Bulletins
| Bulletin | Bulletin date | Replacement Bulletin | Item no. | Summary | Added |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| ENGINE AND ENGINE COOLING | |||||
| 25149C | 02/20/2006 | 25149C | 10019763 | Cleaning the crankcase ventilation. *ak | 04/26/2006 |
| 25149B | 02/20/2006 | 25149B | 10019762 | Checking crankcase ventilation system. *ak | 04/26/2006 |
| ENGINE AND ENGINE COOLING - COOLING SYSTEM | |||||
| 2602 | 12/23/1998 | 615913 | Information on certain cars built in the halifax plant which may not have adequate anti-freeze protection in the coolant. *tt | 02/02/2001 | |
| ENGINE AND ENGINE COOLING - ENGINE | |||||
| 2824 | 08/21/2003 | 2824 | 10003548 | Rough cold start. *tt | 10/23/2003 |
| 0023 | 07/01/2002 | 0023 | 6089468 | Bulletin describing how to correct condition of oil leakage occurring at one or more of the oil pump retaining screws. *tt this bulletin replaces the previous sb21-0023 dated october 1999. *tt | 02/03/2000 |
| 2310 | 03/09/1999 | 604408 | Information on how to run and evaluate an evap quick test on a car wth the b524s engine. *tt | 04/28/1999 | |
| ENGINE AND ENGINE COOLING - ENGINE - GASOLINE | |||||
| 2310 | 06/23/2000 | 2310 | 615027 | Information on how to run and evaluate an evap quick test on a car with the b5254s engine, which has the denso engine management system. *tt | 12/18/2000 |
| ENGINE AND ENGINE COOLING - EXHAUST SYSTEM - EMISSION CONTROL - CRANKCASE (PCV) | |||||
| 149 | 02/20/2006 | 149D | 10018801 | Warranty coverage should a customer epxerience a defect wit the etm system beyond the terms of the normal new car warranty. *tt troubleshooting electronic throttle system (ets). *tt checking crankcase ventilation system. *tt cleani | 01/17/2006 |
Consumer Complaints
| Fail date | miles | occurences | Purchase date |
|---|---|---|---|
| ENGINE AND ENGINE COOLING | |||
| 03/15/2012 | 78000 | 2 | |
| Twice, within 50 metres of the same spot each time, my car has suffered extreme acceleration whilst i was braking as hard as i could. first time, my mechanic checked all computer diagnostics using two different computer testing devices but there were no fault codes. now, as well as happening twice within 50 metres of the same spot, i was at the same set of traffic lights, which i do not suspect as being the problem, but also next to a major hospital with an adjacent helipad. my best guess after 57 years in electronics and 40+ in computers is that some sort of rf interference is upsetting my vehicle. i know volvo check all accidents involving their cars in sweden and wonder whether they have ever come across my problem. both times the engine screamed its head off although i had no time to worry about the tachometer reading. the noise itself was adequate warning and the lack of braking meant that i had to kill the ignition to recover mine and the vehicles composure. switching on the ignition again both times, the vehicle once again idled normally and operated as it should. *tr | |||
| 12/19/2011 | 101000 | ||
| Tl- the contact owns a 1999 volvo s70. the contact stated that he heard a loud knocking coming from the engine upon starting the vehicle. the contact began to drive, but the vehicle would not accelerate beyond 25 mph. the vehicle was not taken to have the failure diagnosed or repaired. the manufacturer was not made aware of the failure. the failure mileage was 101,000. the vin was unavailable. kmj | |||
| 12/19/2011 | 101000 | ||
| Tl-the contact owns a 1999 volvo s70. the contact stated that he heard a loud knocking noise coming from the engine upon starting the vehicle. the contact began to drive, but the vehicle would not accelerate beyond 25 mph. the vehicle was not taken to have the failure diagnosed or repaired. the manufacturer was not made aware of the failure. the failure mileage was 101,000. the vin was unavailable. sm. | |||
| 01/01/2005 | 65000 | ||
| Tl*the contact owns a 1999 volvo s70. the contact stated the vehicle would intermittently stall while driving at various speeds. upon restart the vehicle would operate as normal. the vehicle was taken to an authorized dealer on numerous occasions; however, they were unable to diagnose the failure. the vehicle was not repaired. the contact stated the vehicle was taken to various authorized dealers approximately sixteen times for the failure. the manufacturer was notified of the failure, but offered no assistance. the failure mileage was 65,000 and the current mileage was 90,263. | |||
| 08/26/2008 | 106472 | 1 | |
| Ongoing problems since august 2008: engine stalls, decelerates, won't start, sometimes engine surges badly, engine lights go on, throttle gets dirty even with new part etm problems are occurring and now vehicle will not start or drive at all. *tr | |||
| 11/01/2001 | 79842 | ||
| Tl*the contact owns a 1999 volvo s70. in 2001, the speedometer failed and displayed zero when the vehicle was traveling 10 mph. eventually, the vehicle began to shut off in traffic and while driving between 60-65 mph. the dealer replaced the sensors several times. the contact took the vehicle to a repair shop and the sensors were replaced again. she was unsure about the name of the sensor; however, the failures continued and the vehicle was unable to be restarted. recently, in june of 2009, the vehicle shut off and was towed to the dealer. they stated that the electronic throttle module failed and the battery cable was corroded. the repair cost was estimated at $1,021. the failure mileage was 79,842 and current mileage was 189,000. | |||
| 06/09/2008 | 206000 | 1 | |
| At approximately 206,000 miles my car wouldn't drive over 40 mph, the engine would rev up on its own and sputtered throughout the reduced rpm range. rpms would not go over about 3500. check engine light came on. drove it to volvo dealer and they replaced the throttle body at an out of pocket cost to me of approximately $1,000. they stated that it would have been covered up to 200,000 miles as this part had a recall. i do not feel that i was adequately notified of the recall. i received a letter about a recall last year and called the dealer to ask what it all meant since i did not understand it. the dealer said it was just a software upgrade and would only take about five minutes. i took the vehicle in for that software upgrade in march of 2007 with less than 200,000 miles on the vehicle and they did not say anything about the etm / throttle body issue. it should have been replaced at that time. *tr | |||
| 07/18/2007 | 104000 | 5 | 03/05/2005 |
| Tl*the contact owns a 1999 volvo s70. while driving 55 mph, the vehicle lost power and stalled, but never completely shut off. the failure occurs during acceleration and when starting the vehicle. no other systems of the vehicle were affected and no warning lights illuminated. the dealer was unable to determine the cause of failure. the vin and dealer information were unavailable. the current mileage was 104,736 and failure mileage was 104,000. | |||
| 06/01/2004 | 109141 | 50 | 03/15/2002 |
| 1999 volvo s70's etm (throttle) had acted up in june/july 2004, paid around $900 in july 2004 to have it fixed. the throttle caused the car to go dead multiple times & strongly rev itself occasionally. this would occur when slowing down or when stopped. i would occasionally have to keep foot on the gas to keep the car from going dead. ***now less than a year and a half after having the problem fixed (replaced unit) - the problem is back. the car has gone back to same issues. this problem does not occur slowly, from good performance to bad, it took only one week for it to reccur. *jb | |||
| 10/26/2004 | 105442 | 1 | 04/23/2000 |
| Dt: the contact stated that 1999 volvo s70 experienced the same problem with stalling while driving under 40 mph. the engine light was coming on and the car was uncontrollable. the car would shake and jerk, speed ahead and slow down. t the contact took vehicle to the dealership and they replaced the fuel throttle body, put in new spark plugs, and reprogrammed the computer. the car has since then ran well. the contact stated that this happened a year ago. the repair cost for the contact was almost $1,000.00. the contact has been in touch with volvo dealership, and they told him that they have not heard anything about recall. the volvo manufacturer said that there was an investigation on the car, and to call the nhtsa. the contact has also filed a complaint with volvo.*ak | |||
| 07/05/2005 | 87000 | 06/27/2002 | |
| The engine throttle control light activated sporadically beginning in july, 2005. i noticed that the car was not performing adequately when going uphill or in severe heat. my husband contacted the volvo dealership in allentown, pa where we purchased the vehicle. he was told that the cost to repair same would be over $800. we decided to pass on this repair due to the cost and thought that another auto service mechanic could perform the repairs at a lesser price. approximately 3 weeks later, the ets light was activated on every occasion that the vehicle was used. since a second mechanic (not affiliated with volvo) stated that he was unable to do the repairs, we decided to contact another vovlo dealership. the repair of the throttle body and etm reload was performed by a volvo of fort washtington, pa at a cost of over $800 on august 17, 2005. after reading the number of complaints that nhtsa received on this very same problem and the potential for injury, we decided to have the repair performed. we did contact volvo in rockleigh, nj via email and received an initial response from a mr. john willets requesting information on our vin number and mileage. we supplied said information on the same date (august 10, 2005). we did not hear back from him despite repeated requests via email. we had to pay this expensive repair bill to ensure the safety of our family. | |||
| 04/01/2005 | 90000 | 5 | 11/29/1999 |
| Beginning in april of 2005, the engine on my 1999 volvo s70 had stalled several times. in each instance, it has restarted and operated, however, the stalls are becoming more frequent. i have read or the nhtsa's investigation into this problem, and am concerned about my vehicle's operation and repair costs.*jb | |||
| 04/22/2004 | 62070 | 10 | 10/14/2001 |
| Warning light, engine ran rough, stalled since april 2004 until january 2005, and dealer repeatedly ran tests and charged me hundreds of dollars for tests and replacing parts that did not fix the problem until january 2005. *nm | |||
| 07/14/2005 | 106056 | 2 | 08/06/2002 |
| In the last month our 1999 s70 volvo has stalled - once when traveling at slow speed and the other accelerating from a stop light. in both instances the car could be restarted. also, the check engine indicator illuminates frequently - as it is now - and when taken to the dealer we are advised they can not find anything wrong. *jb | |||
| 12/12/2002 | |||
| Consumer stated that while driving and without warning the vehicle will surge forward causing a distraction to the consumer. dealer notified. ts | |||
| ENGINE AND ENGINE COOLING - COOLING SYSTEM - FAN | |||
| 08/02/2004 | 0 | 1 | 03/27/1999 |
| The incident took place as i was driving on the interstate, my coolant light went on and i thought to myself, it must be low, i will pull over at the next town which is 10 minutes away and check the coolant level. at that moment i looked at my temperature gauge and the needle was right in the middle and i assumed the engine temperature was not high or low because there was nothing to indicate otherwise. not more than 5 minutes later, my car lost all power, and in that instance i was forced to pull over to the right side of the road, i stopped the car and as i did this, the car engine started to smoke heavily, everything shut off and i found myself stranded. i have been informed that the engine melted and a new one is $9,700. the service shop let me know there is an issue with the sensor in the coolant tank, if this sensor is not submerged in coolant, your temperature gauge does not work and the needle stays right in the middle. in my case, my volvo guy told me i was completely out of coolant. how this happened in just a 5 minute period of time is a mystery to me, but the more concerning part is if i was completely out of coolant, my engine would start to heat up, my temperature gauge would tell me that my engine was hot, however, when looking at my temperature gauge, it told me my engine temperature was ?normal?. this issue also could be related to the most recent 9/04 volvo recall, however, my particular model is not listed. unfortunately my car is no longer under a warranty.*ak | |||
| ENGINE AND ENGINE COOLING - ENGINE | |||
| 03/14/2011 | 70000 | ||
| Vehicle surges after i had the software download recall. they keep telling me it is a dirty throttle body, but it has been cleaned a thousand times. they never replaced my tcm. just the software. this needs to stop. i feel unsafe in this car. need a recall. | |||
| 12/20/2009 | 109000 | 1 | |
| In mid-december the car started but ran rough and lacked power. previous to that it ran fine; since then it has had various intermittent problems related to acceleration. sometimes the engine runs rough and lacks power. other times the engine runs fine but the car does not respond to accelerator input to increase speed. sometimes the car stumbles but accelerates adequately. more often the car will accelerate to about 20 mph and not increase speed beyond that irrespective of accelerator pedal pressure. after a few seconds the car will suddenly accelerate normally. replacing the throttle body module corrected the problem. this part is subject to a nhtsa agreement with volvo that requires volvo to replace the unit free but the dealer refused to do that and charged me for the repair. *tr | |||
| 07/07/2009 | 157000 | ||
| Tl*the contact owns a 1999 volvo s70. the contact stated that intermittently the engine and the csr warning light illuminated on the instrument control panel; then the vehicle stalled. the vehicle was towed to a local repair facility and a mechanic replaced the air mass meter. after the repair, the failure resurfaced. the vehicle was towed to a dealer, in which the technician charged $1065.00 for diagnostic testing; however, the technician was not able to identify the cause of the failure. the failure has not been remedied. the failure mileage was 157000 and the current mileage was 158000. | |||
| 04/14/2005 | 1 | ||
| Since owning this vehicle the check engine light has illuminated on numerous occasions and fault codes for the engine have been entered. i even had the mass air flow sensor replaced during one of these episodes. but during the past 7 months i've had engine problems that have affected the driveability of the vehicle. periodically, after the engine has been running for 30+ minutes, the vehicle will have problems idling (feels like it will stall) and then black smoke will start emitting from the exhaust. the check engine light does not come on during this process but only when the car is once again running normal. this problem is an intermittent one. the vehicle will run fine for 2 weeks and then suddenly the problem will reappear. since this problem began, i've had the mass air flow sensor replaced (twice--three times in total since owing this car), o2 sensor replaced (twice), cleaning of intake and throttle plate, throttle body replaced, upgraded software for the electronic throttle control (etc) and spark plug replacement. none of these have fixed the problem. the dealership has had my car for days at a time. they have recently been able to recreate the problem but the computer readings are not showing any problems with the engine components. my car is still at the dealership and the problem still has not been solved. *jb | |||
| 09/16/2005 | 15000 | 1 | 10/07/1999 |
| I have had multiple problems with this car: 1) engine/throttle system: a) intermittently, the car will not start when the engine is warm, whether from driving or it is a hot day. i had it towed to the volvo dealer from my garage when it had <20k miles and was told that i was not driving it hard enough. they advised that the engine had to be blown out and suggested that i rev-up the engine while the car was in park to clean it out. that did not help. i have had the car serviced multiple times. the problem had gotten so bad, that the car began stalling while i was driving it, particularly, if i stopped for a traffic light or turned a corner. i paid $1,500 in january 2005 to have it repaired again, and now the problem is back. the volvo dealer is useless. b) the engine either leaks or burns oil. i will intermittently hear a clicking noise to find out that all of the oil is gone. the oil light does not come on. i routinely have to add 3-4 quarts of oil. 2) safety features: the rearview mirror broke off in my hand and i was told by the dealer that it was a safety feature. when it broke off, it left a metal spike sticking out that would have done far more damage in an accident than the mirror. the child lock on the rear center seat belt failed. i took it to the dealer and was told that i was pulling the belt too tight and it was supposed to have some give. of course, i know that the child seat is not supposed to wiggle around in the back seat, so i insisted that it be replaced. body: the mechanisms to hold up the trunk lid no longer function. the latch to release the hood has had to be replaced. *nm | |||
| 06/21/2005 | 12000 | 35 | 03/28/2002 |
| My s70 volvo, stalled on freeway a number of times within a one day period, would restart and got it to volvo of escondido ca, had my car for 3 days and i rented ( i am a single mom and cannot afford this or to be without a car) received my car& bill $457.69 to clean the throttle body. on 7/ 18 i returned it to volvo because it began doing it again on several occasions. that time volvo had it for 1 day and said there was nothing wrong with my car and to come get it. on july 19th it happened again and they had my car from 7/ 19th - 27th because they could not find a problem. on the 27th, $160 for labor and parts.(spark plugs) i refused to pay for labor. my car never ran the same and it seemed to be sluggish. i then returned to working strictly with my own certified volvo mechanic. he has done all of my tune ups, oil changes and minor maintenance. (prior to this stalling problem) last week i heard a horrible and sudden noise and although no lights or warning indicators appeared i took it to him immediately. he has found that it has a crack in the lower block which has now left me with a shell of a car and no engine. my regular mechanic said that he has never seen this on a car as well kept and maintained as mine. he believes it is possible that the faulty stalling problem that is still a mystery to volvo could be the reasoning. i put a lot of time, money and energy out as a result of this car and most importantly risked the lives of my children and myself with this problem. i need to know what the nhtsa is doing to resolve this and has anyone else had a crack lower block as an end result?. i feel volvo should have to replace my engine. time, loss of work and costs have resulted in a major hardship for me. i cringe at the fact that it could have been such a tragic ending as an accident or death. please let me know what the next step is or how i pursue volvo. thank you, terry austin. *nm | |||
| 06/20/2001 | 47000 | 4 | 06/11/2001 |
| I purchased my 1999 used s70 in june of 2001. it had approx. 47,000 miles on it. within a week or two the electronic throttle control module had to be replaced due to the loss of speed, etc. within 1 year i had to replace the turbo and the whole engine due to malfunctions. in all, i have spent about $9,000 in repairs to this car due to engine problems. it has been the absolute worst car i have ever owned. it has also had numerous electrical malfunctions since i purchased. *nm | |||
| 07/30/2005 | 2 | 02/10/1999 | |
| I own a 1999 volvo s70. on two occasions while driving, the engine, without warning cuts out. with this the power steering goes and make it difficult to steer out of traffic. both these incidents happened while i was making a left turn across an intersection. luckily there were no injuries or accident. after the first incident, i took it to my mechanic who told me that it was hard to diagnose as it just happened once. well it happened again! the first incident happened on may 1, 2005 and the second on july 30, 2005. *jb | |||
| 11/12/2003 | 2 | 04/30/1999 | |
| My volvo 1999 s70 t5 has had problem with oil leaking (or burning) since the second year. my husband heard some strange and louder than normal noise from the engine and he checked the oil and no more oil in the engine. he had to put 3 to 4 quarts of engine oil in. this kind of incident happened at two times when my car was under 50,000 miles and under warranty. we reported to volvo dealer services, they could found any problem the first time. second time they found some problem and fixed it. now at 51700 miles (out of warranty), we have the same problem again. my husband had to put 3 quarts of oil into the engine because there was no more oil left in it. this morning i noticed that the temperature was higher than normal. we called both volvo of irvine, and cerritos of california and they denied that we reported any problem about oil in the past. only volvo of irvine saying that they did fix some problem with oil pump in the past because we complained about engine noise. they did not put it down about the complained of out of oil in the engine. we cannot trust volvo services. poor service and very bad volvo car. *la | |||
| ENGINE AND ENGINE COOLING - ENGINE - GASOLINE | |||
| 08/16/2005 | 94000 | 3 | |
| Car hesitates and/or stalls on acceleration for past 20,000 miles. initial diagnosis from volvo dealer showed no fault codes stored, unable to diagnose. finally, today i stalled while making a turn and almost got broadsided. just after that an ets light came on. i called the dealer and was told it will cost up to $1000 to replace the part. this is a major safety hazard and to think that volvo knows about this problem (i surfed the internet and found right away that this is a common problem) and let me take the car out with this issue known. (regardless of a fault code stored)*jb | |||
| 11/01/2001 | |||
| Vehicle stalls at any speed, has stalled 3 times. dealer has replaced ets system, this has not remedied the problem.*ak | |||
| 11/27/1999 | 2 | 02/20/1999 | |
| Vehicle has electrical/brake and engine problems. brake pedal has a clicking noise, and after the third click, brake pedal locks up. also, engine failed twice. failure a result of the engine flooding itself, ruining the spark plugs. dealer does not know what the problem is. engine was replaced. brakes will also occasionally sink into the floor. these problems still exist after being repaired twice. in addition the electrical system has failed several times--the turn signals went out, both headlights have gone out, and the gear shift panel lights have gone out. *ak *ml | |||
| When making a left turn the vehicle completely shutsdown, causing loss of control. dealer cannot identify the problem. please give any further details. *ak | |||
| 05/06/1999 | 12 | 02/01/1999 | |
| The enhgine will begin to run roughly (as though it is flooded) loses, power and will not accelerate. when this happens, the ets and check engine lights come on. the owner's manual says to pull over, switch off the ignition and then restart. if the *ak | |||
| 05/10/1999 | 12 | ||
| Engine will run like it's flooded. resulting in loss of power. prior to vehicle shutting down, check engine light came on. the dealer is repairing vehicle again, and has repaired vehicle twice before. manufacturer has been notified. *ak | |||
| ENGINE AND ENGINE COOLING - EXHAUST SYSTEM | |||
| 08/10/2009 | 113000 | 1 | |
| My 1999 volvo s-70 received software upgrade code #155 in 2006 subject to recall and in august 2009 started to experience random throttle surging and loss of power ,especially on highway driving conditions(i-95), making vehicle unsafe to operate,along with intermittent ets light coming on. i am now told by dealer that cause is due to failure of electronic throttle module & not covered by 10 year or 200,000 mile warranty as in-service date on my vehicle was feb. 2009 and therefore past 10 year warranty period. having researched your data base involving safety issues & accidents caused directly from this type of part failure, i am at a loss as to why a full recall has not been issued by volvo to replace all etm's on these model vehicles. i am now out-of-pocket $1200.00 for something that volvo has neglected to fix. statistically, it appears that more of these etm's will fail outside of the volvo warranty period. | |||
| 8 | |||
| Emission system continued to fail. at stop vehicle would jerk forward. engine check light would come on and remain. sometimes vehicle would stall out when moving forward. would be no warning. been to dealer 8 times, and was test driven. vehicle did not stall on mechanic. owner , deputy sheriff video tape problem. was repaired under fault codes, but problem still exists. *ak | |||
| ENGINE AND ENGINE COOLING - EXHAUST SYSTEM - EMISSION CONTROL | |||
| 01/18/2006 | 120000 | 90 | 08/05/2002 |
| My 1999 volvo s70 has been stalling on a daily basis for some time now. i stall on my way to work; a seven mile drive. i have tried to get it in for service at a local volvo dealership, but they are booked up. i have no other means of transportation beside this death trap. i pray all the way to work. today it refused to idle up to a normal speed (35) and stuck somewhere at 15, so i coasted in until it finally stalled in the parking lot. this is a daily occurrence. *jb | |||
| 07/15/2005 | 1 | 01/01/2002 | |
| Dt: the contact owned a 1999 volvo s70. contact was complaining about an air-intake problem. had trouble starting the vehicle, and not accelerating while driving. had car in the repair shop this past week, and they could not find anything wrong with it. however, they cleaned out air intake, but she continued to have the same problem. also, saw an article at www.nbc4.com under the automotive section. *ak | |||
| 05/12/2005 | 50000 | 3 | 04/19/1999 |
| I purchased a new 1999 s70 volvo from herb gordon volvo in silver spring, md the electronic throttle module has been replaced 3 times, still no change. i recently had it replaced. | |||
| ENGINE AND ENGINE COOLING - EXHAUST SYSTEM - EMISSION CONTROL - GAS RECIRCULATION VALVE (EGR VALVE) | |||
| 04/01/2005 | 100000 | 1 | 06/05/2004 |
| Car started missing, losing power, ets light came on, took to dealer replaced egr module ?, cost about $1000 altogether. *jb | |||
| ENGINE AND ENGINE COOLING - EXHAUST SYSTEM - MANIFOLD/HEADER/MUFFLER/TAIL PIPE | |||
| Tail pipe exceeds the length of bumper, causing someone to be burned. please give any further details. *ak | |||