. LAST INCIDENT OF STALLING WAS 14 APRIL 2006 WHEN THE CAR STALLED FOUR TIMES IN TRAFFIC. *JB

1999 VOLVO V70 DEVELOPED A PROBLEM WITH THE THROTTLE BODY SENSOR RESULTING IN THE VEHICLE STALLING. *MR THE CONSUMER EXPERIENCED NUMEROUS PROBLEMS WITH THE VEHICLE; REPLACEMENT OF DEFECTIVE GEAR SHIFTER LIGHT SOCKET AND THE DRIVER SIDE WINDOW SWITCH, BATTERY LEADS MALFUNCTION CAUSING THE BATTERY TO FAIL, THE REAR WINDOW WASHER PUMP BURNED OUT, AND THE DRIVER DOOR CHECK STRAP HAD BROKEN OFF. *SC

MALFUNCTIONING OF THE ELECTRONIC THROTTLE SYSTEM (ETS) ON MY 1999 VOLVO V70 STATION WAGON CAUSED ME TO LOSE POWER OR STALL COMPLETELY WHILE DRIVING. IT HAPPENED SEVERAL TIMES PRIOR TO HAVING THE ETS REPLACED. IT OCCURRED FOR ME AT LOW SPEEDS AND IN LIGHT TRAFFIC ALLOWING ME TO GET OFF THE ROAD. I WAS ABLE TO RESTART THE ENGINE AFTER A SHORT TIME INTERVAL. IT COULD HAVE BEEN A MAJOR SAFETY HAZARD IF I HAD THIS FAILURE AT HIGHWAY SPEEDS AND IN TRAFFIC. THIS OCCURRED SEVERAL MONTHS AGO AND HAS BEEN REPAIRED AT MY EXPENSE, BUT ON READING AN ASSOCIATED PRESS ARTICLE TODAY ON AN INVESTIGATION OF THIS PROBLEM BY THE NHTSA, I AM SUBMITTING THIS AS ANOTHER INSTANCE OF THE PROBLEM BEING INVESTIGATED. *NM THE AIR CONDITIONING COMPRESSOR AND POWER WINDOWS HAD TO BE REPLACED. CURRENTLY, THE CHECK ENGINE LIGHT IS ON. *JB

ENGINE STUTTER / STALL / ENGINE SPEED REDUCED AND NOT DRIVABLE - MULTIPLE OCCURRENCES BEFORE AND AFTER REPAIRS OVER PERIOD OF 5 YEARS. DEALER REPAIR 9/27/00 13941 MILES REPLACED THROTTLE BODY. SECOND INSTANCE RECORDS NOT READILY AVAILABLE - BELIEVE REPLACED MANIFOLD. THIRD INSTANCE 9/16/03 36061 MILES - REPLACED MULTIPLE COMPONENTS UNTIL PROBLEM WENT AWAY. FOURTH INSTANCE JULY 2005 APPROX 75000 MILES TRACS, ABS, CHECK ENGINE LIGHT WITH ERRATIC VEHICLE SPEED - HAD TO KEEP THROTTLE HIGH RPM BUT DIAGNOSIS WAS WHEEL SPEED SENSOR REPAIRED AND PROBLEM WENT AWAY - BUT STARTING TO SHOW SAME STUTTER ON START UP THAT PREDATED FIRST FAILURE - HAS NOT FAILED YET, BUT WIFE REFUSES TO DRIVE AS UNSAFE DUE TO MULTIPLE FAILURES AND LOSS OF POWER / SPEED IN TRAFFIC. I BELIEVE THIS CAR IS AN EXAMPLE OF THE INVESTIGATION IN WORK - REF PE05041. *NM