View Poll Results: Electronic Throttle Module failures-Select more than one

Voters
166. You may not vote on this poll
  • Never had it fail

    43 25.90%
  • Died and repaired, My expense

    60 36.14%
  • Died and repaired, Volvo's expense

    32 19.28%
  • Multiple ETM failures

    17 10.24%
  • Worried about My Volvo dying in the desert

    37 22.29%
  • I have more than 80K miles without a failure

    31 18.67%
Multiple Choice Poll.
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Results 41 to 50 of 67
  1. #41
    Join Date
    Mar 2005
    Location
    Pacific NW
    Posts
    182

    Default

    Geez, mine went out at 66,348 .... talk about right on schedule.
    Ex-C70 owner
    ---------------
    VEXED

  2. #42
    Join Date
    Oct 2004
    Location
    Nashville, TN, U.S.A.
    Posts
    568

    Default

    Does anyone know what is the precentage of Volvos whose ETMs have failed? I know that someone has said that sooner or later all the ETMs will fail. However, I am thinking that there is difference when an ETM fails at around 60K miles or, let's say, 150k miles. Now if my ETM fails at 60K, I will surely be bloody pissed (pardon my French). However, if it fails at 150K, I won't mind swallowing the cost. All things fail. The difference that matters is when they fail.

    Thanks.
    Ta-ta, janusz
    Second gen., Nautical Blue XC70Volvo: "Anything else just isn't up to it" and Wife's Volvo S70: "In manual Transmission She Trusts"

  3. #43
    Join Date
    Nov 2004
    Posts
    180

    Default When will the ETM fail?

    Quote Originally Posted by philosophicaldreamer
    Does anyone know what is the precentage of Volvos whose ETMs have failed? I know that someone has said that sooner or later all the ETMs will fail. However, I am thinking that there is difference when an ETM fails at around 60K miles or, let's say, 150k miles. Now if my ETM fails at 60K, I will surely be bloody pissed (pardon my French). However, if it fails at 150K, I won't mind swallowing the cost. All things fail. The difference that matters is when they fail.

    Thanks.
    Ta-ta, janusz
    They will all fail, it just depends on when. The more throttle movements per mile, as a city driver, will fail sooner. A highway driver, later. The replacement ETM, part number 8644347, have been reported to fail as soon as 12,000 miles. Volvo internal documents in 1998 estimated that 94% will fail in the first 100,000 miles. See my web for more details http://vexedvolvo.org.

    Don Willson

  4. #44
    Join Date
    Dec 2004
    Location
    Pacific Northwest
    Posts
    156

    Default

    Philisophicaldreamer: The problem is not just the cost, about $1,000., to replace the defective throttle body. The problem is where you are and what you are doing when your Volvo dies.

    If you are out travelling when the engine dies, you will have to be towed or "limp-in" to a Volvo dealer for a new throttle body. The defect is particularly worrisome if you live in the West. Few Volvo dealers outside major urban areas. No Volvo dealer means a very long tow or hours and hours of driving at 30-40 mph. I can give you a few examples. Drive I-5 from Seattle to LA. No Volvo dealer between Medford, OR, and Chico, CA. How about driving I-84 between Portland, OR and Boise, ID? Suppose you are running on I-40 between Bakersfield, CA, and Phoeniz, AZ.

    Where do you find a Volvo dealer on I-90 West of Minneapolis, MN? Answer: I think there is one in Billings or Butte, MT, but I'm not sure. If you drive this route, maybe you can divert down to Des Moines, IA, for repairs. If you have packed your passport, you might also be able to divert to Calgary, Alberta, for repairs.

    What happens if the weather is snowing or below freezing when the Volvo engine dies? It's routinely -30 degrees in Souix Falls, SD. Nobody can repair your Volvo in Sious Falls, SD. You will have to be towed or "limp-in" all the way down to Des Moines, IA. What if it is 120 degrees in the Mojave desert when the Volvo quits?

    What happens if your wife and small kids are in the Volvo when it dies?

    What happens if the Volvo dies while you are driving at 70 mph. in heavy traffic on a busy freeway going through a bad part of town? You may get hit before you get to the side of the freeway.

    All of these scenarios are very realistic. Normal use. We expect our XC to run flawlessly. Unfortunately, it won't. The Volvo ETM has a design defect. Volvo needs to recall, redesign and fix the defect before someone gets hurt and/or killed.

    Volvo refuses to do the right thing. Volvo's reputation and sales will suffer until they get the message. Right now, Volvo will do nothing unless NHTSA forces a safety recall. Sad.

    Edmonds17

  5. #45

    Default Its time to take the battle to Sweden

    For those that are tired of the lack of response from Volvo NA, fire an email to Volvo GCR in Sweden and ask that it be read at the highest level. The address is:

    [email protected]

    This is Volvo Global Customer Relations. You can also call them on 001 46 31 3250077. They are very concerned about the worldwide reaction, but I believe that they get filtered reports from local management.

    Now is the time to take this battle to HQ with emails and phone calls.

  6. #46
    Join Date
    Oct 2004
    Location
    Nashville, TN, U.S.A.
    Posts
    568

    Default

    Quote Originally Posted by Edmonds17
    Philisophicaldreamer: The problem is not just the cost, about $1,000., to replace the defective throttle body. The problem is where you are and what you are doing when your Volvo dies.

    If you are out travelling when the engine dies, you will have to be towed or "limp-in" to a Volvo dealer for a new throttle body. The defect is particularly worrisome if you live in the West. Few Volvo dealers outside major urban areas. No Volvo dealer means a very long tow or hours and hours of driving at 30-40 mph. I can give you a few examples. Drive I-5 from Seattle to LA. No Volvo dealer between Medford, OR, and Chico, CA. How about driving I-84 between Portland, OR and Boise, ID? Suppose you are running on I-40 between Bakersfield, CA, and Phoeniz, AZ.

    Where do you find a Volvo dealer on I-90 West of Minneapolis, MN? Answer: I think there is one in Billings or Butte, MT, but I'm not sure. If you drive this route, maybe you can divert down to Des Moines, IA, for repairs. If you have packed your passport, you might also be able to divert to Calgary, Alberta, for repairs.

    What happens if the weather is snowing or below freezing when the Volvo engine dies? It's routinely -30 degrees in Souix Falls, SD. Nobody can repair your Volvo in Sious Falls, SD. You will have to be towed or "limp-in" all the way down to Des Moines, IA. What if it is 120 degrees in the Mojave desert when the Volvo quits?

    What happens if your wife and small kids are in the Volvo when it dies?

    What happens if the Volvo dies while you are driving at 70 mph. in heavy traffic on a busy freeway going through a bad part of town? You may get hit before you get to the side of the freeway.

    All of these scenarios are very realistic. Normal use. We expect our XC to run flawlessly. Unfortunately, it won't. The Volvo ETM has a design defect. Volvo needs to recall, redesign and fix the defect before someone gets hurt and/or killed.

    Volvo refuses to do the right thing. Volvo's reputation and sales will suffer until they get the message. Right now, Volvo will do nothing unless NHTSA forces a safety recall. Sad.

    Edmonds17
    I do get your point. Like most people here I would love to see Volvo step up to the proverbial table and start dealing with ETM issue rather than pretend that there is no issue. I love Volvos and it pains me that these nincompoops in Volvo's HQ don't care about the reputation of their company. I am just thinking that our efforts should be more coordinated. We should do what Amensty International does when they are dealing with a particular political issue: We should start sending letters and emails to Volvo HQ in Sweden and see what they will do. Our power lies in numbers. Louder we scream more likely we are to force Volvo to do what is right.

    Ta-ta, janusz
    Second gen., Nautical Blue XC70Volvo: "Anything else just isn't up to it" and Wife's Volvo S70: "In manual Transmission She Trusts"

  7. #47
    Join Date
    Dec 2005
    Location
    reading, Pa
    Posts
    4

    Red face ETM, Recall news

    Recall, Warranty, and Investigation News:
    HI, I got this from http://www.ConsumerAutomotiveResearc...rt11-20-05.htm
    Just a few days later the check engine light came on. I was going to the local dealer for the light switch recall anyway. The test showed the ETM and the Ox sensor. . The ETM was replaced @ my expence, but since I had this info, which was backed up by the dealer. It did not hurt as bad. Two days later the light was back, now it is the Ox sensor. Caused by, they say the ETM. I have a Guardian extended warrenty, ETM not covered but the Ox is. My V70 has 99k miles on it. Carfax & dealer record search, says the ETM was previously replaced about 35k ago. I only bought the car 3 weeks ago, hope this is not a trend.


    Volvo Extends Warranty on Stalling Cars

    Volvo has quietly reached an agreement with regulators to extend the warranty of defective throttles in about 356,000 vehicles in the United States and Canada that have a potential problem with stalling.

    The ETM throttle can become corroded and cause the car to stall or slowdown. Possibly 94 percent of these ETM throttles will fail. A dashboard light will indicate the part is becoming defective.

    The throttle warranty will now cover 200,000 miles for 10 years. Volvo will also reimburse consumers who have paid up to a $1,000 to have the throttle repaired. This agreement is not a recall, but only provides motorists with a repair.

    The affected Volvo’s are the 1999-2002 C70, 1999-2000 S70, V70 and V70SX , 2000-2001 V70, V70XC and S60. 1999-2001 S80, and 2000-2002 V70 and S60 models.

  8. #48
    Join Date
    Dec 2004
    Location
    Pacific Northwest
    Posts
    156

    Default

    I sent a customer complaint to Volvo's "Global Customer Relations" Dept. as suggested by a prior post. I immediately received an automated response confirming that "www.gcr.volvocars.com" is, in fact, the global customer relations office for Volvo cars.

    The automated response says they try to respond within three (3) days.

    I complained about the defective ETM's and the need for a recall. I also about the "dealer only" service that is required to repair the defect. Unsuitable for large parts of the US and Canada.

    Volvo's response should be interesting.

    Edmonds17

  9. #49
    Join Date
    Dec 2004
    Location
    Pacific Northwest
    Posts
    156

    Default Sweden's Response to the ETM Fiasco.

    I am pleased to provide to this board the response from Volvo's "Global Customer Relations" Department in Sweden. I complained to Volvo about the ongoing fiasco with defective ETM's and the resulting "dealer only" repair policy that makes Volvo cars unsuitable for use in large parts of the US and Canada.

    "Thank you for your email dated 4th December 2005, informing us of the problems you have experienced with the ETM in your Volvo XC. We understand your wish to bring this matter to our attention.

    Please be assured that your email has been passed on to the relevant department for their information.

    We once again would like to thank you for your comments and for taking the time to bring this matter to our attention.

    Yours sincerely,

    ________________________________

    Elin Ask
    Global Customer Relations Advisor
    Dept 57130, SAA2
    Volvo Car Corporation
    SE-40531 Göteborg
    Sweden
    Telephone: +46 31 3250077
    Fax: +46 31 59 55 55
    Website: ww w.volvocars.com/gcr"


    I'd like suggest that a few other readers should send complaints directly to "gcr.Volvocars.com" in Sweden. Maybe they would then do something other than give us "PR" baloney. I suspect the US is, afterall, the largest market for Volvo cars. Volvo should take our complaints seriously.

    Edmonds17

  10. #50
    Join Date
    Dec 2005
    Location
    Maryland
    Posts
    4

    Thumbs up My ETM experience

    My ETM failed on my 2000 V70XC after 42K this past weekend (10 December). It gave me all the symptoms (loss of power and ETC light on) at the 41K mark on my trip to South Deerfield Massachusetts on 7 December. I took the vehicle to Pioneer Volvo to have them replace the ETM. They only cleaned the ETM and upgraded the software. The only good thing was that they did not charge me saying it was “warranty work.” On my way back to Maryland the symptoms reappeared. On 10 December the ETM failed. I limped the car to my dealer (Martens Volvo of Bethesda MD) for service telling them to replace the ETM. That same day I filed a report to the NHTSA. On Monday, 12 December, a Mr. Steve McHenry, from NHTSA, contacted me at my office with some questions about my report. He also stated that their investigation was now in the engineering evaluation phase and that he wanted my failed ETM unit. He contacted the Service manager at Martens and told him that he was sending some people to pick up the failed unit. NHTSA now has it. I picked up my car today and am happy to report to you and the forum members that I was not charged for the work and that the ETM has a warranty of 10 years or 200k miles, whichever comes first. I have attached my redacted receipt from Martens as proof and as an example should some dealer try to charge you for the work.

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