NHTSA Complaint #722406 — 1992 VOLVO 960

07/11/99 DRIVING THE VOLVO +/-40 MPH - NOT UNDER LOAD - & ENGINE QUIT - METAL ON METAL NOISE - PULLED OFF ROADWAY & CALLED A WRECKER. TIMING BELT HAD BROKEN 1,250 MILES SHORT OF NEXT CHANGE. CALLED VOLVO OF NORTH AMERICA - THEY STATED IT WAS A MATTER BTWN ME & DEALER WHO LAST CHANGED THE TIMING BELT. THIS DEALER (SONNY KING VOLVO, BIRMINGHAN, AL) IS NOW OUT OF BUSINESS - BUT WORK ORDER SHOWED NO EVIDENCE THAT THE TIMING BELT WAS REPLACED - EVEN THOUGH THE CHARGE FOR SERVICE WAS EXACTLY WHAT THE SERVICE MANAGER QUOTED ME FOR A BELT REPLACEMENT & THE REST OF THE 60,000 MILE SERVICE. I PAID FOR THE MAINTENANCE - IT WAS NEVER RENDERED. VOLVO OF NORTH AMERICA STATED "IT'S A LICK ON YOU FOR NOT READING YOUR SERVICE ORDER." I PAID $2,300 FOR A COMPLETE NEW HEAD & REPLACEMENT COSTS. GOT THE CAR BACK IN THE FALL, DROVE IT ABOUT 2 WEEKS AND IT STARTED SPRAYING OIL ALL OVER THE EXHAUST SYSTEM. THE LOCAL VOLVO DEALER WHO DID THE HEAD REPLACEMENT TOOK THE CAR BACK - DID SOME REPAIR, AT NO COST & RETURNED THE VEHICLE WITHIN A WEEK. THE CAR NEVER RAN CORRECTLY AND LOST COOLANT EVERYTIME IT WAS DRIVEN. IN NOVEMBER OF 1999 - IT GOT SO IT REQUIRED MORE COOLANT THAN FUEL SO I GARAGED THE CAR UNTIL I HAD TIME TO GET IT CHECKED OUT BY ANOTHER VOLVO SHOP. USED THE VEHICLE FOR SHORT (AROUND TOWN) TRIPS - IN FEBRUARY - I NOTICED IT WAS TAKING ON MORE THAN A GALLON OF WATER TO DRIVE 16 MILES TO WORK & BACK - HAD THE VOLVO TRAILERED BACK TO THE VOLVO SHOP THAT CHANGED THE HEAD - WAS INFORMED THE ALUMINUM BLOCK HAD CRACKED AND NOW I NEED TO COME UP WITH $7,200 (ROUGHLY) FOR A NEW BLOCK. I CAN GET IT DOWN TO +/- $4,000 TO GET A USED ENGINE. VOLVO OF NORTH AMERICA AGAIN NOTIFIED AND THEIR RESPONSE TO MY WIFE WAS, "YOU WERE LUCKY TO GET 100,000 MILES OUT OF THE CAR. WE DON'T MAKE THAT MODEL ANYMORE. THIS PROBLEM IS BETWEEN YOU AND THE DEALER THAT CHANGED THE HEAD." *AK