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In my earlier posts I stated it was the ECM, it was not but the CEM module was replaced and appeared to clean up the transmission shifting. However once the two 02 sensors were put in I am now getting an ECM fault 4801 for the catalytic converter.
I would like to ask for some opinions.
First, if I would like to just fix it for a trade-in, what would be the most economical fix to get the car into a trade-in condition?
Second, how and where do I file a complaint with hope that someday in the future consumers (like you and me) will get a fair treat.
(permission to vent...)
well... I just bought a 2001 V70 2.4T three days ago from a used car dealer. I was running just fine around the dealer. I have driven it for a total of 100.7 miles and the transmission just went bad. It started by slipping between 1st and 2nd while I was running across a highway. The slipping occurred again at the very next traffic light minutes later. About 5 miles before I got home, there was a big thump when it tried to shift from 2nd to 3rd, and the message "Transmission Service Required" showed up on the display. It was running LIMP-HOME-MODE until I got home.
Motor mounts are another thign altogether...
Goo dluck!
Vibe
If you are even a little handy and able to follow instructions, you can save +/- $100 and do it yourself in a couple of hours. You can purchase a case of 12 plus 4 additional quarts of Mobil 3309 ATF for $115 from www.ipdusa.com (or 2 cases from www.avlube.com for $120). I also recommend adding ipdusa's well designed $25 hose kit.
You can review detailed instructions on how to do it yourself here:
http://www.matthewsvolvosite.com/chat/phpBB2/viewtopic.php?t=8767
It may seem a little daunting in words, but in reality, it's only a little more complex than changing your engine oil.
At the very least, read over the procedure a couple times until you can visualize it, then decide if you're up for doing it yourself or would rather pay someone else. Even if you decide to have the shop do it for you, you'll have a good understanding of the procedure to ensure that the shop does it correctly and uses the right lubricant (which is critical).
Good luck!
The internet is a fantastic resource for sharing information with others, but it is also a breeding ground for misinformation.
Am I saying that the V70 has not had it's share of transmission failures? No, absolutely not. What I'm saying is that the V70 has had its share - no more, no less. Do research on ANY CAR EVER SOLD and you'll find complaints, anecdotal testimonials, and lemon law/class action lawsuit furor.
In fact, just for grins, I just checked the NHTSA website for complaints about a paragon of quality, the 2007 Lexus ES350. I found 74 complaints filed - and 18 (that's 25%!) are about the transmission slipping/clunking. The 2007 Volvo V70 had one complaint (and it wasn't the transmission).
Don't let an angry, vocal minority sour your ownership experience. After 4 years and almost 70,000 miles, my 2004 V70 is still going strong (and the transmission is as sweet as ever - especially after a fluid flush 2 months ago). It's a fantastic car and I plan to keep mine for a very long time.
fedlawman, "Volvo V70 Transmission Problems" #66, 13 Jan 2008 11:31 pm
Whatever the outcome, I sincerely hope it works out for you and the others who have had this problem.
Enjoy.
Most of the transmission problems associated with the V70 have been reported on earlier models than yours. As someone who is currently in the middle of this battle, I would like to assure you that these concerns are real. I have read literally thousands of complaints that are eerily similar to mine. I have a 2001 V70 Cross Country and have spent almost $10,000 with no real result. My transmission was replaced in November of 2006 and I have an appointment tomorrow because I'm pretty sure I dropped 2nd gear on Saturday night. While I am very happy that you have not experienced the nightmare that I and many others are going through, I would urge you to do a little more research before telling others that these are normal concerns. These problems are not normal.
And I would urge you to read what I actually wrote and not misquote me. I have clearly stated in prior posts that the transmission problems you and others have experienced are real and not trivial in nature.
But I have also pointed out that many of these anecdotal incidents have been posted by owners of V70's that were purchased as used cars, without any knowledge of the cars service history. If someone purchases a used car with 60K, 70K, 80K or more miles and has no knowledge of how the car was broken in, driven, or serviced, how can they then claim a manufacturer defect when something fails?
I also previously mentioned that I researched complaints at the NHTSA website and other enthusiast forums for MY 2001 cars from Nissan, Dodge, Honda, Toyota, Audi, Chevrolet, Mitsubishi and others and found numerous complaints from owners describing the very same transmission problems found in the various Volvo forums.
So again, I'm very sorry that you and others are experiencing problems with your transmissions. But, I never said that your problems are not real - I simply said they are not unique to Volvo and not necessarily caused by a manufacturer defect.
I have a 2001 Volvo V70 with 91k miles on the clock. The problem I'm having is with the transmission when shifting between 2nd and 3rd gears (it's an autom atic). When cold (in the morning) and only when accelerating very slowly, the car revs 500 to 100 rpms when shifting between 2nd and 3rd. It take about a second or two before the car drops into gear. If you are accelerating quickly and not hovering around the 18-20 mph range, it shifts fine. It's only in the morning and only when cruising between 18 and 20 mph.
Any thoughts? I've seen lot's of post on the problems with these transmissions on other sites and was hoping to get technical feedback. We've replaced the transmission recently. The problem was there prior to the replacement but was few and far between. Now it's consistent.
Thanks,
Doug
We are the owner of a 2001 V70 XC and have experienced extensive transmission problems.
We are the original owners and have completed all recommended maintenance at the Dealership.
We first started to experience the jerking at low speed at arround 10K miles. We mentioned this to the dealership and did some software upgrades. This aleviated the problem for a while until the transmission suddenly died on us at around 50K miles. Thankfully we were covered by our extended warranty and the transmission was changed at no direct cost to us.
Soon after the change of transmission the symptoms reappeared, until at 70K it was getting enough concerning to have the dealer look at it again. The transmission needed to be changed AGAIN! This time we were out of warranty...
On this car we have changed transmission as often as we have changed tires! This is very surprising considering that I would assume that you would not expect to change transmission more than once in the life of a car...
I thought that my story was an exception, but reading this forum really tells me that Volvo has a problem in its hand, and refuse to look at it.
This car has been costing us way too much, we are parting from it.... :mad: and we are not buying Volvo anymore.
I received a mailer the other day about a recent settlement with Volvo on a class action for a different set of reasons. I think it would be quite interesting to approach the same law firm that sued Volvo, and present them the evidence just from this forum alone.
I am tired of the faults (all of the ones listed above happened on our car as well, the gas cap, etc. Oh yeah, and the turn signal - did that one happen to you too?). But the transmission problems are truly ridiculous. That is life and death we are talking about. Which is why I think it is appropriate at this time to bring up the matter in a legal way.
If we know about all these problems, and we do nothing, and then someone's family has a tragedy ...?
i'm just laughing because a week ago I arrived at the pump, stepped out of the car, walked around, wanted to open gas cap lid and the whole plate broke off!
I couldn't believe what I've done I just touched it.
I hope next time I try to open a door, it won't fall off.
I have 2001 XC70. almost 120K. there is a wierd jerk up-shifting from 2nd to 3rd gear, started at ~80Kmiles. this is sooo annoying you can't believe it. fortunately, or unfortunately, the car still drives. and I have to live with it.
I'm just waiting until it dies.
I'll never buy volvo ever again. Ever. you heard me.
As for the class action related to the throttle module, it is ridiculous. You could receive a refund from the company if you already had it replaced. However, if it has not yet been replaced, three things must be present to have it covered under warranty. 1) The ETM codes come up showing that it needs to be replaced 2) the variance has to be outside of 13 degrees from the polemetrics(??), 3) the Check engine light has to be on. Any one of these items missing and guess what, no replacement, even though failure is certain and imminent.
The fact that Volvo, which markets itself as a safety oriented car company, would rather wait for a part to fail, endangering all passengers, than fix the problem when the problem is evident, is so very disappointing. I expected more.
Volvo's whole thing on being a "safe family vehicle" yeah right, they didn't care too much for my family's well being, even though I had my one year old son with us when we purchased the car. We found out the next day that it would have to have the transmission replaced and since Georgia has no lemon laws on used cars, we were stuck with the car and Northpoint Volvo didn't care to do anything about it, it was our problem now. BEWARE OF THIS DEALERSHIP!!!
And I know that we should have tried to get a warranty on the car, it was "as is", but we weren't as savvy about buying cars as we are now, the price was good on the car and i've had 3 Volvos previously so I've always had a very good perception of the Volvo brand. I just would have never thought the very next day there would be a problem!!!
I have annoyingly driven the car up until now and it is definitely on its last leg, the light is on saying Transmission Service Urgent and it will stick in one gear, you have to turn it off and back on to get it back changing gears. It is in the shop right now and it will be about $4500 to replace the tranny, so i'm car-less for awhile!!! I just HOPE that there is a Class Action Suit, Volvo really needs to fix this problem!!! :mad:
If you bought the car with a major pre-existing problem and the dealership didn't disclose it, then shame on the dealership.
It has nothing to do with Volvo.
http://www.audiforums.com/forum/showthread.php?t=113227
I only focused on the dealership that sold me my Volvo lemon. I never went after the brand. The dealership has the control in regards to addressing your issue...fixing the problem or replacing the part. It's true that they make a small margin on a used car, but that isn't the point...is it. They are responsible for selling a solid automobile. You buy from a dealer because you want a reliable purchase process.
The dealer is all about their bottom line.
If they truly sold you a lemon...a car that had pre-existing issues that they did not disclose, then go after them and post your opinion and issue with the car on every car blog and forum you can. After a while, make them aware that there is increasing negative press (that could affect their sales traffic). Don't threaten, just continue to spread the word of this negative situation that they put you in. Write to corporate and make them aware of this dealerships bad practices:
Anne Belec
President and CEO
Volvo
1 Premier Place, Irvine, CA 92618
949-341-6500
It may take some time and may also take a lot of energy on your part, but for me...it was eventually worth it.
a few weeks ago the locks began randomly locking and unlocking themselves. phantom warning lights flickering on and off.
now, a couple months later, the surging and lurching is back -- this time with afresh warning codes "service engine" and "transmission needs service." and a scary second gear freeze that nearly caused an accident.
I'm guessing it's like "game over"
As a newspaper editor, I've put twice the mileage 220,000 on my 1997 honda accord -- and it still runs beautifully and cost a fraction in repairs. what is this car company thinking-- are all Volvos this glitchy?
Love comfort, design, but mechanics are nightmarish. I'm thinking major investigative reporting on this ;-)
You should at least post your complaint on the NHTSA site:
http://www.nhtsa.dot.gov/
A year ago I put in a new rebuilt transmission. I have filed a complaint with Volvo of North America ( no ownership of the problem) I also filed a complaint with the Attorney Generals office stating there needs to be a recall on the failed transmissions. I suggest you all do the same, file a complaint and request a recall. Whether you decide to replace your transmissions is up to you. Save your receipts.
In our 2001 XC, 100K miles, the car will lose the power to the wheels, as if it is suddenly interrupted. Then WHAM, the power to the wheels kicks back in with a neck snapping jolt if you don't get your foot quickly off the accelerator. It seems to do this in random situations, though most often when coming out of a turn.
One would assume this is the transmission, which is perhaps why no mechanic (until yours) tried another approach. If this is all true, you may have to name names so this mechanic can try fixing my car.
Can you tell what exact parts were replaced? How much did it cost you?
And what kind of problem you had with 2-3 gears you mentioned?
Thanks.
After a year I decided I'd do "some maintenance" on the car, although honestly there was no real need for that. But I took it to a shop and they advised to replace front lower BUSHINGS (! ding!), they did ATF flush (transmission fluid) and something else minor. Total bill was close to your figure, $1200 (ding ding!).
When I drove out of the shop the car was fine. But after about two weeks after that one morning it started doing just this: starts going fine, but when it comes to upshifting from 2 to 3 it (damn!) gives a freaking kick accompanied by loud metallic clanking somewhere underneath. This is so annoying.
I was at around 98kmiles I think. This was 2 years ago.
I drive like this up until now.. it's 120kmiles almost, and it's neither going away, nor getting worse.
I took it to same shop and two other dealerships. They keep saying it's solenoid in the transmission, and whole transmission needs to be replaced.
But, I've lived this world for to long not to see correlation between the "maintenance" they've done, and transmission starting doing this thing. It's not just a coincidence. Things just don't happen by themselves.
You made me very curious, because two things they've done on my car were: ATF flush and bushings. So, either they screwed with changing the fluid, or it's really suspension that makes the car act like this between gears.
But that would be really weird if bushings or other suspension parts can affect the way transmission works etc.
HAD ANYONE here on this forum who has similar problem with transmission (kicking and jerking between gears) done any work on suspension / bushings shortly before they started noticing these symptoms??? Anyone recalls something similar?
Don't top off or flush these transmissions with regular or synthetic ATF unless it specifically states it meets JWS 3309 specifications. If you do, you will likely void your warranty and probably ruin your transmission.
If you buy a CPO or used car with an Aisin AW transmission that requires this fluid, make sure it's been serviced properly. If it hasn't or you don't know, start saving for a new transmission.