2001 Volvo V70XC

ON SEPTEMBER 7, 2005, MY WIFE WAS DRIVING OUR 2001 VOLVO V70XC IN THE LEFT LANE OF A BUSY FOUR-LANE STREET DURING RUSH HOUR. WITHOUT WARNING, THE CAR SUDDENLY LOST POWER. FORTUNATELY, MY WIFE WAS ABLE TO MANEUVER THE CAR ACROSS THE LANES OF ON-COMING TRAFFIC INTO A PARKING LOT. IN IDLE, THE CAR WAS SHUDDERING. ONCE TURNED OFF, THE CARE WOULD NOT INITIALLY RESTART. AFTER A FEW ATTEMPTS, THE CAR DID RESTART AND WE WERE SUBSEQUENTLY ABLE TO DRIVE IT TO THE LOCAL VOLVO DEALERSHIP (PEDERSON VOLVO). IN THE INTERIM, MY WIFE TALKED WITH A SERVICE MANAGER WHO SAID HE WAS ALMOST CERTAIN THIS WAS A PROBLEM WITH THE ELECTRONIC THROTTLE MODULE (ETM). SUBSEQUENT ANALYSIS AT THE SERVICE DEPARTMENT CONFIRMED THAT THE ETM HAD FAILED AND WOULD REQUIRE REPLACEMENT. WHEN QUESTIONED, THE SERVICE MANAGER ADMITTED THAT THE FAILURE OF ETMS WAS UNDER INVESTIGATION. HE ALSO INDICATED THAT WE WOULD BE REIMBURSED SHOULD A RECALL BE ISSUED. *NM

ELECTRONICE THROTTLE MODULE FAILURE. WHILE DRIVING ON A BUSY MAIN STREET THE CAR SUDDENLY WENT INTO A "LIMP MODE". TOOK IT TO OUR INDEPENDANT VOLVO MECHANIC AND HE HOOKED IT UP TO VADIS. THEN TOLD US THAT IT WAS AN ETM FAILURE. I CALLED VOLVO AND THEY SAID THERE WAS NTOHING THAT THEY COULD DO SINCE THE CAR WAS BOUGHT USED. I PAID OVER ONE THOUSAND DOLLARS TO GET THE ETM REPLACED.

ONLY 2 DAYS AFTER PURCHASING OUR 2001 V70 XC WITH 64,000 MILES WITH EXCELLENT DEALER SERVICING AND OIL CHANGES, IT STARTED IDLING VERY ERRATICALLY, AND WOULD STALL SEVERAL TIMES AFTER TRYING TO START IT. EVEN WHEN WARMED UP, THE IDLE WAS ALL OVER THE PLACE, RUNNING VERY ROUGH. WHEN DRIVING, ESPECIALLY AT LOWER SPEEDS, WE HAVE TO MAINTAIN A FOOT ON THE BRAKE DUE TO THE SURGING AND ERRATIC IDLE SO THAT WE DO NOT UNINTENTIONALLY HIT THE VEHICLES THAT ARE IN FRONT OF US OR AT TIMES MUST KEEP A FOOT ON THE GAS PEDAL TO KEEP THE RPM'S UP SO THAT IT WON'T STALL. THE CHECK ENGINE LIGHT HAS BEEN ON SINCE THE FIRST IDLE SYMPTOMS AND THE PROBLEM HAS BEEN DIAGNOSED AS AN ETM FAILURE. SINCE THE VEHICLE IS NO LONGER UNDER WARRANTY, WE HAVE NOT YET HAD THE PROBLEM FIXED. WE FEEL THIS POSES A SAFETY RISK AND SHOULD NOT BE AN ISSUE WITH JUST 64000 MILES ON THE CAR. *AK

MY DAUGHTER WAS KILLED WHILE DRIVING MY VOLVO WHEN IT MALFUNCTIONED AND SHE LOST CONTROL. PER THE ACCIDENT REPORT, SHE WAS CHANGING LANES FROM THE FAR RIGHT TO MIDDLE LANE WHEN SHE ACCELERATED INTO THE LEFT LANE, HIT AND BOUNDED OFF THE LEFT GUARDRAIL, COLLIDED WITH A CAR IN THE CENTER LANE, PROCEEDED OVER THE RIGHT GUARDRAIL OF A BRIDGE, THROUGH A TREETOP, DROPPED 30 FEET, LANDED UPSIDE DOWN, AND ROLLED REPEATEDLY, EVENTUALLY STOPPING IN A CONCRETE CREEK BANK. SHE WAS WEARING HER SEAT BELT BUT KILLED INSTANTLY UPON IMPACT. IT APPEARS SHE WAS NOT SPEEDING SIGNIFICANTLY PRIOR TO THE ACCIDENT BUT UNEXPECTEDLY BEGAN ACCELERATING AS SHE WAS CHANGING LANES AND LOST CONTROL OF THE VEHICLE. I HAVE HAD SIMILAR PROBLEMS WITH THE CAR PREVIOUSLY BUT BELIEVED THEY HAD BEEN CORRECTED BY VOLVO WHEN THEY REPLACED THE ELECTRONIC THROTTLE MODULE. THERE WERE NO OTHER CONTRIBUTING FACTORS IN THE ACCIDENT -- WEATHER WAS CLEAR, VISIBILITY WAS GOOD, ROADS WERE DRY, TRAFFIC WAS MODERATE AND FLOWING WELL, AND IT WAS EARLY AFTERNOON AND MY DAUGHTER WAS FINE PRIOR TO THE ACCIDENT. I HAVE HAD AN ACCIDENT RECONSTRUCTION EXPERT LOOK AT THE ACCIDENT REPORT AND AVAILABLE EVIDENCE AND HE BELIEVES IT WAS CAUSED BY MECHANICAL FAILURE. *JB

MY 2001 VOLVO V70XC (PURCHASED LESS THAN TWO MONTHS AGO FROM A VOLVO DEALER) SUDDENLY WARNED "PERFORMANCE REDUCED" AND LOST ALL ACCELERATION -- WAS PROBABLY GOING ONLY SEVERAL MPH. THE DEALER DETERMINED ETM FAILURE AND REPLACED THE PART, FORTUNATELY UNDER WARRANTY AS THIS WAS A "VOLVO CERTIFIED" PRE-OWNED CARE. LUCKILY THIS HAPPENED ON A QUIET ROAD -- BUT ONLY A SHORT TIME AFTER I HAD BEEN DRIVING ON THE MASS PIKE.

WHILE DRIVING MY 2001 VOLVO V70 XC, THE CAR STOPPED RUNNING AND DISPLAYED THE MESSAGE - REDUCED PERFORMANCE MODE. I GOT THE CAR TO THE SIDE OF THE ROAD AND TURN OFF THE ENGINE. WHEN I RESTARTED IT RAN OK AGAIN. I TOOK IT TO MY VOLVO CERTIFIED REPAIR SHOP AND THEY FOUND IN THE RECORDED FAULT CODES A BAD ELECTRONIC THROTTLE BODY CONTROL UNIT (ETC). THEY TEST DROVE THE CAR AND IT STOPPED TWICE ON THE TECHNICIAN. ONCE AT HIGHWAY SPEEDS! I HAD IT THE UNIT REPLACED. THIS IS A SERIOUS SITUATION THAT NEEDS INVESTIGATED. TWO OTHER CARS AT THIS SHOP HAD THE SAME PROBLEM. VOLVO SHOULD BE REQUIRED TO ISSUE A RECALL AND FIX THIS SERIOUS DEFECT. THIS IS A SAFETY ISSUE AS THE CAR LOSES ALL POWER AND THE POWER ASSISTED BRAKES AND POWER STEERING BECOME INOPERABLE. THIS IS UNDER NHTSA ACTION NUMBER PE05041. *NM

IN AUGUST OF 2004 WHILE TRAVELING AT HIGHWAY SPEED, MY 2001 VOLVO V70 XC BEGAN TO BUCK VIOLENTLY AND SLOWED TO A CRAWL. THIS WAS SUDDEN, WITH NO PRELIMINARY HINT THAT ANYTHING WAS WRONG. THE INCIDENT COULD VERY WELL HAVE CAUSED A SERIOUS ACCIDENT HAD THERE BEEN ANY OTHER TRAFFIC ON THE HIGHWAY AT THE TIME. SUBSEQUENTLY, THE PROBLEM WAS DIAGNOSED AT SMART MOTORS VOLVO IN MADISON, WISCONSIN, AS A FAILED THROTTLE BODY. THE REPLACEMENT PART AND LABOR COST $934.25. THE HIGHLY EXPERIENCED VOLVO MECHANIC SUGGESTED THAT SUCH THROTTLE BODY FAILURES WERE, IN HIS EXPERIENCE, MORE COMMON IN COLDER CLIMATES WHERE FUEL ADDITIVES TO PREVENT ICE IN THE FUEL LINE WERE PRESENT. HE ALSO SAID THAT OTHER MAKES OF CAR THAT USED THE SAME THROTTLE BODY WERE HAVING THE SAME VERY HIGH RATE OF FAILURE. *JB