10.0

really awful
Crashes / Fires:
3 / 0
Injuries / Deaths:
0 / 0
Average Mileage:
56,787 miles

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« Read the previous 20 complaints

problem #28

Aug 052005

S80 6-cyl

  • Automatic transmission
  • 28,506 miles
The contact stated the vehicle intermittently stalled/died and lost power due to throttle body failure.

- San Fransico, CA, USA

problem #27

Sep 012004

S80 6-cyl

  • Automatic transmission
  • 48,000 miles
2000 Volvo S80. Vehicle stalled/died, and lost power. Dealership replaced throttle body three times.

- Jamison, PA, USA

problem #26

Aug 012005

S80 6-cyl

  • Automatic transmission
  • 23,991 miles
Contact stated vehicle stalled/died and lost power. It was later determined that the throttle body failed. It was replaced by the dealer.

- Rockville, MD, USA

problem #25

Jul 282005

S80 6-cyl

  • Automatic transmission
  • 50,768 miles
2000 Volvo. Vehicle intermittently stalled/lost power. Throttle body module was replaced.

- Jeffersonville, IN, USA

problem #24

Apr 302005

S80 6-cyl

  • Automatic transmission
  • 39,000 miles
The problem began in April at stop light. The owner stated the car began to rev. Owner noticed the rpms rising. The car did not have any engine lights on. The car stalled in April. The husband was driving when it stalled. The wife has never been driving when it stalled and so she really can't give further details about the stalling. The owner was driving to work in D.C. when it stalled completely out. Then she took it to dealership. Dealership replaced the ETM on May 20. The dealership kept the car for about 10 days. The owner did not want to pay for a repair. Volvo of America agreed to pay for the part if the owner paid for labor.so the work was done at a cost of about 700 dollars to owner. The problem continued for the next couple of weeks before it was repaired. A.consumer''s E-mail address if they have one see onwer information B.did the vehicle completely stall out and die or did it lose power and operate at a reduced speed" the car completely stalled out and restarted. C.if no crashes or injuries were there any ''near-misses'' caused by the problem? there was no near misses in this case. D.has the person taken the vehicle to a dealer for repair, did the consumer pay for the entire repair or did Volvo/the dealership assist in the cost of the repair? the Volvo dealership did not want to pay for repair, but Volvo of America authorized payment of the part if owner paid for labor. E.has the same component been replaced more than once, or have they had similar problems after the component was replaced" the component was replaced but no similar problems have returned.

- Reston , VA, USA

problem #23

Mar 122004

S80 6-cyl

  • Automatic transmission
  • 48,000 miles
I read recently of your inquiry into a stalling problem with certain Volvo models. I had that problem with my 2000 Volvo S80. For no apparent reason, the car started stalling without any warning. Sometimes it would restart immediately, sometimes not. I managed to figure out that, if I always kept the engine revs up (meaning I had to always have my right foot on the throttle and keep the revs above @1500 RPM), I could prevent the stalling most of the time. I called my Volvo dealer, betten imports, who unfortunately is 120 miles away in grand rapids. I was able to drive the car there, but it was a long, nerve-wracking trip. They seemed to be familiar with the problem and replaced the throttle body under warranty. My concern, after reading several articles being reported in the online press, is that other people who have had this repair have experienced a re-occurrence of this problem. In recent days I've noticed an unusual "hesitation" under mild acceleration sometimes, but nothing worse - so far. Below, the "number of failures" is a best guess on my part. Also, the "incident date" I've used below is actually the day the dealer repaired the car, as I don't have a record of when the problem actually began. It had been going on for several weeks before I could get the car repaired, though.

- Midland, MI, USA

problem #22

Apr 072005

S80 6-cyl

  • Automatic transmission
  • 74,150 miles
Car cuts off unexpectedly while driving on freeway. Loses all power and shuts down. I have to put the car in park and start engine again. Car will also cut off when pulling into parking lots while trying to park. This has been going on since car was purchased in March of 2005.

- Charlotte, NC, USA

problem #21

Dec 112004

S80 6-cyl

  • Automatic transmission
  • 64 miles
In October 2001 while driving at night my lights went off. The following day while I was crossing the street my car stalled. Approximately ten minutes later I was able to start the car at the same time lights went on. Car was under warranty-repair throttle body & gasket. In June 2004 car stalled again. Replaced sway links and program download-$338.19. In Dec 2004 car stall on the road again. It was towed to the repair shop- replaced:throttle body, mass air flow, mfi module- cost $2098.96. I do not take this car on any longer trip. Do to few stalls on the road and frequent loss of head lights and numerous other mechanical problems I believe this car is unsafe to be on the road.

- Morton Grove, IL, USA

problem #20

Aug 062001

S80 6-cyl

  • Automatic transmission
  • miles
I am the owner of a 2000 Volvo S80. I purchased it under an extended warranty "certified" used car program from clayton Volvo in knoxville tenn. In April 2001. Several months later, while the car was still under warranty, the car died in the middle on an intersection. After towing it to the dealer it was discovered the electronic throttle module was fouled up with carbon. That unit was replaced under warranty. A couple years later, the car again died. This time it happened in a parking lot. Thankfully, in both cases it happened in a "safe" situation. Again, the ETM was determine to be the problem. But by this time, the warranty had expired. The dealer and the manufacturer refused to recognize that the problem was an on-going issue. This time I was forced to pay nearly $1000 in repairs. It is my understanding that you are collecting information on this problem, so I felt compelled to add my complaint. Although I don't have specific dates available to me here, I can check my records and provide them if necessary.

- Oak Ridge, TN, USA

problem #19

Sep 152004

S80 6-cyl

  • Automatic transmission
  • 65,000 miles
Beginning last year, while driving in the neighborhood rpms would go way up and fall back down over and over for about 5 minutes. Then, the engine cut off. The vehicle started right back up. Then, right away the problem would occur again. The car was taken to the dealership. The air intake valve was replaced. The problem stopped for a while. Then, the exact problem happened again on June 15 2005. The car would stop in traffic. The rmps would go up and down for about 5 minutes, and tthere was electrical power. There was no power steering or brakes when the car shut completely down.

- Mechanicsburg, PA, USA

problem #18

Jul 122005

S80

  • Automatic transmission
  • 62,500 miles
My wife was driving on a busy 4 lane highway when the car stalled while in motion. She was unable to restart it when it was in neutral. She came very close to an accident as it was a very busy street. Had the car towed to Volvo of fife and they could find nothing wrong with it. Said nothing registered on the computer. I told them this had happened to me once and seemed like a vapor lock. I was told that there was a part that has gone out on some of the early model S80's but it's $1,300 to replace and they didn't want to do that unless they knew for sure. The part hasn't been replaced and my wife is very concerned about what will happen if it stalls when she's doing 65 mph down the freeway.

- Covington, WA, USA

problem #17

Nov 012000

S80

  • Automatic transmission
  • miles
The vehicle cut off. When getting ready to park the vehicle lunged forward. Did the same thing when sitting at a light if let ting up from the brakes. The engine revved. When turning steering wheel to make a left or right hand turns its wa shard to get it to go back forward. This started back in 2000 but it became worse.

- White Plains, MD, USA

problem #16

Jul 222005

S80 6-cyl

  • Automatic transmission
  • 72,000 miles
As with a number of other postings on this site, I have a 2000 Volvo S80 T6 and had a failure of the throttle body unit at about 72,000 miles on the car. I was traveling on the interstate in atlanta when I got the warning message that performance had been reduced. I called the Volvo dealer, they stated to turn the car off and back on and the problem may correct itself. (they did say that I needed to bring the car in for them to look at.) the problem then was fixed for about 80 miles before I had failure again and had to have the car towed. They replaced the part and said it was not covered as a part of the "certified pre-owned" warranty.

- Marietta, GA, USA

problem #15

Jul 152005

S80

  • Automatic transmission
  • 58,000 miles
My 2000 S80 Volvo a few weeks ago had a sudden loss of speed on highway. Message screen said to shut off engine and restart. This was at 65 mph. After pulling over and restarting car it would not go above 2K rpms. After 20 minutes it started and I brought it to dealer. They replaced the electronic throttle control module and also strongly recommended and I did upgrade software on another controller. I am very concerned after reading article today that the problem could happen again. I was lucky to be able to get to side of road.

- Wallingford, CT, USA

problem #14

Nov 232004

S80 6-cyl

  • Automatic transmission
  • 53,481 miles
Our Volvo was serviced regularly by our dealer. We complained about the car hesitating and was told that the problem was corrected. We left NJ for a thanksgiving holiday trip to myrtle beach SC. About 30 miles from our destination, the car began to decelerate from 65 mph and would not go any faster than 20 mph. We proceed to pull off the highway and let the car cool down. After approx. 30 minutes we tried to restart the car and it did start so we continued onto myrtle beach at no more than 30 mph as that was as fast as the car would go. The next morning it was taken to the local Volvo dealer approx. 5 miles away and it again refused to accelerate above 20-30 mph. Beach Volvo of myrtle beach, SC said the problem was the throttle control modular. A new throttle body was installed at a cost of $871.51. The car had 53,481 miles on it just over the 50,000 mileage warranty period. The car is a 2000 S80 VIN [xxx]. when told of the problem by the dealer he said when the part goes, it goes without warning and there isn't anything you can do but replace it. I am glad we broke down late at night when there was no traffic around us because we were in the high speed lane doing 65 mph when it just quite and slowed to barely a crawl. If we had been on a busy corridor someone could have hit us from the rear and caused a terrible accident. Volvo should be held accountable for this defect in design. Updated 07/19/2012 information redacted pursuant to the Freedom Of Information Act (FOIA), 5 U.S.C. 552(B)(6)

- Plainfield, NJ, USA

problem #13

Jul 142003

S80 6-cyl

  • Automatic transmission
  • 67,000 miles
Over the course of ownership of a 2000 Volvo S80 (I.e., four years), I have the transmission overhauled at 67,000 miles;had the throttle replaced when my car choked ( luckily on a side street); had a bar on the sunroof drop off; engine mounts broken; wheel stops broken; and, most recently replaced an ABS panel. Not withstanding in any of these incidents is the cooling fan and ball joint replaced due to recall. Truly this car has been more expensive than any other known to be driven. Every trip to the dealership is easily $1000 plus. At the time of purchase, the research was scant in terms of problems. I have truly been dismayed by Volvo's commitment to its product and is design flaws and/or defects. After, the transmission was corrected at the dealership, I went to trade the car in---to purchase another car. The dealership where I purchased the car basically would not give money on its trade. After several thousand dollars later in repairs, I am still fuming over a car that was purchased solely for the "historical" Volvo standard and its commitment to safety.

- Decatur, GA, USA

problem #12

Jan 062005

S80 6-cyl

  • Automatic transmission
  • 45,000 miles
Electronic throttle system the problem is not being handled responsibly and the dealers use intimidation and then bully their clients into paying for other services. They refuse to address this life threatening issue. They are withholding valuable information. I own both Volvo S70 and S80 and they have shut down in highway traffic. *this is a direct quote I received from a master Volvo mechanic when I posted a question concerning electronic throttle system. " your ets light is a little more severe then that this is a very common problem the manufacture knows this and will not stand behind problem. However the problem is the throttle unit, it has a malfunction and needs to be replaced the dealer will probably tell you it needs a download, that is unfortunately only going to fix problem for a short while.".

- Santa Monica, CA, USA

problem #11

Jun 102005

S80

  • miles
2000 Volvo S80 suffered from a faulty throttle control module. There was a pending lawsuit in California regarding these modules and their premature failure rates.

- Niskayuna, NY, USA

problem #10

Apr 292005

S80 6-cyl

  • Automatic transmission
  • 64,300 miles
I own a 2000 Volvo S-80. The electronic throttle module failed suddenly resulting in the inability to operate the vehicle at normal speed. This resulted in immediate uncontrolled deceleration and limited vehicle control. The vehicle was repaired by an authorized Volvo dealer. Volvo is aware of the problem with this part (reference the center for auto safety, see www.autosafety.org/article.php?scid=119&did817) and is involved in a pending lawsuit in California, in addition to state and federal agencies being involved.

- Niskayuna, NY, USA

problem #9

May 192005

S80 6-cyl

  • Automatic transmission
  • 48,000 miles
The consumer stated that the vehicle stalled. There was an issue with surging when the air was on. The on board computer display suggested that the performance was reduced. The engine failure exhibited an engine surge or RPM bump when at idle. Normal idle way 700 RPM. The engine would rev up to about 1000 RPM, then drop back to 700 RPM. The throttle unit was replaced.

- Sunland , CA, USA

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