2000 Volvo S80: loss of power steering

Filed Apr 2, 2008 · Steering · 103,900 miles · GA

The dealer also made a life threatening mistake by screwing in the power steering pipe and losing power steering. This caused a bad noise and a life threatening situation with my car.

Filed Jan 6, 2008 · Airbags, Body · 119,500 miles · CA

1) engine idles rough, problem became so bad that car stalls at low speeds, lost power steering & "engine dies" at low speeds (unsafe!). Local mech referred to etm warranty program to re-program faulty etm module. Took car to dlr, re-programmed etm car died again! Turns out bad battery as well: several hundred $$$ to replace battery. Car does not accelerate smoothly, large "shudders" present when merging onto hwy, during transmission/gear shift. Not good! 2) airbag "SRS-urgent service" warning indicator light is on. Good local mech. States this is a $1000 repair. 3) "check brake light" warning indicator light turns on when depressing on brake pedal: good local mech. States that this is "normal" requires exact matching electrical resistance of all brake lamps to ensure that "check brake light" warning does not occur (in actuality the brake lights work fine, the built-in-test is faulty). 4) "check engine light" comes on 2-3 times in last 3 months. Major service was required. One fault was isolated to fuel tank gas cap: if not secured properly "ECM-4308 (leak diagnostic) large leak" occurs...remedied by twisting fuel cap 3 full rotations, after re-fueling gas tank. Good local mech. Diagnosed the loose gas cap problem, warned me about it, and didn't charge me (nice!). 5) body paint is very susceptible to chipping & scratches. Paint or exterior panels are very soft and easily damaged. Another shame, this car looks great but does not hold up very well under typical parking lot conditions (I.e. Someone parked next to you opens their car door into the side of your car resulting in a large scratch). Solution: purchase a fancy car cover and protect the body paint, if you can! 6) parking brake "seems loose", upon parking car and engaging parking brake the vehicle rolls almost 30 cm bwds or fwd depending on level or inclined surface.

Filed Dec 11, 2006 · Acceleration · 80,000 miles · MI

Approximately 6 months ago vehicle began erratic throttle while on speed control (surging). Dealer serviced vehicle with software update and temporarily resolved problem. Problem has returned as well a spontaneous stalling, and very erratic variance in throttle pedal position and acceleration. Stalling has occurred with throttle pedal release entering turn lane - no power steering nor brake boost. Dealer has serviced vehicle - cleaned sensors related to throttle position module - with no improvement. Wife is refusing to drive vehicle she now refers to as scary.

Filed Nov 28, 2006 · Acceleration, Electrical · 45,000 miles · MA

1. Following download of recall software performance has been vastly reduced and now only achieves 8.2 mpg. 2. The ABS control module functions intermittently and usually in the failure mode. Abs brakes do not function properly-replacement $950 3. While backing (cold engine), brakes fail to stop the car for several seconds (feet). 4. The vehicle stalls mostly on turns but on straight away. A. Car now shuts off approx 6-8 times while driving, dangerous while driving at interstate/highway speeds. It "surges" forward and the lights (dash and headlights) fade - vehicle stalls with no power steering or power brakes. 5. Cruise control fails ?? Up hills/down hills shuts down. Now is inoperable. 6. The electronic door locks malfunction intermittently. 7. Following error codes display and total mileage, trip 1 & 2 mileage displays default to ?? --------?? And mileage does not log on the odometer: a.brake failure stop asap b.coolant level low stop asap c.ABS failure / service required d.stc service required e.power steering failure - service required f.emission system service required g.stop safely and restart engine h.alarm system service required I.alarm triggered j.emission system service required k.no oil pressure stop asap l.check engine. *nm the ball joint, driver side window motor, sunroof switch were replaced. Numerous bulb replacements and replacement of mass flow sensor. The cooling fan malfunctioned. The ABS control module would function intermittently which would cause the ABS to not function. The power steering failed. The vehicle will completely shut off while driving. The cruise control was inconsistent, the vehicle would loose power with the cruise activated. The electronic doors malfunctioned, the fob does not always open the door and at times when closing the driver side door. Updated 12/15/06.

Filed Aug 30, 2005 · Engine · 79,738 miles · NY

Dt: while driving consumer noticed every time took foot off the gas pedal and car stalled. The car would shut down completely sometimes. There was still electrical power in the car. There was no power steering or power brakes when it stalled. The car would start back up right away. The check engine light illuminated. There was a code showing when the car started. The car was taken to the dealership, who advised that there was a problem with the air mass sensor. This sensor was replaced. On april 18 2004 while owner's wife was traveling and trying to pass someone the car shut down completely. There was a check engine light that said something like "check engine emergency." there was no power steering or power brakes. Then the wife had just enough power to pull off to the side of the road and a tow truck brought the car to dealership. The car would not turn back on . *ak

Filed Aug 20, 2005 · Engine · 94,200 miles · MA

The engine shut down suddenly with loss of power steering and power brakes once while on a ramp entering the expressway and a second time while on the expressway. Each almost caused an accident. I was able to re-start the engine. This happened shortly after buying the car and the etm and maf were replaced then. Several times over the years since there has been a variation of engine speed while driving at high speed. The dealer was never able to identify the problem. I just had this fixed (at a cost of $1,326.68) since it is no longer under warranty.

Filed Aug 2, 2005 · Acceleration · 65,000 miles · PA

Dt: beginning last year, while driving in the neighborhood rpms would go way up and fall back down over and over for about 5 minutes. Then ,the engine cut off. The vehicle started right back up. Then, right away the problem would occur again. The car was taken to the dealership. The air intake valve was replaced. The problem stopped for a while. Then, the exact problem happened again on june 15 2005. The car would stop in traffic. The rmps would go up and down for about 5 minutes, and tthere was electrical power. There was no power steering or brakes when the car shut completely down.

Filed Apr 11, 2005 · Steering · 34,100 miles · IL

Whilie traveling to illinois from kansas, the power steering on my 2000 volvo s80 suddenly gave out. I stopped at the first available exit and checked the fluid level, which was empty. I then added 24 fl. Oz. Of power steering fluid and that corrected the problem for about 5-10 minutes. I ended up driving the remainder of the trip with no power steering. It appears that the leak is coming from the area of the power steering servo located at the lower end of the steering wheel rod. Car was taken in today to the shop for repairs. The car has 34,000 miles on it, and is in prestine condition otherwise. I have seen other complaints regarding the same problem and I feel that a recall is certainly in order.

Filed Oct 2, 2002 · Electrical · AL

All electrical power has been shut off to vehicle on 4 different occassions. The first time was while entering a right turn lane at a slow speed. All power equipment failed...no power brakes, no power steering, etc. I was able to restart the engine without difficulty after turning the ignition off (with the transmission in neutral) and starting in a normal fashion. This failure mode and resolution is typical. The second time, I was turning left across a fairly busy intersection. Fortunately, I had enough momentum to continue without being hit by oncoming traffic. The third time was in an enclosed parking lot as I made a slow right turn to go up a ramp. The fourth time, and this one was unusual, I was travelling about 45 MPH when all the failure lights came on for about 1 sec. Fortunately, the power came on by itself. Imagine the consequences of a total electrical failure at 40+ MPH in traffic...no power to the brakes or steering. Ts