Owner-reported complaints naming the electrical system, filed with NHTSA
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Reports naming the electrical system — wiring, battery, charging, control modules, infotainment and electrical accessories. Every record below is an owner-reported complaint about the 1999 Volvo V70 submitted to NHTSA — not a confirmed defect, not a recall and not a manufacturer bulletin. 42 reports on file name it.
Complaints are reports submitted by owners and drivers to NHTSA. They are not verified and do not establish that a defect exists.
The 25 most recent of 42, in the owner's own words
THROUGOUT THIS CARS HISTORY (FROM THE FIRST YEAR 20 + YEARS AGO THROUGH TO TODAY) THE ENGINE RANDOMLY CUTS OUT WITHOUT WARNING, THOUGH THIS HAPPENS WHEN USALLY WHILE DECLERATING AND BRAKING TO ROUND A STREET CORNER. ONCE IT CUTS OUT, OF COURSE POWER STEERING AND BRAKES ARE VIRTUALLY INOPERATIVE. HOWEVER, BY SIMPLY PUTTING IN NEUTRAL AND TURNING THE KEY THE CARE ALWAYS IMMEDIATELY RESTARTS.
CAR SURGES RANDOMLY AT LOWER SPEEDS. CAR ALSO LOSES POWER ON FREEWAY AND ACCELERATION FLUCTUATES UNCONTROLLABLY AT TIMES. ALL SYMPTOMS HAPPENING WHILE CAR IS IN MOTION, MOSTLY AT SPEEDS OVER 50MPH. I BROUGHT THE CAR TO MY LOCAL DEALERSHIP WHERE THERE WERE OPEN RECALLS ON THE MODEL I OWN. AFTER RECALL WAS PERFORMED, THE SYMPTOMS HAVE INCREASED AND WORSENED. DEALERSHIP IS REFUSING TO TAKE ANY RESPONSIBILITY.
TL* THE CONTACT OWNS A 1999 VOLVO V70. WHILE DRIVING 65 MPH, THE VEHICLE SUDDENLY REDUCED SPEED DRASTICALLY WITHOUT WARNING. THE CONTACT WAS ABLE TO PULL THE VEHICLE OVER TO THE SIDE OF THE ROAD, TURNED OFF, AND RESTARTED THE VEHICLE. THE MANUFACTURER WAS NOTIFIED OF THE FAILURE AND INFORMED THE CONTACT TO TAKE THE VEHICLE TO THE DEALER FOR FURTHER INSPECTION, DIAGNOSTIC TESTING, AND REPAIR. THE FAILURE MILEAGE WAS NOT AVAILABLE.
MY VOLVO V70 HAS STALLED DEAD REPEATEDLY WHILE DRIVING AT BOTH HIGH AND LOW SPEEDS, MOST RECENTLY WHILE JUST COMING ONTO A LONG FREEWAY EXIT RAMP WITH NO SHOULDER. THERE WERE CARS BEHIND ME AND I ALMOST GOT HIT FROM BEHIND. PRIOR STALLS (ABOUT 5 OF THEM) INCLUDE TOTAL STALLING WHILE BRAKING, AND WHILE SPEEDING UP. I HAVE HAD THE FUEL PUMP, RELAY, AND MANIFOLD REPLACED. AND AFTER ALL THAT, SPENDING OVER $1000, IT STALLED THIS LAST TIME. SOMETIMES THE CAR CAN START UP AGAIN AFTER A STALL AND A 10 MINUTE WAIT, BUT IT WILL SUDDENLY STALL AGAIN. *TR
CAR REPEATEDLY STALLS WITH NO EXPLANATION. VOLVO DEALERSHIP HAS WORKED ON CAR 8 TIMES. THROTTLE PARTS HAVE BEEN REPLACED, ETM, AND MANY OTHER PARTS. NOW THEY SAY IT'S THE CATALYTIC CONVERTER. THIS IS EXTREMELY FRUSTRATING AND SCARY. THERE SEEMS TO BE NO RHYME OR REASON TO WHY THE CAR STALLS. SOMETIMES, IT WILL ACT AS IF THERE'S A CLOGGED FUEL LINE, THEN IT STALLS THE NEXT TIME I HAVE TO DECELERATE. OTHER TIMES, IT DIES WHEN I'M DRIVING. *DT
1999 VOLVO V70 AWD - ELECTRONIC THROTTLE SYSTEM FAILED AT ~96,000 MILES. REQUIRED $1500 IN REPAIRS BECAUSE THE CAR WAS JUST OUTSIDE OF THE EXTENDED WARRANTY PERIOD. CURRENTLY NEGOTIATING WITH VOLVO ABOUT AT LEAST PARTIAL COMPENSATION, AS ETS FAILURES HAVE BEEN A LONGSTANDING PROBLEM WITH THIS MODEL. NO RESOLUTION YET. *TR
THE INDICATOR LIGHT ON THE GEAR SELECTOR HAS BURNT OUT. THERE'S A 'SIGNAL-ORANGE' COLORED INDICATOR MARK THAT TRACKS THE GEAR SELECTOR AGAINST THE SLATE GREY COLOR SHIFT ASSEMBLY PUT THERE AS A SAFETY FEATURE SO YOU KNOW WHAT GEAR YOU'RE IN AND DON'T ACCIDENTALLY TAKE OFF IN AN UNINTENDED DIRECTION, FORWARD OR REVERSE, OR ROLL INTO SOMEONE WHILE UNINTENTIONALLY FINDING YOURSELF IN NEUTRAL. WELL NOW AT NIGHT UNLESS YOU TURN ON THE INTERIOR LIGHT, YOU CAN JUST GUESS WHAT GEAR YOU'RE IN BECAUSE WHEN IT'S DARK IN THE CAB YOU CAN'T SEE AT ALL WHAT'S WHAT AS FAR A GEAR SELECTION. I FIND THIS REMARKABLE. AT AGE 49, WITH ALL THE CARS WE'VE OWNED AND ALL I'VE HAD UNTIL OVER 100,000 MILES, NEVER DO I RECALL ANY DASHBOARD TYPE INDICATOR LAMPS BURNING OUT, I THOUGHT THEY JUST MADE THEM THAT WAY BECAUSE THEY'RE NOT REPLACEABLE OR SOMETHING. I ASSUMED THEY WERE LIKE NEON OR LIGHT EMITTING DIODES THAT CAN NEVER BURN OUT AND WOULD FUNCTION FOREVER OR UNTIL SOMETHING PHYSICALLY BROKE THEM. HERE'S A TIP FOR YOU FOLKS AT THE NHTSA AND YOUR FAMILIES: AVOID VOLVO'S IN PARKING LOTS AT NIGHT, TURNS OUT WE HAVE ONLY AN IDEA OF THE GEAR WE'RE IN BEFORE THE CAR STARTS MOVING, IN THE DARK THE LACK OF CERTAINTY PROVIDED BY A MANUFACTURING FAILURE COULD PROVE DANGEROUS. VOLVO FOR LIFE? *TR
1. VEHICLE "SPUTTERED", ENGINE WOULD REV WITH NO CHANGE IN PRESSURE ON GAS PEDAL, FOLLOWED BY NEARLY COMPLETE LOSS OF POWER AND NEAR ENGINE CUT OFF. 2. NO COMPLETE FAILURE, AS SOON AS SYMPTOMS BEGAN, IT WAS TAKEN TO A DEALER 3. VOLVO DEALER AND REPAIR SHOP DETERMINED THE FAILURE WAS ECM CODE 903C, 91A7: "THROTTLE INTERNAL FAULT". REPLACED ELECTRONIC THROTTLE MODULE. OLD PART IS NOT AVAILABLE. 15 MAR 2005 - 1. SAME SYMPTOMS; CAR WAS UNABLE TO MAINTAIN HIGHWAY SPEED OF 60 MPH. 2. ENGINE STALLED ONCE BEFORE GOING TO DEALER REPAIR BUT STARTED BACK UP WITHOUT PROBLEM. 3. EXACT FAILURE CODES NOT PROVIDED, BUT WAS DETERMINED TO BE "ENGINE CONTROL MODULE FAULT". ELECTRONIC THROTTLE MODULE WAS REPLACED. COVERED BY VOLVO PARTS WARRANTY. OLD PART IS NOT AVAILABLE. *JB
DT*: THE CONTACT STATED WHILE DRIVING, AT VARIOUS SPEEDS, THE ELECTRONIC THROTTLE CONTROL MODULE LIGHT ILLUMINATED FOLLOWED BY THE VEHICLE OPERATING AT A REDUCED SPEED. THE VEHICLE WAS SEEN BY AN AUTHORIZED DEALERSHIP FOR INSPECTION AND REPLACED THE COMPUTER, BUT THE PROBLEM RETURNED. THE VEHICLE WAS TAKEN BACK TO THE DEALER. THE SERVICE DEPARTMENT REPLACED THE BATTERY. AFTERWARDS, THE PROBLEM PERSISTED AND THE VEHICLE WAS AGAIN SEEN BY THE DEALER. THE DEALER DETERMINED THE VEHICLE NEEDED A NEW COMPUTER AND THE VEHICLE IS CURRENTLY AT THE DEALER AWAITING THIS REPLACEMENT. THE CONSUMER STATED HE IS STILL EXPERIENCING STALLING PROBLEMS. THE MANUFACTURER WILL NOT AUTHORIZE THE REPLACEMENT OF THE ETS. THE DEALER STATED NO CODES WERE SHOWING UP. UPDATED 08/25/06. *JB
MY VOLVO V70 WILL SUDDENLY DE-ACCELERATE. I UNDERSTAND THIS MAY BE DUE TO A FAULTY ELECTRONIC THROTTLE SYSTEM. I HAVE HAD TO PAY FOR REPLACEMENTS PARTS THAT ARE ALSO FAULTY. THIS HAS OCCURRED TWICE SINCE I PURCHASED THE CAR IN 1999. *JB
STALLING AT LOW SPEEDS. THE ETM HAS BEEN REPLACED TWICE, XREF 10137600. *AK THE MASS AIR FLOW UNIT WAS REPLACED, THE BULBS BURNED OUT, THE BLOWER MOTOR FAN WOULD RUN CONSTANTLY, THE CHECK ENGINE AND ABS LIGHT WOULD ILLUMINATE. THE CONSUMER SOLD THE VEHICLE IN MAY 2005. UPDATED 01/09/06. *JB
1999 VOLVO V70 ENGINE STARTS AND THEN STOPS SUDDENLY. SOMETIMES WILL HAVE TO RESTART ENGINE 3 OR 4 TIMES BEFORE IT CONTINUES TO RUN. DEALER HAS BEEN UNABLE TO FIND AND/OR REPAIR THIS PROBLEM. *JB
I'VE HAD NUMEROUS ELECTRONIC PROBLEMS WITH MY VOLVO V70 SINCE I BOUGHT IT IN 1998. THE VEHICLE HAS BEEN BROUGHT BACK TO THE VOLVO REPAIR DEALER FOR MANY REPAIRS (I HAVE ORGANIZED DOCUMENTS OF ALL THE REPAIR ORDERS) CLEARLY IDENTIFIED AS "LOST OF POWER" WHILE DRIVING. MOSTLY ON SMALL ROADS AND ONLY ONCE ON AN INTERSTATE. ORIGINALLY STARTED UNDER WARRANTY, I WAS TOLD THAT THE SAME PROBLEM WAS NOT COVERED OUTSIDE OF WARRANTY WHEN I SPOKE WITH THE PRESIDENT OF VOLVO NORTH AMERICA'S SECRETARY. I HAVE HAD MANY PARTS REPLACED TRYING TO CORRECT THE SITUATION INCLUDING TWO ELECTRONIC THROTTLE CONTROL UNITS (TOTALING THREE IF YOU INCLUDE THE ONE THAT CAME WITH THE CAR). "LOSS OF POWER", "STALLING AT TRAFFIC LIGHTS", "HESITATION WHEN PRESSING ON ACCELERATOR", AN OTHER COMMENTS ARE ALL DOCUMENTED IN THE VOLVO REPAIR SHOP REPAIR ORDERS. THE PROBLEMS CONTINUED UNTIL THROUGHOUT MY OWNERSHIP OF THE CAR. I FINALLY GAVE UP AND SOLD IT JUNE 05. THE REPAIRS THAT VOLVO DID TO MY V70 WOULD WORK FOR A WHILE AND THEN THE LIGHTS WOULD SOON COME BACK ON. I'D PUT UP WITH IT FOR A WHILE UNTIL THE CAR STARTED TO BECOME TO DANGEROUS TO DRIVE (HESITATION) AND THEN I'D BRING IT IN FOR REPAIR. VOLVO TRIED DIFFERENT SOLUTIONS AND TOLD ME THAT THE COMPUTER CODES INDICATED DIFFERENT REPAIRS, BUT TO ME IT WAS ALWAYS THE SAME SYMPTOMS. I WOULD BE GLAD TO SHARE THE ENTIRE BOOK OF REPAIR ORDERS OVER THE 7 YEARS (AND 167,000 MILES) THAT I OWNED THE CAR. AGAIN THEY WERE ALWAYS DONE AT A CERTIFIED VOLVO DEALERSHIP. *JB
I OWN A 1999 VOLVO V70 AWD WAGON WITH 55,000 MILES. WE WERE TRAVELING ON THE HIGHWAY AT ABOUT 70 MPH AND THE CAR STARTED TO SURGE. THE ETS LIGHT CAME ON. WE WERE ABLE TO DRIVE HOME, BUT THE CAR WAS RUNNING ROUGHLY. I CONTACTED THE DEALER AND MADE AN APPOINTMENT TO BRING IT IN. I WAS TOLD THAT THE ELECTRONIC THROTTLE BODY MODULE NEEDED TO BE REPLACED. THEY ALSO SUGGESTED A COMPLETE VEHICLE SOFTWARE UPGRADE. I HAVE AN EXTENDED WARRANTY (SOLD TO ME BY THE DEALER), BUT IT DID NOT COVER THIS REPAIR. *JB
WHILE DRIVING THE CAR, MY WIFE WOULD EXPERIENCE STALLS WITH OUR CHILDREN IN THE REAR SEATS. WHEN THE CHECK ENGINE LIGHT CAME ON, OUR DEALER DIAGNOSED THE PROBLEM OF A FAULTY ELECTRONIC THROTTLE MODULE ON OUR 1999 V70. *JB
DT: THE VEHICLE STALLED. THE DEALER REPLACED THROTTLE BODY 3 TIMES. *AK *JB
1999 VOLVO V-70 LOST ALL POWER WENT INTO LIMP HOME MODE APPROX 25 MPH W/O WARNING . THIS OCCURRED ON AN INTERSTATE WITH HEAVY TRAFFIC. EMT CLEANED PROBLEM STILL OCCURRING MAKING FOR A VERY UNSAFE AND DANGEROUS AND CONDITIONS. *JB
ETS LIGHT ON, DEALER REPLACED ETM CUSTOMER PAY. RECEIPTS FAXED TO ODI, THIS VOQ CREATED FROM E-MAIL SENT BY CURRENT OWNER MR. SCOTT. THE CONSUMER STATED THE PART FAILED AND WAS REPLACED BEFORE HE PURCHASED THE VEHICLE, BUT HE IS SURE IT WILL HAVE TO REPLACED AGAIN. *JB
PROBLEMS WITH MY 1999 VOLVO V70 INCIDENT 5/10/05 1. EVENTS LEADING UP TO THE FAILURE. MY CAR EXPERIENCED A FALTER THEN ROUGH IDLE AND DRASTICALLY REDUCED POWER. IN ADDITION THE CHECK ENGINE LIGHT WENT ON. 2. THE CAR SEEMED TO RECOVER AND I WAS ABLE TO MAKE IT HOME. 3. I TOOK MY CAR INTO MY REPAIR SHOP AND HAD THE PROBLEM DIAGNOSED. I WAS TOLD THE FAULT CODES REGISTERED IN THE CARS COMPUTER INDICATED THERE WAS A FAILING EVAPORATOR PURGE VALVE ALONG WITH BAD ELECTRONIC THROTTLE MODULE (ETM). THE REPAIR COST ME $1,070.00. INCIDENT 5/24/05 1.AFTER A LITTLE OVER 3 MONTHS MY CAR HAS EXPERIENCED THE SAME SYMPTOMS. FALTER THEN ROUGH IDLE AND DRASTICALLY REDUCED POWER. IN ADDITION THE CHECK ENGINE LIGHT WENT ON. 2.I PLAN TO HAVE THE CAR ANALYZED BY THE SAME REPAIR SHOP THAT DID THE PREVIOUS $1,070.00 WORTH OF WORK. 3.RESOLUTION PENDING INVESTIGATION BASED ON THE RESEARCH I HAVE DONE THIS ISSUE SEEMS SIMILAR TO ACTION NUMBER: PE05041 THAT IS CURRENTLY BEING INVESTIGATED BY NHTSA. NHTSA ACTION NUMBER : PE05041 NHTSA RECALL CAMPAIGN NUMBER : N/A MAKE : VOLVO MODEL: V70 MANUFACTURER : VOLVO CARS OF N.A. LLC. YEAR : 2001 COMPONENT : VEHICLE SPEED CONTROL DATE INVESTIGATION OPENED : JULY 26, 2005 DATE INVESTIGATION CLOSED : OPEN SUMMARY: THE OFFICE OF DEFECTS INVESTIGATION (ODI) HAS RECEIVED ONE HUNDRED AND THIRTY-ONE (131) CONSUMER COMPLAINTS ALLEGING A VARIETY OF CONCERNS RESULTING FROM FAILURE OF THE ELECTRONIC THROTTLE CONTROL MODULE (ETM) IN THE SUBJECT VEHICLES, INCLUDING A SUDDEN LOSS OF SPEED AND STEERING ASSIST WHEN DRIVING IN HIGHWAY TRAFFIC AND SUDDEN AND COMPLETE STALL WITHOUT WARNING. IN SOME INSTANCES, IT HAS BEEN REPORTED THAT THE VEHICLES WOULD RESTART, AND IN SOME CASES THE VEHICLES WERE TOWED. SOME CONSUMERS ALLEGE THAT AFTER HAVING THE ETM REPLACED THE NEW COMPONENT FAILED IN A SIMILAR MANNER.
OUR 1999 VOLVO V70 SIMPLY STOPPED WITHOUT WARNING. PORTLAND, ME DEALER "REPROGRAMMED THE COMPUTER" AND "CHECKED." WE DROVE 1500 MILES AND AGAIN IT STOPPED...THIS TIME REPEATEDLY. INDIANAPOLIS DEALER KEPT THE CAR FOR 3 WEEKS AND REPORTED THAT THEY INADVERTANTLY SOLVED WHATEVER THE PROBLEM WAS ($435). IN THE SUBSEQUENT MONTH & 4500 MILES LATER, ALL APPEARS TO BE WELL.
1. EVENTS LEADING TO FAILURE.... ABOUT 3 WEEK PRIOR, EXPERIENCED HESITATION (ALMOST STALLING) WHEN SLOWING FROM HIGHWAY SPEEDS TO LOWER AND STOPPING SPEEDS. *NM 2. FAILURE.... FINALLY, IT HAPPENED. (I HAD JUST READ AN ARTICLE ABOUT THIS IN THE PAPER!) IT STALLING WHEN SLOWING DOWN AND WOULDN'T RESTART UNTIL SOME 2 HOURS LATER. LUCKILY IT WAS DAYTIME AND IN A GOOD NEIGHBORHOOD. 3. WHAT WAS DONE... TOOK IT INTO VOLVO DEALER WITH THE SYMPTOMS AND THEY REPLACED THE ETM. LOTS OF $$$!
I WAS DRIVING SOUTH ON I-85 IN DULUTH, GA. THIS STRETCH OF METRO ATLANTA INTERSTATE HAS SIX LANES IN EITHER DIRECTION AND TRAFFIC WAS FLOWING AT SPEEDS OF AROUND 75 MPH. THE ETS LIGHT CAME ON WHEN WE WERE IN THE FAR LEFT (FAST) LANE, THE CAR BEGAN LOSING POWER. I MOVED TO THE RIGHT AS BEST I COULD AND GOT OFF AT THE NEXT EXIT. BY THE TIME I GOT TO THE EXIT RAMP, THE CAR WAS SKIPPING AND MISSING BADLY. MY DAUGHTER LOOKED UP ETS IN THE OWNER'S MANUAL AND, BASED ON WHAT THE MANUAL SAID, I CUT THE CAR OFF AND WAITED A FEW MINUTES FOR IT TO RESET. I CRANKED IT BACK UP AND WE LIMPED THE REST OF THE WAY HOME. SINCE THEN I HAVE ONLY STARTED IT ONCE, BUT IT WAS RUNNING ROUGH SO I DID NOT GO ANYWHERE. CONSIDERING WHAT WE HAVE LEARNED ABOUT ETM FAILURES SINCE THIS HAPPENED AND THE AMOUNT OF TRAFFIC IN ATLANTA, I HAVE BEEN SCARED TO DRIVE IT. HAVING TO CROSS FIVE LANES OF FAST-MOVING TRAFFIC IN A CAR RAPIDLY LOSING POWER IS NOT A SAFE SITUATION. *JB
1999 VOLVO V70 DEVELOPED A PROBLEM WITH THE THROTTLE BODY SENSOR RESULTING IN THE VEHICLE STALLING. *MR THE CONSUMER EXPERIENCED NUMEROUS PROBLEMS WITH THE VEHICLE; REPLACEMENT OF DEFECTIVE GEAR SHIFTER LIGHT SOCKET AND THE DRIVER SIDE WINDOW SWITCH, BATTERY LEADS MALFUNCTION CAUSING THE BATTERY TO FAIL, THE REAR WINDOW WASHER PUMP BURNED OUT, AND THE DRIVER DOOR CHECK STRAP HAD BROKEN OFF. *SC
DURING NORMAL DRIVING CONDITIONS THE 1999 VOLVO V70 GLT WILL STALL, OR DIE OUT. OTHER INSTANCES THAT OCCUR ALONG WITH OR ALONE, ARE THE GAUGES ALL BEING CUT OFF. MY WIFE SAYS THEY LOOK LIKE THEY WERE UNPLUGGED. WE HAVE BEEN REALLY PUNISHED FOR PURCHASING THIS VEHICLE. VOLVO HAS REPLACED NUMEROUS PARTS AND OTHER MECHANICS HAVE AS WELL (BECAME TO COSTLY @DEALERSHIP-THINK THEY ARE VERY DISREPUTABLE). THIS CAR HAS BEEN DRIVEN PRIMARILY IN THE CITY OF NASHVILLE AND KEPT VERY CLEAN AND SERVICED REGULARLY. WITH 117,000 MILES ON IT, THE DEALERSHIP HAS REPLACED ONE THROTTLE BODY @85000 AND IT NOW NEEDS ANOTHER. THESE AREN'T RELATED I DON'T THINK BUT I CAN EXPLAIN MUCH BETTER OVER THE PHONE. *JB
THE ELECTRONIC THROTTLE MODULE IN MY VOLVO V70 FAILS WITHOUT WARNING. OFTEN AT HIGHWAY SPEEDS, THIS RESULTS IN A SUDDEN LOSS OF SPEED (ALMOST AS IF THE BRAKES WERE SUDDENLY APPLIED). THOUGH VOLVO'S OWNERS MANUAL INDICATES THIS CAN HAPPEN, AND RECOMMENDS RESTARTING THE CAR (UNDER THE SECTION ON THE ETS LIGHT), I AM CONVINCED THE REPEATED FAILURES CONSTITUTE A SAFETY HAZARD. WERE IT TO OCCUR WHEN CHANGING LANES OR MERGING, I FEAR THE SITUATION COULD BE QUITE BAD. ALTHOUGH VOLVO RECOMMENDS REPLACING THE ETM FOR $1000+, I AM RELUCTANT TO DO SO, NOT LEAST BECAUSE OTHERS WITH THE SAME PROBLEM HAVE SPENT THE MONEY TO REPLACE THE MODULE, AND THEN ENDED UP WITH THE SAME PROBLEM AGAIN. RECENTLY, THE INCIDENTS ARE OCCURRING AS OFTEN AS ONCE VERY 15 TO 30 MINUTES.*JB
Higher-selling and older vehicles accumulate more reports. Counts are not failure rates and are not directly comparable between vehicles that sold in very different numbers.
Categories with enough reports to have a page of their own
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