2008 XC70 Problem/issues

nibs

Hi to all of you new owners of the 08 XC70.

Here are some of the issues I'm having.
1. Power tailgate motor failure. Had in into the dealership five times now. Still not resolved.
2. Adaptive steering in not consistent. I start in low but get high stiff steering. Setting is set at low force.
3. Rear hatch make more noise than a creeky old rocker on a uneven floor.
4. Mileage considerably worse than my 2002 XC70.
5. Accelerator seems disconnected from the response, especially at slow speeds. Maybe the 09 turbo version will remedy this.

nibs

Update.

Power tailgate motor replaced.

Adaptive steering sensor replaced.

Rear hatch lubricated to death.

Acceleration still less than expected.

Fuel economy remains very poor.

bodble2

How poor is very poor? Are you talking about city mileage, or hwy mileage too?

anon3

My 2008 XC70 is equipped with OEM Continental tires. I just noticed today that the front tires are almost worn down to the the wear bars at 11,500 miles of mostly highway driving, which was extremely surprising. I am meticulous about tire pressure and vehicle maintenance.

After a little research, it turns out that these Continental tires are junk... zero tread wear warranty and they have a history of wearing out in as little as 15k miles.

First: Thanks, Volvo, for putting garbage tires on your vehicles, which means your customers will shell out hundreds of dollars for new tires after a year of driving.

Second: If I had known this, I would have insisted that the dealer change the tires before purchase. Don't make the same mistake if you're thinking of buying a new Volvo with Continental tires.

Third: has anyone else had this problem?

bodble2

Our Mini has Continental tires, but I don't notice that they wear down faster than other brands. Have you checked the wheel alignment on your XC70?

anon3

Alignment was checked by the dealer a few weeks ago. The XC70 ships with Continental 4x4 Contact tires, which are Truck/SUV tires and get terrible ratings. OEM Continental tires on a Mini Cooper usually are a version of Continental Conti Contact performance tire, which have much better tread wear warranty depending on the speed rating.

nibs

I averaged about 10.7 per 100k with my 02 XC70 and have not gotten better than 12.7 with this beast. This is a result of highway and city.

I fed up with the friggen thing and wish I could make it disappear tomorrow. Run people run. Volvo customer care is second rate. Buy a Japan car that will not drain your pocket book to purchase and will require very little service.

bodble2

12.7 is not bad if it is city-only driving. I get less than that with my current '04 TL in the city.

I've always liked the XC70, but also have been worried by Volvo reliability and customer service. What makes the XC70 attractive now is the factory cash credit. You can get a nicely equippped one for under $50K CAD with the factory cash. The '09 TL AWD is about $48K, albeit it is fully-loaded at that price.

nibs

UPDATE!

Another problem.

Temps have cooled off and early morning frost has become the norm. Went outside on Wednesday, opened the drivers side rear door, placed my briefcase in and then shut the door. Upon getting in the car and starting it up I noticed that the rear door open indicator was on. I got out and opened and closed the door again. No luck, the light stayed on. Finally got the car into service today and the door lock module is faulty.

Also the rear hatch foam was replaced in an effort to reduce the noise coming from the tailgate. No luck there either. I think this is the car that Jack built.

Run people run.

nibs

Went through the CAMVAP process and Volvo Canada was ordered to buyback the XC70. Keep all of your documentation and don't be bullied.

bodble2

Congrats! Did Volvo have to pay you full purchase price? I was similarly successful using CAMVAP against Honda back in 2001. As you said, the key is to keep ALL your documentation, plus make notes of everything said between you and the service guys.

amtang2

FYI

Had similar creaking noises from the rear tailgate door after a run in with some snow camouflaged potholes.

Took it to the dealer and they realigned the latches . . . voila! No more noise. Apparently the potholes caused some frame torque in just the right way to get them mis-aligned.

Just my two cents worth.

Matt

bodble2

Potholes caused the frame to torque enough to mis-align the hatch?! Wow! I guess they don't build Volvos like they used to. :sick:

julie32

I just spent $1000 on the 105,000 mile tune up only to discover 2 days later that I need an new transmission for $4700!! I drive a 2002 xc70. I took it in last week with a problem with hesitation when I press down on the eccelorator the car would learch forward. This happened when I would be traveling on the highway and was gearing up to pass another car and starting up at a stop light. Now that I think about it, this had been happening since we bought the car but not this much.
I love this car. This is my 3rd Volvo, I had a 1989 wagon, a 2001 v70, that was totaled by my daughter! She rolled the car, but was able to walk away with only bruises. (the police said if she was in another car she would not have survived). Needless to say, I went back and got a 3rd Volvo. But this transmission issue really has me upset.
My question- does this seem to be happening to other 2002 xc70s?
Thanks,
Julie32

nibs

Hi Julie32. I owned a 2002 XC70 and it was just beginning to show the same problem. I think it is a common failure with the Volvo line since Volvo was sold by its Swedish owners. Lord only knows where the parts for these vehicles are manufactured today and there is so much cross pollination with components from other brands that it is fair to say consumers have a right to be wary of what they are buying.

Previous to the 02 XC70, we owned a 1996 850 Turbo. It was a beautiful car and is still on the road today. Nothing major wrong with it, although the new owners do not take care of it properly.

The 08 XC70 I purchased was a complete dud from the 12th day on after I bought it. Just one thing after another. Other than if it was an older model I'd never buy another one and have no faith in the brand anymore. I've since bought a BMW and it has been the most pleasant driving experience I ever had.

Regarding the comment by another ref the tailgate. My Bimmer has a tailgate too and I have had no structural issues at all. The tailgate failure in my Volvo has been experienced by others and imo it is a design flaw as well as structural.

aspendrive

Odd thing happened today, a very hot & humid day in Los Angeles. I turned the car on, turned on the A/C, and the driver's side vents blew COLD air and the passenger side blew blazingly HOT air. Not only that, those vents were extremely hot to the touch. I turned off the A/C, noting that both side's controls were already in the coldest temp position. I drove home with the windows open, slowly in the right lane in case it was something serious, then when I tried the A/C again (when I got home), it all worked fine.

Any suggestions as to why this may have happened? I already spent $800 on a dealer service not two months ago, so I'm a little apprehensive to head back there again and open my wallet to them.