NHTSA Complaint #10131223 — 2001 VOLVO V70XC

WE ARE HAVING PROBLEMS WITH OUR VEHICLE AS IDENTIFIED IN A NEWSPAPER ARTICLE WITH OUR VOLVO. THE DEALER WE PURCHASED THE VEHICLE FROM ORIGINALLY REFUSED TO CORRECT THE PROBLEM OF THE LOSS OF POWER, STALLING AND OTHER DEFECTS WITH MY VEHICLE UNDER WARRANTY (THEY CLAIMS TO HAVE BEEN ADVISED BY VOLVO THAT THEY COULD NOT FIX THE PROBLEM WITHOUT A "REDUCED PERFORMANCE" LIGHT COMING ON) UNTIL I TOLD THEM THAT IF I WAS KILLED (THE LAST TIME THIS HAPPENED, I LOST POWER AS I WAS ENTERING I-95 NORTH DURING RUSH HOUR AND WAS NEARLY BROADSIDED BY A CONSTRUCTION VEHICLE MERGING FROM THE OPPOSITE DIRECTION) IT WOULD COST THEM A LOT MORE THAN SIMPLY A REPAIR. AFTER THREATENING A LAWSUIT, THEY AGREED TO DOWNLOAD SOME SOFTWARE TO CORRECT THE PROBLEM. WHILE THE ISSUE IS NOT AS PREVALENT AS IT WAS, WE STILL HAVE OCCASIONS WHEN WE GET POWER SURGES, LOSE POWER AND THE ELECTRICAL SYSTEMS DO NOT WORK PROPERLY IN THE VEHICLE. I DO NOT FEEL SAFE DRIVING THIS VEHICLE. THE TRANSMISSION/AIR FLOW PROBLEM IS JUST ONE OF MANY ISSUES WE HAVE HAD WITH THIS VEHICLE - MANY OF THEM SAFETY RELATED. WE WERE TOLD BY THE DEALER THAT THEY WERE AWARE OF THE PROBLEM THROUGH A NOTICE THEY RECEIVED FROM VOLVO - A NOTICE WAS THE KIND THAT NOTIFIED THE DEALERS OF THE PROBLEM WERE NOT REQUIRED TO ADVISE CUSTOMERS UNLESS CUSTOMERS COMPLAINED (THIS WAS THE SAME ISSUE WITH AN INTERNAL ENGINE FAN WHICH APPARENTLY CAN CATCH FIRE WITHOUT WARNING - THE DEALERS GOT NOTICE ABOUT THAT, BUT THE CUSTOMERS DID NOT - IF WE COMPLAINED ABOUT ISSUES WITH THE FAN, DEPENDING ON THE KIND OF FAN IT WAS, IT WOULD BE FIXED UNDER WARRANTY - OTHERWISE, WE WOULD BE RESPONSIBLE FOR REPLACING THE FAN AT THE COST OF OVER $500 - OUR FAN, AFTER WE COMPLAINED THAT IT CAME ON FOR NO REASON WHILE THE VEHICLE WAS PARKED, WAS FINALLY REPLACED LAST SUMMER BY THE DEALER BUT THEY HAD TO GET "SPECIAL PERMISSION" FROM VOLVO TO DO IT. APPARENTLY, THESE FANS CAN COME ON AND CAUSE THE ENGINE TO OVERHEAT, AND THERE HAVE BEEN FIRES BECAUSE OF IT. *JB