NHTSA Complaint #10131194 — 2000 VOLVO S70

WE PURCHASED THE VOLVO 2000 S70 VEHICLE IN 9/01 WITH 25,000 MILES. A 30,000 MILE CHECK-UP WAS PERFORMED BY SANTA MONICA VOLVO ON 12/26/01. STEVEN AND I BEGAN A 14-MONTH ROAD TRIP AROUND THE US AND HAD THE VEHICLE MAINTAINED AT VOLVO DEALERS THROUGHOUT THE COUNTRY (THE CHECK ENGINE LIGHT PERIODICALLY CAME ON AND WE WOULD ASK THE DEALERS ABOUT IT. WE WERE TOLD NOT TO WORRY ABOUT THE LIGHT.) THE ROAD TRIP ACCOUNTS FOR THE ACCRUED MILES PUT ON THE VEHICLE IN SUCH A SHORT PERIOD OF TIME. RETURNED TO CALIFORNIA 3/04. BROUGHT THE VEHICLE INTO SANTA MONICA VOLVO TO HAVE THE 75,000 MILE CHECK-UP. THEY DID THE CHECK-UP AND WE DROVE AWAY. THE ETS AND CHECK ENGINE LIGHT CAME ON WITHIN ONE MILE, CAR BEGAN TO JERK, CALLED THE DEALER AND IMMEDIATELY RETURNED THE VEHICLE. SM VOLVO DID THE DIAGNOSTICS BUT DID NOT KNOW WHY THE ETS LIGHT CAME ON AS WE DROVE AWAY. THESE THINGS HAPPEN, THEY SAID. SM VOLVO EXPLAINED THAT CERTAIN CODES CAME UP, THEY WOULD RESET THE COMPUTER (CODE EZM#91A7 ON THE THROTTLE UNIT) AND DOWNLOAD A NEW PROGRAM. THEY WOULD BE ABLE TO REPAIR IT BY DOING ADDITIONAL WORK AND DID NOT GUARANTEE THE COMPUTER RESET. WE ASKED IF THE REPAIR WOULD BE GUARANTEED OR COULD WE DRIVE OFF AGAIN AND GET THE SAME RESULTS. THEY COULD NOT GUARANTEE THAT IT WOULD RESOLVE THE ISSUE. THIS LED US TO BELIEVE THAT EVERYTIME WE APPROVED THEM TO REPAIR THE PROBLEM, IT WOULD CONTINUE TO OCCUR. NOT GUARANTEEING THAT THEY CAN RESOLVE THE PROBLEM MADE US CONSIDER MORE RESEARCH AND/OR A SECOND OPINION. WE DECIDED TO LEAVE THE DEALER WITHOUT REPAIR. WE HAVE DRIVEN THE VEHICLE LOCALLY SINCE THEN, BUT WITH MANY FAILURES. ALOT OF JERKING, SOMETIMES THE ENGINE SHUTS OFF AND I HAVE TO SIT FOR 5 MINUTES BEFORE THE ENGINE WILL TURN ON AGAIN. THE VEHICLE CURRENTLY HAS 82,000 MILES. WE HAVE ONLY DRIVEN 5,000 IN 16 MONTHS. WE ARE ONLY USING THE VEHICLE FOR ERRANDS AND WORK. WE DO NOT WANT TO GIVE THE DEALER FREE REIGN OVER CHARGES AND REPAIRS THAT THEY CANNOT JUSTIFY OR GUARANTEE.*JB