1999 Volvo V70

THE IDLE ON MY CAR WAS ROUGH, AND AFTER A MECHANIC FAILED TO TURN UP THE CAUSE I FOUND A REASON ON A VOLVO FORUM ON THE WEB. THE PROBLEM WAS A DIRTY THROTTLE BUTTERFLY VALVE. I CLEANED IT IN ACCORDANCE TO THE VOLVO SERVICE BULLETIN. FIVE THOUSAND MILES LATER I AM DRIVING MY CAR IN STOP AND GO TRAFFIC AND THE CAR STARTS SPUTTERING, RACING, AND THE ENGINE IS GENERALLY BEHAVING POORLY. I FOUND THAT I COULD EVEN OUT THE IDLE AND KEEP THE CAR FROM STALLING IN TRAFFIC BY KEEPING MY RIGHT FOOT DEPRESSING THE ACCELERATOR AT ALL TIMES, AND USING MY LEFT FOOT FOR THE BRAKE. I WAS NOT IN ANY ACCIDENTS, BUT ALMOST GOT REAR ENDED AT LEAST ONCE. *NM

DT*: THE CONTACT STATED WHILE DRIVING 25 MPH, THE LEFT SIDE OF THE AIR GUIDE ON THE VEHICLE DETACHED AND CAME PARTIALLY AWAY FROM THE VEHICLE. IT WAS NOT SEEN BY A DEALER, BUT THE MANUFACTURER WAS NOTIFIED. ALSO, 2 YEARS PRIOR, THE AUTOMATIC WINDOW CONTROL SWITCH REFUSED TO ACTIVATE SOME OF THE POWER WINDOWS ON A CONSTANT BASIS. THE FIRST CONTROL SWITCH WAS REPLACED BY A PRIVATE REPAIR SHOP, BUT THE PROBLEMS CORRECTED FOR AWHILE.. THE SECOND TIME THE PROBLEM OCCURRED, THE SWITCH WAS REPLACED, AND THE REPAIR CORRECTED THE PROBLEM. THE CONTROL SWITCH HAD TO BE REPLACED TWICE. UPDATED 01/10/07. *JB

DT*: THE CONTACT STATED WHILE DRIVING VARIOUS SPEEDS, THE VEHICLE STALLED UNDER NORMAL DRIVING CONDITIONS. THE VEHICLE WOULD SURGE PRIOR TO STALLING. THE SURGE WAS CONTROLLABLE DURING BRAKING. THE VEHICLE WAS TAKEN TO THE DEALER, WHO CHANGED THE SOFTWARE OF THE ELECTRONIC THROTTLE MODULE, BUT THE PROBLEMS PERSISTED. THE VEHICLE WAS TAKEN BACK TO THE DEALER, WHO CLEANED THE THROTTLE MODULE. THE PROBLEM REOCCURRED CONSTANTLY. THE DEALER COULD NOT PROVIDE A DETERMINATION FOR THE CAUSE OF THE PROBLEM ON BOTH OCCASIONS. THE CONTACT ALSO RECEIVED A LETTER FROM THE MANUFACTURER CONCERNING AN EXTENSION ON THE WARRANTY ON PARTS THAT INCLUDED THE ELECTRONIC THROTTLE SYSTEM. THE DEALER DID NOT HONOR THE LETTER.*AK

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

1. VEHICLE "SPUTTERED", ENGINE WOULD REV WITH NO CHANGE IN PRESSURE ON GAS PEDAL, FOLLOWED BY NEARLY COMPLETE LOSS OF POWER AND NEAR ENGINE CUT OFF. 2. NO COMPLETE FAILURE, AS SOON AS SYMPTOMS BEGAN, IT WAS TAKEN TO A DEALER 3. VOLVO DEALER AND REPAIR SHOP DETERMINED THE FAILURE WAS ECM CODE 903C, 91A7: "THROTTLE INTERNAL FAULT". REPLACED ELECTRONIC THROTTLE MODULE. OLD PART IS NOT AVAILABLE. 15 MAR 2005 - 1. SAME SYMPTOMS; CAR WAS UNABLE TO MAINTAIN HIGHWAY SPEED OF 60 MPH. 2. ENGINE STALLED ONCE BEFORE GOING TO DEALER REPAIR BUT STARTED BACK UP WITHOUT PROBLEM. 3. EXACT FAILURE CODES NOT PROVIDED, BUT WAS DETERMINED TO BE "ENGINE CONTROL MODULE FAULT". ELECTRONIC THROTTLE MODULE WAS REPLACED. COVERED BY VOLVO PARTS WARRANTY. OLD PART IS NOT AVAILABLE. *JB

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

I WAS DRIVING MY 1999 VOLVO V70 ON THE HIGHWAY, AND IT CONSTANTLY ACCELERATES AND DECELERATES ON ITS OWN WITH NO ACTION DONE BY ME. IN ONE CASE IT ACCELERATED TO THE POINT IN WHICH I LOST CONTROL AND CAUSED AN ACCIDENT. VEHICLE IS IN THE PROCESS OF HAVING THE ETM REPLACED AT THE DEALERSHIP AT A COST OF 1000.00 TO ME BECAUSE IT IS OUTSIDE OF WARRANTY COVERAGE. *NM