2000 Volvo V70XC: complaints, problems and recalls

WHILE TRAVELING ON THE HIGHWAY ETS LIGHT IN OUR 2000 VOLVO V70 XC CAME ON AND THE ENGINE LOST POWER, CAUSING THE CAR TO SLOW PRECIPITOUSLY. HAD I BEEN ON THE EXPRESSWAY, THIS WOULD HAVE BEEN EXTREMELY DANGEROUS. AS IT WAS, WE NEEDED TO FINISH OUR TRIP AT UNDER 50 MPH. THE VEHICLE HAS ONLY 55000 MILES ON IT. VOLVO REFUSES TO TALK TO ME ABOUT IT, SINCE I HAVEN'T BEEN HAVING THE CAR SERVICED BY A DEALER. THIS SEEMS VERY EARLY FOR THIS KIND OF FAILURE. I NOTE AT LEAST TWO OTHER REFERENCES TO SIMILAR FAILURES WITH THE V70.*AK

Owner-reported narrative. 55,000 miles reported. Look up ODI 10032738 at NHTSA ↗

CROSS COUNTRY; AS VEHICLE WAS COMING TO A STOP AT ABOUT 5 MPH, APPLIED BRAKES, AND ENGINE STARTED RACING. THE CONSUMER KEPT APPLYING THE BRAKES, BUT VEHICLE ACCELERATED, AND REAR ENDED ANOTHER VEHICLE. THE ENGINE REMAINED RACING. THE VEHICLE THAT WAS REAR ENDED HAD BEEN PUSHED INTO THE VEHICLE IN FRONT. THE CONSUMER THEN TRIED TO SHIFT TO NEUTRAL BUT ENDED UP IN REVERSE INSTEAD. THE VEHICLE SPUN 180 DEGREES IN REVERSE, THEN HIT A GROVE OF TREES AND COME TO A STOP. THE BRAKES WERE APPLIED THE ENTIRE TIME. DAMAGE TO THE VEHICLE WAS UNKNOWN…

Owner-reported narrative. Look up ODI 10034161 at NHTSA ↗

AT HIGHWAY SPEEDS (60 MPH), ON AN UPHILL GRADE, THE CAR WAS ATTEMPTING TO SHIFT BETWEEN GEARS. THE CAR LOST POWER AND RPM INDICATION BEGAN TO FLUCTUATE BETWEEN 1800 AND 2300 RPM. THE ETS LIGHT CAME ON AND THE CAR CONTINUED TO INTERMITTENTLY LOSE POWER FOR THE REMAINDER OF OUR TRIP HOME (ROUGHLY 60 MILES). THE CAR HAS 57,000 MILES ON IT AND SOUNDS VERY SIMILAR TO OTHER COMPLAINTS I HAVE BEEN READING. SINCE THEN, THE CAR REPEATS THESE SYMPTOMS AT ANY SPEED IN THE TWO TRIPS TO 1) LOCAL MECHANIC AND 2) DEALER VEHICLE PURCHASED AT. *LA

Owner-reported narrative. 57,000 miles reported. Look up ODI 10047050 at NHTSA ↗

2 REAR STUDDED TIRES (ROTATED ON ONLY 2 WEEKS PREVIOUSLY) DELAMINATED AS I WAS EXITING THE FREEWAY. COINCIDENTAL VS RELATED DESTRUCTION OF U JOINT. LES SCHWAB TIRES WOULD ONLY PRORATE VALUE OF 2 TIRES, NOT PROVIDE 4 TIRES ALL ALIKE AS NEEDED ON AWD VEHICLE. ALSO DENIES SUCH INCIDENT COULD DAMAGE TRANSMISSION OR U JOINTS. CONCERN OTHER 2 TIRES ON CAR BOUGHT AT SAME TIME MAY ALSO BE DEFECTIVE AND NEED REPLACEMENT. CONCERN DEFECT WITH THEIR BRAND TO DELAMINATE LIKE THIS.*AK

Owner-reported narrative. 64,098 miles reported. Look up ODI 10050918 at NHTSA ↗

ELECTRONIC IGNITION MODULE FAILURE IS COOMON PROBLEM AMONG VOLVO XC AWD OWNERS CAUSING THE CAR TO STALL OUT POSSIBLY IN DANGEROUS CONDITIONS LIKE HIGHWAY DRIVING IT HAPPENED TO ME SO I SEARCHED ON THE NET AND FOUND THAT IT AN ALL TOO COMMON PROBLEM WITH THIS VEHICLE. *AK

Owner-reported narrative. 71,000 miles reported. Look up ODI 10063644 at NHTSA ↗

APPROACHING A RED LIGHT ON SLIGHT INCLINE, CAR STALLED AND ETS LIGHT AND CHECK ENGINE LIGHTS CAME ON. ADVISED MY SERVICE STATION THAT THROTTLE SYSTEM FAILED. CAR MAYBE DRIVEN BUT THERE CAN BE SAFETY ISSUES, AS THE CAR LOSES POWER WITHOUT WARNING, WHICH IS CLEARLY A HAZARD IN CROSSING INTERSECTIONS OR MERGERING INTO TRAFFIC AND THERE ARE ALSO EMISSION RELATED ISSUES WITH GAS MILEAGE AND EXHAUST SYSTEM. TO DATE, CAR HAS BEEN LOOKED AT BY TWO SERVICE STATIONS, DOUGHTERY'S AUTOMATIVE NAD STILLMAN VOLVO. I HAVE BEEN ADVISED THAT THE FAILURE OF …

Owner-reported narrative. 57,500 miles reported. Look up ODI 10075235 at NHTSA ↗

DRIVE LINE ANGLE GEAR FAILED, CAUSING A BRAKING EFFECT ON CAR AS WELL AS "STICKING" WHEELS A LOW SPEED.CAR WAS VERY DIFFICULT TO MANUEVER WHEN THIS OCCURRED. WAS INFORMED BY VOLVO THIS IS A VERY COMMON AS WELL AS EXPENSIVE PROBLEM. DESIGN WAS CHANGED IN 2001 AS A RESULT OF THIS ISSUE. *AK

Owner-reported narrative. 88,100 miles reported. Look up ODI 10081219 at NHTSA ↗

1. DEFECTIVE THROTTLE BODY CAUSED ENGINE TO SHUT-OFF ON FREEWAY. 2. ENGINE DIED. HAD TO "LIMP" BACK INTO DEALER FOR REPLACEMENT. 3. NEW PART INSTALLED. OLD PART AVAILABLE. IF MANUFACTURER HAS A "DEALER ONLY" REPAIR POLICY, THEN THERE SHOULD BE NOTICE GIVEN TO PROSPECTIVE PURCHASERS THAT VEHICLE CAN ONLY BE REPAIRED AT DEALER. NOTICE SHOULD BE IN FORM OF WARNING DECAL IN ENGINE COMPARTMENT OR SOME OTHER CONSPICUOUS PLACE. "DEALER ONLY" REPAIR POLICY SHOULD BE DISCOURAGE BECAUSE OF LENGTHY TOWING WHEN VEHICLES BREAKDOWN OUTSIDE MAJOR C…

Owner-reported narrative. 52,000 miles reported. Look up ODI 10096174 at NHTSA ↗

Reported: 2004-10-21 (October 21, 2004)

ON CERTAIN PASSENGER AND SPORT UTILITY VEHICLES, OVER AN EXTENDED PERIOD OF TIME, THE HEADLIGHT SWITCH MAY CEASE TO FUNCTION.

Consequence: THE HEAD LIGHTS MAY NOT OPERATE PROPERLY WHICH COULD RESULT IN INTERMITTENT OR NO HEADLIGHT FUNCTION. THIS COULD IMPAIR A DRIVER'S VISIBILITY, INCREASING THE RISK OF A CRASH.

Remedy: ON VEHICLES WITH AN ORIGINAL OEM SWITCH, DEALERS WILL REPLACE THE HEADLIGHT SWITCH. ALL OTHER VEHICLES WILL BE INSPECTED TO DETERMINE IF THE SWITCH HAS EEN DAMAGED AND REPLACE ONLY IF NECESSARY. THE RECALL BEGAN ON JANUARY 24, 2005. OWNERS SHOULD CONTACT VOLVO AT 1-800-458-1552.

Reported: 2006-11-15 (November 15, 2006)

ON CERTAIN PASSENGER VEHICLES, A COMBINATION OF THROTTLE POSITIONING SENSOR IRREGULARITIES, A DIRTY THROTTLE HOUSING, AND/OR INEFFICIENT SOFTWARE CALIBRATION MAY CAUSE A WARNING LAMP TO LIGHT AND THE SUBSEQUENT ONSET OF LIMP HOME MODES.

Consequence: THIS RESULTED IN A HIGH NUMBER OF VEHICLES GOING INTO THE LIMP HOME MODE WITHOUT NEED.

Remedy: DEALERS WILL INSTALL THE CURRENT SOFTWARE UPGRADE ONTO THE INVOLVED VEHICLES. THE RECALL BEGAN ON DECEMBER 29, 2006. OWNERS MAY CONTACT VOLVO AT 1-800-458-1552.