2000 Volvo V70XC

IN JANUARY OF 2005 I NOTICED SURGING WHILE AT HIGHWAY SPEEDS. BROUGHT VEHICLE TO VOLVO OF PLEASANTON DEALER TO HAVE THIS INVESTIGATING. NO PROBLEMS WERE FOUND. NO OBDII ERRORS. IN APRIL, 2005 I BROUGHT THE CAR IN AGAIN AND ASKED FOR A MECHANIC TO DRIVE WITH ME SO THAT I COULD ENSURE HE WAS DETECTING THE SURGING. HE DID. I WAS TOLD THAT THE ELECTRONIC THROTTLE MODULE WAS FAILING AND THAT IT NEEDED TO BE REPLACED. I WAS TOLD THAT I COULD NOT HAVE THE PART AS IT WAS A WARRANTY ITEM. ON-LINE, I FOUND HUNDREDS OF REPORTS OF THESE PARTS FAILING. I AM NOW CONCERNED THAT WHILE VOLVO REPLACED MY ETM, THEY DID SO WITH THE EXACT SAME DESIGN... HENCE I MUST ASSUME THAT IN ANOTHER 45,000 MILES THE PART WILL FAIL AGAIN. THIS PART SHOULD BE RECALLED AND A NEW DESIGN MUST BE INSTITUTED. *NM

I OWN A 2000 V70 XC VOLVO. AT APPROXIMATELY 56,000 MILES THE ETS (ELECTRONIC THROTTLE SYSTEM) LIGHT CAME ON. SINCE THEN THE CAR SEEMS TO HAVE INSTANCES OF ACCELERATION HESITATION. I AM THE SECOND OWNER OF THE VEHICLE. I PURCHASED IT APPROXIMATELY THREE YEARS AGO WITH LESS THAN 30,000 MILES FROM A PRIVATE PARTY. ALL REQUIRED AND RECOMMENDED MAINTENANCE HAS BEEN PERFORMED BY THE DEALER OR BY TRAINED VOLVO MECHANICS ON THE RECOMMENDED SCHEDULE BY BOTH ME AND THE PRIOR OWNER. I AM AWARE THAT THIS APPEARS TO BE A FREQUENT PROBLEM WITH THE 99-01 VOLVO XCS. I HAVE CONTACTED THE ORIGINAL DEALER AND RECEIVED NO SATISFACTION ABOUT REPLACING WHAT CLEARLY APPEARS TO BE A DEFECTIVE PART BASED ON MY PRIOR EXPERIENCE WITH SIMILAR VEHICLES. THE DEALER SAID THE PROBLEM COULD HAVE A NUMBER OF CAUSES AND THAT AN ELECTRONIC DIAGNOSTIC TEST WAS NECESSARY TO IDENTIFY THE SOURCE. GIVEN MY UNDERSTANDING OF OTHER OWNERS' EXPERIENCES I REQUESTED THAT THEY PERFORM THE TEST AT THEIR EXPENSE ($70) IN THE INTERESTS OF SAFETY AND TO HELP VOLVO BETTER UNDERSTAND THE CAUSE OF THE PROBLEM. THE DEALER DECLINED. MY OWNER'S MANUAL DOES NOT DISCUSS ANY REQUIRED OR RECOMMENDED MAINTENANCE FOR THE ASSOCIATED PARTS OR SYSTEM. I AND THE PRIOR OWNER HAVE ALWAYS USED THE RECOMMENDED QUALITY OF FUEL (91 OCTANE). I DO VIEW THE POTENTIAL FAILURE OF THE ETS AS A SIGNIFICANT SAFETY RISK BASED ON THE POTENTIAL FOR FAILURE AT HIGHWAY SPEEDS AND THE RAPID LOSS OF SPEED IN HEAVY TRAFFIC. MUCH OF MY DRIVING OF THIS CAR IS ON FREEWAYS WITH 75 MPH SPEED LIMITS AND WITH HEAVY TRAFFIC VOLUMES. FROM THE CURRENTLY AVAILABLE RESEARCH IT WOULD APPEAR THAT THIS IS AN ISSUE FOR WHICH VOLVO SHOULD ACCEPT RESPONSIBILITY AND PROVIDE APPROPRIATE REPLACEMENT PARTS. GIVEN THE EXPERIENCE OF OTHERS AND THE APPARENT SAFETY RISK THIS DOES NOT APPEAR TO BE A "REGULAR MAINTENANCE/PARTS SIMPLY WEAR OUT" SITUATION. *JB

WHILE DRIVING MY 2000 VOLVO V70XC ON THE HIGHWAY, THE CAR TOOK ITSELF OUT OF CRUISE CONTROL AND BEGAN TO FLUCUATE +/- 3 MPH IN SPEED. THE ETS LIGHT CAME ON TOO. AFTER PULLING OFF THE HIGHWAY AND TURNING THE ENGINE OFF, I RE-STARTED THE CAR AND DROVE HOME WITHOUT INCIDENT. MY LOCAL MECHANIC (HOSHI MOTORS OF BOULDER, CO) DOWNLOADED THE ENGINE CODES (904D, 91AC) WHICH HE SAID INDICATED THAT THE ETM NEEDED TO BE REPLACED. THE ETM WAS REPLACED ON 7/27/05 AT A COST OF $908.60. THE PROBLEM HAS NOT OCCURRED AGAIN. THE ETM WAS RETURNED TO ME AND IS AVAILABLE. THIS COMPLAINT IS RELATED TO NHTSA ACTION NUMBER PE05041. *JB

ELECTRONIC THROTTLE MODULE ETM CAUSING HESITATION WHILE DRIVING IN HEAVY TRAFFIC. VOLVO DEALERS SERVICE MANAGER SUGGESTED BRINGING THE CAR BACK WHILE THE ETS WARNING LIGHT WAS STILL ON. STATED THAT THE ETM SHOULD BE CLEANED EVERY 30K MILES OR REPLACED. NOTHING IN THE SERVICE MANUAL MENTIONS THIS TYPE OF SERVICE. THE HESITATION WAS INTERMITTENT BUT VERY UNCOMFORTABLE DRIVING WHILE IT WAS HAPPENING. *NM

IN THE SUMMER OF 2003 MY WIFE'S 2000 VOLVO V70 XC SUFFERED A FAILURE OF THE ELECTRONIC THROTTLE CONTROL SYSTEM. I WAS DRIVING AT THE TIME AND THE ENGINE POWER DECREASED ABRUPTLY CAUSING THE VEHICLE TO SLOW DOWN. FORTUNATELY, THERE WAS LITTLE OR NO TRAFFIC IN THE VICINITY OF THE FAILURE SO THAT I WAS ABLE TO PULL OFF THE ROAD. I TURNED OFF THE CAR AND THEN RESTARTED IT. IT WORKED WELL ENOUGH TO GET ME BACK HOME. I GOT QUOTES TO FIX THE SYSTEM AND WAS TOLD AT THE TIME THAT IT WOULD COST AROUND $1000 TO REPLACE THE PART. THE CAR HAD ABOUT 80K MILES WHEN THIS OCCURRED. I DIDN'T NEED THE CAR TO BE IN SERVICE AND SO WAITED UNTIL THE SUMMER OF 2004 TO HAVE IT REPAIRED. I WAS ALSO PRETTY UPSET AT THE ATTITUDE OF THE VOLVO PEOPLE WHO TOLD ME THAT THE PART WAS OUT OF WARRANTY (WHICH IT REALLY WASN'T SINCE IT IS PART OF THE EMISSIONS SYSTEMS AND THEREFORE MUST LAST AT LEAST 80K IN CT AND THAT IF I COULD AFFORD TO REPAIR THE CAR I SHOULDN'T HAVE BOUGHT IT. THE COST FOR THE REPAIR WAS AROUND $1200. THIS FAILURE, IN MY OPINION, CAUSES AN UNSAFE CONDITION. I CAN ONLY IMAGINE WHAT THE OUTCOME WOULD HAVE BEEN HAD I BEEN DRIVING IN HEAVIER TRAFFIC. THE CAR WOULD HAVE SUDDENLY DIED AND IF I WERE IN THE PASSING LANE, THERE WOULD NO WAY TO GET TO THE ROADSIDE. NO TELLING WHAT WOULD HAVE HAPPENED. ALSO, THIS PART SHOULD LAST FOR THE LIFE OF THE CAR. I HAVE NEVER HEARD OF A MECHANICAL THROTTLE SYSTEM EVER FAILING. THE MECHANICAL SYSTEMS WILL GIVE AMPLE WARNING BEFORE FAILING SO THAT CORRECTIVE ACTION CAN BE TAKEN BEFORE IT BECOMES HAZARDOUS. THIS CONDITION CAME ON SO SUDDENLY IT WAS UNSAFE. *NM

WE OWN A 2000 VOLVO V70 XC WAGON. IT WAS PURCHASED NEW. IN THE LAST 4 MONTHS WE HAVE HAD THE CAR INTO THE VOLVO GARAGE (TOM WOOD) TO HAVE IT FIXED FOR ROUGH RUNNING AND FAILURE TO START. THE FIRST TIME WE WERE CHARGED OVER $600 TO REPLACE THE ETM AND A CLEANING. IT DID NOT HELP FIX THE PROBLEM. WE THEN TRIED AN INDEPENDENT FOREIGN CAR GARAGE. THEY CLEANED THE THROTTLE BODY BUT AGAIN THE PROBLEM PERSISTS. WE NOW HAVE THE CAR BACK IN THE VOLVO GARAGE BECAUSE IN ADDITION TO ROUGH RUNNING, IT NOW FAILS TO START ON A RANDOM BASIS. I READ TODAY ABOUT YOUR PRELIMINARY INVESTIGATION INTO THIS PROBLEM - YOUR FILE NUMBER PE05041. I CAN ONLY SAY THAT THIS IS A REAL, AND SERIOUS, PROBLEM. WHILE WE HAVE BEEN LUCKY THAT THE ENGINE FAILURE DID NOT HAPPEN AT SPEED, IT HAS CAUSED MAJOR INCONVENIENCE, UNPRODUCTIVE COSTS, AND SIGNIFICANT LOSS OF TIME. PLEASE PURSUE THIS INVESTIGATION WITH ALL HASTE. THANK YOU. *JB

ON 1/20/05, OUR 2000 VOLVO V70 XC WITH 74215 MILES ON THE ODOMETER STARTED TO LOSE POWER, AND RUN ERRATICALLY. THE ETS LIGHT CAME ON THE DASHBOARD. WE MANAGED TO GET IT TO A LOCAL IMPORT SPECIALIST ABOUT 2 MILES AWAY FROM THE INCIDENT. LEFT US STRANDED IN WINCHESTER WITHOUT TRANSPORTATION. TOLD IMPORT SPECIALIST TO INSPECT AND CLEAN THE ETM MODULE, WHICH THEY DID. SAID THEY COULDN'T REPLACE IT BECAUSE OF THE PROGRAMMING ISSUES. COST US. $121.85. CAR WORKED WITHOUT ETS LIGHT COMING ON UNTIL 2/17/05. TOOK IT TO FAIRFAX VOLVO ON 2/18/05. THEY REPLACED THE ETM MODULE. THERE WAS 75005 MILES ON THE ODOMETER. COST TO US WAS $859.66 PARTS AND LABOR. SINCE THEN, THE CAR HAS NOT HAD THE ETS LIGHT COME ON. *JB