1999 Volvo V70XC

MY 1999 VOLVO V70XC HAD BEEN PERFORMING SLUGGISHLY, WITH INCONSISTENT POWER AT HIGHWAY SPEEDS WHEN UNDER MANUAL CONTROL OR CRUISE. I HAD AN INTERMITTENT CHECK ENGINE LIGHT. I TOOK MY VEHICLE TO A VOLVO DEALERSHIP ON 8/16/05 WHERE THEY REPLACED THE AIR MASS METER AND EVAP VALVE FOR THE CHARCOAL CANISTER. AFTER THIS SERVICE THE PERFORMANCE OF MY VEHICLE REMAINED THE SAME. ON OCTOBER 1, 2005 I HAD A POTENTIALLY DANGEROUS INCIDENT. WHILE MERGING ONTO AN EXPRESSWAY MY VEHICLE SPUTTERED AND LOST POWER. THE ENGINE ALL BUT DIED AND IT WAS DIFFICULT TO STEER TO THE SHOULDER. MY MERGING AND FAILURE TO ACCELERATE CAUSED A VERY CLOSE CALL WITH THE CARS BEHIND ME. I PULLED OVER, STOPPED MY ENGINE FOR A FEW MINUTES, AND RESTARTED AS PROSCRIBED IN MY OWNER'S MANUAL. THE VEHICLE DROVE AS IT DID PREVIOUS TO THE INCIDENT FOR ANOTHER HOUR. I DID NOT DRIVE THIS VEHICLE AGAIN FOR ANOTHER WEEK. TAKING IT FOR A DRIVE ON OCTOBER 9TH IT AGAIN DROVE FINE INITIALLY, BUT I HAD A SIMILAR FAILURE AFTER A FEW MILES. AGAIN THE ENGINE LOST NEARLY ALL POWER AND WOULD STALL AT IDLE. TURNING OFF THE ENGINE, WAITING, AND RESTARTING THE ENGINE DID NOT REMEDY THE PROBLEM THIS TIME. AFTER A FEW STOPS AND RESTARTS I WAS ABLE TO MAKE IT TO MY HOUSE WITHOUT A TOW. I CALLED THE VOLVO DEALER WHERE I HAD THE WORK DONE IN AUGUST. AFTER HEARING OF THE SYMPTOMS AND THE PREVIOUS WORK THEY INFORMED ME QUITE QUICKLY THAT THE REPAIR WAS TO REPLACE THE ETM MODULE AND THE COST WOULD BE APPROXIMATELY $1000. THE SPEED AT WHICH THEY REPLIED MADE ME THINK IS WAS A COMMON, OR AT LEAST KNOWN PROBLEM WITH THIS MODEL. I SPOKE WITH A NON-DEALER VOLVO SPECIALIST MECHANIC (SWEDISH CAR SPECIALISTS OF SCHAUMBURG, IL) WHO SAID THIS WAS A KNOWN PROBLEM WITH MY MODEL YEAR. ALSO A FEW INTERNET WEBSITES HAVE REPORTED THIS PROBLEM, WITH ONE, HTTP://WWW.VEXEDVOLVO.ORG GOING INT GREAT DETAIL.*JB

MILEAGE APPROX 115,000 WHEN PURCHASED NOW 120,000 WITHIN 8 MONTHS. HARDLY HARD USE. FAILURE OF ECM AND O2 SENSORS, ON TWO OCCASIONS THE SECOND WITHIN 1000 MILES AND 1 MONTH OF FIRST REPAIR. CAUSED THE CAR TO SURGE, IF RESTARTED MIGHT STALL AND GENERALLY BECOME DANGEROUS TO DRIVE. NO WARNING OF FAILURE. VOLVO DEALERSHIPS WELL AWARE OF PROBLEM AND OFFERED IMMEDIATE AND CORRECT DIAGNOSIS PRIOR TO CHECKING THE COMPUTER CODES, WITHOUT NEEDING MUCH INVESTIGATION. 2 DEALERS WORKED ON THE CAR ONE DON BAYER IN WASHINGTON AND INDEPENDENCE VOLVO IN CHARLOTTE. INSTRUCTED INDEPENDENCE VOLVO DEALER TO MAKE CAR SAFE AND ROADWORTHY. UPLOADED FAULTS AND DOWNLOADED ONTO VEHICLE, NEW SOFTWARE. WITHIN 1 MONTH NEW SYMPTOMS APPEAR. AT VARIOUS TIMES THESE LIGHTS SHOW AND RESET ABS WARNING, ENGINE WARNING, TRACTION CONTROL WARNING, SPEEDO FAILURE, CHECK ENGINE, SERVICE WARNING (EVEN THOUGH SERVICE IS JUST CARRIED OUT).SYMPTOMS INCLUDE LACK OF THROTTLE RESPONSE WHEN PULLING AWAY, WHEN SPEEDO FAILS. NO WARNING OF CHANGE IN STATUS MEANS THIS HAPPENS DURING TURNING MANEUVERS WITH POTENTIALLY DANGEROUS OR LETHAL CONSEQUENCES. CHECKING VARIOUS SOURCES NOTE THAT ABS MODULE FAILURE IS COMMON MAKING THE CAR POTENTIALLY UNSAFE IN EMERGENCY, NOT ONLY FOR BRAKING BUT DURING ACCELERATION AS THE CARS ABILITY TO PULL AT ITS NORMAL RATE IS VASTLY REDUCED, ADDING THROTTLE DOES NOTHING, BUT IF THE SYSTEM TURNS BACK ON AGAIN NO WARNING, THE SPEEDOMETER JUST COMES BACK TO LIFE ) THIS CAN CAUSE UNNEEDED FIERCE ACCELERATION. I NOTED ONE DEATH ON THE HIGHWAY OF A YOUNG WOMAN WHO APPEARED TO ACCELERATE OFF THE ROAD DURING A BENIGN MANEUVER AND AM CONCERNED THAT THIS ON/OFF SPEEDOMETER/ABS TRANSMISSION PROBLEM MIGHT HAVE BEEN THE CAUSE RATHER THAN THE ECM CURRENTLY THE FOCUS OF THE INVESTIGATION. *NM

I HAVE HAD INTERMITTENT PROBLEMS WITH DRIVABILITY WITH MY 1999 VOLVO V70. WARNING LIGHTS WOULD COME ON AND OFF AND ERRATIC DRIVING PERFORMANCE WERE EXPERIENCED. THEN THE ETS LIGHT CAME ON AND STAYED ON. DRIVABILITY WORSENED TO THE POINT OF FEARING GETTING STRANDED IN THE MIDDLE OF THE INTERSECTION OR HIGHWAY. SAFETY SEEMS TO BE COMPROMISED BY THE UNPREDICTABILITY OF THE CARS PERFORMANCE. IN SPEAKING WITH THE DEALER IT WAS CLEAR THAT THIS WAS A COMMON PROBLEM. IT WAS ALSO EXTREMELY EXPENSIVE AND THERE WERE NO ALTERNATIVES AS THIS COULD ONLY BE REPAIRED THROUGH THE DEALER. THIS PROBLEM IS WELL DOCUMENTED. THIS PROBLEM IS CONSISTENT. THIS PROBLEM COMPROMISES SAFETY. AND WITH THE COST OF THE REPAIR AND LACK OF ALTERNATIVES MEASURES, THIS FEELS LIKE A MANUFACTURER TAKING ADVANTAGE OF THE CUSTOMER. LASTLY, THE DEALER WILL REPLACE THIS FAULTY COMPONENT WITH ANOTHER FAULTY COMPONENT. THE ROOT CAUSE OF THE PROBLEM WILL REMAIN AND I CAN LOOK FORWARD TO MORE PROBLEMS. *JB

DT: THE CONSUMER STOPPED A TRAFFIC LIGHT, AND AFTER THE LIGHT CHANGED, THE CONSUMER STEPPED ON THE ACCELERATOR AND THE CAR MOVED FORWARD ABOUT TEN FEET , AND THERE WAS A DECREASE IN POWER TO THE POINT OF STALLING. THE CONSUMER FELT AS THOUGH IT COASTED THROUGH, SHE IMMEDIATELY PULLED TO THE SIDE OF THE ROAD. THE ELECTRONIC THROTTLE SYSTEM ( ETS) LIGHT ILLUMINATED. SHE REFERRED TO OWNER'S MANUAL, WHICH SUGGESTED TO TURN THE ENGINE OFF AND TRY TO RESTART VEHICLE. CONSUMER DID SO, AND THE VEHICLE RESTARTED, BUT THE ETS AS WELL AS THE CHECK ENGINE LIGHT CAME ON. THE CONSUMER CALLED MECHANIC, WHO INSTRUCTED THE CONSUMER TO TURN ENGINE OFF AND RESTART THE VEHICLE. THE CONSUMER DID SO, AND THE PANEL LIGHTS CAME ON. ABOUT FIVE MILES LATER THE PROBLEM RETURNED. TOOK VEHICLE TO INDEPENDENT MECHANIC WHO SUGGESTED THAT ETS FAILED AND REPLACED IT. *NM

DT: THE CONSUMER STATED THAT THE 1999 VOLVO V70 HAD TO HAVE THE THROTTLE MODULE REPLACED. THE CAR HAD ALL THE LIGHTS COME ON BEFORE THE CAR LOST POWER. THE CAR WOULD INTERMITTENTLY STOP GIVING ANY INFORMATION AT ALL FROM THE DASH. THERE WAS AN ARROW IN THE DASH THAT INDICATED THAT THERE WAS A THROTTLE PROBLEM. THE CONSUMER WAS THE SECOND OWNER OF THIS VEHICLE, AND IT COST HER $904.00 TO REPLACE THE THROTTLE. *AK

INITIALLY, I NOTICED THE CAR WOULD SURGE UPON ACCELERATION IN 1ST GEAR. SOMETIMES, MAYBE 40% OF THE TIME, I WOULD START OFF FROM A STOP, BUT THE CAR WOULD HESITATE BEFORE GOING. ALSO, THE CAR WOULD IDLE ROUGHLY WHEN FIRST STARTED, AND WOULD 'SHUTTER' WHEN TURNED OFF. ONCE, I TURNED OFF THE CAR AND REMOVED THE KEY, AND THE CAR CONTINUED TO SPUTTER ROUGHLY UNTIL I RESTARTED IT. IT WAS RECOMMENDED BY MY MECHANIC TO USE A FUEL TREATMENT, AND USE PREMIUM GAS WITH DETERGENTS. I DID THIS, AND NOTHING CHANGED. RECENTLY, AS THESE SYMPTOMS WORSENED, THE "ETS" LIGHT BEGAN TO INTERMITTENTLY COME ON IN MY CAR. THE LIGHT HAD BEEN ON AND OFF FOR 3 WEEKS AND I CALLED MY MECHANIC. I TOOK THE CAR TO MY MECHANIC, WHO UPON CHECKING THE COMPUTER CODES, FOUND THAT THE ETS LIGHT WAS DUE TO A FAILURE IN THE ELECTRONIC THROTTLE BODY UNIT. HE STATED THAT IT WOULD NEED TO BE REPLACED BY THE DEALER DUE TO THE COMPUTER REPROGRAMMING NECESSARY FOR PROPER INSTALLATION. ON SEPT 20, 2005 , I HAD THE ELECTRONIC THROTTLE UNIT REPLACED BY THE VOLVO DEALER AT A COST OF $1016.33. *NM

I OWN A 1999 VOLVO V70XC. WHILE DRIVING TO WORK ON 9/8/05, SUDDENLY THE ELECTRONIC THROTTLE SYSTEM (ETS) LIGHT LIT UP ON MY DRIVER CONTROL PANEL, AND I LOST A CONSIDERABLE AMOUNT OF ACCELERATION AS I WAS DRIVING THROUGH AN INTERSECTION. I QUICKLY PULLED OVER TO THE SIDE OF THE ROAD, AND CHECKED MY OWNER'S MANUAL. AS THE MANUAL INSTRUCTED, I CONTACTED MY MECHANIC FROM THE ROAD AND HE SUGGESTED I BRING IT IN RIGHT AWAY. AFTER SEVERAL STOPS & DRIVING ON THE SHOULDER I MADE IT TO MY MECHANIC (15 MILES) WHO WAS ACTUALLY SURPRISED I HAD BEEN ABLE TO DRIVE IT THERE AT ALL. HE TOLD ME THE ETS WOULD PROBABLY NEED TO BE REPLACED AT APPROXIMATELY $950 TO $1150. I WAS FLOORED BY THE NEWS, ESPECIALLY SINCE IT SEEMED TO BE A SAFETY ISSUE. AFTER SOME INVESTIGATING I FOUND OUT THAT THERE IS A CLASS ACTION SUIT AGAINST VOLVO CONCERNING THE ETS, AND I'M GOING TO COMPLAIN AS MUCH AND AS LOUDLY AS I CAN ABOUT THIS MATTER. I AM EXTREMELY FRUSTRATED--MY CAR IS SITTING IN THE DRIVEWAY BECAUSE IT IS UNSAFE TO DRIVE, AND I DON'T FEEL I SHOULD HAVE TO SPEND $1000 TO HAVE IT FIXED IF THERE IS PENDING LITIGATION FOR A CAMPAIGN TO RECALL THE CAR FOR THE ETS. MY HUSBAND AND I BOUGHT THIS CAR BECAUSE WE KNEW VOLVO HAD A REPUTATION FOR BEING A VERY SAFE CAR--SO MUCH SO THAT WE BOUGHT A 2001 VOLVO V70XC--TWO WAGONS IN ONE FAMILY! NOW WE'RE CONSIDERING SELLING BOTH CARS. I'M EXTREMELY DISGUSTED ABOUT THIS MATTER. ELLENORE PRINGLE. *NM

LAST YEAR, I BROUGHT MY CAR TO THE LOCAL VOLVO DEALER (GOODWIN'S IN BRUNSWICK, ME) BECAUSE THE ENGINE WAS "SURGING". THIS MEANS THAT THE ENGINE WAS REVVING AND SLOWING INDEPENDENT OF THE ACCELERATOR PEDAL. THEY TOLD ME THAT THIS IS A DEFECT IN THE ELECTRONIC THROTTLE CONTROL, THAT IT WAS DANGEROUS AND NEEDED TO BE FIXED, THAT LOTS OF VOLVO'S UP TO THE YEAR 2003 HAD IT, AND THEN VOLVO FINALLY MANAGED TO ENGINEER A FIX. IN FACT, THE SERVICE MANAGER SAID HE WOULDN'T BY A VOLVO CAR UNLESS IT WAS 2003 MODEL OR NEWER FOR THIS REASON. WHEN I ASKED WHY IT WASN'T A RECALL ISSUE SINCE THERE ARE SO MANY PROBLEMS, THEY SIMPLY REPLIED THAT IT WASN'T. I WAS CHARGED ABOUT $1000.00 TO HAVE IT REPLACED. *NM

DT: 1999 VOLVO WAGON VXC. SUDDEN LOSS OF POWER . THE CAR DID NOT STALL EXCEPT AT A STOP SIGN WHEN GIVING IT A LOT OF GAS TO GET IT GOING. THIS HAPPENED INTERMITTENTLY FOR TWO MONTHS. TOOK VEHICLE TO DEALERSHIP, AND THEY SAID IT WOULD COST $1753.00 TO FIX IT. THE CAR IS OUT OF WARRANTY. THEY WOULD PUT IN A NEW STEERING ROD/ FRONT END ALIGNMENT/ VEHICLE SPEED SENSOR/ THROTTLE BODY ASSEMBLY/ AN AUTOMATIC TRANSMISSION, AND DRAIN AND REFILL THE COOLANT. *AK *JB