Do ALL Throttle body controls go belly up?

[babalu87]

If so I cant believe Volvo wouldnt put forth a recall?

Found this on another board (Volvo owners group) on the same issue:

52,600 Last month on the ME turnpike. It was covered by Volvo because the car is registered in MA where the law requires the manufacturer to Warrantee all emissions related parts through 80K.
2001 Volvo v70 T5.
This is just the latest of many defects in the car. The suspension has been re assembled at least 3 times with multiple replacements, a couple of broken motor mounts, a bad power steering pump, and a boat load of small stuff.
It drives very well when not in the shop.

Lucky (I guess) for Mass residents :cool:

[Edmonds17]

The answer to your question is not easy.

Exactly how many throttle bodies have been replaced by owners and/or Volvo is not known. The failure rate seems exceedingly high. You will notice many, many postings. The Magneti Marelli (Fiat) throttle bodies on '99-01 cars seem to be failing the most but that may just be caused by those cars getting above 50,000 mi. more often. Cars built after '01 have Bosch throttle bodies. Fewer of these cars have gotten into the 50,000+ mi. range.

Volvo has been required to replace defective throttle bodies for up to 70,000 mi. on cars sold in Calif. & MA specs. This happens because a throttle body is part of the air pollution equipment. These two states have stricter air pollution standards than the rest of the country.

We also know that Volvo is currently a defendant in a class-action lawsuit in California. Volvo has apparently told their dealers in Calif. (and maybe elsewhere) that it will pay for replacing defective throttle bodies whenever a customer complains. (If you don't complain, you have to pay the $950.-$1,200.) Calif. law bans "secret" warranties by requiring the mfr. to notify affected Calif. owners of such a secret warranty. Volvo hasn't and is now a defendant as a result thereof.

Volvo has not yet recalled their '99-present cars. All are believed to have defective throttle bodies even though Volvo has known of a problem since '01 when a "Technical Service Bulletin" was issued. Volvos reasoning appears to be that the defect usually occurs after the regular 40,000 mi. warranty has run. Volvo "Customer Care" once articulated to me that I should expect to replace the throttle body because a Volvo is a "sophisticated" car. In this manner, Volvo has attempted to shift the replacement cost to the hapless owner.

I say hapless for two reasons. First, only Volvo dealers and the rare independent that has paid the necessary fees can replace the throttle body. If you break down on a busy highway, in a rural area, or during adverse weather then you may have a very dangerous situation and a very long tow back to a Volvo dealership. Too bad.

Second, the replacement parts have the same defect as the original part. This means that the engine will again die and the owner get stuck with another $950-$1,200 bill about every 50,000 mi. or so.

Volvo would rather make you pay than protect your safety by recalling their defective throttle body cars. Sorry about the bad news.

Edmonds17

[littlewaywelt]

If so I cant believe Volvo wouldnt put forth a recall?


Seriously??
Volvo is like any other car company. They won't do a recall unless the gvt or a judge forces them to, or unless it's in their financial best interest. Do you seriously expect Volvo to spend millions of dollars to replace throttle body valves because a few people know what's really going on? Volvo, in my opinion has absolutely no corporate ethical responsibility when it comes to dealing with their customers.

[rhauptschein]

Anything one can do prophylactically for this (inevitable?) throttle body problem/issue (besides move to CA or MA) ??

[littlewaywelt]

Anything one can do prophylactically for this (inevitable?) throttle body problem/issue (besides move to CA or MA) ??

Yes, you'll need a sawzall, some good shoes and a bowflex which may be substituted by a stairmaster.
step 1- using the bowflex or stairmaster work those quads for three months.
step 2- get the sawzall out and cut a large hole in the floor
step 3- put on your tennis shoes and proceed to enjoy your xc Fred Flintstone - style

Short of that, there isn't much you can do to avoid the problem.

[babalu87]

Seriously??
Volvo is like any other car company. They won't do a recall unless the gvt or a judge forces them to, or unless it's in their financial best interest. Do you seriously expect Volvo to spend millions of dollars to replace throttle body valves because a few people know what's really going on? Volvo, in my opinion has absolutely no corporate ethical responsibility when it comes to dealing with their customers.

Volvo is most know for what?
SAFETY of its vehicles occupants (reliability also, hmmm ironic isnt it?)

When the throttle body sh!ts the bed, what happens?

Lets just hope your not travelling at 75 MPH with a bunch of tractor trailers, could get run over.

YES,
SERIOUSLY

When someone gets killed because of this they will have to fix it.

Firestone recalled their tires, remember?

[littlewaywelt]

Volvo is most know for what?
SAFETY of its vehicles occupants (reliability also, hmmm ironic isnt it?)

When the throttle body sh!ts the bed, what happens?

Lets just hope your not travelling at 75 MPH with a bunch of tractor trailers, could get run over.

YES,
SERIOUSLY

When someone gets killed because of this they will have to fix it.

Firestone recalled their tires, remember?
I'm not defending Volvo, but you could make the same argument that parts wear out and lots of things that aren't defects can cause a breakdown on the side of the highway.
Firestone recalled their tires because a LOT of people died, the tires were on zillions of cars and it gained enough traction in the media and with attorneys that there was no way around it. Additionally this problem went on for years before the recall happened.

[funglenn]

My throttle body just got replaced, an 01 Crosscountry with only 29,300 miles.

I took it in because it would idle funny, it would dip once in awhile for 2 seconds then come back to normal idle. Too bad this is a major issue. Between this and the transmission update they did, it is a great car.

[Big]

My throttle body just got replaced, an 01 Crosscountry with only 29,300 miles.

I took it in because it would idle funny, it would dip once in awhile for 2 seconds then come back to normal idle. Too bad this is a major issue. At least there was a warning. My neighbor's XC90 (30 something thousand miles) gave no warning and just stopped. It would restart, go a little ways and stall. They were towed a few miles to the dealer (the only one in the eastern half of Oregon!) and repaired quickly, so they were lucky. What would have happened in the middle of nowhere?

This begs the question of what exactly is breaking in the throttle body and can a working unit be tested for likely failure?

[kasperowicz]

The throttle body should never have to be replaced in my view...That is a part that should last the life of car...I do not know of any other car that has this problem that happens in so many cars as Volvo does...I just bought 2001 Volvo XC, it is comfortable but it is very overpriced for the reliability that happens in these vehicles.

[Edmonds17]

Our friends in Rockleigh, NJ, don't seem to understand why the defective Fiat throttle body is dangerous. They think the defective Fiat throttle body is the Volvo owners fault, i.e. bad gas, lack of maintenance, we chose to live in a "sparsely populated area," we should expect the engine to die because a Volvo is a "sophisticated" car, etc.

I have a suggestion. Why don't you/we call and tell them to fix the defective Fiat throttle bodies? They have a telephone number. 1-800-458-1552. Give them a call. Explain to them, as a customer, why Volvo needs to fix the defect? If you'd like to have a little fun, ask for Ms/Mrs. Susan Campbell. She is the lady that wrote the letter back to Don Willson blowing off his request for a recall. I have already talked to her. She simply doesn't get it. Parrots the company line. See how many excuses you get.

Better yet, send them a letter. I'd send it to:

President
Volvo Cars North America LLC
7 Volvo Dr.
Rockleigh, NJ 07647

You won't get a reply from the President. He's too busy. He doesn't have time to be interested in what Volvo customers want or think. You will, however, get a written response.

Let Volvo know what it is like to have your trusted Volvo die and know that it will die again. Explain what might have happened if your Volvo had died in freezing weather, on a busy freeway, etc.

The least effective thing to do is probably to send an email to them. Their email address is: "[email protected]".

It is ironic that the deparment you contact is called "Customer Care." The reality is that the people working in this department have the job of explaining that Volvo doesn't "care" about the safety of customers. They will disclaim any knowledge of the defect. Will refuse to tell you how long the replaced Fiat throttle body might last. Knowing that their cars die, they will actually try to sell you towing coverage for $69./yr! How's that for chutzpah?

Come back and post Volvo's response.

Edmonds17

[Big]

There is a related discussion on throttle position sensor potentiometers in the 1997-2000 V70XC Forum (http://www.volvoxc.com/forums/showthread.php?p=47059#post47059). Given the history of failures, the response from Volvo is disappointing but hardly surprising.

[Bobbi]

The answer to your question is not easy.

Exactly how many throttle bodies have been replaced by owners and/or Volvo is not known. The failure rate seems exceedingly high. You will notice many, many postings. The Magneti Marelli (Fiat) throttle bodies on '99-01 cars seem to be failing the most but that may just be caused by those cars getting above 50,000 mi. more often. Cars built after '01 have Bosch throttle bodies. Fewer of these cars have gotten into the 50,000+ mi. range.

Volvo has been required to replace defective throttle bodies for up to 70,000 mi. on cars sold in Calif. & MA specs. This happens because a throttle body is part of the air pollution equipment. These two states have stricter air pollution standards than the rest of the country.

We also know that Volvo is currently a defendant in a class-action lawsuit in California. Volvo has apparently told their dealers in Calif. (and maybe elsewhere) that it will pay for replacing defective throttle bodies whenever a customer complains. (If you don't complain, you have to pay the $950.-$1,200.) Calif. law bans "secret" warranties by requiring the mfr. to notify affected Calif. owners of such a secret warranty. Volvo hasn't and is now a defendant as a result thereof.

Volvo has not yet recalled their '99-present cars. All are believed to have defective throttle bodies even though Volvo has known of a problem since '01 when a "Technical Service Bulletin" was issued. Volvos reasoning appears to be that the defect usually occurs after the regular 40,000 mi. warranty has run. Volvo "Customer Care" once articulated to me that I should expect to replace the throttle body because a Volvo is a "sophisticated" car. In this manner, Volvo has attempted to shift the replacement cost to the hapless owner.

I say hapless for two reasons. First, only Volvo dealers and the rare independent that has paid the necessary fees can replace the throttle body. If you break down on a busy highway, in a rural area, or during adverse weather then you may have a very dangerous situation and a very long tow back to a Volvo dealership. Too bad.

Second, the replacement parts have the same defect as the original part. This means that the engine will again die and the owner get stuck with another $950-$1,200 bill about every 50,000 mi. or so.

Volvo would rather make you pay than protect your safety by recalling their defective throttle body cars. Sorry about the bad news.

Edmonds17

I joined this forum as a result of the --performance reduced-- message on my 2001 V70xc with 84837 miles. living in California, I was caught by the posts mentioning legal issues in Ca about the Throttle Body. Does anyone know if the issue has been resolved and how. I truly love this car and hope that its new problem can be fixed without damaging my feelings for it and Volvo

[DonWillson]

At least there was a warning. My neighbor's XC90 (30 something thousand miles) gave no warning and just stopped. It would restart, go a little ways and stall. They were towed a few miles to the dealer (the only one in the eastern half of Oregon!) and repaired quickly, so they were lucky. What would have happened in the middle of nowhere?

This begs the question of what exactly is breaking in the throttle body and can a working unit be tested for likely failure?

This is the first I have heard of the problem on a 90XC. For a class in ETM 101 go to: http://www.volvoxc.com/forums/showthread.php?t=6026

Don Willson
[email protected]