Defective throttles in 1999-2001 Volvos

Defective throttles in 1999-2001 Volvos have been failing at unusually high
rates, causing cars to stall, raising air emissions and sticking owners with
costly repairs.

File a complaint if you have this model car. If a recall is forced it may
save you ~$1000

More info:
http://www.autosafety.org/article.php?scid=185&did=1142
http://www.volvoxc.com/forums/showthread.php?t=6716&highlight=throttle

Of course file a compaint with Volvo
http://www.volvocars.us/_Tier3/ContactUs/
The Assistant Manager of Volvo Customer Care is Susan Campbell

Then NHTSA (National Highway Traffic Safety Administration)
http://www.nhtsa.dot.gov/

The Center for Auto Safety:
http://www.autosafety.org/index.html

 

---------news snip i came across------------------

Make : VOLVO Model : V70XC Year : 2001
Manufacturer : VOLVO CARS OF N.A. LLC.
Crash : Yes Fire : No Number of Injuries: 1
ODI ID Number : 10134909 Number of Deaths: 1
Date of Failure: July 18, 2005
VIN : YV1SZ58D811...
Component: VEHICLE SPEED CONTROL
Summary:
MY DAUGHTER WAS KILLED WHILE DRIVING MY VOLVO WHEN IT MALFUNCTIONED AND
SHE
LOST CONTROL. PER THE ACCIDENT REPORT, SHE WAS CHANGING LANES FROM THE
FAR
RIGHT TO MIDDLE LANE WHEN SHE ACCELERATED INTO THE LEFTMOST LANE, HIT
AND
BOUNDED OFF THE LEFMOST GUARDRAIL, COLLIDED WITH A CAR IN THE CENTER
LANE,
PROCEEDED OVER THE RIGHTMOST GUARDRAIL OF A BRIDGE, THROUGH A TREETOP,
DROPPED 30 FEET, LANDED UPSIDE DOWN, AND ROLLED REPEATEDLY, EVENTUALLY
STOPPING IN A CONCRETE CREEKBANK. SHE WAS WEARING HER SEATBELT BUT
KILLED
INSTANTLY UPON IMPACT. IT APPEARS SHE WAS NOT SPEEDING SIGNIFICANTLY
PRIOR
TO THE ACCIDENT BUT UNEXPECTEDLY BEGAN ACCELERATING AS SHE WAS CHANGING
LANES AND LOST CONTROL OF THE VEHICLE. I HAVE HAD SIMILAR PROBLEMS WITH
THE
CAR PREVIOUSLY BUT BELIEVED THEY HAD BEEN CORRECTED BY VOLVO WHEN THEY
REPLACED THE ELECTRONIC THROTTLE MODULE. THERE WERE NO OTHER
CONTRIBUTING
FACTORS IN THE ACCIDENT -- WEATHER WAS CLEAR, VISIBILITY WAS GOOD,
ROADS
WERE DRY, TRAFFIC WAS MODERATE AND FLOWING WELL, AND IT WAS EARLY
AFTERNOON
AND MY DAUGHTER WAS FINE PRIOR TO THE ACCIDENT. I HAVE HAD AN ACCIDENT
RECONSTRUCTION EXPERT LOOK AT THE ACCIDENT REPORT AND AVAILABLE
EVIDENCE AND
HE BELIEVES IT WAS CAUSED BY MECHANICAL FAILURE.

(also on Edmonds)
I have had an accident reconstruction expert investigate the accident
and he believes mechanical failure, most likely the ETM module, caused
the crash. Unfortunately, since very few complaints have alleged
acceleration due to ETM failure (either as a direct result of the
failure or in overcompensation for reduced performance caused by the
failure), this is a hard case to prove. However, we've been unable to
come up with any other reasonable explanation, and the ETM had failed
and been replaced on my car before.

 

A few thoughts on the subject-

I was working on my '69 VW (back in about '71) and dropped the
generator(!) woodruff key into the heating ductwork on the motor. I
borrowed my dad's '69 International Harvester Travelall which had the
biggest gas motor they put in them at the time. I was on a (then)
rural 4 lane roadway, driving with purpose as a pissed off teenager
will. Accelerating down that road, foot hard on the gas, the throttle
return spring broke and the pedal went to the floor. The car
immediately downshifted. I tried to put my foot under the pedal but it
was flat on the floor. I Shifted into N and turned off the key at the
same time. By then I was doing well over 65 as I remember. Hauling
that thing to the curb without power steering was a real chore! I was
able to bend and reattach the spring and was fine after that.

The reason I tell the above story (and looking at the report below) I
think that cars are so dependable now and so few people work on their
own cars today (because they mostly can't be worked on) that a lot of
kids today don't understand how cars work and don't know what to do in
an emergency. That is also partly because cars are so dependable and
don't break down. There is another factor- cars today handle like race
cars. Body roll has all been eliminated and chassis are stiffer, rack
and pinion and 4 wheel disc anti-lock brakes, incredible tires, and
much more all combine to give drivers of the common sedan a sense of
control and confidence that only race cars and sports cars gave two
decades ago (generally speaking). Because of that, a lot of drivers
(and particularly young drivers) don't know what to do in an emergency
incident whether it is a "stuck" throttle or a car that breaks loose
from the roads's surface. How many people today know how to power out
of a slide in a corner or how to steer with a skid? Most would panic
and either freeze up or slam the brakes.

I am not at all defending the throttle in this model of volvo nor
defending Volvo, but I wanted to remind parents to teach their kids
about these sorts of things, and if you don't know, maybe get you kid
into a course where they can learn. Maybe even take them into an
empty. pole-free parking lot on a rainy day and teach them what to do
when a car skids or slides. Let them learn the limits of the brakes
and steering.

Don't let them loose on the street to learn these things "by
accident."

And think about getting some similar experience yourself. After some
20 years and 65,000+ miles of riding a motorcycle on the street I took
the MSF Experienced Rider's Course and improved my riding quite a bit.
When you think you are good enough or know enough, that is when you
become dangerous.

__ __
Randy & \ \/ /alerie's
\__/olvos
'90 245 Estate - '93 965 Estate
"Shelby" & "Kate"

 

good point (s) ......

 

I agree, good points. Hopefully Volvo will come to their senses and recall
this part before anybody else is hurt/killed because they are unable to
control their vehicle.

 

A log of cars have elevtronic throttles these days, and I don't really
trust them. Still, I should think there would be some safeguards in
place, such as: shut down the engine if RPM increases for more than
one xecond after brake application.

Also, I sometimes doubt the validithy of these accidents, since any
stock vehicle's engine can be overcome by the brakes. Back when Audis
were being accused of unintended acceleration, it was shown that the
drivers were accidentlly stepping on the gas instead of the brake.

I did this once in a parking lot in a rented VW beetle (70's) Because
I expected the car to slow, it felt like it was acclerating with
tremendous speed. Fortunately, I was stopped by a guard rail befire
it gathered any real speed.

 

A log of cars have elevtronic throttles these days, and I don't really
trust them. Still, I should think there would be some safeguards in
place, such as: shut down the engine if RPM increases for more than
one xecond after brake application.

Also, I sometimes doubt the validithy of these accidents, since any
stock vehicle's engine can be overcome by the brakes. Back when Audis
were being accused of unintended acceleration, it was shown that the
drivers were accidentlly stepping on the gas instead of the brake.

Definitely the #1 cause, especially since most of the reports claim the
brakes failed to slow the car at all. I recall the driver of a 140
complaining how the car leaped from a parking lot into the side of the
building in spite of the brakes. But there was an account here maybe a year
ago by a fellow who didn't have an accident, just a brief series of
incidents one night where the throttle opened full while he was idling at
intersections. The car was dragged forward, with the ABS doing its thing and
leaving broken skid marks. That one sounds real to me.

Mike

 

My 240 has the accelerator quite close to the center area- the kick
panel that covers the Heat/cooling conglomeration there has a slightly
narrower area (more space/room at the gas pedal). If you have your
foot slide off of the gas pedal to the right after depressing the
pedal your shoe can 'hook' into that concave area, and when you lift
your foot your shoe can get sort of wedged into that area.

If driving was easy, everyone could do it, and there would be any
acciidents, and I wouldn't get to go to the Pick and Pull again this
week to get more spare parts for the 240 on the cheap.

Speaking of which, is it just me (I don't think so), but getting to go
into a well organized auto salvage yard and actually getting to bring
my own tools and pick my own parts off cars is like a trip to
Disneyland! "COOL! Another 017 AMM! WOW!"


__ __
Randy & \ \/ /alerie's
\__/olvos
'90 245 Estate - '93 965 Estate
"Shelby" & "Kate"

 

i think the real liability will lie in the event it is
proven volvo inc was aware of faulty/bad parts,
installed @ their factories...and refuse to "make
the parts right" for their customers...over a number
of years...then touting themselvs as a "safety oriented"
auto manufacturer.....we will see....i guess it is for a
court to review all relevant information and come to a
conclusion....

 

Agreed, I always find things I'd never have thought to ask for, U-pull yards
where I can wander around and browse are the only type I'll go to.

 

Now, THAT would really take some doing since the brake and gas pedals of
the old V.W. beetles are at such greatly different levels. On the
Audi's in question with the uncontrolled acceleration, the brake pedal
was less than two inches than the gas pedal and at the exact same level
making it very easy to step on the gas pedal at the same time as the
brake particularly if the driver's foot was on the edge of the brake
pedal and overlapping on to the gas.

 

Actually, the ABS was NOT doing it's thing because with the vehicle
stopped, you should be able to be in gear and floor the accelerator and
not have the car move at all.

 

What you have to remember is that Volvo is not the only car to use the
faulty throttle unit it is made in Italy & used widly on most cars so
this whould be a expensive thing not only for Volvo but for the rest
that is why this is moving along very slowly

--
"*-344-*Never Forgotten"
Is for the New York City Firemen who lost their lives on September 11,2001.
The official count is 343, but there was also a volunteer who lost his life
aiding in the initial rescue efforts. And I will never forget them as
long as I live,
nor should any American.

 

I had a Ford Fairlane, yes I admit it .When coming over a very steep hill my
cruise control stuck and I was full power down the hill with a few bends to
come .This hill is very steep and often covered in black ice so imagine if a
less experienced driver had this issue .By the way when I say steep, cars
have slid after the car was parked ,when others had rolled over blocking the
road .I had to turn off the motor to regain control but keep my foot on the
brakes and try not to lock the steering all in a moment .I pulled the cruise
control cable apart and it was sludged up with gunk .I washed it out put
synthetic oil through it and isolated it from the rocker cover with a heavy
rubber sheath .Turns out Ford knew about it but not every one got a recall
..It was pure bad design and in the extreme cold the gunk in the cable did
its worst .(1988 Ford Fairlane the car Ford tried to build .)

 

AFAIK there is a class action suit ongoing in CA. The class has
presented an internal document that expresses a complaint about the
failure of the ETM modules being installed at the factory as being of
inferior quality and prone to premature failure. In CA this constitutes
a warranty fraud since some of the units were covered under a case by
case basis and some were not. The ones that were not were generally
given a wipe and clean. The warranty statute involved requires the mfr
to provide the same service on every identical claim regardless of
whether there is a written policy to do so. The remedy would be for
every yellow dot ETM to be replaced FOC. If the consumer paid for
replacement...there probably will be no satisfactory remedy, so mfr will
suffer a fine.

Bob