2001 Volvo XC70

TL* THE CONTACT OWNS A 2001 VOLVO XC70. WHILE ATTEMPTING TO REFUEL THE VEHICLE WITH GASOLINE, THE CONTACT STATED GASOLINE CONTINUED TO SPEW OUT FROM THE FILLER NOSE AND THE EMISSIONS WARNING LIGHT WAS ILLUMINATED. THE DEALER ADVISED THERE WAS A SPIDER WEB IN THE VENT WELL OF THE FUEL TANK AND TRIGGERING THE EMISSIONS WARNING LIGHT. THE DEALER MADE UNKNOWN REPAIRS TO THE VEHICLE. ON A LATER DATE, WHILE DRIVING AT UNKNOWN HIGHWAY SPEEDS, THERE WAS SMOKE COMING FROM THE HOOD AND THE VEHICLE BEGAN TO LOSE POWER. THE CONTACT MOVED THE VEHICLE FROM THE ROADWAY JUST AS THE VEHICLE ERUPTED IN FLAMES. THE FIRE DEPARTMENT WAS ABLE TO EXTINGUISH THE FIRE AND THE VEHICLE WAS TOWED TO A LOCAL GARAGE. THE CONTACT STATED THERE WAS A RECALL FOR HER YEAR, MAKE AND MODEL HOWEVER, THE RECALL DID NOT APPLY TO VEHICLES LOCATED WITHIN HER STATE (NHTSA CAMPAIGN ID NUMBER: 09V483000: FUEL SYSTEM, GASOLINE: DELIVERY: FUEL PUMP). THE CONTACT BELIEVED THE RECALL SHOULD APPLY FOR HER PARTICULAR STATE AS WELL. THE VEHICLE WAS NOT REPAIRED. THE APPROXIMATE FAILURE AND CURRENT MILEAGES WERE 79,000.

OUR FAMILY OWNS A 2001 XC70 THAT WE BOUGHT SECOND HAND. THANKFULLY, I PURCHASED AN EXTENDED WARRANTY. WE DID RECEIVE THE DEC 2005 SOFTWARE UPGRADE WHICH APPEARED ODD, BUT WE COMPLIED. SINCE THEN THE CAR ACTUALLY STARTED TO RUN MORE POORLY. WE BROUGHT THE CAR TO THE LOCAL DEALERSHIP IN ANN ARBOR SEVERAL TIMES. AFTER I SPOKE TO THE SERVICE MANAGER AND SUGGESTED THAT I HAD READ ABOUT THE ETM FAILURE AND WAS CONCERNED, I WAS TOLD THAT THEY WOULD FIX IT UNDER WARRANTY. DEALERSHIP WAS VERY COURTEOUS, BUT I SUSPECT THAT THEIR HANDS ARE TIED AS ONE OF THE SERVICE MANAGERS TOLD ME THAT VOLVO WARRANTY REQUIRED THEM TO DO THE SOFTWARE UPGRADE, THEN THE CLEANING AND THEN THEY COULD REPLACE THE ETM. MY CONCERN IS THAT THE NEW ETM WILL FAIL AGAIN AND POSE A DANGER TO MY FAMILY. MY WIFE USES THE VOLVO TO TRANSPORT OUR THREE CHILDREN IN. I FIND IT OUTRAGEOUS THAT IF IT IS TRUE THAT VOLVO INTENTIONAL MISLEAD THE PUBLIC ABOUT THIS SAFETY DEFECT GIVEN THAT I DID NOT HAVE A PROBLEM PAYING PREMIUM DOLLAR FOR OUR FIRST VOLVO BECAUSE OF ITS REPUTATION AND ADVERTISING REGARDING ITS EXEMPLARY SAFETY RECORD. I WOULD BE WILLING TO HELP YOUR AGENCY INVESTIGATE THIS PROBLEM IF YOU NEED ME. *JB

HELLO, THE ETM (ELECTRONIC THROTTLE MODULE) IN OUR 2001 VOLVO XC70 FAILED ON MY WIFE IN THE MIDDLE OF HEAVY TRAFFIC ON COLORADO HIGHWAY 83. SHE WAS IN THE MIDDLE LANE OF THREE AND WAS TRAVELING ABOUT 50 MPH. THE ENGINE DIED COMPLETELY AND SHE HAD A HARD TIME MAKING IT THROUGH TRAFFIC TO THE SIDE OF THE ROAD. SHE HAD TO LET TRAFFIC PASS BEFORE DOING SO. SHE HAD TO SIT ON THE SHOULDER FOR ABOUT 15 MINUTES BEFORE THE CAR WOULD START AGAIN. I DISCUSSED THE HEAVY FAILURE RATE OF VOLVO ETMS WITH MCDONALD VOLVO OF DENVER, CO AND TOLD THEM VOLVO WAS RECALLING THIS PART IN SWEDEN AND THAT AT LEAST ONE CLASS ACTION SUIT WAS FILED. THEY SAID THAT THERE WAS NO RECALL NOR WOULD THEY PERFORM A GOODWILL REPLACEMENT. WE HAD TO REPLACE IT AT A COST OF $1,090.45. THE MILEAGE ON OUR VOLVO WAS 67,487. DO YOU HAVE ANY MORE INFORMATION REGARDING THE SAFETY ISSUES AND THE UNUSUALLY HIGH FAILURE RATE OF VOLVO ETMS? MY WIFE AND I ARE CONCERNED ABOUT OUR SAFETY IN OUR VOLVO. RURIK LUBINSKI. *JB

DRIVING SOUTH ON I95 NEAR CLINTON,CONNECTICUT WITH TWO OTHER SUV'S FOR ABOUT TWO HOURS - MEDIUM TO HEAVY FLOW TRAFFIC CONDITIONS. DRIVING NORMAL SPEEDS IN THE LEFT LANE WHEN THE CAR FELT LIKE IT WAS STARVED FOR FUEL AND WOULDN'T REACT TO THE THROTTLE CONTROL. TOP SPEED WAS ONLY ABOUT 35-40 MPH AND AN INDICATOR LIGHT FLASHED "PERFORMANCE DEGRAGATION" OR SOMETHING LIKE THAT. THE CAR WAS ABLE TO GET INTO THE RIGHT LANE, BUT THEN DIED AND WOULD NOT START FOR A PERIOD OF TIME. A STATE TROOPER DID PULL UP BEHIND ALL THREE CARS AND LENDED SOME TRAFFIC ASSISTANCE. AFTER A WHILE THE CAR DID START AGAIN AND WE WERE ABLE TO GET TO THE NEAREST EXIT. SINCE WE WERE STILL 2 HOURS FROM HOME AND AAA COULDN'T GET US PHYSICALLY HOME, WE WAITED 1 HOUR AND TRIED OUR LUCK. THE CAR DID GET US HOME, BUT THERE WAS A VERY SLIGHT MISFIRE PRESENT MOST OF THE WAY HOME THAT MIGHT HAVE GONE UNNOTICED IN DIFFERENT CIRCUMSTANCES. THE NEXT DAY VOLVO OF WESTPORT FIXED THE CAR AND SAID IT WAS THE ELECTRONIC THROTTLE SYSTEM - THEY REPLACED IT, BUT SAID THEY COULDN'T GUARANTEE THAT IT WOULDN'T HAPPEN AGAIN IN THE NEAR FUTURE. WE LOVE OUR VOLVO XC90 AND PURCHASED IT FOR SAFETY ONLY, BUT THIS PROBLEM IS A SERIOUS CONCERN FOR US, ESPECIALLY SINCE WE HAD 7 ADULTS AND THREE KIDS RANGING FROM 16 MONTHS TO 6 YEARS OF AGE STRANDED ON I95 DURING HEAVY TRAFFIC!!!!! THE CAR IS A VOLVO XC90 2001 - I WAS ASSURED BY THE WESTPORT DEALER THAT THE PROBLEM WAS FIXED IN THE 2003+ MODELS AND WE ARE CONSIDERING AN UPGRADE - IF WE CAN TRUST VOLVO AGAIN. *NM

FOR ABOUT A WEEK THE CAR WAS RUNNING ROUGH WITH HESITATION AND A JERKING FEELING OF LOSS OF POWER. THEN AS MY WIFE WAS DRIVING HOME WITH OUR CHILDREN THE NIGHT OF THE 27TH OF JULY THE CAR STARTED TO LOSE POWER COMPLETELY TO THE POINT WHERE SHE WAS FORCED TO PULL THE CAR OFF THE ROAD. THE INFORMATION CENTER ON THE CAR INDICATED "PERFORMANCE REDUCED" BUT OFFERED NO OTHER INFORMATION AND THE MANUAL OFFERED NO OTHER NARRATIVE. THE CAR WAS TAKEN TO TOM WOOD VOLVO IN INDIANAPOLIS WHERE THE TECHNICIAN HAD A HUNCH RIGHT AWAY THAT IT WAS A FAULTY ETM. ITEM WAS REPLACED WITH NEW WHICH RESULTED IN A BILL OF $1100. SINCE THE PROBLEM I HAVE BEEN MADE AWARE THAT THIS IS A COMMON PROBLEM WITH THIS VEHICLE. *NM

I WAS DRIVING ON THE INTERSTATE AT ROUGHLY 70 MPH IN MODERATE TRAFFIC WITH MY WIFE AND 2 YOUNG BOYS WHEN THE ACCELERATOR NO LONGER RESPONDED. THE VEHICLE WOULD SURGE WHEN I STEPPED ON THE GAS THEN "STALL". THE CHECK ENGINE LIGHT APPEARED WITH A MESSAGE "PERFORMANCE REDUCED". FORTUNATELY WE ROLLED OFF THE HIGHWAY OVER THE MEDIAN AND ONTO THE FRONTAGE ROAD AND INTO A PARKING LOT WHERE WE STOPPED THE CAR AND RESTARTED IT. WE CALLED THE DEALER WHO INSTRUCTED US TO BRING IT IN RIGHT AWAY TO HAVE IT DIAGNOSED. THIS WAS ACTUALLY THE SECOND OCCURRENCE OF THIS FAILURE THE FIRST BEING A WEEK EARLY ON JULY 9TH WITH SIMILAR CIRCUMSTANCES. IN THE FIRST ONE OUR STEERING WHEEL LOCKED UP AS WE ENTERED A GAS STATION. WE WERE TOLD WE NEEDED A NEW THROTTLE BODY APPROXIMATELY $900 TO REPLACE. WE ONLY HAD THE VEHICLE FOR 6 WEEKS SO WERE OBVIOUSLY UNHAPPY. ALTHOUGH NO ONE WAS HARMED IN THE CASE OF OUR FAILURES THERE CERTAINLY WAS THE POTENTIAL GIVEN THE HIGH SPEED OF TRAVEL AND TRAFFIC SURROUNDING US. WE ARE FORTUNATE TO HAVE BEEN DRIVING IN THE RIGHT HAND LANE IN BOTH INSTANCES. THE VOLVO DEALER RETAINED THE OLD ETM. *JB