NHTSA — Engine And Engine Cooling Problems

1.9

hardly worth mentioning
Crashes / Fires:
0 / 0
Injuries / Deaths:
0 / 0
Average Mileage:
84,596 miles

About These NHTSA Complaints:

This data is from the NHTSA — the US gov't agency tasked with vehicle safety. Complaints are spread across multiple & redundant categories, & are not organized by problem.

So how do you find out what problems are occurring? For this NHTSA complaint data, the only way is to read through the comments below. Any duplicates or errors? It's not us.

1999 Volvo S80 engine problems

engine problem

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1999 Volvo S80 Owner Comments

problem #17

Jun 062011

S80

  • 186,585 miles

A D V E R T I S E M E N T S

The contact owns a 1999 Volvo S80. The contact stated the vehicle failed to start. The vehicle was taken to the dealer numerous for the failure. The dealer replaced the battery and the wiring harness but to no avail. The failure mileage was 186,585 and the current mileage was 187, 642.

- Montgomeryvillage , MD, USA

problem #16

Nov 012010

S80

  • 78,600 miles
The contact owns a 1999 Volvo S80. While accelerating from a stop, the contact felt a thump from the driver side wheel. The failure occurred whenever she accelerated from a stop or decelerated. While the vehicle was parked, the contact noticed that the insulation surrounding the wires in the engine compartment were degraded. The vehicle also displayed difficulty when shifting into fourth gear. While driving approximately 70 mph, the contact could not shift out of third gear after attempting to accelerate from 40 mph. The failure occurred intermittently and the check engine light began to illuminate. The vehicle was taken to an authorized dealer where the contact was informed that the vehicle was not included in recalls 00V238000 (suspension: Front: Control arm: Upper ball joint), 02V096000 (engine and engine cooling: Cooling system: Fan), and 06V441000 (vehicle speed control). The vehicle had not been repaired. The failure mileage was approximately 78,600 and the current mileage was approximately 79,100.

- Boerne, TX, USA

problem #15

Oct 082009

S80

  • 127,500 miles
I just purchased a used 99 Volvo, I am a mom of 4 and had heard Volvo to be very safe reliable car. The car ran great for about 2 days, then the lights started coming on, engine system service required, and the vehicle would also stall for no reason. I took it to local Volvo dealer, they say there was a recall on the message board, but if the light came on again it would need a new throttle module, cost of 1100. I left and came home and did some research, I have since found that the ETM has been recalled on that year vehicle and they extended the warranty to 200,000 miles. I am very disappointed in the dealership that they would not inform me first hand and try to charge me. I have since contacted Volvo llc and am awaiting a response. I have also learned that the stalling is considered "limp home mode", which is suppose to be a safety feature, however I did not feel safe when the vehicle did it today driving on I285, in the center lane at 65 mph with my 2 year old in the car. After that experience I do not think I would ever recommend a Volvo to anyone.

- Powder Springs, GA, USA

problem #14

Apr 262009

S80

  • 178,000 miles

A D V E R T I S E M E N T S

I was driving on the highway and I felt a loss of power. I pulled over and the car shut down. I tried starting it but it backfired and stalled. It took me a while to find out what was going wrong. Finally I unplugged the maf (mass air flow sensor) and drove back home with an extremely weak and dangerous car. I drove it like that for a few days. I had no choice because I had no other way to go to school. I changed the maf sensor but it didn't do much. I went to a local shop and had the throttle body cleaned. I could now drive with my maf plugged in but it wouldn't drive properly and would occasionally stall. I learned that Volvo had alot of ETM (electronic throttle module/body) failures on their S80's. so they issued a recall that they apparently have a hard time respecting. I went to a Volvo dealership (Volvo laval) one of the worst dealerships I've been through, by the way. The service manager didn't want to know nothing about my car and simply told me my warranty was over (although it was supposed to expire May 26th, it was actually May 19th that day, so I had a week left). He didn't want to know nothing about my situation and cut short and asked me and my friend to leave after insulting us. Now my car stalls occasionally and has a rough idle. The dealership didn't even want to diagnose the car for free although it is a design mistake by Volvo. I now have the choice of either spending 1600$+ on a throttle module or just drive my car and deal with the stalling.

- Laval, 00, USA

problem #13

Apr 152009

S80

  • 95,000 miles
Volvo 1999 S80 - car went from 60 mph to 20 mph on freeway. Told it was the electronic throttle body. Also told it was a month out of the extended warranty.

- Los Angeles, CA, USA

problem #12

Mar 242009

S80

  • miles
I own an 1999 Volvo S80 (T6 turbo) several months ago the car developed a rough idle and engine surge when the rpms were below about 1200. I have had the car looked at by a Volvo dealer and independent mechanics. No one has found the problem. The error codes that are being generated are inaccurate. Replacing the indicated parts does not solve the problem. The most dangerous aspect of this problem is that when in reverse there is a significant engine surge at times. This creates a very unsafe situation because the surge is not predictable. Significantly increased pressure on the brake pedal is required to keep the car under control while in reverse when this surge occurs. I strongly urge you to investigate this defect in the Volvo S80 and take action to require a recall of these vehicles.

- Stanton, CA, USA

problem #11

Dec 042004

S80

  • Automatic transmission
  • 60,000 miles

A D V E R T I S E M E N T S

The contact owns a 1999 Volvo S80. While driving 40 mph, the vehicle began to slow down and the ABS and engine indicators illuminated on the instrument panel. The vehicle was taken to the dealer and they stated that the trollis system needed to be replaced. The vehicle was repaired, but the failure recurred two weeks later. The vehicle was taken to the dealer again and they stated that the central module needed to be replaced. The vehicle was repaired. The manufacturer stated that the vehicle needed to be taken back to the dealer for further inspection. The failure mileage was 60,000 and current mileage was 97,000. Updated 1/8/09 the ball joint needed to be replaced, the heating system, throttle systems, engine cooling fan and the master cylinder all failed. The vehicle would accelerated on its own. The vehicle stalled on several occasions. The steering made a noise when it was turned. The dealer lubricated the steering. The dealer stated the vehicle needed an O2 sensor. The ignition switch was replaced. The inner tie rods were replaced. 01/14/09.

- Chicago, IL, USA

problem #10

Jan 102006

S80 6-cyl

  • Automatic transmission
  • 75,000 miles
Transmission problems causing dangerous driving conditions. The transmission slips when going between 2nd and 3rd. Also had issues with the engine going to 700 rpms when going 65 mph. This is just one of the many problems. The solenoid went out in the transmission about 13000 miles ago. Currently I have three different error codes "transmission service urgent", low oil pressure stop engine asap", and "emission service required". I have read many other people have the same problems I have had.

- Odenton , MD, USA

problem #9

Sep 292005

S80 6-cyl

  • Automatic transmission
  • 64,000 miles
Engine miss firing and emission light on. Later engine running good but cruise control would not work and text message 'engine system fix next service' with orange warning light on. Took to Volvo dealer and they replaced the ETM for no charge. They kept the old part because they had replaced the original one.

- Conyers, GA, USA

problem #8

Feb 142003

S80 6-cyl

  • Automatic transmission
  • 53,000 miles
The contact owns a Volvo S80 vehicle. It intermittently stalled/ died, and lost power. The electronic throttle module failed and was cleaned three times. The line seal and gasket were replaced due to an oil leak. The top engine torque arm was cracked.

- Mechanicsburg, PA, USA

problem #7

Aug 172004

S80 6-cyl

  • Automatic transmission
  • 169,836 miles

A D V E R T I S E M E N T S

I own a 1999 Volvo S80 which I drive for business purposes. On August 17, 2004 the vehicle stalled at highway speed. Would barely run, even with full throttle. Had vehicle towed to nearest Volvo dealer, Volvo of louisville, ky. They replaced throttle body. Approx. 2 weeks later, had same occurrence. Car stalled at highway speed. Had vehicle towed to local dealer, century Volvo huntsville, al. They examined it and could not find any problem. It was not malfunctioning for them. They kept vehicle for several days trying to duplicate problem. I had a similar occurrence again approx. 5 days later. Instead of having vehicle towed again, the service rep suggested that the car might "reset" if left for 2-3 hours. I left car on roadside overnight and had my wife come pick me up. The next day I went back and the car drove fine. I had another occurrence at highway speeds on October 26, 2004. Vehicle towed to royal Volvo in birmingham. By the time they examined it, vehicle was no longer malfunctioning. They kept it running under load for several hours. There were no computer fault codes found that could have contributed to the problem. This is the same information that centrury Volvo had found and advised me of earlier. I continued to drive the car with a lot of concern through the winter. It went several months with no problems. I had another occurrence in May 2005. I was able to make it home by allowing the car to sit for 20-30 minutes and then it would drive for a short distance before going bad again. At this time I parked the car and began driving my secondary vehicle (a 94 Volvo 960). Unfortunately, I was involved in an accident with this vehicle on July 29, 2005 which forced me to drive the 99 S80 again. It stalled out again today (second day driven). I've had it towed to century Volvo in huntsville again. My salesman showed me an article in today's newspaper regarding this problem.

- Florence, AL, USA

problem #6

Aug 022005

S80 6-cyl

  • Automatic transmission
  • 93,780 miles
My 1999 S-80 Volvo lost power temporarily while my wife was driving the vehicle in traffic. Several of the cars warning lights came on including the transmission service required and brake service required immediately type messages. The Volvo dealer just replace the ABS module and several coil packets and spark plugs. A couple of old parts were left in the inside of the vehicle. We are not sure what the parts are.

- Saint Louis, MO, USA

problem #5

Jul 142005

S80 6-cyl

  • Manual transmission
  • 100,000 miles
Car is stalling and idling irregularly.

- Whittier, CA, USA

problem #4

Jan 062005

S80 6-cyl

  • Automatic transmission
  • 64,832 miles
Volvo S80 T6 1999. Defective ETM (throttle module or throttle unit). This module failed at only 64,000 miles and is not covered under Volvo warranty. I understand this is happening to almosy every owner of this model year. I'm asking for Volvo to cover the replacement cost (parts and labor). The failure of this unit could cause severe injury and/or death as the vehicle engine will die at any speed and anywhere without notice. The dealership replacement cost is over $1000.

- Smithtown, NY, USA

problem #3

Dec 152002

S80

  • Automatic transmission
  • 57,000 miles
I purchased this Volvo S 80 car as a second owner when it had 35,500 miles with 19,500 miles remaining on the 50,000 new car warrenty. The car had been serviced faithfully. At 57,00 miles the serpentine belt failed and the car quit. The car was towed to byers Volvo, columbus, oh. The serpentine belt caused the timing belt to get out of time which caused all the intake valves to be be bent. I was advised that the serpentine belt was scheduled to be replaced at 60,000 miles and that since the car was out of warranty, that I should contact Volvo of America. Again I was told that even though the belt was not due to be replaced until 60,000 miles, the car was still out of warranty and since I did not purchase it from the Volvo dealer, there was nothing they could do. I took the car to an independent garage and had the car repaired. I again contacted Volvo and received the same response. I feel that since the belt that caused the problem was not supposed to be replaced for another 30000 miles that there was an implied warrenty and Volvo should be held responsible.

- Springfield, OH, USA

problem #2

Dec 151998

S80

  • Automatic transmission
  • 4,000 miles
Car dies without warning at high speeds and low speeds, apparently Volvo knows that there is a bad computer chip in many of the cars but does not admit to it because it costs $800 to replace the chip. I found this out from another Volvo driver!

- Sudbury, VT, USA

problem #1

Oct 212003

S80

  • 31,000 miles
After stopping at a light or sign with foot on the brakes vehicle jumped forward several feet. Also, when trying to pass another vehicle on the highway vehicle decelerated instead of accelerating, nearly causing an accident.

- Lowell, MA, USA

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