Owner-reported complaints naming the electrical system, filed with NHTSA
Data refreshed
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 V70XC submitted to NHTSA — not a confirmed defect, not a recall and not a manufacturer bulletin. 18 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.
Shown in the owner’s own words, exactly as filed
THE CAR OUT OF NOWHERE JUST STOPPED MOVING. THE CAR DID NOT DIE JUST NO POWER. AFTER HAVING SOMEONE LOOK AT IT AND THE ETS LIGHT CAME ON I LEARNED OF THE PROBLEM WITH THIS IN MOST VOLVOS FROM 99 - 01. *JB
I OWN A 1999 VOLVO V70 XC. ON OCTOBER 27, 2005, WHILE I WAS DRIVING THE VEHICLE IT SUDDENLY AND WITHOUT WARNING BEGAN TO STALL. I PRESSED THE ACCELERATOR TO THE FLOOR TO NO AVAIL. I WAS ABLE TO COAST OUT OF TRAFFIC. I TURNED THE ENGINE OFF, WAITED A FEW MINUTES, STARTED THE VEHICLE AND DROVE HOME. ALTHOUGH IT APPEARED TO DRIVE A LITTLE BETTER, IT CONTINUED TO JERK AND SPUTTER. *JB
CHARRED BATTERY CABLE - COULD CAUSE FIRE. *NM
MILEAGE APPROX 115,000 WHEN PURCHASED NOW 120,000 WITHIN 8 MONTHS. HARDLY HARD USE. FAILURE OF ECM AND O2 SENSORS, ON TWO OCCASIONS THE SECOND WITHIN 1000 MILES AND 1 MONTH OF FIRST REPAIR. CAUSED THE CAR TO SURGE, IF RESTARTED MIGHT STALL AND GENERALLY BECOME DANGEROUS TO DRIVE. NO WARNING OF FAILURE. VOLVO DEALERSHIPS WELL AWARE OF PROBLEM AND OFFERED IMMEDIATE AND CORRECT DIAGNOSIS PRIOR TO CHECKING THE COMPUTER CODES, WITHOUT NEEDING MUCH INVESTIGATION. 2 DEALERS WORKED ON THE CAR ONE DON BAYER IN WASHINGTON AND INDEPENDENCE VOLVO IN CHARLOTTE. INSTRUCTED INDEPENDENCE VOLVO DEALER TO MAKE CAR SAFE AND ROADWORTHY. UPLOADED FAULTS AND DOWNLOADED ONTO VEHICLE, NEW SOFTWARE. WITHIN 1 MONTH NEW SYMPTOMS APPEAR. AT VARIOUS TIMES THESE LIGHTS SHOW AND RESET ABS WARNING, ENGINE WARNING, TRACTION CONTROL WARNING, SPEEDO FAILURE, CHECK ENGINE, SERVICE WARNING (EVEN THOUGH SERVICE IS JUST CARRIED OUT).SYMPTOMS INCLUDE LACK OF THROTTLE RESPONSE WHEN PULLING AWAY, WHEN SPEEDO FAILS. NO WARNING OF CHANGE IN STATUS MEANS THIS HAPPENS DURING TURNING MANEUVERS WITH POTENTIALLY DANGEROUS OR LETHAL CONSEQUENCES. CHECKING VARIOUS SOURCES NOTE THAT ABS MODULE FAILURE IS COMMON MAKING THE CAR POTENTIALLY UNSAFE IN EMERGENCY, NOT ONLY FOR BRAKING BUT DURING ACCELERATION AS THE CARS ABILITY TO PULL AT ITS NORMAL RATE IS VASTLY REDUCED, ADDING THROTTLE DOES NOTHING, BUT IF THE SYSTEM TURNS BACK ON AGAIN NO WARNING, THE SPEEDOMETER JUST COMES BACK TO LIFE ) THIS CAN CAUSE UNNEEDED FIERCE ACCELERATION. I NOTED ONE DEATH ON THE HIGHWAY OF A YOUNG WOMAN WHO APPEARED TO ACCELERATE OFF THE ROAD DURING A BENIGN MANEUVER AND AM CONCERNED THAT THIS ON/OFF SPEEDOMETER/ABS TRANSMISSION PROBLEM MIGHT HAVE BEEN THE CAUSE RATHER THAN THE ECM CURRENTLY THE FOCUS OF THE INVESTIGATION. *NM
JUST DRIVING ALONG AND THE ETS LIGHT WENT ON. BROUGHT TO THE DEALER AND THEY REPLACED THE ETM MODULE, FOR $1500. THE CAR HAD 73,760 MILES, AND THE UNIT IS THE EXACT SAME AS THE ONE THEY REPLACED. THE DEALER TOLD ME TO EXPECT THIS ONE TO LAST THE SAME AMOUNT OF TIME, MAYBE MORE, MAYBE LESS. *JB
DT: THE CONSUMER WANTED THE ETM REPLACED. THE MANUFACTURER WOULD NOT COMPLY WITH THE CONSUMERS REQUEST, BECAUSE THE PART HAD NOT FAILED. THE CONSUMER HAD DIFFICULTY REMOVING THE KEY FROM THE IGNITION. THE CONSUMER WAS TOLD A DRINK WAS SPILLED IN IT, HOWEVER THE CONSUMER DISAGREED WITH THAT THEORY. THE BATTERY LIGHT ILLUMINATED, AFTER SHOWING SIGNS OF BEING WEAK, HOWEVER THE LIGHT CAME BACK ON AGAIN. UPDATED 12/14/05. *JB
ETM FAILURE ON MY VOLVO. THIS HAS BEEN A VERY BIG ISSUE WITH 99-00 70 SERIES MODELS. MINE FAILED AS WELL AS MANY OTHERS. *JB
THE ELECTRONIC THROTTLE SYSTEM WARNING LIGHT CAME ON. THERE WAS INTERMITTENT LOSS OF POWER. THE DEALER IDENTIFIED THE FOLLOWING THROTTLE FAILURE CODES, 914F, 91B7, 9150. THEY REPLACED THE THROTTLE, CLEANED PVC SYSTEM AND UPGRADED THE ECM SOFTWARE. TOTAL COST WAS $1270.52. AT THE SAME TIME THE BRAKE LIGHT SYSTEM FAILED. THERE WAS NO WARNING LIGHT. THE ENTIRE SYSTEM, ALL THREE LIGHTS DID NOT ILLUMINATE. THE DEALER REPLACED THE ELECTRONIC BRAKE LIGHT SWITCH. COST $124.08. *JB
CAR WAS PROCEEDING ON NY STATE THRUWAY WHEN SUDDENLY THE SPEEDOMETER WENT TO ZERO AND THE CAR ENGINE CUT OUT. WHEN I PULLED THE CAR OVER IT WOULD NOT START, BUT AFTER 15 MINUTES, IT WOULD START AFTER SEVERAL TRIES. THIS HAPPENED MANY MORE TIMES BEFORE I COULD BRING IT TO THE NEAREST VOLVO DEALER WHERE IT NOW SITS AWAITING REPAIR. THIS SEEMS TO BE A RECURRING ISSUE WITH THE VOLVO XC70 YEAR 1999 FROM RECENT WEB SEARCHES. *JB
SPEED CONTROL SENSOR FAILED INTERMITENTLY ONE DAY, CAUSING THE AUTO BECOME SLUGGISH AND THE SPEEDOMETER AND ODOMOTER TO STOP BREIFLY
ANTI LOCK BREAK SYSTEM FAILS INTERMITENTLY, WHEN THE SYSTEM FAILS TO ABS DOES NOT WORK, ALSO CAUSES CRUISE CONTROL TO STOP WORKING
ELECTRONIC THROTTLE SYSTEM FAILED CAUSING AUTO TO STALL AT INTERSTATE SPEEDS, REPLACED SYSTEM, NOW THROTTLE SYSTEM CAUSES AUTO TO SURGE FORWARD MAKING THE AUTO HARD TO CONTROL
MY 1999 VOLVO V70 XC SUDDENLY LOST POWER AND THROTTLE CONTROL WHILE TRYING TO PASS ANOTHER CAR. LUCKILY NO ACCIDENT OCCURRED IN WHAT WERE EXTREMELY HAZARDOUS CIRCUMSTANCES. I HAD TO PULL OFF THE ROAD AND THEN COAST DOWNHILL TO FIND A SAFE AREA IN WHICH TO PARK. THE ETC WARNING LIGHT CAME ON AND REMAINED ON. I WAS UNABLE TO REGAIN POWER AND THE CAR HAD TO BE TOWED 20 MILES TO PIONEER VALLEY VOLVO IN SOUTH DEERFIELD, MASSACHUSETTS. THE CAR HAS NOT YET BEEN REPAIRED.*JB
THERE WERE NO EVENTS LEADING UP TO THE FAILURES. MY 1999 VOLVO V70XC SPUTTERED AND WOULD NOT ACCELERATE AS I WAS PULLING OUT INTO TRAFFIC IN JANESVILLE, WISCONSIN IN JANUARY OF THIS YEAR. IN THAT MOMENT THE CAR WOULD BARELY MOVE, REGARDLESS OF THE ACCELERATOR PEDAL POSITION. I WAS LEFT BROADSIDE AGAINST TWO LANES OF ONCOMING CARS. THE CAR WOULD ONLY MOVE, LURCHING, AT WALKING PACE. AFTER NEARLY BEING HIT BY THE ONCOMING TRAFFIC, I TRIED SHUTTING OFF THE CAR AND RESTARTING, TO NO AVAIL, AND WAS ONLY ABLE TO "DRIVE" SLOWLY AND SPUTTERING TO THE SIDE OF THE ROAD AND INTO THE NEXT PARKING LOT WHERE THE CAR HAD TO BE ABANDONED SINCE IT WAS UNDRIVEABLE IN TRAFFIC. RETURNING TO THE CAR LATER, A RESTART ELICITED THE SAME PROBLEM. AFTER ANOTHER RESTART THE CAR OPERATED NORMALLY UNTIL ABOUT 20 MILES LATER WHEN IT FAILED AGAIN. AT THE TIME, MY CAR HAD ABOUT 80K MILES. THE REPAIR, DIAGNOSED BY THE VOLVO DEALER WHERE I PURCHASED THE CAR, WAS TO REPLACE THE ELECTRONIC THROTTLE MODULE (ETM), WHICH WAS MANUFACTURED BY MARELLI. THIS TURNED OUT TO BE A FAMILIAR ISSUE ON THESE CARS TO MY LOCAL VOLVO DEALER. THE PRICE QUOTED FOR THE REPAIR WAS $1,200. I HAVE THE FAILED ETM IN MY POSSESSION. THIS IS A HUGE SAFETY ISSUE AND, I AM NOW AWARE, A KNOWN DEFECT (UNFORGIVABLE ON A CAR COSTING NEARLY $40,000). VOLVO SHOULD RECALL AND REPLACE THESE POORLY DESIGNED PARTS ON ALL 1999-2001 VOLVOS, AND REIMBURSE OWNERS WHO HAVE ALREADY PAID FOR THE REPLACEMENT. (I NOW KNOW THAT VOLVO HAS REDESIGNED THE PART ON NEWER MODELS). NO ONE IS NOTIFYING OWNERS, LIKE MYSELF, OF THIS EXISTING SAFETY ISSUE.) FURTHER, I DO NOT KNOW IF MY DEFECTIVE ETM WAS REPLACED WITH A REDESIGNED (IMPROVED?) ETM,OR WITH ANOTHER OF THE DEFECTIVE MARELLI PARTS.*JB
ELECTRONIC THROTTLE (ETM) HAS FAILED AFTER A RECENT INSPECTION BY DEALER. NOW $1200 ESTIMATE TO FIX PROBLEM. WARRANTY IS FOR 6 YEARS, 100K MILES. ONLY 93K ON CAR BUT DEALER STATES WARRANTY EXPIRED IN FEBRUARY. LOTS OF REPORTS OF SIMILAR PROBLEMS. *JB
FAILED ELECTRONIC THROTTLE MECHANISM; FAILED FOR MY WIFE IN TRAFFIC. SHE WAS ABLE TO RESTART AND GET HOME. WHEN I TOOK THE CAR OUT TO CHECK ON THE SYMPTOMS IS COMPLETELY DIED(STALLED) WHILE I WAS STARTING TO MAKE A LEFT TURN(ACROSS ONCOMING TRAFFIC LANE) INTO MY DRIVEWAY. I WAS ABLE TO RESTART AND GET OUT OF THE ROAD WITHOUT ANY INCIDENT. THIS FAILURE CREATES A DANGEROUS SITUATION FOR THE DRIVER AND PASSENGERS. THANK YOU. *JB
PENDING PROBLEM. 1999 VOLVO XC70 USES A DRIVE-BY-WIRE THROTTLE. THE THROTTLE BODY MODULE IS PRONE TO FAILURE AND WHICH LEADS TO UNINTENDED ACCELARATION OR LOSS OF ACCELARATION CONTROL. EARLY FAILURE IS INDICATED WITH ENGINE SURGING FROM 500 TO 1000 RPM, CYCLING BACK AND FORTH.*AK
CAR STALLED WITHOUT WARNING IN HEAVY TRAFFIC. FOUND TO BE ELECTRONIC THROTTLE MODULE. THIS IS TANTAMOUNT TO HAVING THE THROTTLE CABLE SNAP. IT IS A HUGE SAFETY ISSUE AND VOLVO KNOWS ABOUT IT BUT REFUSES TO 'FESS UP. LUCKILY WE WERE UNHURT BUT THIS PROBLEM IS PERVASIVE AND DEMANDS ATTENTION. *NM
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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