2001 Volvo V70

I AM THE ORIGINAL OWNER OF A 2001 VOLVO V70 STATION WAGON WITH 88,000 MILES ON IT. IT HAS RECEIVED ITS REGULARLY SCHEDULED SERVICING. I HAVE BROUGHT THIS VEHICLE BACK TO THE DEALER NUMEROUS TIMES, ONCE WHILE UNDER AN EXTENDED WARRANTY AND NOW WHILE IT IS NO LONGER UNDER EXTENDED WARRANTY SERVICE. THE REASON WAS TO HAVE THEM CHECK AND REPAIR THE SLIPPING TRANSMISSION. THE SLIP OCCURS BETWEEN 1ST & 2ND, AND 2ND & 3RD. THIS IS ABOUT THE 20-40MPH RANGE. WHEN IT SLIPS, THE TRAN SOMETIMES REVS UP TO 4,000 AND THE ENGINE JUST REVS UP FOR A FEW SECONDS, (IN A STALLING-LIKE FASHION) THEN THE TRANSMISSION GRABS WITH A HARD SLAM/AUDIBLE CLUNKING NOISE. I HAVE TOLD THE DEALER THAT THIS IS VERY DANGEROUS AS IT LEAVES YOU IN AN "OUT-OF-CONTROL" STATE. THEY DEALER CAN FIND NO CODES ON THE TRANSMISSION TO DOCUMENT THE PROBLEM, BUT DOES AGREE THAT THE SLIPPAGE OCCURS. THEY HAVE DONE S/W UPDATES TO MAKE IT SHIFT BETTER. WE JUST SPENT $1500.00 ON MAKING THE PROBLEM GO AWAY, BUT YET IT IS STILL THERE. THE TRANSMISSION HAS BEEN SLIPPING SINCE BEFORE THE LAST EXTENDED WARRANTY SERVICING, BUT HAS RECENTLY BECOME VERY MUCH ESCALATED SINCE EVEN COMING OUT OF SERVICE. I DON'T KNOW HOW THEY COULD EVEN HAVE SENT US HOME IN THIS CAR WITH MY FAMILY IN IT. IT IMMEDIATELY WENT BACK FOR REPAIR THE NEXT DAY AFTER THE $1500 SERVICING. NO ACCIDENTS YET, BUT I FEAR DRIVING IT AT ALL, SINCE THE SLIP COULD RESULT IN TOTAL LOSS OF POWER TO THE WHEELS WHILE THE AUTOMATIC TRANSMISSION SHIFTS FROM 1ST TO 2ND GEAR. I HAVE TOLD THE SERVICE TECHNICIANS AT VOLVO OF THIS CONCERN, BUT THEY HAVE NOT RESOLVED THE PROBLEM. THEIR ADVICE IS TO PURCHASE A NEW CAR ON TRADE-IN OR SPEND $5,000 ON A NEW TRANSMISSION. THIS SHOULD NOT BE HAPPENING TO A CAR DRIVING ONLY ON CITY STREETS FOR LESS THAN 45 MINUTES AT A TIME AND AT ONLY 88,000 MILES. I FIRMLY BELIEVE THE PROBLEM IS A POTENTIALLY DEADLY ONE IN THAT IT COULD HAPPEN TO ANYONE AT ANYTIME AND ANYWHERE IN STOP AND GO TRAFFIC. *TR

BEGINNING JANUARY 2007, OUR 2001 V70 WOULD "SHIFT HARD" WHEN SHIFTING FROM "P" TO "D" OR FROM "R" TO "D" OR WHEN ACCELERATING FROM A LOW SPEED. WE THOUGHT IT WAS THE WEATHER CAUSING THE ISSUE DUE TO IT BEING INTERMITTENT. IT BECAME WORSE AND SHIFT BECAME HARDER. APPT IN APRIL CONCLUDED IT "MAY BE" THE TCM. SOFTWARE WAS UPGRADED AND WE WERE TOLD THERE WOULD BE AN "ADJUSTMENT" PERIOD. ALL UNDER WARRANTY. TOOK A WEEK TO FIX WHAT WAS NOTED AS ONLY NEEDING 30 MINUTES TO FIX. END OF JUNE, CALLED TO STATE SAME THING IS HAPPENING THAT THE ISSUE WASN'T FIXED. VOLVO CHECKED WARRANTY AND CONTRACT ENDED JUST THREE WEEKS PRIOR. JULY 10, TOOK V70 IN FOR "DIAGNOSTIC" AND WE NEED A "NEW TRANSMISSION". VOLVO WILL NOT TAKE RESPONSIBILITY NOR SEE THE PROBLEM AS PRE-EXISTING. NOR WILL THEY SEE THE ISSUE AS UNRESOLVED FROM THE INITIAL VISIT. NO DIAGNOSTIC APPARENTLY DONE THE FIRST TIME. COINCIDENTALLY DEALER REPORTED THERE WERE MORE ISSUES WITH THE CAR SUCH AS SUSPENSION WHICH WAS FIXED JUST RECENTLY. WE HAD PUT NO MORE THAN A FEW HUNDRED MILES ON THE CAR SINCE THE LAST VISIT AND ALL OF THESE ISSUES ARE JUST APPEARING, COINCIDENTALLY AFTER WARRANTY EXPIRED. THERE WERE NO ISSUES LESS THAN 60 DAYS AGO, AT LEAST NONE REPORTED TO US. THIS INCIDENT HAS HAPPENED TO OTHER CONSUMERS AT THE SAME DEALERSHIP. VOLVO IS NOT COOPERATIVE AND WE HAD CAUGHT THE MECHANICS IN DECEITFUL STATEMENTS BY "REMINDING" THEM THAT WAS ALREADY DEALT WITH...FUNNY HOW IT WAS NO LONGER SOMETHING THAT NEEDED TO BE FIXED. THE "NEW TRANSMISSION" IS STILL NEEDED APPARENTLY AFTER A TOTAL OF ONLY 80K MILES ON THE CAR. IT WAS AT ABOUT 42K WHEN WE BOUGHT IT IN DEC OF 2003. *TR

FRONT PASSENGER SIDE WHEEL BROKE OFF AS A RESULT OF BALL JOINT BREAKING LEADING TO AN AXLE BREAK. ALSO DAMAGED WERE BUMPER AND FENDER WHEN HIT BY THE WHEEL BREAKING OFF. MY WIFE WAS LEAVING O'HARE AIRPORT AT AROUND 9:00 PM ON 6/27/06. WHEN CRUISING AT 20-30 MPH SHE HEARD A CRACKING NOISE AND THEN SUDDENLY THE CAR TURNED RIGHT. SHE STEPPED ON A BRAKE PEDAL TRYING NOT TO HIT CARS ON THE NEXT LINE. WHEN SHE STOPPED AND GET OUT OF THE CAR SHE REALIZED THAT THE FRONT PASSENGER SIDE WHEEL CAME OFF. IT WAS KEPT IN PLACE JUST BY THE SHOCK ABSORBER. SHE AND MY TWO SONS (AGE 3 AND 6) SPENT NEARLY TWO HOURS ON A HIGHWAY WAITING FOR A TOW TRUCK TO COME. THE CAR HAS 5 YEARS AND 98,500 MILES ON IT. THE FRONT SUSPENSION WAS ALREADY REPAIRED TWICE. ONCE 2 YEARS AGO AND THEN HALF A YEAR AFTER THAT. BEFORE THE ACCIDENT DESCRIBED ABOVE THERE WERE NO SIGNALS/NOISES THAT WOULD INDICATE ANY PROBLEMS WITH NEITHER THE WHEEL NOR THE SUSPENSION. THE CAR WAS ALWAYS DRIVEN ON NORMAL STREETS AND HIGHWAYS. NO OFF ROAD ADVENTURES OR REALLY BAD ROADS. I HAD MANY CARS IN MY LIFE BUT I'VE NEVER HAD SUCH A PROBLEM BEFORE. HOW CAN VOLVO CLAIM THAT THEY MAKE RELIABLE AND SAFE CARS WHEN SOMETHING LIKE THAT HAPPENS? I SENT AN E-MAIL TO VOLVO CUSTOMER SERVICE BUT HAVE NOT HEARD BACK FROM THEM. NOW I HAVE TO PAY OVER $2,500 IN REPAIR FEES ($1000 TO REPAIR BROKEN BALL JOINT AND AXLE PLUS ADDITIONAL $1500 TO REPAIR BUMPER AND FENDER). I DO HAVE AN EXTENDED WARRANTY BUT, SURPRISE SURPRISE, THEY SAID THEY CAN ONLY COVER THE COST OF REPAIRING THE BALL JOINT. EVERYTHING ELSE, EVEN THOUGH IT WAS DAMAGED BECAUSE OF THE BALL JOINT, THEY WOULD NOT COVER. AND, OF COURSE, THE COST OF REPLACING THE BALL JOINT IS LESS THAN MY DEDUCTIBLE SO ... THEY WASHED THEIR HANDS. *JB

DT: CONTACT OWNED 2001 A VOLVO. HE COMPLAINED ABOUT THROTTLE BODY PROBLEM. THE VEHICLE WAS TAKEN TO THE DEALER TWICE WITH WHAT HE THOUGHT WAS A TRANSMISSION PROBLEM. THEY COULD NOT ADJUST THE TRANSMISSION. CURFRENTLY, THEY TOLD HIM THAT IT WA STHE THROTTLE BODY. TO REPLACE IT WOULD COST CONSUMER $800.00. HE ENDED UP PAYING $250.00 FOR THROTTLE BODY REPLACEMENT. WHEN HE DROVE THE CAR HOME IT SURGED BETWEEN SHIFTS CHANGES. HE CALLED THE DEALER BACK AND INFORMED THEM IT WAS DOING THE SAME THING. THEY SAID A TECHNICIAN NEEDED TO RIDE AROUND WITH HIM TO FIND THE PROBLEM. THE CONSUMER SAID THE PROBLEM WAS INTERMITTENT.*AK *JB

VOLVO V70 2001 STATION WAGON. CAR ACCELERATING AND TRAVELING IN THE 40 TO 50 MPH RANGE VIBRATING AS IF PROBLEM MAINTAINING PRESSURE TO HOLD THE SPEED. TOOK TO 2 DIFFERENT DEALERS - 1 REPLACED CARS MAIN COMPUTER (WAS UNDER WARRANTY)- PROBLEM WAS NOT CORRECTED, THEN PROBLEM WAS DIAGNOSED AS A SECONDARY COMPUTER, REPLACED AT A COST OF ALMOST $1500. PROBLEM APPEARS TO BE REDUCED BUT STILL HAPPENS. VIBRATION IN THE 40 TO 50 MPH RANGE --LIKE THE CAR IS LUGGING IN TOO LOW OF A GEAR OR NOT GETTING ENOUGH GAS-- HAVE BEEN AFRAID TO TAKE CAR ON HIGHWAY TRIPS BECAUSE IT WAS AFTER/DURING THESE TRIPS PROBLEM WAS MOST PRONOUNCED.

THE CAR LOST POWER OCCASIONALLY WHEN SHIFTING BETWEEN FIRST AND SECOND GEARS. IT WOULD NOT ACCELERATE, BUT IT REVVED TO OVER 6,000 RPMS. THE CAR WOULD PULL BACK AND THEN LUNGE INTO GEAR. IT HAD A WHIPLASH EFFECT ON THE DRIVER AND PASSENGERS. AFTER 18 VISITS TO THE DEALER AND PROBABLY AS MANY CALLS TO VOLVO OF N. AMERICA, I FOUND ANOTHER DEALER. THEY REPLACED THE VALVE BODY LAST YEAR AND IT HASN'T HAPPENED SINCE. I CAN'T ANSWER THE NEXT QUESTION BECAUSE IT HAPPENED SEVERAL TIMES A WEEK FOR 3 YEARS. *JB