2001 Volvo XC70 Engine Problems

WE HAVE DRIVEN VOLVOS SINCE 1983. WE NOW HAVE A 2001 XC WAGON. IT HAS BECOME THE MOST EXPENSIVE CAR WE HAVE EVER OWNED, AND A FEW YEARS OF EXPENSIVE REPAIRS CULMINATED IN A WHEEL HUB BREAKDOWN ON THE OHIO TRURNPIKE A FEW WEEKS AGO. AFTER PAYING ANOTHER THOUSAND BUCKS FOR THE TOW/REPAIR, THE NEXT WEEK WE HAD A MINOR EMERGENCY, GOT IN THE CAR, AND IT RAN LIKE AN OLD STEAM ENGINE. SEEMS THAT VOLVO HAD A NON-RECALL RECALL: A THROTTLE BELT SOFTWARE PROBLEM THAT THEY POSTED IN THE NEWSPAPER AND DID NOT ALERT OWNERS TO. THIS WEEK WE DUMP THE CAR. IT IS ONE THING TO HAVE REPAIR ISSUES. IT IS QUITE ANOTHER TO HAVE SAFETY ISSUES THAT THE COMPANY DUCKS. NOW VOLVO DID SEND OUT A SHORT LETTER ABOUT THE PROBLEM, BUT IT WAS INCOMPREHENSIBLE. THE VOLVO DEALER TOLD ME THAT HE DID NOT EVEN UNDERSTAND THE LETTER THEY SENT OUT, AND THAT THEY HAVE HAD LOTS OF CUSTOMER COMPLAINTS ABOUT IT. NOTE: WHILE OUR CAR WAS AT THE DEALER, THERE WERE APPARENTLY 2 OTHER NON-RECALL RECALL UPGRADES THAT WE HAD TO HAVE DONE THAT WE HAD MISSED OUT ON. THIS COMPANY HAS SLIPPED MANY MANY NOTCHES. *JB

2001 VOLVO XC 93K MILES [XXX] ETM ISSUES. VEHICLE HAS PROBLEMS WITH THE ELECTRONIC THROTTLE MODULE. AFTER ABOUT 5 MILES DRIVING THE VEHICLE DOES NOT IDLE AND STALLS AT INTERSECTIONS OR ON HIGHWAY WHEN FOOT IS TAKEN OFF THE THROTTLE. ALSO GOES INTO LIMP MODE SOMETIMES WITH REDUCED PERFORMANCE. ONLY SETS TEMPORARY CODE NOT PERMANENT. SAFETY HAZARD. *JB UPDATED 07/16/2012 *JS INFORMATION REDACTED PURSUANT TO THE FREEDOM OF INFORMATION ACT (FOIA), 5 U.S.C. 552(B)(6)

THE ENGINE ON OUR 2001 VOLVO XC PERIODICALLY BEGINS TO BUCK AND THEN GOES INTO LIMP HOME MODE WITH THE "REDUCED ENGINE PERFORMANCE" ERROR MESSAGE DISPLAYED. *NM

SUSPECT FAILURE OF ELECTRONIC THROTTLE CONTROL MODULE. VEHICLE STALLS WITHOUT WARNING AND DOES NOT ALWAYS RESTART UNTIL VEHICLE COOLS. A FOREIGN CAR SERVICE TECHNICIAN LOOKED AT THE PROBLEM AND INFORMED ME THAT THE CURRENT ELECTRONIC THROTTLE CONTROL WAS NOT FUNCTIONING IN HIS OPINION. ON 9/13/05 I CALLED VOLVO SERVICE REPRESENTATIVE B.J. ALGER AT DON BEYER VOLVO, DULLES, VIRGINIA WHO ADVISED ME TO BRING IT N FOR REPAIR IMMEDIATELY. ALGER SAID THE PROBLEM IS UNDER INVESTIGATION BY NHTSA AND THAT VOLVO NORTH AMERICA WOULD REIMBURSE MY PAYMENT FOR THE REPAIR IF THE INVESTIGATION RESULTED IN A RECALL. ALGER ESTIMATED THE REPAIR AT $1,200.00. *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

MY CAR IS A VOLVO 2001 AWD XCV70 AND IT WAS STALLING AND LOOSING RPM WHILE TRAVELING AT HIGHWAY SPEEDS, RUNNING VERY ROUGH AND ACCELERATING WITHOUT PRESSING ON THE ACCELERATOR, FOR EXAMPLE WHEN AT A STAND STILL IN TRAFFIC. THE DEALER SAID THAT THE ELECTRONIC THROTTLE MODULE (ETM) NEEDED TO BE REPLACED AND THAT THE PART WAS $1,000 PLUS. THEY SAID THAT THE CAUSE WAS MY FAILURE TO USE PREMIUM GAS. IT WAS NOT UNTIL AFTER I GAVE THEM THE GO AHEAD TO FIX IT THAT I DISCOVERED ALL THE OTHER COMPLAINTS. THIS MORNING I FOUND OUT THAT THEY HAVE ALREADY INSTALLED THE NEW PART AND ARE ROAD TESTING IT TO SEE IF ANY OF THE OTHER DIAGNOSTIC FAILURES HAVE CLEARED UP. THE OTHER KICKER IS THAT I HAD ALREADY TAKEN THE CAR TO A NON-VOLVO MECHANIC THAT DIAGNOSED THE PROBLEM AS A MASS AIR SENSOR, OXYGEN SENSOR AND HEAT CONTROL SENSOR. THOSE REPAIRS, TOTALING 650, DID NOT CORRECT THE PROBLEM. I CAN NOT FIND TOO MUCH FAULT WITH THIS MECHANIC SINCE HE WAS REPLACING PARTS THAT THE DIAGNOSTIC INDICATED WERE BAD. NOW I FIND OUT THAT THE DIAGNOSTICS ARE ALL CONTROLLED BY THE FAILURE CODE FOR THE ETM AND THAT THOSE REPAIRS WERE PROBABLY NOT NECESSARY. MORE THAN A LITTLE FRUSTRATED. THE CAR WAS UNSAFE TO DRIVE AND NOW I AM CONCERNED ABOUT THE FAILURE OF THE REPLACEMENT PART. *JB

VEHICLE LOST ALL POWER WHILE DRIVING ON I695, NEAR TOWSON, MD. WAITED 30 MINUTES AND RE-STARTED VEHICLE. TOOK THE VEHICLE TO A REPAIR SHOP, AND WAS TOLD THAT THE ETM THROTTLE MODULE NEEDED TO BE CLEANED. MECHANIC ALSO SAID THAT THE ETM SHOULD BE REPLACED, AS HE HAD SEEN MANY OTHER VOLVO ETM FAILURES.*JB

FAULTY ELECTRONIC THROTTLE MODULE. I HAVE ONLY 61000 MILES ON MY CAR AND THEY HAD TO REPLACE THIS. ON MOST CARS THIS PART HAS LIFETIME WARRANTY OR AT LEAST 70,000 MILES. I WAS DRIVING 70MPH WHEN MY CAR STARTED SUDDENLY SHAKING, CRUISE CONTROL STOPPED WORKING AND I HAD TO STOP. MANUAL DID NOT HAVE ANYTHING ABOUT "PERFORMACE REDUCED" ERROR AND I CALLED THE DEALERSHIP. THEY TOLD ME THAT IT'S THROITTLE AND IT NEEDS TO BE REPLACED. $1200 LATER DEALERSHIP IS SAYING THAT THIS IS NOT COVERED BY WARRANTY AND THEY WOULD NOT GIVE ME ANY BREAKS. I THINK THIS WRONG FOR VOLVO NOT TO RECOGNIZE THA THERE IS A PROBLEM, EXTEND THE WARRANTY, AND RECALL ALL THE BAD PARTS.

ON SEPTEMBER 10, 2004, MY VOLVO XC-70 (2001) STALLED WITHOUT WARNING WHILE I WAS DRIVING 55 MPH ON 695 WEST IN BALTIMORE JUST BEFORE THE EXIT FOR I-83N (EXIT 24). I WAS ALMOST HIT BY A SEMI AND SEVERAL OTHER CARS. MY CAR HAD TO BE TOWED AND THE ELECTRONIC THROTTLE BODY WAS REPLACED. HOWEVER, ON DECEMBER 1, 2004, THE SAME PROBLEM OCCURRED WHEN MY CAR STALLED AT AN INTERSECTION BUT WE WERE ABLE TO RESTART IT. THE ELECTRONIC THROTTLE WAS REPAIRED AGAIN. *NM

2001 VOLVO XC70: ENGINE STOPPED RUNNING DURING NORMAL OPERATIONS DRIVING DOWN A DIVIDED HIGHWAY. THERE WERE 4 SEPARATE INCIDENTS OVER ABOUT A AN 18 MONTH TIME PERIOD TIME FROM APPROXIMATELY NOV 2002 TO MAY 2004. THE CAR'S ENGINE NEEDED TO BE TURNED OFF AND THE CAR PLACED IN NEUTRAL, AND THEN RESTARTED. IT WOULD OFTEN TAKE 2 - 3 ATTEMPTS TO GET THE CAR STARTED. NO ACCIDENTS OCCURRED, AND IT ENDED UP JUST BEING AN INCONVENIENCE, BUT ONLY BECAUSE THERE WAS NEVER ANY TRAFFIC ON THE ROAD. IT WAS TAKEN TO THE VOLVO DEALERSHIP TWICE. INSPECTED BY THE MECHANICS, BUT I WAS TOLD THAT SINCE THE CAR WAS RESTARTED THAT THE CODES HAD CLEARED SO THERE WAS NOTHING THAT COULD BE DONE. I WOULD NEED TO BRING THE CAR IN WHILE THE PROBLEM OCCURRED--AN OBVIOUS PROBLEM SINCE THE CAR WOULD NOT RUN, SO I COULD NOT BRING IT IN. *JB