Bulletins
| Bulletin | Bulletin date | Replacement Bulletin | Item no. | Summary | Added |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| ELECTRICAL SYSTEM | |||||
| 250023 | 07/01/2001 | 620880 | This service bulletin describes how to clean the electronic throttle module (etm) bore. *tt | 09/04/2001 | |
| ELECTRICAL SYSTEM - BATTERY - CABLES | |||||
| 0015 | 12/01/2001 | 627799 | B+cable, battery-to-fuse box, replacement. *yd | 02/25/2002 | |
Consumer Complaints
| Fail date | miles | occurences | Purchase date |
|---|---|---|---|
| ELECTRICAL SYSTEM | |||
| 01/16/2013 | 85000 | ||
| I have a 2000 volvo s70 with ets light and check engine light on. the car stalls and surges/lunges at all rates of speed and is very unsafe. after doing research i found out there was a recall on this part. i called my local dealer and ran the vin#. they stated the recall was done in 2009. i called volvo corp. customer care line and they stated that my car was too old and no longer covered under the warranty/recall. i don't understand how i am responsable for paying for a faulty part by the oem manufacture when they replaced the fualty part with fualty parts. in my research i found out if my electronic thotttle body was replace it would have a yellow label on it. mine does not. it has the original white label on it. i believe that it may have had the software upgrade and cleaned but i do not believe the actual unit was replaced. i took my car into the local volvo store in winter park fl where i was charged a total of $127 and some change to tell me that i needed a new electronic throttle body and would require a new software upgrade. total cost to repair $880.00 and quote does not say that the software update is included. i am not the original owner of the car. i bought it with 75,000 miles and currently have 92,000 miles. volvos efforts to fix this problem is not working and if it does work it does not fix the car for very long. why is it that the warranty for the recall part is based on the total vehicle mileage and age instead of the age and mileage of the replacement part or from the time the recall was issued? i do not have any faith that spending the money to fix the car will solve the problem only delay it from reoccuring with in months or few thousand miles. this is still an on going problem with this model car and volvo does not seem to care that they are putting lives in danger. | |||
| 10/10/2009 | 160000 | 1 | |
| The abs module has failed, causing the vehicle to have loss of power at start. in addition, the brakes do not work at full capacity, causing the vehicle to be unsafe. the speedometer is also inoperative. the failure occurs quite frequently during drive time. having the part rebuilt. *tr | |||
| 06/19/2008 | 78528 | ||
| Tl*the contact owns a 2000 volvo s70. while driving approximately 45 mph, the check engine light illuminated intermittently. approximately three months later, the electronic throttle system (ets) light illuminated on the instrument panel. the vehicle was taken to the dealer and they cleaned the ets. when the contact went to retrieve the vehicle, the ets light illuminated again and the vehicle was left at the dealer. the current mileage was 78,728 and failure mileage was 78,528. | |||
| 07/30/2005 | 1 | ||
| Ignition coil failure. *tr | |||
| 01/01/2008 | 100000 | 1 | |
| Approximately 26 months ago, i was experiencing considerable difficulty with the starting of my passenger vehicle with an increase frequency of the problem re-occurring. specifically, the engine would turn but would not start. in order to start the vehicle, i would have to turn the key back and forth several times (3 - 5) until the computer chip in the key signaled the computer chip in the steering column and the vehicle started. upon contacting a nearby dealership (dwyer & sons, michigan) and troubleshooting the problem, i was informed that the antenna ring within the steering column was broken and required replacement as well as the immobilizer and the re-ordering of two ignition keys and one trunk key. these repairs were completed may 2006 with only a limited parts warranty available. approximately four months ago, the problem began occurring again. upon contacting michael mullett with dwyer & sons, i informed him of the same problem and he responded that the parts warranty was only valid for twelve months. during a return trip to michigan, i followed up with mr. mullett and scheduled an appointment to address the problem. again, mr. mullett diagnosed the problem as the antenna ring and immoblizer as well as two ignition keys and a trunk key which required replacement at an approximate cost of $700.00 (parts & labor). mr. mullett indicated that they (as a dealership) have to address this problem with multiple customers over the years, however, volvo has failed to recognize that this problem may be more widespread among all their customers. help !! two identical repairs within 23 months. i would appreciate your assistance in addressing this problem in hopes of having it properly addressed at the manufacturers expense as well as reimbursement of the initial repair in may 2006. thank you. *tr | |||
| 06/01/2005 | 80000 | 120 | 03/05/2005 |
| Electrical failures causing dash to go blank, which is not safe. also, caution lights and other engine repair lights come on randomly. if you go to the internet you will find a persistent problem with the volvo. i have a friend that was an ex engineer for gm and has several ford engineer friends in detroit. he stated they were very aware of the electrical problems with the volvo, most of which began with fords purchase of the company. since then the occurrence of problems has steadily rose the cost of replacing the dash electronics and wire harnesses are cost prohibitive and may not fix the problem. here is just one of many sources of comments from owners of just one model of volvo. there are problems throughout the line and the company is not in the financial condition to make a recall. see this link: http://townhall-talk.edmunds.com/direct/view/.f0fcaf2/5 i tried to call volvo over a minor cost item which is a poorly engineered cup holder. their response was that swedish people do not bring drinks into their cars and the cup holder is an american add-on. if they try this cop out for a $50 cup holder what would they say about a $1000 plus electrical repair? *tr | |||
| 11/01/2005 | 65000 | 2 | 10/07/2000 |
| Add to nhtsa action number : pe05041 i would like to add my complain to above case. first time my car just stalled on a highway. luckly for me, i managed to avoid an accident. it happened back in february or march of 2003, when my car had approximately 65,000 miles. last week check engine light came off and i took my car for a check-up. dealer told me that etm is failing. my car now has 104,000 miles, thus less than 40,000 since last failure. dealer refused to fix this and quoted me replacement cost of approximately $1,100. now i have to drive everyday and wait in fear when etm will fail again. | |||
| 04/01/2004 | 65000 | 2 | 09/01/2000 |
| While driving on the highway (just normal highway driving), i lost control of the car - the gas seemed to stick and the engine revved up and then the car just shut down. it seemed to stall. this happened twice before it took it in for repair. i took it to the dealership and they replaced the electronic throttle system for $2,000. it has not happened again but during other routine maintenance it was found that the throttle system was not functioning properly so it was replaced for a second time. | |||
| 08/09/2005 | 94000 | 30 | 09/03/2003 |
| Ever since purchasing our volvo, there has been power reduction and surges of which i've brought up to the dealership where purchased. my husband has asked what may cause this sort of thing because we didn't want it to be the transmission. we were told it was part of the way a volvo works. the incident that led to it having to be repaired was when we returned from an hour and half drive and pulled into a parking lot where the engine started revving continuously. a light came on the dash, esl. the only thing in the manual i could find was what the initials stood for-electronic throttle system. we were able to drive it home after short while because of a safety devise in the vehicle that allows this apparently. the next day my husband called our dealership who we bought it from and was told we had to take it to a garage 50 miles away because they're the only ones with the equipment to diagnose and repair the problem. we continued our questioning of the situation and 3 mechanics in 3 different garages told us they were aware of the problem but there was no recall (yet). however, i understand from an acquaintance now that the repair is only a band aid and the problem will return because a component needs to be replaced. the cost for this repair which is ultimately a computer chip replacement and download is approximately $1100. the garage performing the repair has also alerted us of a head light defect that cost $55 to repair and suggested we take care of it because the headlights might just stop working at any given time. *jb | |||
| 10/10/2004 | 65000 | 3 | 10/01/1999 |
| I owned a volvo s70 2000 model with a variety of maintenance issues related to stalling and surging. i had to pay for a new throttle module, air mass sensor and throttle cleaning. i believe this cost over $1000 on parts that should have been designed to last far longer than they did. you can find more info on this problem at http://www.volvo-forums.com/lofiversion/index.php/t1877.html. *jb | |||
| 07/15/2005 | 54000 | 1 | 07/08/2000 |
| Failure of electronic throttle control module resulted in sudden and persistent loss of speed and steering assist without warning when driving on highway in traffic.*jb | |||
| 07/19/2005 | 111000 | 15 | 10/22/2003 |
| Recently my 2000 s70 volvo has been experiencing acceleration problems. my ets electronic throttle system)light will illuminate causing the car to shudder and eventually stall in rush hour traffic. after a few moments and after re-start , the vehicle will function as normal. i took it to my volvo shop and was informed that it is the electronic module and must be replaced by a certified volvo dealer. i have recently set up an appointment to have this repair completed. *jb | |||
| 08/03/2004 | 34752 | 1 | 10/09/2001 |
| Failure and its consequences. *jb | |||
| 06/21/2005 | 66051 | 10 | 03/15/2004 |
| I own a 2000 volvo s70. i experienced the failure of the electronic throttle module several times this year, 2005. the car would often run rough and attempt to stall while driving. on one trip from new albany, in, to cleveland, oh, it happened so often that i had to leave the car in cincinnati and rent a car from enterprise car rental in order to get to cleveland. that rental cost me $236.04. i tried to have the problem diagnosed at several garages in southern indiana, but to no avail. finally, i took the car to volvo of louisville, kentucky, on july 7, 2005. they diagnosed the problem as a faulty electronic throttle module and replaced the entire throttle body system at a cost of $803.73. what prompted my filing this complaint was an article that appeared in the louisville courier-journal on august 2, 2005. it was written by associated press reporter ken thomas. it indicated that there had been 136 complaints regarding the electronic throttle module. one of the models mentioned was the 2000 s70 sedan, which i own. *jb | |||
| 03/30/2004 | 77000 | 6 | 08/01/2001 |
| We purchased the volvo 2000 s70 vehicle in 9/01 with 25,000 miles. a 30,000 mile check-up was performed by santa monica volvo on 12/26/01. steven and i began a 14-month road trip around the us and had the vehicle maintained at volvo dealers throughout the country (the check engine light periodically came on and we would ask the dealers about it. we were told not to worry about the light.) the road trip accounts for the accrued miles put on the vehicle in such a short period of time. returned to california 3/04. brought the vehicle into santa monica volvo to have the 75,000 mile check-up. they did the check-up and we drove away. the ets and check engine light came on within one mile, car began to jerk, called the dealer and immediately returned the vehicle. sm volvo did the diagnostics but did not know why the ets light came on as we drove away. these things happen, they said. sm volvo explained that certain codes came up, they would reset the computer (code ezm#91a7 on the throttle unit) and download a new program. they would be able to repair it by doing additional work and did not guarantee the computer reset. we asked if the repair would be guaranteed or could we drive off again and get the same results. they could not guarantee that it would resolve the issue. this led us to believe that everytime we approved them to repair the problem, it would continue to occur. not guaranteeing that they can resolve the problem made us consider more research and/or a second opinion. we decided to leave the dealer without repair. we have driven the vehicle locally since then, but with many failures. alot of jerking, sometimes the engine shuts off and i have to sit for 5 minutes before the engine will turn on again. the vehicle currently has 82,000 miles. we have only driven 5,000 in 16 months. we are only using the vehicle for errands and work. we do not want to give the dealer free reign over charges and repairs that they cannot justify or guarantee.*jb | |||
| 09/01/2002 | 18000 | 2 | 05/14/2000 |
| I am writing just to supply additional information regarding your ongoing investigation pe05041. during the first few years that i owned my 2000 volvo s70 glt se, i experienced several electronic throttle control failures, which grew progressively worse. the vehicle would suddenly lose speed when accelerating and be unresponsive when the gas pedal was depressed. the car was still under warranty when these failures occurred, so volvo replaced the electronic throttle control mechanism at no charge. to date, the replacement mechanism has not failed, but i would be interested in knowing what the average failure age of the replacement parts has been. i have two small children who are frequently in the car with me. *nm | |||
| 07/22/2005 | 63478 | 1 | 05/30/2000 |
| 2000 volvo s-70 car stalled while traveling at any speed. i had to spend $1200 to have the electronic module that regulates the airflow and gas to the engine replaced. i did some research and found this to be a common problem with this model. volvo is aware of the problem, but is not recalling or reimbursing car owners. *nm | |||
| 06/22/2005 | 62000 | ||
| Electronic throttle failure (ets), car stopped responding to throttle input while driving on highway, car needs to be fixed but i can't afford the outrageous cost of the repair $1100. | |||
| 06/04/2004 | 56810 | 1 | 08/28/2000 |
| I have a 200 volvo s70. a couple of days ago, my son was driving it and, suddenly, the ets indicatorlight came on, the car started shaking, and lost power (my son said it couldn't go faster than about 10 mph). my owner's manual informs me that this light indicates a fault in the etc (electronic throttle control system). in researching this problem, i have discovered that it is fairly widespread. this is potentially very dangerous. in fact, one person gave a harrowing account (on the internet) of almost being hit by oncoming traffic while making a left turn because this problem caused his car's speed to diminish to a crawl even as he floored the accelerator in a situation where other drivers rightly expected him to be moving much more quickly. apparently, the usual repair for this problem is replacement of the ecm(electronic control module), a job which costs about a thousand dollars. considering the significant expense of this job, many volvo drivers might be understandably reluctant to part with that much money; that could be dangerous. i have spoken to several people at volvo dealerships and will speak to someone in the service department of my local volvo dealer tomorrow. i should add that, after letting the car sit with the ignition off for about a half hour, it started right up and has been performing absolutely normally so far. some say the problem will probably happen again, and one volvo technician said that maybe it was just a hiccup that won't ever return. i don't want to spend a thousand dollars if the latter possibility is correct; on the other hand, i don't feel secure about taking my daily commute over a high-traffic bridge or contemplating a long vacation trip in this car. i bought a volvo because of its reputation for safety. ironically, now i feel anything but safe.*ak | |||
| 05/19/2004 | 84000 | 20 | 03/01/2001 |
| During normal cruising around 55-60 mph, the ets light will come on as the vehicle begins to stutter and the engine modulates. it has become worse over the last week and now the engine bucks when the light is on! this is unpleasant at 55 mph! every time the ets light comes on the cruise control disengages and is not able to be reset until the light goes off many ignition cycles (days) later. some research was done over the web and it is amazing to see people describe the exact same or similar manifestation happen on their s70s. i have an appointment tomorrow at the dealer in ann arbor and expect a > $900 bill! come on volvo, how can you not have so many compliants and not recall?*ak | |||
| 10/08/2003 | 65200 | 20 | 05/13/2000 |
| In early october 2003 the electronic throttle system (ets) light appeared on my car's panel. this affected the drivability of the vehicle. i purchased an additional warranty for my vehicle when i bought the car in may 2000. the dealer indicated that my warranty would not cover this problem and that it would cost approximately $900 to repair it. i declined the service. the light continues to come on frequently (i.e., every 2nd or 3rd day of the week). when this happens, i will pull over and turn off the car for a moment. when i start it up again, the light does not appear and drivability is normal. as a volvo owner for the past 17 years, i have not experienced any similar malfunctions. i have owned a 1982 volvo 240, a 1992 volvo 240 and my current volvo s70. i would appreciate if you would research this malfunction to determine if you have received (or the manufacturer) complaints from other volvo owners. thank you for your help. *nlm | |||
| 10/09/2003 | 34800 | 1 | 11/21/2002 |
| 12 volt adapter needed to use hands free cell phone as required by law in new york & most other states failed due to design defect. *ak | |||
| ELECTRICAL SYSTEM - IGNITION - MODULE | |||
| 10/15/2005 | 115000 | 9999 | 04/07/2004 |
| 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 | |||
| 09/19/2005 | 66793 | 2 | 11/12/2002 |
| The electronic throttle module on our vehicle has caused us to encounter hazardous conditions on more than one occasion. in january, 2004, the ets warning light came on and before we could drive the 60 miles to the nearest volvo service center, our car was sputtering and surging and losing power on a continual basis. this was a dangerous situation for us to be in. the repair that was made involved installing a used part because of computer related problems (which is another story and a complaint to volvo). now, 20 months later, that used part has malfunctioned and put us in a similar hazardous situation (not to mention an inconvenient situation) again. when these electronic throttle modules malfunction, there is little notice and the results can be serious when they occur as you are driving in traffic. *jb | |||
| 11/10/2004 | 70000 | 10 | 11/29/2000 |
| The automobile would begin to shake and stall when approaching lower speeds. also when accelerating, the engine would have a delayed response and not accelerate properly. the ets warning light would come on just prior to the event. after the car was restarted, the vehicle would operate fine until the next occurrence. after the etm module was replaced at my expense, no problems. *jb | |||
| 07/20/2005 | 59575 | 2 | 10/08/2004 |
| My 2000 volvo s70 is experiencing engine trouble over the last few months. i have been told by a repair shop that it is the electronic throttle module causing the problem. after numerous phone calls to several other shops and dealers, as well as investigations over the internet, it appears that there is a defect in the module that will cause the car to go into a cripple mode at any given point. this has happened to me. volvo apparently does not believe that it is a product defect, but rather it is a maintenance issue. i have had the module cleaned but it has not helped the problem. i do not believe that a situation such as this, which will cost about $1,000 to fix, can be considered a maintenance issue. the car has less than 60,000 miles. | |||
| ELECTRICAL SYSTEM - IGNITION - SWITCH | |||
| 01/15/2005 | 53000 | 50 | 08/15/2000 |
| Narrative description: #1: in early 2005, an intermittent problem began occurring with the ignition and starting of the vehicle. #2: upon further investigation through local volvo dealerships, the problem was identified as the immoblizer (antenna ring) which reads the computer chip within the key to determine if the correct key is being used to start the vehicle. initially, the problem was intermittent but has become increasingly worse with an inability to start the vehicle. #3: volvo is aware of my problem, however, the only assistance they have provided is to turn the key back to the start position, remove the key, turn 180 degrees, re-enter the key and the vehicle should start. although this is one solution to a recurring and on-going problem, it does require repair as this problem is oem equipment installed by volvo and i believe represents a safety issue. please help us...*nm | |||
| ELECTRICAL SYSTEM - WIRING | |||
| 06/10/2004 | 45000 | 10 | 06/28/2000 |
| Intermittent loss of all interior power including windows, door locks, dashboard lights, heat, a/c, windshield wipers, air bags, radio. called dealer/servicer and was told they never heard of the problem; called again a few months later and was told to bring it in; brought in for service and told no problem found. several months later loss of all interior power more frequently; brought in for service again and told the engine wiring harness had melted wiring and had to be replaced;was also told could have resulted in fire if continued to operate the vehicle; had to replace engine wiring harness; could not operate windshield wipers in pouring rain; could not see dashboard at night; | |||