1998 Volvo S70 Brakes Problems

I TOOK MY CAR TO THE SEARS AUTO CENTER AT 1178 EL CAMINO REAL IN SAN BRUNO, CALIFORNIA (SEARS STORE #6909) ON SEPTEMBER 2, 2018 FOR FRONT BRAKES. SEARS RETURNED THE CAR TO ME ON 9/2/18 (A COPY OF MY "FINAL INVOICE" IS ENCLOSED). I SUBSEQUENTLY LEARNED THAT THE DUST BOOT FOR THE RIGHT FRONT BRAKE CALIPER IS MISSING. I RETURNED TO SEARS ON SEPTEMBER 10 AND TOLD THE MANAGER IN CHARGE, MR. HOLLOWAY, THAT I HAD LEARNED - FROM ANOTHER MECHANIC WHO HAD BEEN DOING OTHER FRONT END WORK - THAT THE DUST BOOT WAS MISSING AND THAT THIS IS ONE OF THE COMPONENT PARTS OF THE BRAKE CALIPER SYSTEM (DESIGNED TO KEEP DEBRIS AND MOISTURE OUT OF THE BRAKE CALIPER). SEARS RE-INSPECTED MY VEHICLE ON SEPTEMBER 10 AND CONFIRMED THAT THE DUST BOOT IS MISSING. I WAS TOLD THAT THE DEPARTMENT MANAGER (MR. JULIO ESTRADA) WOULD NEED TO ADDRESS THE SITUATION. ON SEPTEMBER 11, 2018, THE MANAGER OF THE SEARS AUTO CENTER - MR. JULIO ESTRADA - REFUSED TO FIX THE PROBLEM AT SEARS' EXPENSE. I BELIEVE THAT SEARS WAS NEGLIGENT AND ASK THAT NHTSA INVESTIGATE THE CONDUCT OF SEARS AUTO CENTER.

NHTSA ID

11129516

Incident

Sep 2, 2018

Mileage

20 mi

I HAVE A 1998 VOLVO S70 WHICH HAS ABS/TRAC LIGHT PROBLEMS. I'VE BEEN HAVING INTERMITTENT ISSUES WITH THIS WHERE THE INDICATOR LIGHTS COME ON AND THE ABS WILL SOMETIMES PULSATE AND IT MAKES A TERRIBLE NOISE. MY UNDERSTANDING IS THAT WHEN THE ABS INDICATOR IS ON, I DON'T HAVE ABS BRAKES. IT APPEARS FROM THE VOLVO BRICKBOARD THAT A LOT OF PEOPLE ARE HAVING THIS ISSUE. I AM CONCERNED ABOUT THE SAFETY (BESIDES THE FACT THAT IT IS SCARY WHEN THE BRAKES START GOING) AND THINK VOLVO SHOULD MAKE THE NECESSARY REPAIRS. IT APPEARS TO BE AN ISSUE ONLY ON THIS YEAR/MAKE. *TR

NHTSA ID

10207804

Incident

Jul 17, 2007

ABS BRAKE UNIT FAILED AT 60K MILES; ALL SERVICE WAS DONE AT DEALER. DOZENS AND DOZENS OF OWNERS HAVE REPORTED THIS TO NHTSA FOR EXACT SAME MAKE AND MODEL. NHTS SEEMS POWERLESS TO TAKE ON THIS ISSUE. HOW MANY DEATHS WILL IT TAKE TO GET SOME ACTION? VOLVO DEALERS AND FORD KNOW WELL THE PROBLEM -- JUST COUNT THE CASH THEY ARE MAKING ON THE REPLACEMENTS, AND THEN MULTIPLY BY 10 BECAUSE MOST ARE NOT WILLING TO PAY $1,000 FOR A $200 PART. *NM

NHTSA ID

10177631

Incident

Aug 13, 2005

Mileage

60,000 mi

DT*: THE CONTACT STATED WHILE DRIVING VARIOUS SPEEDS, THE ANTILOCK BRAKE LIGHT INTERMITTENTLY ILLUMINATED. THE VEHICLE WAS INSPECTED BY A DEALER WHO DETERMINED WHILE THE LIGHT WAS ILLUMINATED, THERE WAS A FAILURE OF THE ANTILOCK BRAKES. ALSO, THE DEALER DETERMINED THE COMPUTER NEEDED TO BE REPLACED. THE MANUFACTURER WAS ALERTED.

NHTSA ID

10176382

Incident

Dec 18, 2006

Mileage

78,000 mi

DT*: THE CONTACT STATED THE ABS AND TRACTION CONTROL LIGHTS ON THE DASH ILLUMINATED CAUSING BOTH COMPONENTS TO BE INOPERABLE. THIS OCCURRED INTERMITTENTLY. THE VEHICLE WAS DRIVEN TO THE DEALER WHO DETERMINED BOTH SYSTEMS NEEDED TO BE REPLACED. UPDATED 10/31/2006 -*NM

NHTSA ID

10168756

Incident

Sep 20, 2006

Mileage

76,000 mi

THE ABS ANTILOCK BRAKE SYSTEM IN MY 1998 VOLVO S70 FAILED. THE DASHBOARD LIGHT INDICATED ABS & TRACTION CONTROL (TRACS) FAILURE. NORMAL NON-ABS BRAKING REMAINED. RESEARCH ON SEVERAL VOLVO OWNERS WEB SITES (SUCH AS BRICKBOARD: HTTP://WWW.BRICKBOARD.COM/AWD/?MODEL=S70) SHOWED SYSTEMIC FAILURE OF THE ABS CONTROL MODULE VOLVO PART # 9162675 DUE TO PRINTED CIRCUIT BOARD SOLDER CRACKING AFTER 6 YEARS. THE CAR WAS TESTED BY A VOLVO DEALER CONFIRMING ABS CONTROL MODULE FAILEDURE. VOLVO CHARGES A TOTAL $650 TO REPLACE THE UNIT. THE "BRICKBOARD" OWNERS GROUP SUGGESTED A REPAIR SHOP IN CALIFORNIA THAT RESOLDERS THE CIRCUIT BOARD, REPLACES AND UPGRADES FAILED COMPONENTS, TESTS & RETURNS IT FOR $130 PLUS SHIPPING. WE HAD THE OLD BOARD REPAIRED, SINCE A NEW EXACT REPLACEMENT BOARD FROM VOLVO WOULD HAVE THE SAME FAILURE AFTER ANOTHER 5 YEARS. THE REPAIRED ABS CONTROL UNIT HAS BEEN REINSTALLED & THE CAR NOW WORKS PROPERLY, WITH FULL ABS AND TRACS CONTROL. THIS IS NOT THE FIRST PRINTED CIRCUIT FAILURE FROM VOLVO. OUR 1993 VOLVO 940 TURBO HAD TWO BOARD FAILURES: 1, THE RELAY BASE BOARD SOLDER CRACKED, AND RESULTED IN THE OVERDRIVE RELAY NOT WORKING; 2, CRUISE CONTROL OPERATED ERRATICALLY, DUE TO BAD BOARD SOLDER. BOTH OF THESE BOARDS WERE REPAIRED BY OUR LOCAL SERVICE SHOP. WE ARE VERY CONCERNED THAT TWO CRITICAL SAFETY ELEMENTS - THE ABS SYSTEM AND TRACTION CONTROL - ARE FAILING IN A RELATIVELY SHORT PERIOD OF TIME, & BECAUSE OF A FAILURE OF WHAT SHOULD BE A SIMPLE ASSEMBLY OF TESTED PARTS. FURTHER, WE ARE MOST DISTURBED THAT VOLVO'S REMEDY IS A VERY EXPENSIVE REPLACEMENT, WITH THE SAME FAILURE PRONE PART. WORSE, ALTHOUGH WE OPTED FOR A COMPLETE REPAIR, THERE ARE OWNERS WHO CANNOT AFFORD THE FIX. THESE WILL BE DRIVING WITH FAR LESS BRAKING AND CONTROL THAN THE CAR IS CAPABLE OF PROVIDING. *NM

NHTSA ID

10144606

Incident

Oct 23, 2005

Mileage

73,000 mi

DT: THE VEHICLE WAS LOSING POWER, IT SHUTS DOWN. USUALLY IT WILL START BACK. CAN CUT ACROSS TRAFFIC, AND IT WILL JUST STALL. TOOK IT TO THE DEALER MANY TIMES, AND THEY COULD NOT DUPLICATE THE PROBLEM. THEY PUT DIFFERENT PARTS ON IT TO NARROW DOWN THE PROBLEM. THERE IS NO POWER STEERING AFTER IT STALLS. BACK IN JANUARY THE TURBO WENT IT OUT AND THEY REPLACED IT. THE VEHICLE WAS STILL SKIPPING. THIS STARTED HAPPENING AROUND JANUARY 15, 2005. *NM THE ABS CONTROL MODULE WAS REPLACED. *JB

NHTSA ID

10130962

Incident

Jan 15, 2005

Mileage

117,000 mi

INTERMITTENT FAILURE OF THE ABS/TRACKS SYSTEM - WELL KNOWN/DOCUMENTED DEFECT. VOLVO PARTS CENTER SAYS CAUSE WAS FAULTY ABS UNITS FROM THE PHILIPPINES. THIS CAUSES A FAILURE OF THE ABS SYSTEM, YET VOLVO DOES NOT RECALL?. *JB

NHTSA ID

10135279

Incident

Apr 15, 2005

Mileage

119,000 mi

ABS AND TRACS OFF INDICATOR LIGHTS ARE ON. DEALER DIAGNOSED AS FAILING ABS CONTROL MODULE. DEALER STATED THAT ABS DOES NOT WORK WHILE INDICATOR LIGHTS ARE ON, BUT BRAKES DO. WITH INDICATOR LIGHTS ON, THE SAFETY FEATURE OF ANTI-LOCK BRAKES AND TRACTION CONTROL ARE COMPROMISED.

NHTSA ID

10133931

Incident

Aug 23, 2005

Mileage

112,027 mi

DT ANTI-LOCK BRAKE SYSTEM CONTACT STATES EACH TIME THE BRAKES ARE APPLIED THE VEHICLE IS MORE DIFFICULT TO STOP AND THE WHEELS HAVE ALSO LOCKED UP. TRANSMISSION CONTACT STATES THE VEHICLE MAKE A SQUEAKING NOSE WHEN PARKING, THE VEHICLE PULLS TO THE RIGHT SIDE WHEN DRIVING AT LOW SPEED. ENGINE AND ENGINE COOLING CONTACT STATES OIL MOVES UP THROUGH THE IGNITION CONTROL. THE VEHICLE HAS BEEN TAKEN TO A SERVICE DEALER AND THE MECHANIC STATED THE VEHICLE NEEDED A NEW ENGINE. *NM *SB

NHTSA ID

10120788

Incident

May 12, 2005

UPON APPLYING THE BRAKES THERE WAS A HUMMING NOISE/VIBRATION THAT DID NOT ALLOW THE BRAKES TO RESPOND. THERE WAS A PROBLEM IN THE COMPUTER THAT ENGAGED THE ABS BRAKES. *AK UPDATED 8/9/2006 - *NM

NHTSA ID

10117513

Incident

Jun 1, 2002

Mileage

20,000 mi

ABS/TRACS FAILURE. *NM

NHTSA ID

10093938

Incident

Oct 11, 2004

Mileage

113,500 mi

VOLVO ABS BRAKE MODULAR FAILED. LOCAL VOLVO SERVICE CENTER AWARE OF PROBLEM. *NM

NHTSA ID

10093893

Incident

Sep 4, 2004

Mileage

80,200 mi

ROTORS, BRAKES AND STRUTS REPLACED AT APPROXIMATELY 100,000. ABS CONTROLLER FAULT DIAGNOSED AT DEALER. FAILURE LED TO LOSS OF ALL ANTILOCK BRAKE FEATURES AS WELL AS TRACS. REPLACEMENT OF ABS CONTROLLER MODULE RECOMMENDED.*AK

NHTSA ID

10088902

Incident

Jul 17, 2004

Mileage

98,000 mi

ABS LIGHT COMING ON AND OFF INTERMEDIATELY, TOLD BY TECHNICIAN THAT ABS MODULE IS BAD AND NEEDS TO BE REPLACED AT A COST OF $600 PLUS. THE PROBLEM IS SINCE THIS IS INTERMITTENT THAT WHEN THE UNIT "TEST" ITSELF WHEN YOUR BRAKING IF IT NOTICES THAT THEY AREN'T WORKING MANY TIMES THE BRAKE PEDAL GOES TO THE FLOOR, WHICH COULD BE VERY DANGEROUS. WHEN I SPOKE TO VOLVO NORTH AMERICAN THEY SAID YES THIS IS A COMMON PROBLEM, BUT WILL NOT FIX IT. *NM

NHTSA ID

10073205

Incident

Dec 1, 2002

Mileage

95,000 mi

ABS MODULE FAILS ON MOST ALL 850 AND S/V70 SERIES CARS 97-00. THE ABS SYSTEM AS WELL AS THE TRACTION CONTROL SYSTEM WILL NOT WORK WHEN THE UNIT IS FAILING. IT IS AN INTERMITTANT PROBLEM THAT GETS WORSE OVER TIME (SOMETIMES THE FAIL INDICATOR IS ON SOMETIMES NOT). VOLVO IS WELL AWARE OF THE PROBLEM AND A REPLACEMET IS AROUND 500.00 NOT INCLUDING DIAGNOSTICS AND LABOR TO INSTALL. TO MY KNOWLEDGE THEIR IS NO RECALL (FROM A COMPANY THAT PRIDES ITSELF ON SAFETY).*AK

NHTSA ID

10073065

Incident

May 24, 2004

Mileage

80,000 mi

THE LEFT FRONT BRAKE ROTOR LOCKED UP, CAUSING SOME COMPONENTS TO BURN UP. *AK THE PROBLEM WAS DUE TO A STUCK CALIPER, WHICH ACCORDING TO VOLVO IS NOT RELATED TO THE BRAKE PAD AND ROTOR REPLACEMENT PERFORMED BY DEALER. LOWER BALL JOINT WAS ALSO REPLACED. *LA

NHTSA ID

10064998

WHILE BRAKING, THE VEHICLE VIBRATED. TOOK VEHICLE TO DEALERSHIP AND THE MECHANIC INDICATED THERE WAS A CRACK IN THE BRAKE MASTER CYLINDER.*AK THE ABS LIGHT ILLUMINATED, THE OXYGEN SENSOR WAS REPLACED, THE VACUUM LINE WAS REPLACED, THE UPPER TORQUE ARM BUSHING BROKE, THE DOOR LOCKING SYSTEM BROKE, THE INSIDE DOOR PANEL CAME APART. *JB *NM

NHTSA ID

10044537

Incident

Aug 26, 2003

Mileage

74,500 mi

MY 1998 VOLVO S70 HAD THE ABS MODULE FAILED. THIS SEEMS TO BE A VERY COMMON PROBLEM WITH THE CAR. HAD THIS FAILED IN RAIN OR SNOW, THE CONSEQUENCES COULD HAVE BEEN TERRIBLE.*AK FROM WHAT I HAVE READ, THIS IS A KNOWN PROBLEM BY VOLVO, BUT THEY REFUSE TO FIX IT. THE COST IS OUTRAGEOUS, OVER $600.

NHTSA ID

10047202

Incident

Nov 18, 2003

Mileage

137,400 mi

MY 1998 VOLVO S70 HAS 43,000 MILES ON IT AND THE ABS LIGHT COMES ON AND OFF, AND SOMETIMES YOU FEEL IN THE BRAKE PEDAL. AFTER TALKING TO OTHER VOLVO OWNERS THEY HAVE HAD THE SAME PROBLEM *LA

NHTSA ID

10045637

Incident

Sep 4, 2003

Mileage

42,000 mi

THE ABS LIGHT COMES ON AND OFF INTERMITTENTLY. MY TECHNICIAN SAYS IT IS A FAULTY ABS CONTROLLER. I HAVE SEEN SEVERAL POSTS ON BRICKBOARD.COM IN REFERENCE TO THE SAME PROBLEM. IT APPEARS TO ME THAT VOLVO HAS RELEASED A CAR WITH AN OBVIOUS DEFECT. *AK

NHTSA ID

10043697

Incident

Sep 10, 2003

Mileage

78,000 mi

FAILURE OF ABS CONTROLLER MODULE. MY RESEARCH OVER THE INTERNET AND NUMEROUS VOLVO CERTIFIED TECHNICIANS INDICATE THIS FAILURE IS PROBLEMATIC WITH THE TEVES 20 ABS MODULE. AN INTERNET FORUM PAGE DEALING WITH THE VOLVO 850/S70 MODELS IS LITTERED WITH INQUIRIES INTO THIS PROBLEM. ONE VOLVO TECHNICIAN I CORRESPONDED WITH INDICATED HE HAD REPLACED "HUNDREDS" OF THESE MODULES OVER THE LAST SEVERAL YEARS. *LA

NHTSA ID

10041721

Incident

Jun 16, 2003

Mileage

48,000 mi

ABS/TRACS LIGHTS COMES ON AND OFF INDICATING A BRAKE MODULE MALFUNCTION

NHTSA ID

10039521

Incident

Sep 9, 2003

Mileage

90,000 mi

REAR PASSENGER WHEEL SENSOR FOR THE ABS, SHOWS NEEDED REPLACEMENT. THE SENSOR REPLACEMENT DOES NOT CORRECT THE PROBLEM. THE AUTO TECH RESEARCHED FROM A COMMON AUTO TECHNICHIANS WEB PAGE AND FOUND THIS TO BE A COMMON PROBLEM FOR THE S70. THE PROBLEM LAYS WITH A FAULTY COMPUTER ON THE VEHICLES. AS A RESULT THE ABS DOES NOT OPERATE. 1998 VOLVO S70T.

NHTSA ID

10039388

Incident

Aug 5, 2003

Mileage

65,000 mi

ABS COMPUTER CHIP WAS BAD AND NEEDED TO BE REPLACED. MY CAR HAS FEWER THAN 60,000 MILES. THIS COMPONENT WAS NOT COVERED BY THE EXTENDED WARRANTY AND COST OVER $600 TO REPLACE. I HAVE HEARD THIS IS A COMMON PROBLEM. IF FAILURE OF THE ABS CHIP IS AS COMMON AS I'M TOLD, THEN I BELIEVE VOLVO SHOULD PICK UP THE COST FOR REPLACING THIS DEFECTIVE COMPONENT IN THEIR VEHICLES.*AK

NHTSA ID

10037396

Incident

Sep 1, 2003

Mileage

59,000 mi