2001 Volvo V70

DT: THE CONTACT OWNS A 2001 VOLVO V70 STATION WAGON. WHILE DRIVING 35 MPH A LIGHT CAME ON , AND THE LIGHT READ REDUCED PERFORMANCE, AND VEHICLE STALLED. HOWEVER, THERE WAS NO REDUCED PERFORMANCE , IT WAS A SUDDEN STALL. THE VEHICLE WAS TOWED TO A DEALERSHIP ON AUGUST 31, 2005. THE DEALER PERFORMED DIAGNOSTIC TESTING BUT THE PROBLEM WAS NOT RESOLVED. THE VEHICLE RESTARTED, AND AS SOON AS IT STARTED, THE VEHICLE STALLED AGAIN. *AK

INITIALLY, I TOOK MY 2001 VOLVO V70 STATION WAGON TO THE DEALER BECAUSE THE CRUISE CONTROL FUNCTION WAS NOT WORKING AND THE "CHECK ENGINE" LIGHT CAME ON. THEY RAN A DIAGNOSTIC COMPUTER CHECK AND TOLD ME THAT EVERYTHING CAME BACK FINE -EVEN THOUGH IT WAS OBVIOUS THAT THE CRUISE CONTROL WAS NOT WORKING WHEN WE DROVE IT AROUND THE LOT. THEY SAID THAT IF THE COMPUTER DID NOT DETECT AN ERROR THEY WERE NOT ABLE TO FIX ANYTHING, ALTHOUGH THEY SUSPECTED THAT THE ELECTRONIC THROTTLE CONTROL MIGHT BE CAUSING THE PROBLEM. THEY RESET THE COMPUTER SO THAT THE "CHECK ENGINE" LIGHT WENT OFF. A MONTH LATER, I WAS PULLING OUT INTO TRAFFIC FROM MY DRIVEWAY WITH MY THREE-YEAR OLD IN THE BACK SEAT AND LOST ALL POWER. THE MAX SPEED I COULD GO WAS ABOUT 10 MPH. FORTUNATELY, I WAS ABLE TO PULL OFF TO THE SIDE OF THE ROAD. IT IS A VERY BUSY UNCONTROLLED ACCESS - I WAS FORTUNATE THAT THERE WASN'T MORE TRAFFIC AS AN ACCIDENT WOULD HAVE OCCURRED. THERE WAS NO WARNING LIGHTS OR INDICATION THAT THIS WAS GOING TO OCCUR - IT JUST STOPPED. I HAD THE CAR TOWED TO THE VOLVO DEALER WHO DIAGNOSED A MALFUNCTIONING ELECTRONIC THROTTLE MODULE. THE CAR HAD 72,000 MILES ON IT. I EXPRESSED MY DISAPPOINTMENT THAT A CAR WITH A REPUTATION FOR SAFETY WOULD FAIL IN SUCH A WAY THAT COULD CAUSE A TERRIBLE ACCIDENT. I ALSO LODGED A COMPLAINT WITH VOLVO CUSTOMER SERVICE. RECENTLY, I HEARD ABOUT THE INVESTIGATION ON THIS SAME ISSUE. I WAS DIRECTED TO YOUR WEBSITE WHEN I SEARCHED FOR ADDITIONAL INFORMATION ON THE INTERNET. *JB

DT: THE CONSUMER WAS HAVING PROBLEMS WITH VOLVO 2001 V-70 CROSS COUNTRY WAGON. THE VEHICLE WAS STALLING AT RANDOM SPEEDS STARTING IN MID-AUGUST OF 2004. CONSUMER TOOK THE VEHICLE TO A REPAIR SHOP, AND THE MECHANIC SUSPECTED THE THROTTLE WAS THE ISSUE. THE PROBLEM WAS RANDOM AND IT WOULD NOT DO THIS FOR SEVERAL DAYS. THE VEHICLE STALLED ON THE HIGHWAY WHILE THE CONSUMER WAS MERGING INTO TRAFFIC. THE VEHICLE WOULD START AFTER CONSUMER LET THE CAR SIT FOR A FEW MINUTES. LATER THAT DAY THE CAR STALLED AGAIN. CONSUMER HAD TO HAVE THE CAR TOWED TO A DEALERSHIP FOR REPAIRS. THIS TIME THE CAR DID NOT START. THE DEALER REPLACED THE THROTTLE MODULE, LOADED SOFTWARE; THROTTLE BODY, CABLE TIE AND ETM RELOADED. THE CAR WAS RUNNING OKAY AT TIMES, BUT THE ENGINE WAS RACING VERY HIGH FOR SECONDS AND THEN RETURNS BACK TO THE NORMAL RATE. THE MOTORWAS REVVING AND THE TACHOMETER WAS REGISTERING HIGH FOR A MOMENT. CONSUMER CONSIDERED RETURNING THE VEHICLE BECAUSE OF THE PROBLEMS. THE TOTAL COST ON REPAIRS HAS BEEN OVER $800.00. NHTSA INVESTIGATION, PE05041. *AK *JB

ON WEDNESDAY AUGUST 24,2005 I WAS DRIVING ON THE INDIANA TOLL ROAD TOWARD CHICAGO WHEN MY 2001 VOLVO V70 WHICH HAS LESS THAN 40,000 MILES ON IT, STOPPED RESPONDING TO MY FOOT ON THE GAS PEDAL. A MESSAGE LIGHT THAT SAID "PERFORMANCE REDUCED" CAME ON AND I COASTED WITHOUT ANY CONTROL OVER THE SPEED OR POWER OF THE CAR. I WAS FORTUNATE TO BE CLOSE TO A TOLL BOOTH AND WAS ABLE TO PULL OVER TO THE SAFETY LANE PAST THE BOOTH. I WAS FORTUNATE TO BE IN A SAFE PLACE ESPECIALLY AS I HAD MY 7 YEAR OLD SON AND DOG IN THE BACK OF THE CAR. I TURNED OFF THE CAR AND SAT FOR ABOUT 10 MINUTES TRYING TO FIGURE OUT WHAT TO DO (EVEN THOUGH THE CAR HAS ONLY 39500 MILES ON IT, WHICH IS NO LONGER UNDER WARRANTY). I STARTED THE CAR 10 MINUTES AFTER THIS EVENT, IT STARTED UP FINE, AND THERE WERE NO WARNING LIGHTS OR MESSAGES. I DECIDED WE WOULD BE SAFER GETTING OFF THE TOLL ROAD EVEN THOUGH I WAS TAKING A RISK THAT THIS COULD HAPPEN AGAIN. I DROVE THE REMAINING 15 MILES HOME WITHOUT A PROBLEM (NO MESSAGES OR WARNINGS). I WAS ABLE TO BRING THE CAR TO A MECHANIC WHO IS AN AUTHORIZED VOLVO DEALER, HE CALLED ME ONE HOUR LATER AND TOLD ME THE PROBLEM WAS THE THROTTLE MODULE AND HE WOULD WORK TO FIX IT. BECAUSE I DIDN'T THINK SOMETHING LIKE THIS SHOULD HAPPEN TO A 4 YEAR OLD CAR WITH VERY LITTLE MILEAGE, I DECIDED TO CHECK THE INTERNET TO SEE IF THERE WAS ANY NEWS REGARDING VOLVO. I GOGGLED VOLVO THROTTLE AND FOUND TWO REFERENCES TO A NEWLY OPENED INVESTIGATION THAT DESCRIBED A SCENARIO VERY SIMILAR TO WHAT WE EXPERIENCED. I DECIDED TO CHECK THIS WEB SITE TO LEARN MORE. AS OF TODAY, AUGUST 29, 2005, MY CAR IS STILL NOT REPAIRED. THE MECHANIC IS WORKING WITH VOLVO. THE MECHANIC HAS BEEN TOLD SINCE AUG. 25, THAT THE VOLVO COMPUTER, WHICH IS NECESSARY FOR THE THROTTLE REPLACEMENT DOWNLOAD, HAS BEEN DOWN FOR 4 BUSINESS DAYS. IN ADDITION TO BEING PUT IN A DANGEROUS SITUATION ON THE TOLL ROAD WITH MY YOUNG SON, MY CAR WILL COST CLOSE TO $1000 TO FIX, AND I HAVE NOT HAD USE OF MY CAR FOR 5 DAYS!

THE CAR WAS SHAKING WHEN STARTED. IT ALSO HAD A HORRIBLY LOUD NOISE. I CALLED TO HAVE IT TOWED TO THE VOLVO DEALERSHIP BUT THEY WERE CLOSED SO I HAD IT TOWED TO THE LOCAL MECHANIC IN MY TOWN. HE CHECKED THE SYSTEM AND SAID THE THROTTLE WAS DEFECTIVE AND THAT I SHOULD HAVE THIS DONE BY WARRANTY FROM THE VOLVO DEALERSHIP. WHEN I CALLED THE VOLVO DEALERSHIP IN SANTA ROSA, CA. THEY SAID THAT IT COULD BE CAUSED BY A DIRTY THROTTLE AND I SHOULD HAVE THE CAR CHECKED FIRST TO MAKE SURE THIS WAS NOT THE CASE. MY MECHANIC CHECKED THIS AND IT COST ME $129.35 FOR HIM TO TROUBLE SHOOT THE SITUATION TO MAKE SURE THIS WAS A WARRANTY ISSUE. HE THEN CALLED THE VOLVO DEALERSHIP AND SPOKE TO ALEX IN SERVICE AND TOLD HIM THAT THE PROBLEM WAS THE THROTTLE DEFECT. THE CAR WAS THEN TOWED TO THE DEALERSHIP/SERVICE DEPARTMENT. THEY CHECKED IT AND SAID A PART IN THE THROTTLE WAS DEFECTIVE. THEY REPLACED THAT PART AND THEN HAD TO REPLACE THE ENTIRE ETM SYSTEM. THEY HAD PROBLEMS DOWNLOADING THE NEW SOFTWARE BUT FINALLY WERE ABLE TO GET IT TO RUN. THEY GAVE ME A LOANER CAR BUT WOULDN'T PAY FOR MY CHARGES TO HAVE THE PROBLEM DIAGNOSED. ($129.00). I WOULD HAVE HAD IT TAKEN TO THEM IN THE FIRST PLACE BUT THEY WERE CLOSED. THIS WAS VERY FRIGHTENING! IT TOOK 5 DAYS TO REPAIR THE VEHICLE

VOLVO V70 2001 STATION WAGON. CAR ACCELERATING AND TRAVELING IN THE 40 TO 50 MPH RANGE VIBRATING AS IF PROBLEM MAINTAINING PRESSURE TO HOLD THE SPEED. TOOK TO 2 DIFFERENT DEALERS - 1 REPLACED CARS MAIN COMPUTER (WAS UNDER WARRANTY)- PROBLEM WAS NOT CORRECTED, THEN PROBLEM WAS DIAGNOSED AS A SECONDARY COMPUTER, REPLACED AT A COST OF ALMOST $1500. PROBLEM APPEARS TO BE REDUCED BUT STILL HAPPENS. VIBRATION IN THE 40 TO 50 MPH RANGE --LIKE THE CAR IS LUGGING IN TOO LOW OF A GEAR OR NOT GETTING ENOUGH GAS-- HAVE BEEN AFRAID TO TAKE CAR ON HIGHWAY TRIPS BECAUSE IT WAS AFTER/DURING THESE TRIPS PROBLEM WAS MOST PRONOUNCED.