I own a 2001 Volvo xc and bought this car for its reliability and as a family vehicle. I use this vehicle to commute 150 miles per day for my job. Drove the car on June 3, 2012 with my son to run errands and there were no problems. The next day, June 4, 2012 I got in the car to go to work in the morning. The minute I started pulling out of the driveway I heard a noise coming from the car. I got my husband and had him look at the car since it was fine the day before. He discovered the broken spring. Luckily the spring broke overnight while it was sitting in the driveway and not while I was driving it on the highway. We have done research on this part breaking and found numerous other Volvo owners who have also had this part break.

- Vandalia, OH, USA

Turning left out of driveway, right (passenger) ball joint separated, pulling the cv joint apart and damaging the right front fender. I moved a total of three feet.

- South Haven, MI, USA

: the contact stated the suspension continued to fracture and had to be replaced once every year. The service dealer determined a part within the suspension needed to be replaced. The contact was unsure of which part needed to be replaced, to resolve the issue.

- Brea, CA, USA

Front passenger side wheel broke off as a result of ball joint breaking leading to an axle break. Also damaged were bumper and fender when hit by the wheel breaking off. My wife was leaving O'hare airport at around 9:00 pm on 6/27/06. When cruising at 20-30 mph she heard a cracking noise and then suddenly the car turned right. She stepped on a brake pedal trying not to hit cars on the next line. When she stopped and get out of the car she realized that the front passenger side wheel came off. It was kept in place just by the shock absorber. She and my two sons (age 3 and 6) spent nearly two hours on a highway waiting for a tow truck to come. The car has 5 years and 98,500 miles on it. The front suspension was already repaired twice. Once 2 years ago and then half a year after that. Before the accident described above there were no signals/noises that would indicate any problems with neither the wheel nor the suspension. The car was always driven on normal streets and highways. No off road adventures or really bad roads. I had many cars in my life but I've never had such a problem before. How can Volvo claim that they make reliable and safe cars when something like that happens? I sent an E-mail to Volvo customer service but have not heard back from them. Now I have to pay over $2,500 in repair fees ($1000 to repair broken ball joint and axle plus additional $1500 to repair bumper and fender). I do have an extended warranty but, surprise surprise, they said they can only cover the cost of repairing the ball joint. Everything else, even though it was damaged because of the ball joint, they would not cover. And, of course, the cost of replacing the ball joint is less than my deductible so... they washed their hands.

- Crystal Lake, IL, USA

Consumer complaint regarding Volvo electronic throttle defect. Updated 11/7/2005 - while driving the performance reduced light and ses light illuminated on the dash. The vehicle was taken to the dealer who determined that the electronic throttle needed to be replaced. Neither the dealer nor manufacturer agree to replaced the throttle free of charge because the vehicle was out of warranty. During inspection the technician found the front control arm and upper spring seat broken. The power steering fluid leaked due to a faulty hose clamp.

- Toronto Ontario, 00, USA

Heard loud "knocking" when turning right and left, decelerating, and entering/exiting parking lots. Took car to dealership three times and told nothing was wrong. It was simply a very heavy car and might make that noise in those circumstances. Problem worsened. Took to independent mechanic and he found broken motor mounts which left engine sitting on top of steering column. He stated it was a design flaw that has now damaged the steering and possibly alignment, suspension, etc. Also noted that placement of engine on top of steering column will probably cause the motor mounts to break again within six months.

- Riverbank, CA, USA