NHTSA Complaint #10144237 — 2001 VOLVO V70

WHILE DRIVING ON I-695 NEAR BALTIMORE EXPERIENCED SIX EPISODES OF SUDDEN DECELERATION ,AND A ALMOST STALLING. ALSO, WAS ALMOST REAR ENDED BY A DUMP TRUCK ON ONE OCCASION ,AND ON ANOTHER OCCASION BY AN 18-WHEELER BEFORE THE CONTACT COULD CROSS SLOWLY THROUGH LANES TO THE SIDE OF THE ROAD. TO MAKE MATTERS WORSE, DUE TO ROAD CONSTRUCTION, DURING TWO OF THESE UNPLANNED STOPS, THERE WAS NO SHOULDER AND THE CONTACT BLOCKED A LANE OF TRAFFIC. THE MESSAGE ON THE DASHBOARD READ REDUCED ENGINE PERFORMANCE. THE CONTACT TURNED THE CAR OFF, AND THEN A FEW TIMES, NOTED A VERY ROUGH IDLE AND THE SAME MESSAGE. THEN , TURNED THE CAR OFF FOR A FEW MINUTES ,AND INSTEAD OF THE REDUCED ENGINE PERFORMANCE WARNING RECEIVED A NEEDED IMMEDIATE REPAIR SERVICE OR SOME SIMILAR MESSAGE, AND THE CHECK ENGINE LIGHT WAS ON. HE DROVE A FEW MILES AT 60-65 MPH, BUT THE ENGINE WAS RUNNING VERY ROUGH. THIS WHOLE EPISODE REPEATED BY ITSELF 5 TIMES DURING 50 MILES DRIVE. THE CONTACT MADE IT HOME SAFELY WITH THREE YOUNG CHILDREN IN THE BACK SEAT. THESE PROBLEMS WERE EXACTLY THOSE DOCUMENTED WITH THE DEFECTIVE ELECTRONIC THROTTLE (ETM) IN MOST 1999-2001 VOLVOS. HAS AN APPOINTMENT WITH LOCAL DEALER, AND HE WILL BE CHARGED THE USUAL $1000-$1200 TO REPLACE THE ETM MODULE. UNFORTUNATELY, THE REPLACEMENT MODULE WAS NOT BETTER THAN THE ORIGINAL MODULE. *AK