NHTSA Complaint #10140571 — 2001 VOLVO S80

SURGING IDLE SPEED. CAR LURCHES FORWARD AT TIMES WHEN ACCELERATING FROM A STOP. CAR ALMOST STALLS WHEN IDLING IN BUMPER TO BUMPER TRAFFIC, REQUIRING YOU TO PRESS ON THE GAS TO KEEP IT FROM STALLING, BUT THIS MAKES THE CAR LURCH FORWARD EVEN MORE. SEVERAL TIMES I HAVE ALMOST HIT THE CAR IN FRONT OF ME. THIS PROBLEM IS DUE TO A FAULTY ETM (ELECTRONIC THROTTLE MODULE) THAT IS DESCRIBED IN THE NHTSA DEFECT INVESTIGATION SHOWN BELOW. THE ETM IN MY CAR WAS REPLACED TWO YEARS AGO AT 46K MILES BUT THE SAME SYMPTOMS ARE RECURRING. NHTSA ACTION NUMBER : PE05041 NHTSA RECALL CAMPAIGN NUMBER : N/A MAKE : VOLVO MODEL: S80 MANUFACTURER : VOLVO CARS OF N.A. LLC. YEAR : 2001 COMPONENT : VEHICLE SPEED CONTROL DATE INVESTIGATION OPENED : JULY 26, 2005 DATE INVESTIGATION CLOSED : OPEN SUMMARY: THE OFFICE OF DEFECTS INVESTIGATION (ODI) HAS RECEIVED ONE HUNDRED AND THIRTY-ONE (131) CONSUMER COMPLAINTS ALLEGING A VARIETY OF CONCERNS RESULTING FROM FAILURE OF THE ELECTRONIC THROTTLE CONTROL MODULE (ETM) IN THE SUBJECT VEHICLES, INCLUDING A SUDDEN LOSS OF SPEED AND STEERING ASSIST WHEN DRIVING IN HIGHWAY TRAFFIC AND SUDDEN AND COMPLETE STALL WITHOUT WARNING. IN SOME INSTANCES, IT HAS BEEN REPORTED THAT THE VEHICLES WOULD RESTART, AND IN SOME CASES THE VEHICLES WERE TOWED. SOME CONSUMERS ALLEGE THAT AFTER HAVING THE ETM REPLACED THE NEW COMPONENT FAILED IN A SIMILAR MANNER. A PRELIMINARY EVALUATION HAS BEEN OPENED TO DETERMINE THE SCOPE, FREQUENCY, AND POTENTIAL SAFETY-RELATED CONSEQUENCES OF THE ALLEGED DEFECT. *JB