2000 Volvo V70XC

ETS LIGHT COMING ON - IMMEDIATE LOSS OF POWER. VERY DANGEROUS AT 70 MPH IN 3-4 LANES OF HEAVY TRAFFIC. I PUT MY EMERGENCY BLINKERS ON AND TRIED TO SAFELY GET OFF THE HIGHWAY. I TURNED THE CAR OFF AND BACK ON, THE LIGHT WENT AWAY AND I PROCEEDED TO DRIVE TO THE DEALERSHIP. ENROUTE, IT HAPPENED AGAIN JUST AS I WAS PULLING TO A STOP AT A RED LIGHT. I TURNED THE CAR OFF AND BACK ON, IT DID NOT HELP THIS TIME - AN AMBULANCE CAME UP BEHIND ME. I WAS IN A PANIC TRYING TO GET THE AUTO OUT OF THE WAY. LUCKILY THE LEFT LANE WAS OPEN AND THEY WERE ABLE TO BLOW PAST ME, BUT THEY DID HONK AS THEY PASSED LETTING ME KNOW THEY WERE UPSET THAT I DID NOT MOVE. I AM PICKING UP THE CAR TOMORROW FROM THE DEALERSHIP WITH A NEW ETM. BUT I HAVE POKED AROUND ON VARIOUS VOLVO FORUMS AND FOUND THIS ISSUE TO BE PRETTY PREVALENT. THE REPAIR IS VERY EXPENSIVE (AROUND $1000 TO THE CONSUMER) AND THE BREAK DOWN SITUATION POTENTIALLY VERY DANGEROUS. *JB

FIVE YEARS AGO, WE BOUGHT A NEW 2000 VOLVO V70-XC. IT CURRENTLY HAS 39,600 MILES ON IT. STARTING IN ABOUT 2003, THE CAR BEGAN EXPERIENCING REPEATED ENGINE MALFUNCTIONS -- ROUGH IDLE, JERKY ACCELERATION, STALLING AND, MOST ALARMINGLY, SUDDEN LOSS OF POWER WHILE MOVING. I ONCE LOST POWER ON A TRAFFIC CIRCLE, WHICH WAS TRULY TERRIFYING -- ESPECIALLY SINCE THE MAIN REASON WE PURCHASED THE CAR WAS THE SAFETY OF OUR TWO SMALL CHILDREN. WE HAVE REPEATEDLY HAD THE CAR IN THE SHOP (MARTENS SERVICE CENTER ON RIVER ROAD). INITIALLY, WE WERE TOLD THE CAR WAS CLOGGED WITH CARBON AND THAT THE PROBLEM WAS ESSENTIALLY OUR FAULT FOR NOT DRIVING IT ON THE HIGHWAY MORE OFTEN. NOW THAT WE ARE PAST THE WARRANTY, WE HAVE BEEN PAYING FOR REPAIRS -- THOUGH ON OUR MOST RECENT VISIT IN SEPT 2005, WHEN I MENTIONED THE NHTSA INVESTIGATION, MARTENS REPLACED THE ETM FOR FREE. I THINK THIS IS A DEFECTIVE AND DANGEROUS VEHICLE AND IT SHOULD HAVE BEEN RECALLED A LONG TIME AGO. EARLIER IN THE CAR'S HISTORY, WE EXPERIENCED A RANGE OF ELECTRICAL MALFUNCTIONS INVOLVING THE TURN SIGNALS, WHICH FAILED FOR NO APPARENT REASON. BECAUSE THOSE PROBLEMS OCCURRED DURING THE WARRANTY PERIOD, WE DID NOT HAVE TO PAY TO HAVE THEM REPAIRED -- BUT THE DANGER AND HASSLE FACTORS WERE STILL SIGNIFICANT. *NM

DT: THE CONSUMER STATES: THE ETM LIGHT WAS COMING ON AND THE VEHICLE WOULD LOSE POWER WHEN THIS OCCURRED. THE CONSUMER HAD TO STOP THE VEHICLE AND RESTART IT. THIS WOULD HAPPEN AT ALL SPEEDS. THE CONSUMER WAS THE ORIGINAL OWNER OF THE VEHICLE. THE CONSUMER HAD NOT REPLACED THE ETM AND HAD BEEN TOLD BY THE DEALER THAT THE ETM WAS BAD. *AK (11/17/05) *SC

I PURCHASED A 2000 VOLVO V70, 5DR, WAGON A/T AWD, VIN: [XXX] FROM PUTNAM VOLVO 3 CALIFORNIA DRIVE BURLINGAME CA., AN AUTHORIZED VOLVO DEALERSHIP AND REPAIR SERVICE PROVIDER. JAN 14, 2000. ALL WARRANTY AND SUBSEQUENT ROUTINE SERVICE WAS PERFORMED ON THE VEHICLE BY PUTNAM VOLVO THRU MAY 2004. SHORTLY AFTER PURCHASE OF THE VEHICLE MY WIFE AND I DISCOVER THAT THE REAR HATCH LATCH WOULD NOT PROPERLY ENGAGE, FASTEN OR LOCK UNDER COLD TEMPERATURE CONDITIONS MEANING TEMPERATURES NEAR OR BELOW FREEZING (32? F OR 0?C). WE REPORTED THE PROBLEM AT THE FIRST SCHEDULED MAINTENANCE SERVICE AND PERIODICALLY THEREAFTER DURING SCHEDULED MAINTENANCE SERVICE CALLS PARTICULARLY DURING WINTER AND SPRING MONTHS. WE HAVE A CABIN IN THE HIGH SIERRAS WHERE TEMPERATURES ARE BELOW FREEZING DURING WINTER SKI SEASON. THE REAR HATCH LATCH SIMPLY DOES NOT ENGAGE AND THE HATCH CAN NOT BE SECURED CLOSED UNDER COLD CONDITIONS. I RECENTLY DISCOVERED NHTSA CAMPAIGN ID NUMBER : 00V239000 CONCERNING THE LATCHES/ LOCKS/LINKAGES:TAILGATE:LATCH DESCRIBING THE PROBLEM WE HAVE REPEATABLE EXPERIENCED WITH OUR VEHICLE AFFLICTING VOLVO OF THE SAME YEAR AND MODEL LINE AS OURS. I CONTACTED THE PUTNAM VOLVO SERVICE AND REQUESTED REPLACEMENT OF THE REAR HATCH LATCH OF OUR VEHICLE BASED UPON IDENTIFIED RECALL CAMPAIGN. THE SERVICE PERSONNEL PERFORMED A VIN SEARCH PROVIDED BY VOLVO, AND ASSERTED THAT OUR VEHICLE DID NOT HAVE THE INCORRECTLY MANUFACTURE REAR HATCH LATCH. NOT DID THE SERVICE PERSONNEL OFFER TO INVESTIGATE WHETHER THE PROBLEM DESCRIBED IN THE RECALL CAMPAIGN WAS IN FACT AFFLICTING THE VEHICLE, AND EVEN DENIED AWARENESS OF THE RECALL CAMPAIGN. *NM UPDATED 07/18/2012 *JS INFORMATION REDACTED PURSUANT TO THE FREEDOM OF INFORMATION ACT (FOIA), 5 U.S.C. 552(B)(6)

DURING LAST THANKSGIVING BREAK, MY HUSBAND AND I DROVE OUR 2000 VOLVO XC FROM NEW MEXICO HOME TO FORT COLLINS, CO. THE MORNING OF OUR DEPARTURE, THE ETS (ELECTRONIC THROTTLE MODULE) LIGHT CAME ON, THEN WENT OUT. ON THE WAY HOME, THE CARE SHUDDERED AND LURCHED, AND LOST POWER WITH ACCELERATION. IT TOOK US 6 HOURS TO TRAVEL 125 MILES FROM COLORADO SPRINGS TO FORT COLLINS, AND WE WERE TRYING TO BEAT A SNOW STORM. WE LITERALLY LIMPED HOME. IT WAS TERRIFYING. WE TOOK THE CAR TO OUR LOCAL VOLVO DEALER, AND THE DIAGNOSED IT AS A FAILED ELECTRONIC THROTTLE MODULE. IT COST ABOUT $854 TO REPLACE IT. IT WAS NOT WARRANTY WORK, AND THE DEALER SAID NOTHING ABOUT THIS BEING A COMMON PROBLEM VOLVO WAS ALREADY AWARE OF -- EVEN WHEN WE ASKED. I NOW UNDERSTAND VOLVO HAS KNOWN ABOUT THIS PROBLEM FOR MORE THAN FIVE YEARS AND HAS DONE NOTHING ABOUT IT. I AM ALSO AWARE THAT SOME VOLVO DEALERS HAVE BEEN PAYING THE COST TO REPLACE THE UNITS. WE WERE NOT SO LUCKY. VIRGINIA MOHR-CALLAHAN, FORT COLLINS, CO. *NM

THERE IS A CURRENT RECALL ON HATCH DOOR LATCHES ON 2000 VOLVO V70'S. I HAVE A 2000 VOLVO V70 XC AND THE VOLVO PEOPLE ARE TELLING ME THAT THERE IS NOT A RECALL ON THAT VEHICLE. I CALLED A LOCAL VOLVO DEALER TODAY AND THEY SAID THAT THE TWO VEHICLES HAVE THE SAME LATCH SYSTEM OUR LATCH IS NOT WORKING PROPERLY AND OUR IDIOT LIGHT NOW COMES ON TELLING US THE BACK LATCH IS NOT SHUT WHEN IT IS. I AM NERVOUS THAT THE BACK HATCH IS GOING TO OPEN UP WHEN WE ARE DRIVING DOWN THE ROAD. *JB

DT: THE CONSUMER WAS HAVING A PROBLEM WITH 2000 VOLVO V70 XC LOSING POWER AND THEN SURGING WHILE DRIVING 20-25 MPH. THE CONSUMER DID NOT MAKE IT UP A HILL . THE LOSS OF POWER EVEN OCCURRED WHEN THE CAR WAS SLOWING TO STOP AND TURNING. THIS HAPPENED TWICE. THEN, IT WAS SURGING AND SMOKING, AND SURGING WITH NO SMOKING, THE CAR WAS WOBBLY AND SLUGGISH. DEALER REPLACED THE FOLLOWING PARTS; SPARK PLUGS, COILS, THERMOSTAT, AND THE FILTERS. OTHER PARTS HAVE BEEN FLUSHED, THIS INCLUDED FUEL INJECTORS AND IGNITION. THE CAR HAS BEEN AT THE DEALER ONCE, A CERTIFIED VOLVO SPECIALIST ONCE, AND AT PEP BOYS ONCE. THE CONSUMER HAD TO PAY $1300.00 TO FIGURE OUT WHAT WAS WRONG WITH THE CAR. THE CAR HAS HAD 2 DIAGNOSTIC TESTS DONE. NO ONE KNEW WHAT WAS WRONG WITH THE CAR. THE ENGINE LIGHT CAME ON, AND WAS TURNED OFF. THE CONSUMER CONTACTED THE MANUFACTURER, AND THEY PRETENDED THAT THEY DID NOT KNOW ANYTHING. THE CONSUMER HAD ALL THE NECESSARY DOCUMENTATION. HOWEVER, AT THIS POINT, NO ONE KNEW WHAT WAS WRONG WITH THE CAR. *AK