Volvo V70 XC 2001

[Southern Volvo Owner]

Since we purchased the car the following things have happened is this good - car now has 30k miles on it:
1). new power steering pump
2). new turbo and all housing
3). transmission is leaking
4). all bulbs have been replaced at least once and some up to 3 times.
5).  Driver's seat has had its electronics replaced numerous times.
6). rear hatch motor replaced
7). Motor in the driver's window is replaced

I had hope to keep this car for a while but I think this is alot of repairs for such a new car does everyone agree?  Volvo ignores us as well as our dealer.  
What should I do?

[daves745t]

I think that would be a lot of repairs for Hyundai, let alone a Volvo. At 30K miles, none of those items should have failed.  

I would contact your state's consumer affairs department, file a complaint and also inquire about your state's Lemon Laws. It sure sounds like you have one.  Good Luck
-Dave

[Chipshot]

Did you purchase the car new or used?

[Raynald]

</span><table border="0" align="center" width="95%" cellpadding="3" cellspacing="1"><tr><td>Quote (Chipshot @ Feb. 03 2004,15:28)</td></tr><tr><td id="QUOTE">Did you purchase the car new or used?[/QUOTE]<span id='postcolor'>
... and I might add: when was it build? The build date is on a sticker on the driver&#39;s side B pillar (rear door). Early MY&#39;01 build are known to be problematic. http://xc70.com/iB_html/non-cgi/emoticons/sad.gif
Mine was build on 08/00, 84,000 km and works well. I had a few problems (not as bad as yours, though http://xc70.com/iB_html/non-cgi/emoticons/huh2.gif ), but everything was fixed under warranty.

[bucksg]

As of today we&#39;ve had the following problems with our &#39;01 v70 T5 purchased certified 6 months ago with 41K. &nbsp;

-Vibration while driving: Balanced tires
-Vibration still there: Rear brake rotors warped and replaced.
-Vibration still there: Tires nearing end of life…need to be replaced at owners expense (&#036;690)
-Suspension noises: Lower sway bar replaced
-No AM reception: &nbsp;Added AM reception amplifier
-Air Conditioner blows cold when set on heat: replaced passenger air temp fan
-Still getting suspension noises: &nbsp;Tie rods replaced
-Rattle in driver door: Replaced trim rivots
-Rear trim panel in cargo area separating from frame: &nbsp;replaced mounting bracket
-Noises from steering on sharp turns: &nbsp;wheels rubbing wheel well trim. &nbsp;Replaced trim piece. &nbsp;This did not correct the problem.
-Sun Roof squeeks contstantly: &nbsp;found loose trim pieces replaced.
Now within the last week:
-Fuel gauge does not work at all. &nbsp;Registers no fuel.
-Central Locking doesn’t work.---computer &quot;fell asleep&quot; (their words)
-Power steering total failure...limped into dealer.--stated power steering hose came loose. &nbsp;Replace, filled with fluid. &nbsp;Picked up at dealer...steering pulsates... &nbsp;need to bring back another time.

We&#39;ve pretty much had it with this car and will be pursuing getting the dealer to take it back or swap it with another vehicle.

sb

[littlewaywelt]

I also have an August 00 built 01 xc. &nbsp;It has been a nightmare. &nbsp;Dealer fixed almost all the problems, but one major one. &nbsp;A recurrance of a major problem (oil leak) that was fixed is now back as well.
I&#39;ve whined about all of its problems here many times. http://xc70.com/iB_html/non-cgi/emoticons/smile.gif
I simply refuse to get stressed about it anymore.
Our next wagon will be a Saab.

[AWD*V70XC]

</span><table border="0" align="center" width="95%" cellpadding="3" cellspacing="1"><tr><td>Quote (bucksg @ Feb. 06 2004,03:11)</td></tr><tr><td id="QUOTE">As of today we&#39;ve pretty much had it with this car[/QUOTE]<span id='postcolor'>
Poor you, I would be cheesed off as well. Try a XC70 next time, not the power of the T5 but much more fun to drive.

[xcool]

As a proud new owner of an XC70, it&#39;s kind of disconcerting to hear about these kinds of problems. Do you think Volvo makes year to year improvement so that most of these problems would have been ironed out already in my model year?

[Chipshot]

I also wonder whether pre-Ford Volvos exhibit more problems.

[PAUL_RD]

Guys,

A couple of hours on this site is time well spent.

I love driving my 01 V70XC, it&#39;s comfortable, powerful and just a nice car..

What kills me is the number of warranty repairs, and my concern is that my car may not be a lemon, the problems are just typical of the breed (and the problems seems to be known to Volvo, and to a couple of other owners).

I bought my car new, and had so many issues in the first year that I decided to buy Volvo&#39;s exended warranty (what a great idea). &nbsp;

In summary;;

- loud clunk on slow left turn - dealer said it was the transmission ( software upgrade and noise went away)
- fuel block required that the tank be removed.
- brake booster seal failed, and whole assembly was replaced.
- at road speed transmission drops into first - with a loud clunk. &nbsp;2nd software upgrade - now much better.
- top tank on radiator fails (radiator replaced - this has happened twice)
- I replace a blown globe every month or so.
- the front guard blinkers fall off (they tell me that this is common, and don&#39;t drive the car through car wash)
- The top engine mount tends to fail (Volvo say that this is normal &#39;wear &amp; tear&#39; but so far have replace under warranty).
&nbsp; &nbsp;
Today (and this is why I&#39;m so angry) at highway speed a warning light says that I&#39;ve &#39;lost power&#39;. &nbsp;The car slows to 30 km/h and I manage to pull off the road, and I&#39;m now stuck with a dead car that smells a lot like the motor has been cooked.

I ring the dealer (who knows me very well) and within 20 seconds of hearing the fault, he tells me that the transmission has failed (apparently the computer has locked the transmission in top gear), he doesn&#39;t really explain why it smells (the temperature gauge doesn&#39;t say that its hot).

They send a tow truck, and tell me that they need the car for a couple of days.

At this point I should say that Volvo has been a great company to deal with. &nbsp;They know that my car has been problematic, and they just fiix it (again &amp; again).

I have another year of warranty, and I like driving the car, I&#39;m just not prepared to risk owning it if Volvo aren&#39;t covering the constant failures (BTW it has only done 60,000 km). &nbsp;My thoughts are that this car has to go (probably in the next 6 months).

My problem is, are all Volvo&#39;s ( a significant number) this unreliiable. Or, can I take the risk and replace it with another one? &nbsp;(Is the V90 any better?)

Sorry to dump this one on you, but I do feel better now.....

[daniel]

</span><table border="0" align="center" width="95%" cellpadding="3" cellspacing="1"><tr><td>Quote (bucksg @ Feb. 05 2004,19:11)</td></tr><tr><td id="QUOTE">Noises from steering on sharp turns: &nbsp;wheels rubbing wheel well trim. &nbsp;Replaced trim piece. &nbsp;This did not correct the problem.[/QUOTE]<span id='postcolor'>
Did you tell me more in this problem?
Is a same problem wich i have?
http://www.xc70.com/pics/albums/userpics/atinge.jpg
http://www.xc70.com/pics/albums/userpics/urma%20roata.jpg

[Southern Volvo Owner]

Appreciate all the good feedback&#33;&#33;&#33;

The volvo was purcased with only 7 miles on it in 2001.

I know other Volvo owners with over a 100K miles on their cars that don&#39;t have the problems I had.

I contacted my dealer and he suggested that we either keep it since we have a 7 year 100k warranty or trade it off on an XC90.

I kindly told him I own a Lexus GX 470 for myself and my wife will probably get that when her volvo finally gives up the ghost.

One thing I am glad I found out in here is that you can change the transmission fluid in the XC - thats a good thing.

I sure hope Volvo continues to make good cars - I just got a lemon.

Regards

[bucksg]

You could consider talking with the owner or the used car sales manager. &nbsp;With all the problems we&#39;ve had with ours in such a short period of time, they finally agreed to swap our car out for another like car (&#39;01 T5) at no cost or a different model for dealer wholesale cost. &nbsp;We just heard from them that they were at the used car auction last week and have T5s and 2.4T in &#39;01,&#39;02 and &#39;03 years in this weekend. &nbsp;We pick the one we want and they give it to us for their auction purchase price. &nbsp;If we pick one newer than our &#39;01 we would of course pay a bit more. &nbsp;The dealer makes no money.

We&#39;ve simply come to the point and have documented the number of issues well enough to convince them our car is a bad-seed. &nbsp;In the spirit of keeping us as a customer (vs bailing to the Lexus dealership) they did the right thing.

You might try to negotiate such a deal. &nbsp;If your budget supports a brand new model (ours did not) you could theoretically get it for below their cost. &nbsp;They should not have the goal of making any money off you since the car has been so problematic.

[Southern Volvo Owner]

Thanks buck&#33;&#33;&#33;

Good advice but the dealer was no help&#33;&#33;&#33;

I think this might be the last volvo we ever own&#33;&#33;&#33;

I don&#39;t expect any car to be 100% trouble free but my 12 year old Lexus just had it&#39;s first 1000+ repair. &nbsp;I would be afraid to know what volvo has spent so far on our XC to fix it.

So, I am not going to get frustrated over it just learn to live and learn.

http://xc70.com/iB_html/non-cgi/emoticons/thumbs-up.gif

[Southern Volvo Owner]

http://xc70.com/iB_html/non-cgi/emoticons/smile.gif

This is the first in our ownership experience - the wife&#39;s car hasn&#39;t been in the shop for over 30 days&#33;&#33;&#33;

I am so very &nbsp;http://xc70.com/iB_html/non-cgi/emoticons/happy.gif that I can&#39;t even say any words.

I will keep you all posted on it&#39;s progress&#33;

[propguy]

You guys are scaring me i thought volvo was one of the best i know nothings perfect but thats alot of issues i only have 3,000 miles on mine and the only thing i have a problem with is the rear door lock sticks somtimes when you push the fob button, I have a 2000 Mazda 626 with 65k also its never been back to the dealer for worrenty work and it only cost half as much as the volvo.

[LDO6180]

Okay, its a man made machine and that is enough said.

When you visit a dedicated site-you get information on that particular make/brand/model of item.

Who squeaks the loudest?--Happy, Happy, Joy, Joy or I hate this piece of Siberian puppy poop and every one that works with it is just so much Charmin.

Volvos are not reliable&#33; We all know that is not true and that is not what we are trying to impart--yes things break--but such a small statistical group as we are do not reflect the really big picture. We should use the great insight and practical information provided by this great fourm to our best benefit and enjoy the friendly give and take.

I for one, and only one- enjoy and find the exchange of ideas extremely useful. If you want to see a large amount of positings on failures and lousey service (factory and independent) visit the Jeep Off road sites--I have a 90 Jeep Cherokee. For high priced complaining go to Benzworld.org and look at the R170 SLK group--I have one of them too-

Oh, yes--both of them have failed once or twice and I love them as well as my XC70--

[Raynald]

Well, propguy, don&#39;t be scrared&#33; I bought a used early build MY&#39;2001 V70 XC with 73 000 km (45,000 mi.) and didn&#39;t have any major problem 5 months and 13 000 km later, only what I consider &quot;normal&quot; maintenance issues. My previous car was a Toyota Camry, so I know what&#39;s reliablity http://xc70.com/iB_html/non-cgi/emoticons/smile.gif. On this forum, like most other forums of its kind, you&#39;ll probably hear more from those who have problems than from those who don&#39;t. http://xc70.com/iB_html/non-cgi/emoticons/wink.gif. And also from those who want answers... http://xc70.com/iB_html/non-cgi/emoticons/laugh.gif

If you haven&#39;t done so yet, I suggest you visit other forums on other brands (Mercedes, Audi, BMW...). For the same price range and specs as the XC, I&#39;m sure you&#39;ll find similar stories&#33; Does that make these cars less relialable than the Volvo? I don&#39;t think so.

Finally, when I was shopping around for a new (used) car, I came here to gather information. I didn&#39;t consider this forum to be a poll on owner&#39;s satisfaction, but a valuable resource on which I can rely, for most part, to answer specific questions I might have. And also to propose answers according to my humble experience and knowledge. http://xc70.com/iB_html/non-cgi/emoticons/smile.gif

Hoping the best for you and your ride&#33; http://xc70.com/iB_html/non-cgi/emoticons/thumbs-up.gif My 2 cents...

P.S: As for you rear door locks, I don&#39;t know if your talking about the tailgate, but when you press the unlock button once, only the driver&#39;s door is unlock. If you press a second time, all doors and tailgate should follow... Normal behaviour, if that&#39;s so. http://xc70.com/iB_html/non-cgi/emoticons/biggrin.gif

[Southern Volvo Owner]

Thanks for all your comments:

It was the rear electric lock on the tailgate.... &nbsp;

It required a new motor to unlock it.

The passenger seat motor was also just replaced.

I think its the constant problems we have had.

If my wife didn&#39;t like the car - I know she would trade it off.

I totally agree - sometimes people should write nice things - it&#39;s just funnier to write the truth. &nbsp;I sure hope we can keep it running a few more years.

Lets keep our fingers crossed&#33;&#33;&#33;&#33;