1998 Volvo V70: doors won't lock, open or latch

Filed May 14, 2004 · Locks · 31,000 miles · MA

I own a 1998 volvo v70 that has problems with the door locks. The car will lock but two doors do not unlock when the master or remote switches are activated. One has to manually lift the unlocking knob first. My concern is that in the event of an accident or the need to leave the car quickly, a young child or someone who is infirm may not be able to exit the car and someone from the outside would not be able to unlock the car door either to help them. For the front door, it is easy enough to lean over from the other side and lift the knob to unlock the door but for the rear door, the knob is placed too far back to reach from the front, hence the concern. From opening the lock, it appears that a small (3 mm) piece of red plastic in the lock mechanism has snapped off. From searching the internet, it seems that this is a common problem for my year and model but that the design fault was fixed on later models. Also, apparently the breakage appears to occur when someone tries to open the locked door while someone is trying to unlock it  a normal occurrence. I have contacted volvo but they tell me this is not a safety issue and simply wear and tear. Thanks for your help.

Filed Mar 22, 2004 · Locks · 40,000 miles · CA

Electric door locks in door behind driver and front passenger doors have failed. Both will close normally but will not open with key or remote. In dark parking lot, not being able to open door especially with remote means it takes more time to enter car leaving passengers more vulnerable to assault. (note: incident date not accurate but website won't let me proceed without an entry.)

Filed Jan 28, 2003 · Body, Lights · 17,000 miles · CA

The consumer has experienced the following: defective tires per dealer, lighting, and the front right passenger side door lock-inop(continuous). Scc

Filed Oct 21, 2002 · Tires · CA

Michelin tires wore out at 17,000 miles--replaced may 2000----front right side passenger door lock--the buttons would go down when locked but the right side was not locked

Filed Oct 10, 2000 · Body · MI

Door lock fails to release manually or electrically. Door cannot be opened by any means (from inside or outside of vehicle). If vehicle was involved in a crash or if occupant needed to exit in an emergency, there would be no means of exit from that door. Since rear window only goes down part way, no escape from window would be possible. Internet search on this problem as well as discussions with volvo mechanics reveal that this is not an uncommon problem for 1998 model-year volvos. Most have been repaired under warranty. My vehicle happens to be out of warranty becuase of its mileage and my local dealerships have not been very cooperative in fixing this problem free of charge. I feel that this problem is a serious safety concern, making vehicle emergency exit and rescue difficult, if not impossible. You may not have received many complaints yet because most vehicle owners have had these problems remedied under warranty. One person I have spoken with has had (3) of his (4) passenger door locks replaced already. A service manager of a canadian volvo dealership told me that this has been enough of a problem at his dealership that he feels volvo should repair at no charge (too bad he doesn't work at my dealership). I have contacted volvo na regarding this issue, I await their response. Regardless of their response, I feel that it is a bonafide safety concern.

Filed Feb 1, 1999 · Body · CA

Power door lock failed. Yh

Filed Dec 27, 1998 · Body · CA

While driving at normal speed on highway, came upon a rough stretch of road. The car got bumped around a few times, left rear door got knocked open - it stayed latched and did not open all the way. No one was in the rear seat at the time. At the time the door lock switches were in the up/open position - but all doors were properly closed before I began driving.