NHTSA Complaint #10179557 — 2001 VOLVO S80

WE BEGAN REPORTING PROBLEMS WITH HESITATION AND SURGING IN OUR 2001 S80 T6 SEVERAL YEARS AGO TO THE SERVICE DEPARTMENT AT OUR NEAREST DEALER, SILL TERHAR MOTORS IN BROOMFIELD, COLORADO. THEY TRIED REPLACING A TURBO VALVE AND A SOFTWARE UPGRADE THAT WAS AVAILABLE AT THE TIME, AND WE WERE TOLD THAT USING THE HIGHEST OCTANE FUEL WOULD BE NECESSARY IN ORDER TO PREVENT THE HESITATION. THE PROBLEM CONTINUED. GIVEN THE INCONVENIENCE OF THE DEALERS LOCATION AND THAT THEY HAD NOT SEEMED TO BE ABLE TO CORRECT THE PROBLEM, WE HAD THE VEHICLE SERVICED FOR A WHILE AT AN INDEPENDENT VOLVO MECHANIC. LAST FALL THE EMISSIONS AND CHECK ENGINE WARNING LIGHTS TURNED ON, AND THEY REPLACED AN OXYGEN SENSOR AND/OR MASS AIR SENSOR. THE WARNING LIGHTS TURNED ON AGAIN, AND THEY RECOMMENDED THAT WE GO TO THE SERVICE DEPARTMENT AT THE DEALER. WE LEARNED OF THE "EXTENDED WARRANTY" VOLVO WAS BEGINNING TO OFFER AS A RESULT OF THE PROBLEMS IN THE DESIGN OF THE ELECTRONIC THROTTLE MODULE. IN EARLY DECEMBER WE LEFT THE VEHICLE WITH THE SERVICE DEPARTMENT AT SILL TERHAR, AND THEY DID THE SOFTWARE UPGRADE. WITHIN DAYS THE VEHICLE WAS RUNNING HORRIBLY AND WAS STALLING IN INTERSECTIONS. SILL TERHAR HAD THE VEHICLE TOWED AND REPORTED THAT THE PROBLEM WAS DUE TO A HOSE THAT HAD NOT BEEN FASTENED SECURELY. DUE TO TRAVEL DURING THE HOLIDAYS AND THE MULTIPLE SNOWSTORMS IN COLORADO IN LATE DECEMBER, WE DROVE THIS VEHICLE IN EARLY JANUARY AFTER HAVING PUT ONLY ABOUT 100 MILES ON THE VEHICLE SINCE THE TIME THAT IT WAS REPORTEDLY FULLY CLEARED OF PROBLEMS WITH REGARD TO THE ETM, THE CHECK ENGINE WARNING LIGHT TURNED ON AGAIN. WE RETURNED TO SILL TERHAR, AND THEY SAID THAT THE PROBLEM WAS DUE TO A FAULTY RIGHT FRONT OXYGEN SENSOR. THEY WERE CERTAIN THAT THIS WAS UNRELATED TO THE ETM PROBLEM. THAT MOST RECENT WORK COST US $400. WE PICKED UP THE VEHICLE LAST FRIDAY EVENING AND, TODAY, ONLY A FEW DAYS LATER, THE CHECK ENGINE WARNING LIGHT HAS TURNED ON YET AGAIN. *JB