VOLVO ANNOUNCES A RECALL on NOV. 22, 2006

The following was posted on the NHTSA site on November 22, 2006. It is not much of a recall. Prior to this, in North America, you had the 10 year or 200,000 mile warranty and when you went in for other work you got the Service Campaign 155 software update. All this does is tell anyone that has not had the Service Campaign 155 software update to come in and have it done. The way it is written there is minimal mention of safety, only that this will help Volvo (not us) to have fewer false limp home mode ETM replacements. Remember, at least in the opinion of most Volvophiles, these parts will wear out and fail just as surely as the brake pads on the car or the fan belts.

Volvo has not fixed the underlying problem, a thick film potentiometer that will wear out. The software helps by eliminating some surging, hesitation and false limp home conditions. Now, as I have been told, when problems with the ETM get serious enough to trigger the limp home condition you will get a warning to have the car serviced immediately.

Notice this is ONLY for cars in North America, though Canada will probably follow NHTSA's lead. The rest of the world has nothing more than the standard warranty you got when you bought the car. On November 23rd I got a call from Sweden and even they are no longer doing good will replacements of the ETM. E-mails and discussions in Australia have resulted in a software upgrade when the customer asks for it, but it is not a recall. For Volvo owners in the other 25 countries From Chile to South Africa to Malaysia to Estonia to Nigeria to most of the European Union countries are left out in the cold.

The final report from the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration was released on December 22, 2006 Since this looks like all we are going to get from Volvo Cars North America I will probably concentrate my efforts in helping the rest of the world.

If you individually have any ideas as to how we can pull, push or drag this campaign on and get the results we want, let me know. Within 6 hours of the November 26th announcement I was on camera and 3 hours later KMGH TV had a report on the air. www.kmgh.com and look for VOLVO. Marylin Musgrave, the congresswoman I contacted 18 months ago to bring this to the attention of NHTSA, has already heard of the limp-wrist recall. I will see if there is anything else we can do to achieve a hardware fix.

Don Willson
VEXEDvolvo@comcast.net

Check to Request Research. Submit below.

Make / Models :		Model/Build Years:
VOLVO / C70		1999-2002
VOLVO / C70 CONVERTIBLE		1999-2002
VOLVO / S60		2001-2002
VOLVO / S70		1999-2000
VOLVO / S80		1999-2001
VOLVO / V70		1999-2002
VOLVO / V70XC		1999-2000
VOLVO / XC70		2001
Manufacturer : VOLVO CARS OF N.A. LLC.

NHTSA CAMPAIGN ID Number : 06V441000

Mfg's Report Date : NOV 14, 2006

Component: VEHICLE SPEED CONTROL

Potential Number Of Units Affected : 170099

Summary:
ON CERTAIN PASSENGER VEHICLES, A COMBINATION OF THROTTLE POSITIONING SENSOR IRREGULARITIES, A DIRTY THROTTLE HOUSING, AND/OR INEFFICIENT SOFTWARE CALIBRATION MAY CAUSE A WARNING LAMP TO LIGHT AND THE SUBSEQUENT ONSET OF LIMP HOME MODES.

Consequence:
THIS RESULTED IN A HIGH NUMBER OF VEHICLES GOING INTO THE LIMP HOME MODE WITHOUT NEED.

Remedy:
DEALERS WILL INSTALL THE CURRENT SOFTWARE UPGRADE ONTO THE INVOLVED VEHICLES. THE MANUFACTURER HAS NOT YET PROVIDED AN OWNER NOTIFICATION SCHEDULE FOR THIS RECALL. OWNERS MAY CONTACT VOLVO AT 1-800-458-1552.

Notes:
VOLVO RECALL NO. R155. CUSTOMERS MAY ALSO CONTACT THE NATIONAL HIGHWAY TRAFFIC SAFETY ADMINISTRATION’S VEHICLE SAFETY HOTLINE AT 1-888-327-4236 (TTY 1-800-424-9153), OR GO TO HTTP://WWW.SAFERCAR.GOV.

The following is old news from about November 2005.

VOLVO is extending ETM warranty to 10 years, 200,000 miles!

I don't know how much VEXED had to do with this extended warranty, probably nothing, but we will hang on anyone's coat tails if they are going in the right direction. It is a major concession that Volvo has admitted that there is a problem with the electronic throttle modules (ETM) and is taking steps to cover the replacement, up to 10 years and 200,000 miles.

The following Confidential memo is legit ---, it was posted on SWEDESPEED.com. My source had a call from Dan Johnson at Volvo. The story will break on TV Tuesday night, November 15, 2005, at 10:00 PM on KMGH, Channel 7 Denver, Colorado. It is a hidden camera report where a dealer says that surging cannot happen and I am there to critique the film. The thrust of the story has changed from "Volvo is still covering up the problem" to "KMGH ----- reports success with their investigative report."

Also from Swedespeed, "Doesn't matter who you purchased the car from if it's under 10 years and 200,000 old you WILL BE covered and you will be reimbursed for previous 'out of pocket expenses'. Letters will start to be mailed out to owners starting next month. If Volvo doesn't know you own the car (if you didn't send in that little tear out in the warranty book) you will have to contact them with a receipt that you had the ETM replaced and that you paid for it. If it hasn't failed yet and it fails between now and the above said time and mileage limits they now will pay for it. THEY WILL NOT REPLACE IT IF EVERYTHING IS FINE, just to replace it, they will WHEN it fails As I said nothing for a month or so so don't ask your dealer, (I already did). You will be notified "

I will add pages 2 through 6 as soon as I can find them.

Letter From Volvo to TV Channel 7 Denver, Colorado

(This letter was included in the online KMGH web site. )

As a result of working with the California Air Resources Board, Volvo Cars of North America, LLC, has voluntarily decided to extend the warranty period for the Electronic Throttle System function on certain vehicles to 10 years or 200,000 miles, whichever comes first. In addition, Volvo Cars of North America, LLC, is providing owners and lessees of these vehicles with a free Electronic Throttle System software upgrade, which will be available after March 1, 2006. Where such Volvo owners or lessees previously paid to have their Electronic Throttle System repaired or replaced within 10 years and less than 200,000 miles, they may be eligible for a refund, if they provide proper documentation of the repair. The following models are implicated by this program:

1999-2002: C70 coupes and convertibles
1999-2000: All S70, V70 and V70XC vehicles
2000-2001: V70, V70XC and S60 vehicles with turbo charged engines
1999-2001: All S80 vehicles and
2000-2002: V70 and S60 vehicles with normal aspirated engines

Tony, in our letter to owners, we will also explain what 'Limp Home' mode means. Actually, what happens is the 'Check Engine' or 'ETS' lamp will illuminate. Additional symptoms that may be associated with this condition include uneven engine idle, and/or onset of "limp home mode", a condition that affects drivability potentially restricting maximum vehicle speed to between approximately 10 and 30 miles per hour.

Thanks for allowing us to provide details for our segment.

Daniel Johnston
Product Communications
Volvo Cars of North America