1999 Volvo S80

THE ABS MODULE HAS FAILED IN MY CAR AND ACCORDING TO MY MECHANIC AND ALL OVER THE INTERNET THE MODULES CONTINUALLY BREAK AND COST AROUND 700 DOLLARS TO REPAIR EACH TIME. WHEN THIS MODULE DOES NOT WORK IS CAUSES PROBLEMS WITH STEERING POWER, TRANSMISSION SHIFTING (WILL NOT DOWN SHIFT AND CAUSES CAR TO STALL), BRAKE FAILURE WARNINGS, AND NO ABS. THE PROBLEM IS INTERMITTENT WHILE DRIVING, BUT THERE IS ALWAYS ONE SYSTEM NOT WORKING OR MORE.

WHILE DRIVING, I SUDDENLY LOST POWER/ACCELERATION IN MY VEHICLE. MY CHECK ENGINE LIGHT ALSO CAME ON. I TURNED THE CAR OFF, BUT COULD NOT RESTART IT. MY VEHICLE WAS TOWED TO MY LOCAL VOLVO DEALERSHIP. DIAGNOSIS - REPLACE THROTTLE BODY AND DOWNLOAD SOFTWARE (ETM). BECAUSE MY VEHICLE WAS PAST THE ORIGINAL MANUFACTURER'S WARRANTY, I HAD TO PAY FOR THE REPARIS SINCE THE EXTENDED WARRANTY DID NOT SPECIFICALLY LIST THESE DEFECTS . . . $815 PARTS AND LABOR. APPROXIMATELY 1 YEAR 3 MONTHS LATER, I BEGAN EXPERIENCING THE SAME PROBLEMS AS IN 2002 WHICH VOLVO DIAGNOSED AS A THROTTLE BODY FAILURE; HOWEVER I HAVE HAVE BEEN ABLE TO START MY CAR, BUT WITH SOME TROUBLE. NON-WARRANTY REPAIRS ARE COVERED FOR ONLY 1 YEAR. I CALLED THE WARRANTY COMPANY TO SEE IF THEY COULD HELP ME OUT. THE WARRANTY COMPANY KNEW OF THE DEFECT FROM PREVIOUS OTHER COMPLAINTS, AND THEY TOLD ME TO TRY TO WORK OUT A DEAL WITH VOLVO (WHICH DIDN'T HAPPEN). ON SEPTEMBER 11, 2002, I TOOK MY VEHICLE INTO VOLVO BECAUSE MY ENGINE FLUCTUATED WHILE IDLING. THE INTERIOR LIGHTS FLICKERED AS THE IDLE SURGED. VOLVO DIAGNOSED THE PROBLEM AS AN IGNITION COIL FAILURE. PARTS AND LABOR COST ME $250. I TOOK THE CAR IN AGAIN ON SEPTEMBER 16, 2002 (5 DAYS LATER) WITH THE SAME PROBLEM. I REQUESTED A FUEL FILTER CHECK/REPLACEMENT, BUT VOLVO DIAGNOSED THE PROBLEM WITH THE THROTTLE BODY. THE CHECKED AND CLEANED THE THROTTLE BODY. THIS HAPPENED, OF COURSE, JUST 2 MONTHS BEFORE COMPLETE FAILURE OF THE THROTTLE BODY. I'VE SPENT OVER $1000 FOR MIS-DIAGNOSIS AND AN DEFECTIVE PART THAT VOLVO AND THEIR WARRANTY COMPANY HAVE KNOWN ABOUT FOR SEVERAL YEARS.

MY 1999 VOVLO S80 ENGINE BEGAN SURGING WHEN COMING TO A STOP. THE IDLE WOULD BOUNCE UP AND DOWN BY ITSELF FROM 500 - 1500RPM. THE CAR FINALY SET DHECK ENGINE CODES THAT INDICATED THAT THE MASS AIR FLOW SENSOR HAD FAILED. REPLACING MAF CORRECTED THE ISSUE, HOWEVER THE CAR HAS BEEN SHOWING SIGNS OF THE SAME FAILURE AGAIN. FIRST MAF UNIT WAS REPLACED ON AUGUST 28, 2003 WITH 63,935 MILES, NOW AT 104,380 THE SAME ISSUES HAVE BEGUN TO RE-APPEAR. IT APPEARS TO ME THAT THE CURRENT DESIGN OF THE 1999 S80 MAF HAS A DESIGN FLAW THAT LIMITS ITS USEFUL LIFE. I HAVE NEVER HAD TO REPLACE A MAF SENSOR BEFORE NOW I AM LOOKING AT A RE-OCCURANCE ON THE SAME VEHICLE.

PRIOR TO THE FAILURE, THE IDLE OF THE CAR WOULD SURGE UP AND DOWN AT AN IDLE BETWEEN 500-1500 RPM'S. TRYING TO PARK THE CAR THE CAR WOULD JUMP FORWARD AT EACH SURGE. A COUPLE OF TIMES AS MY WIFE WAS DRIVING THE CAR DIED ON HER, ONE TIME AROUND A CORNER AND SHE COULD HARDLY STEER. THE CAR WOULD ONLY SURGE IF THE FOOT WAS OFF THE THROTTLE, THEREFORE IT WOULD STALL AS YOU TRIED TO CORNER OR WENT TO HIT THE BRAKE. ANOTHER TIME IT STALLED WAS IN A TRAFFIC SLOW DOWN ON THE FREEWAY. THE PART FINALLY FAILED ONE DAY WHEN THE CAR JUST WOULD NOT START. WE HAD TO HAVE IT TOWED TO THE DEALER WHERE THEY REPLACED THE THROTTLE CONTROL. TWO MORE TIMES AFTER THE TC WAS REPLACED THE CAR STARTED TO SURGE AGAIN. AT THOSE TIMES AS SOON AS THE CAR STARTED TO SURGE I BROUGHT TO THE DEALER. BECAUSE IT WAS THE SAME PART THAT WAS REPLACED THERE WAS NO CHARGE. THE DEALER TOLD ME THEY MUST HAVE BEEN DEFECTIVE PARTS. ONE MORE TIME THE CAR DID THE SAME THING AND I RETURNED TO THE DEALER AND ONCE AGAIN THEY SUPPOSEDLY REPLACED THE TC AND TOLD ME THAT THE FLAME TRAP WAS THE CAUSE OF ALL THE PROBLEMS AND NEEDED TO BE REPLACED. SINCE THEY WANTED ANOTHER $1000 TO REPLACE THAT PART I DECIDED I WOULD DO IT MYSELF. THE DEALER TOLD ME THEY WOULD NOT WARRANTY THE TC ANYMORE. AFTER I REPLACED THE FLAME TRAP, WHICH THERE WAS NOTHING WRONG WITH IT, 6 MONTHS LATER THE CAR STARTED AGAIN WITH THE SAME PROBLEM ALL AVER AGAIN. THAT'S WHERE I AM AT NOW. ORIGINALLY WHEN THE CAR DIED AND WAS TOWED TO THE DEALER IT COST ME $1390. THEY REPLACED THE MASS AIR FLOW SENSOR $222.53, THE THROTTLE BODY $573.10, GASKET $3.44, ETM RELOAD $35.75, LABOR $439.75 AND TAX. THIS OCCURRED ON JULY 3, 2003. THE CAR THEN WENT IN SEVERAL TIMES FOR THE SAME THING WITH THE LAST BEING MAY 18, 2004. AND NOW WE ARE BACK TO THE SAME PROBLEM AGAIN!!! *NM

INITIAL PROBLEM OCCURRED AFTER VEHICLE WAS RUNNING FOR ABOUT 15 MINUTES. AFTER STOPPING AT A TRAFFIC LIGHT, VEHICLE WOULD ONLY ACCELERATE TO 20 MPH. ONLY AFTER TURNING OFF THE ENGINE FOR 5-10 MINUTES WOULD VEHICLE RESUME NORMAL PERFORMANCE - THEN WOULD REPEAT PROBLEM AFTER RUNNING A FEW MINUTES. DEALER SERVICE HAS REPLACED A COMPUTER MODULE WHICH CONTROLS THIS FUNCTION. I HAVE LEARNED THIS IS A COMMON PROBLEM IN VOLVOS. MINE IS A 1999 S80. *JB