2000 Volvo S70

TL*THE CONTACT OWNS A 2000 VOLVO S70. WHILE DRIVING 65 MPH, THE VEHICLE DECELERATED TO 15 MPH (AT THE LOWEST). THE CONTACT FREQUENTLY NOTICED THE FAILURE AND ALSO OBSERVED THAT THE TACHOMETER WOULD FLUCTUATE UP AND DOWN. SHE TOOK THE VEHICLE TO A MECHANIC, WHO RETRIEVED AN ERROR CODE AND REFERRED HER TO THE DEALER. THE DEALER RETRIEVED THE FAILURE CODE FOR THE THROTTLE POSITIONING SENSOR. THE CONTACT WAS INFORMED OF NHTSA CAMPAIGN ID NUMBER 06V441000 (VEHICLE SPEED CONTROL). SHE CONSULTED SIX DIFFERENT DEALERS AND THEY ALL STATED THAT THE PARTS NEEDED FOR THE REPAIR WERE ON BACKORDER FOR APPROXIMATELY SIX WEEKS. THE CLOSEST DEALER INFORMED HER THAT THEY HAVE YET TO RECEIVE PARTS, EVEN AFTER THE SIX WEEK DEADLINE. THE MANUFACTURER COULD NOT PROVIDE ANY ADDITIONAL INFORMATION. THE CURRENT MILEAGE WAS APPROXIMATELY 90,000 AND FAILURE MILEAGE WAS APPROXIMATELY 40,000. UPDATED 10/03/08 *BF THE CONSUMER STATED THE VEHICLE HESITATED DURING ACCELERATION AND DECLERATION AT HIGHWAY SPEEDS. UPATED 10/07/08. *JB

**APPROX. INCIDENT DATE IS ACTUALLY ONGOING FOR PAST FOUR YEARS.*** I HAVE A 2000 VOLVO S70 WHICH I PURCHASED NEW IN MAY 2000 FROM VOLVO ATHENS, GA. DEALER. I CURRENTLY HAVE 190,000+ MILES. OVER THE PAST EIGHT YEARS I HAVE OWNED THE VEHICLE I HAVE HAD CONSISTENT PROBLEMS WITH THE ETM SITUATION. AT FIRST, BEING NEW TO VOLVO CARS AND REPAIR SITUATIONS, VOLVO DENIED THE ETM PROBLEM AND STUCK IT ON ME TO BE REPAIRED IN NOV. 2004. NOT UNTIL I DESCRIBED MY ISSUES WITH ENGINE FAILURE TO AN INDEPENDENT MECHANIC, WAS I WARNED ABOUT THE ONGOING PROBLEMS IN MY MODEL VEHICLE. SINCE MY INITIAL REPAIR I HAVE ENCOUNTERED FOUR OTHER TIME PERIODS WHEN THE SAME ETM SITUATION BEGINS OCCURRING, TYPICALLY 20-30,000 MILE INTERVALS SINCE THE LASTS SERVICE OF THE SPECIFIC ETM DEFECT. NOW, I AM ON MY FOURTH TRIP IN FOUR YEARS TO THE LOCAL DEALER TO ONCE AGAIN HAVE THE ETM SITUATION REPAIRED. I AM AT 190,000 MILES AND ACCORDING TO THE MANUFACTURER "EXTENDED WARRANTY" ON THIS PROBLEM, MY ABILITY TO HAVE THIS ONGOING SAFETY ISSUE FIXED AT MANUFACTURER COSTS WILL CEASE IN APPROXIMATELY 10,000 MILES. CLEARLY THIS SAFETY DEFECT HAS BEEN AN ISSUE WITH MY MODEL CAR SINCE ITS MANUFACTURE BY VOLVO AND TO DATE NO EFFECTIVE REMEDY HAS BEEN FOUND. I FEEL THIS ISSUE IS A MAJOR SAFETY DEFECT AS MY CAR WILL STALL OR HESITATE THEN SURGE AT ANY GIVEN MOMENT THUS CAUSING A POTENTIAL TRAFFIC ACCIDENT INVOLVING NOT ONLY MYSELF, BUT MY PASSENGERS, AND POTENTIALLY OTHER DRIVERS ON THE ROAD. I AM SICK AND TIRED OF VOLVO NOT TAKING MORE RESPONSIBILITY FOR THIS ISSUE AND FINDING A SOLUTION TO THE PROBLEM, NOT JUST A STOP GAP MEASURE TO APPEASE NHTSA. I HAVE NEVER BEEN CONTACTED BY NHTSA REGARDING THIS ISSUE DESPITE MY ONGOING COMPLAINTS TO MY LOCAL VOLVO DEALER AS WELL AS THE MANUFACTURER SERVICE CENTER. IT APPEARS FROM DOCUMENTATION ON THIS WEBSITE THAT NHTSA HAS GATHERED, OR ATTEMPTED TO GATHER, COMPLAINTS ON VOLVO ETM MATTER AND I WANT TO BE INCLUDED IN SUCH COMPLAINTS. *TR

I OWN A 2000 VOLVO S70 AND AM WAS EXPERIENCING RPM SURGING. I TOOK THE CAR TO AN INDEPENDENT VOLVO REPAIR SPECIALIST, SOUTHWEST AUTOMOTIVE, WHO IDENTIFIED THE CAUSE OF THE SURGING AS AN ELECTRONIC THROTTLE MODULE PROBLEM, AND THAT I SHOULD TAKE THE CAR TO A VOLVO DEALERSHIP. I TOOK THE CAR TO A DEALERSHIP,VOLVO OF RICHARDSON, WHO INFORMED ME THAT THE ETM HAD BEEN REPLACED UNDER VOLVO?S WARRANTY, AND THAT THE SOFTWARE HAD BEEN UPGRADED. VOLVO OF RICHARDSON RECOMMENDED A REPLACEMENT OF THE TRANSMISSION. I DO NOT BELIEVE THAT THE POWER SURGING IS CAUSED BY THE TRANSMISSION. I AM OF THE BELIEF THAT A SOFTWARE UPGRADE HAS LOWERED THE TRIGGER POINTS THAT ARE SUPPOSED TO PROVIDE A DIAGNOSTIC CODE THAT WOULD INDICATE A MALFUNCTIONING ELECTRONIC THROTTLE MODULE. IN THIS CASE, THE PARAMETERS HAVE BEEN RECONFIGURED SO LOW AS TO NOT PRESENT A CODE THAT WOULD IDENTIFY THE PROBLEM IS ETM, EVEN WHEN SURGING IS PRESENT TO THE EXTENT OF VISUALLY WATCHING THE TACHOMETER MOVE BY 50 TO 100 RPM'S DURING STEADY TO MINOR ACCELERATION. SINCE MODIFYING THE SOFTWARE PARAMETERS DOES NOT FIX A POWER SURGE ISSUE, THEN LOGIC WOULD INDICATE THAT THE MODIFICATION IS AN ATTEMPT TO HIDE FAILURES IN A METHODOLOGY THAT VOLVO IS NOT BEING DAMNED BY THE CAR?S OWN DIAGNOSTIC SYSTEM! IN THIS CASE, VOLVO IS DENYING THE EXISTENCE OF AN ISSUE BY THE SIMPLE EXPEDIENT OF NOT REPORTING THEM. IF FACTUAL, THIS ACTION PROVES INTENTIONAL FRAUD. THE ONLY RESULT IS A LONGER TIME TO REPLACEMENT AT FINAL ETM FAILURE. WHICH I SUSPECT VOLVO IS HOPING WILL BE AFTER THE WARRANTY EXTENSION, TO VOLVO?S ILLICIT BENEFIT. I SUSPECT THAT THE RESULT OF THIS THROTTLE SURGING BEHAVIOR IS (1) A SAFETY ISSUE, (2) CAUSES PREMATURE WEAR AND STRESS ON THE VEHICLE, (3) PRODUCES LOWER FUEL MILEAGE AND THE CHANGE IN SOFTWARE HAS PRODUCED AN UNANTICIPATED CONSEQUENCE OF PUTTING VOLVO DEALERS IN A POSITION OF EXPLOITING VOLVO OWNERS INTO REPAIR COSTS THAT ARE NOT NECESSARY THROUGH SIMPLE MISIDENTIFICATION OR FRAUD.*AK

TL*- THE CONTACT STATED THAT WHILE DRIVING THE 2000 VOLVO S70 AT APPROXIMATELY 15 MPH THE VEHICLE SURGED FORWARD WITHOUT WARNING, CAUSING THE CONTACT'S VEHICLE TO CRASH INTO THE BACK OF AN SUV. THE FRONT BUMPER OF THE CONTACTS VEHICLE WAS UNDERNEATH BUMPER OF THE SUV. THE MANUFACTURER SENT A TECHNICIAN TO INSPECT THE THROTTLE CONTROL MODULE. THE TECHNICIAN WAS UNABLE TO COMPLETE INSPECTION DUE TO VEHICLE NOT BEING ABLE TO START. THE DEALERSHIP INSPECTED THE VEHICLE BEFORE THE CRASH. HOWEVER, THEY WERE UNABLE TO DUPLICATE THE SURGE. THE CONTACT STATED THAT HE RECEIVED A RECALL NOTICE ON DECEMBER 22, 2006 FOR THE THROTTLE CONTROL MODULE. THE CRASH OCCURRED ON DECEMBER 14 2006. THE RECALL NOTICE STATED THAT THE THROTTLE CONTROL MODULE WOULD CAUSE THE VEHICLE TO SURGE FORWARD. THE VEHICLE HAD 154000 MILES AT THE TIME OF THE CRASH. THERE WERE TWO INJURIES. *AK UPDATED 04/05/07. *JB

CAR BEGAN TO LOSE ACCELERATION ON 10-15-05 AND WOULD TAKE A FULL 2 MIN TO REACH 55 MPH WITH ONLY MINIMAL THROTTLE DEPRESSION (ANY MORE THAN ONLY THE LEAST WOULD CAUSE THE DRIVE TRAIN TO JERK AND REFUSE TO PROPEL THE CAR AT ALL). IF THE CAR WAS PULLED OVER AND RESTARTED THE PROBLEM WOULD CORRECT ITSELF FOR A WHILE (SOMETIMES THE GAP IN BETWEEN MALFUNCTIONS WOULD BE SEVERAL HOURS INITIALLY) BUT WOULD ALWAYS RETURN. RAN TROUBLE CODES AND THE OXYGEN SENSOR WAS INITIALLY FAULTY. REPLACED THEN THE ENGINE WOULD IDLE ERRATICALLY UPON STARTUP, BUT AFTER A PERIOD OF TIME (5-15 MINUTES) IT WOULD ALL OF A SUDDEN CORRECT ITSELF - RACING THE ENGINE SEEMED TO SHORTEN THE TIME PERIOD, BUT YOU WOULD HAVE TO DEPRESS AND QUICKLY RELEASE THE GAS PEDAL IN ORDER TO GET THE RPM'S SIGNIFICANTLY HIGH ENOUGH TO FACILITATE THE SMOOTH OPERATION. ONCE THE ENGINE RAN FINE, IT WOULD OPERATE WELL AS LONG AS THE CAR WAS NEVER SHUT OFF (IT WAS RAN ON A JOURNEY OF 1,000 MILES AND OPERATED PERFECTLY NORMAL). THE MOMENT IT WAS SHUT DOWN, EVEN FOR THE BRIEFEST OF SPANS, IT WOULD ACT IN THE SAME MANNER WITH THE IDLE FLUCTUATING WILDLY, BUT SEEMED TO BE PRONE TO STALLING WHEN THE ENGINE WAS WARM/HOT. VOLVO WAS CONTACTED AND RECOMMENDED DEALER DIAGNOSIS TO DETERMINE THE SCOPE OF THE PROBLEM. WHEN THE CAR WAS BROUGHT IN FOR SERVICE, I WAS ASSURED THAT IT "COULD NOT POSSIBLY BE THE COMPUTER(ETM)". HOWEVER THERE WAS A SOFTWARE UPDATE INSTALLED (HMMMMM.....COULDN'T POSSIBLY, BUT LETS ADJUST IT....HMMMMMM ) WHICH CORRECTED THE ROUGH IDLE INITIALLY. ONLY PROBLEM IS NOW THE CAR WILL NOT REACH OR EXCEED 4,000 RPM EVEN WITH THE CAR IN PARK (NOT UNDER LOAD) AND WILL STALL JERK AND REFUSE TO ACCELERATE UNDER HARD PEDAL PRESSURE AND WILL NOT DRIVE ABOVE ABOUT 70 MPH ON THE HIGHWAY WITHOUT PROTESTATION, LOSS OF ACCELERATION OR JERKING. ALL OF THE DIAGNOSTIC TROUBLE CODES STILL INDICATE THAT THE CYLINDERS ARE WILDING MISFIRING AND I'M GETTING SICK OF TRYING TO FIX VOLVO'S ENGINEERING PROBLEM. *NM