Car began to lose acceleration on 10-15-05 and would take a full 2 min to reach 55 mph with only minimal throttle depression (any more than only the least would cause the drive train to jerk and refuse to propel the car at all). If the car was pulled over and restarted the problem would correct itself for a while (sometimes the gap in between malfunctions would be several hours initially) but would always return. Ran trouble codes and the oxygen sensor was initially faulty. Replaced then the engine would idle erratically upon startup, but after a period of time (5-15 minutes) it would all of a sudden correct itself - racing the engine seemed to shorten the time period, but you would have to depress and quickly release the gas pedal in order to get the RPM's significantly high enough to facilitate the smooth operation. Once the engine ran fine, it would operate well as long as the car was never shut off (it was ran on a journey of 1,000 miles and operated perfectly normal). The moment it was shut down, even for the briefest of spans, it would act in the same manner with the idle fluctuating wildly, but seemed to be prone to stalling when the engine was warm/hot. Volvo was contacted and recommended dealer diagnosis to determine the scope of the problem. When the car was brought in for service, I was assured that it "could not possibly be the computer(ETM)". however there was a software update installed (hmmmmm.....couldn't possibly, but lets adjust it....hmmmmmm ) which corrected the rough idle initially. Only problem is now the car will not reach or exceed 4,000 RPM even with the car in park (not under load) and will stall jerk and refuse to accelerate under hard pedal pressure and will not drive above about 70 mph on the highway without protestation, loss of acceleration or jerking. All of the diagnostic trouble codes still indicate that the cylinders are wilding misfiring and I'm getting sick of trying to fix Volvo's engineering problem.

- New Port Richey, FL, USA

The electronic throttle module on our vehicle has caused us to encounter hazardous conditions on more than one occasion. In January, 2004, the ets warning light came on and before we could drive the 60 miles to the nearest Volvo service center, our car was sputtering and surging and losing power on a continual basis. This was a dangerous situation for us to be in. The repair that was made involved installing a used part because of computer related problems (which is another story and a complaint to Volvo). Now, 20 months later, that used part has malfunctioned and put us in a similar hazardous situation (not to mention an inconvenient situation) again. When these electronic throttle modules malfunction, there is little notice and the results can be serious when they occur as you are driving in traffic.

- Springfield, KY, USA

The automobile would begin to shake and stall when approaching lower speeds. Also when accelerating, the engine would have a delayed response and not accelerate properly. The ets warning light would come on just prior to the event. After the car was restarted, the vehicle would operate fine until the next occurrence. After the ETM module was replaced at my expense, no problems.

- Albuquerque, NM, USA

My 2000 Volvo S70 is experiencing engine trouble over the last few months. I have been told by a repair shop that it is the electronic throttle module causing the problem. After numerous phone calls to several other shops and dealers, as well as investigations over the internet, it appears that there is a defect in the module that will cause the car to go into a "cripple mode" at any given point. This has happened to me. Volvo apparently does not believe that it is a product defect, but rather it is a maintenance issue. I have had the module cleaned but it has not helped the problem. I do not believe that a situation such as this, which will cost about $1,000 to fix, can be considered a maintenance issue. The car has less than 60,000 miles.

- Woodworth, LA, USA