NHTSA Complaint #10152375 — 2001 VOLVO V70XC

THE EVENTS LEADING UP TO THE FAILURE WAS A ROUGH IDLE (VEHICLE WOULD SURGE TO 1100 RPM AND DROP TO 500 RPM) WHILE AT A STOP. THE VEHICLE ALSO STALLED TWICE WHILE IDLING IN PARK. I CONTACTED THE VOLVO DEALERSHIP TO MAKE AN APPOINTMENT FOR SERVICE. ON MY WAY HOME FROM WORK THE DAY BEFORE I WAS TO DROP THE VEHICLE OFF AT THE DEALERSHIP, THE VEHICLE STALLED IN AN INTERSECTION. THERE WAS A NEAR COLLISION DUE TO THE STALL. I WAS ABLE TO RESTART THE VEHICLE AND DRIVE IT TO THE SHOULDER. I CALLED THE DEALERSHIP AND DESCRIBED THE PROBLEM. I ASKED THE SERVICE ADVISOR IF IT WOULD DAMAGE THE VEHICLE IF I WOULD CONTINUE TO DRIVE IT. HE INDICATED THAT THEY COULD NOT MAKE A RECOMMENDATION. I ASKED THEM IF THEY WOULD TOW THE VEHICLE TO THEIR FACILITY. THEY REFERRED ME TO A PRIVATE TOWING COMPANY. THERE WAS NO ANSWER TO THE PHONE NUMBER I WAS GIVEN. I DECIDED TO WAIT FOR THE TRAFFIC TO SUBSIDE AND DRIVE TO THE DEALERSHIP USING SECONDARY ROADS. I WAS ABLE TO KEEP THE VEHICLE RUNNING BY PUTTING THE VEHICLE IN NEUTRAL AND APPLYING THE GAS PEDAL TO KEEP THE IDLE HIGH WHENEVER I APPROACHED A STOP. WHEN I WAS APPROXIMATELY 1 MILE FROM THE DEALERSHIP, THE GAS PEDAL STOPPED FUNCTIONING ALTOGETHER. THE CHECK ENGINE LIGHT CAME ON AS WELL AS AN EMISSION SERVICE REQUIRED MESSAGE. I TURNED THE VEHICLE OFF AND RESTARTED IT. THE GAS PEDAL RESUMED WORKING BUT THE CHECK ENGINE LIGHT AND EMISSION SERVICE REQUIRED MESSAGE CONTINUED. I LEFT THE VEHICLE AT THE DEALERSHIP (APPROX. 7:30 P.M. '' BY THIS TIME THEY WERE CLOSED). THE FOLLOWING DAY, THE VOLVO SERVICE ADVISOR INFORMED ME THAT THE PROBLEM WAS RELATED TO THE ELECTRONIC THROTTLE MODULE (ETM). I WAS TOLD THAT THERE WAS AN EXTENDED WARRANTY FOR THIS PART (10-YEARS, 200,000-MILE). THE SERVICE INCLUDED A CLEANING OF THE PART AND RELOADING OF SOFTWARE. AFTER LEARNING THIS, I SEARCHED THE INTERNET AND FOUND THIS PROBLEM WAS TYPICAL TO THIS MAKE AND MODEL. IT IS ONLY A MATTER OF TIME UNTIL YOUR REPORTS WILL SOON SHOW AN INCREASE IN THE INJURIES. *JB