Consumer Complaints
| Fail date | miles | occurences | Purchase date |
|---|---|---|---|
| ENGINE AND ENGINE COOLING | |||
| 04/18/2007 | 120000 | 1 | 06/01/2004 |
| Tl* the contact owns a 1998 volvo v70xc. while driving 45 mph the serpentine belt detached and the engine shut off without any warning lights illuminating. however, after the failure occurred, all of the lights on the dashboard illuminated. the vehicle was towed, and the mechanic stated that when the timing belt detached the pistons stopped moving on one side , and on the other side the pistons continued to move although the engine shut off. the cost to replace the engine was $6,000. the contact stated that regular maintenance checks were always performed on the vehicle as authorized by the volvo dealer. the manufacturer was aware of the failure. the current and failure mileages were 120,000. *ak | |||
| ENGINE AND ENGINE COOLING - ENGINE | |||
| 12/22/2005 | 59000 | 1 | 05/01/1998 |
| I have a volvo v70 xc, awd, 1998. i brought the car to a volvo dealer, smythe volvo, for a routine repair of clunking noise i heard. they said it was due to a strut problem, but also found several un-related repair items. all together, they spent two days on repair and charged me $1700 for it. on the same night that i got the car back, the engine died on the freeway without any warning before, during, and after the incidence. i almost got killed on the freeway. i was able to slide it out of the freeway ramp and had the car towed back to the dealer. on the 3rd day, the dealer said it was an engine sensor failure but had no explanation of why there was no warning signal to user, and why they couldn't pick up any sign from the prior two days of repair. if what they said was true, there is a very serious safety issue here that could impact the lives of millions of drivers out there. please clarify for me if this issue was known to the nhtsa and what volvo as a company should do or have done about it. i'm afraid to drive the car under the circumstances and would like to see this issue got answered quickly. *nm | |||
| ENGINE AND ENGINE COOLING - ENGINE - GASOLINE - BELTS AND ASSOCIATED PULLEYS | |||
| 12/15/2004 | 84400 | 1 | 11/19/2001 |
| 1998 volvo v70xc, replacement of mechanical timing belt tensioner not specific as to mileage for such replacement, replaced timing belt at 70,000 miles as required, tensioner appeared good on inspection, no volvo tsb advising replacement, tensioner failed at 84,000 miles, volvo warranty rejected repair claim for tensioner, valve damage, timing belt replacement approx. $2,400.00 no response from volvo customer care to email for review of claim. had i been on the turnpike loss of power may have resulted in a crash since all powered systems would not have worked. volvo does not participate in arbitration dispute through the bbb. my only resource is a government agency investigating the problem and notifying volvo of a manufacturer defect or failure to advise this consumer that correct service should have included replacement of the tensioner at a specified mileage. since this tensioner failure also affects fuel delivery, emissions controls, valves etc. i sent an inquiry to the epa website.*ak | |||
| 05/27/2003 | 1 | 05/12/2003 | |
| Coming down a hill in valley center ca. the timing belt on my volvo xc 1998, vin # yv1lz5648w2477339, broke causing the engine to destruct and loss of hydraulics to power the brakes and steering, nearly veered into a canyon. the owners manual recommends replacement of the timing belt at 70,000 miles. the volvo has 61,000 miles and was very well maintained at an authorized volvo dealer in huston texas. there was almost a major cash both rear end and frontal when the car almost crossed over the highway. contacted volvo of n. america and was told car was out of warranty and i bought it as is and they are not to blame. i now have to replace the engine because of extensive damage. thank god my family was not in the car or my wife was not driving the car, this could have caused a fatility if it was the freeway or if by luck the car did not go over the canyon wall. i had only owned the car for two weeks. it was inspected before it came to me from texas and was shiped not driven.*ak | |||
| ENGINE AND ENGINE COOLING - EXHAUST SYSTEM | |||
| There is a toxic sulfur dioxide smell coming from exhaust, causing consumer to become sick. dealer is not able to fix defect. *ak | |||
| ENGINE AND ENGINE COOLING - EXHAUST SYSTEM - EMISSION CONTROL | |||
| 04/08/2005 | 80743 | 4 | 09/02/1998 |
| Idling in a lot the car cut out, drove it to the volvo dealer to check, nothing found to be wrong. several months later, the power diminished while driving, took it to a mechanic who checked everything and could find no problem, but heard for the first time....there could be an air mix problem...with no check engine light, can't really know. drove the car back to va. from mass. where problem started and had no further problems until april or may of this year (2005) when turning into my driveway, the engine totally cut out. i had it towed to don beyer volvo in falls church, va, where no problem could be found. i insisted they keep the car until they found the problem, and was given a loaner. the service rep. said he would drive the car to see if he could replicate the situation. they kept the car for 2-3 weeks with no success. i picked the car up with a friend, who drove it off the lot. not on the highway five minutes when the car lost power, the check engine light appeared, we drove back to the dealer. they found this time it was the air flow meter, which they replaced. although i still feel no confidence in the vehicle, the problem has not occurred again. the information below is all encompassing of the events but the incident date reflects the date which they found the air flow meter problem exactly. *jb | |||