November 12, 2010, while driving on a state highway, as sole owner/operator of a 2003 volvo vhd 64f 10 wheel dump truck the engine suddenly and without warning stopped running. It immediately became a safety issue to control this empty truck with no equipment trailer attached because of the loss of power steering. The vehicle was towed to a volvo dealer. It was diagnosed by volvo as an engine computer failure. Volvo has not explained which part of this (eecu) engine electronic control unit failed, which I requested to know. The eecu was replaced with a volvo rebuilt unit. This is a product safety and reliability issue. This truck has fifteen thousand, (15,000), original miles.
The worst 2003 Volvo VHD problems
Ranked by number of owner complaints. Mileage and cost come from what owners wrote.
- Electrical2
- Engine2
- Brakes1
Problems by type
Tap a problem to see which part fails, at what mileage and in which other years.
- Electrical2
- Engine2
- Brakes1
Recalls 11
Seat belts
- What is wrong
- Volvo is recalling certain model year 2002-2013 VHD and VN trucks, manufactured from August 4, 2000, through June 22, 2012, and equipped with bench passenger seats. The seat belt d-ring weld may not be sufficient enough to meet the seat belt pull test. Therefore, these vehicles fail to conform to the requirements of Federal Motor Vehicle Safety Standard No. 210, "Seat Belt Assembly Anchorages."
- Risk
- In the event of a crash, an insufficient seat belt weld may prevent the seat belt from properly restraining the occupant. This increases the risk of injury to the seat occupant.
- Remedy
- Volvo Trucks of America will notify owners, and dealers will replace the suspected d-ring, free of change. The safety recall began on May 10, 2013. Owners may contact Volvo at 1‑336‑393‑2000.
Recall number 12V510000 · Recall details
Visibility: windshield wiper/washer: motor
- What is wrong
- Volvo trucks is recalling 127,764 my 2001-2008 vhd, vnl, vnm, and my 2005-2008 vt trucks. A seal may fail allowing water and contaminants to seep into the windshield wiper motor.
- Risk
- If this happens a short circuit may occur, which over time could possibly lead to a vehicle fire.
- Remedy
- Volvo will replace the wiper motor free of charge. Since this recall involves a large number of vehicles, volvo will release the recall in stages as parts are received. Priority will be given to the vehicles located in the regions/states that have a corrosive environment. The recall began on september 30, 2009. Owners may contact volvo trucks at 1‑800‑528‑6586.
Recall number 09V173000 · Recall details
Electrical system: wiring: fuses and circuit breakers
- What is wrong
- On certain heavy duty trucks, the circuit protection (I.e. Automatic circuit breakers) used to protect the vehicle lighting system may not provide adequate protection.
- Risk
- If a short circuit occurs and is left untreated, components and wiring may be subject to overheating which could possibly result in a vehicle fire.
- Remedy
- Dealers will replace the circuit breakers with fuses. The recall began on february 25, 2008. Owners may contact volvo trucks at 1‑800‑528‑6586.
Recall number 07V573000 · Recall details
Wheels
- What is wrong
- On certain trucks, the wheel spacer may become distorted from heat which potentially could lead to a loss of clamp that may result in loose wheel nuts.
- Risk
- If the wheel nuts loosen for any reason, damage to the wheel studs and wheel may occur, and may lead to a complete separation of the wheels from the truck which could result in a vehicle crash.
- Remedy
- Dealers will replace the wheel spacers and the wheel equipment (wheels,studs, and hub) will be inspected for damage and replaced if necessary free of charge. The recall began on june 26, 2006. Owners may contact volvo trucks at 1‑800‑528‑6586.
Recall number 06V213000 · Recall details
Engine and engine cooling: exhaust system
- What is wrong
- On certain trucks equipped with d12d engines, the exhaust gas recirculation (egr) cooler inlet pipes or the pipes that connect the egr valves to the cooler may crack or break.
- Risk
- If the pipes or the cooler inlet pipes fail and are left untreated, the air cleaner and inner fender may be subject to hot exhaust gases, which could lead to a fire.
- Remedy
- Dealers will inspect and repair the egr cooler pipes as required and install a heat shield free of charge. An interim owner letter was mailed on february 17, 2006, to advise on precautions that the owner can take until parts become available. Owners are being notified starting march 3, 2006, that parts are now available. Owners may contact volvo trucks at 1‑800‑528‑6586.
Recall number 06V021000 · Recall details
Visibility: windshield wiper/washer: motor
- What is wrong
- On certain trucks equipped with valeo wiper systems, the wiper motor may be susceptive to salt intrusion that could possibly lead to a condition where the connector overheats to a point where the connector could ignite.
- Risk
- If this occurs, excessive heat and smoke could result in an under hood fire.
- Remedy
- Dealers will inspect and replace the connector plate on the windshield wiper motor. Phase 2 of the recall began on november 1, 2004. Owners should contact volvo trucks at 1‑800‑528‑6586.
Recall number 04V457000 · Recall details
Seats
- What is wrong
- Certain trucks fail to conform to the requirements of federal motor vehicle safety standard no. 207, 'seating systems.' the bench seat, as installed, does not the seat pull requirements of the standard.
- Risk
- The seat anchorage to the floor may not be sufficient to retain the adjusted seating position, which could lead to personal injury or death in the even tof a crash.
- Remedy
- Dealers will replace the passenger side bench seat with a different brand of seat. The recall began november 1, 2004. Owners should contact volvo trucks at 1‑800‑528‑6586.
Recall number 04V404000 · Recall details
Engine and engine cooling
- What is wrong
- On certain heavy-duty class 8 trucks, the assembled engine pre-heater jumper wiring harness was incorrectly assembled.
- Risk
- The engine pre-heater could overheat resulting in damage to the pre-heater and other engine heat sensitive components near the pre-heater and the ability to re-start the engine could be compromised, increasing the risk of a crash.
- Remedy
- Dealers will repair the affected circuits in the jumper wiring harness connector. Owner notification is expected to begin during march 2004. Owners who take their vehicles to an authorized dealer on an agreed upon service date and do not receive the free remedy within a reasonable time should contact volvo trucks at 1‑800‑528‑6586.
Recall number 04V077000 · Recall details
Steering: gear box: shaft pitman
- What is wrong
- On certain heavy-duty class 8 trucks, the pinch bolt attaching the steering drag link to the pitman arm may not have been sufficiently tightened.
- Risk
- The bolt could loosen allowing the drag link and pitman arm to separate, resulting in uncontrollable steering which could result in a crash.
- Remedy
- Dealers will install a new pinch bolt and tighten to the required torque. Owner notification is expected to begin during march 2004. Owners who take their vehicles to an authorized dealer on an agreed upon service date and do not receive the free remedy within a reasonable time should contact volvo trucks at 1‑800‑528‑6586.
Recall number 04V078000 · Recall details
Trailer hitches: fifth wheel assembly
- What is wrong
- On certain heavy duty trucks equipped with jost international jsk 37u series fifth wheels, a fatigue crack can develop in the bracket pin weld under certain loading conditions.
- Risk
- If left undetected or corrected it could lead to the separation of the fifth wheel top plate from its mounting structure, possibly resulting in a crash.
- Remedy
- Dealers will replace the bracket pins and repair instructions free of charge. Owners who take their vehicles to an authorized dealer on an agreed upon service date and do not receive the free remedy within a reasonable time should contact jost international at 616‑846‑7700 or by email to [email protected] or volvo truck at 800‑528‑6586.
Recall number 03V204000 · Recall details
Seat belts: front: anchorage
- What is wrong
- Certain heavy duty class 8 trucks equipped with an optional two-man passenger bench seat fail to comply with the requirements of federal motor vehicle safety standard no. 210, "seat belt assembly anchorages." on the two-man passenger bench seat inboard (center) position, seat belt d-ring mounting bracket weldnut, the weld is not sufficient to meet the seat belt pull requirements .
- Risk
- These trucks do not comply with the requirements.
- Remedy
- Dealers will replace the seat belt d-ring mounting bracket. Owner notification began on april 7, 2003. Owners who take their vehicles to an authorized dealer on an agreed upon service date and do not receive the free remedy within a reasonable time should contact volvo trucks at 1‑800‑528‑6586.
Recall number 03V108000 · Recall details
See all 11 recalls for the 2003 Volvo VHD
Defect investigations
Inoperable tail lights
Odi opened this investigation based on a technical service bulletin and ewr data. Ewr warranty data is aggregate data and individual reports are not submitted.volvo reviewed their warranty data and determined that only 63 of the ewr warranty claims related to the subject vehicles displayed symptoms consistent with the tsb.volvo also noted in their ir response that the tail light configuration is used almost exclusively on tractors that are normally attached to semi trailers.therefore, the tractor lights are normally not the rear most lights on the vehicle.in a normal application, even if one tail light on the tractor was out, the tail light on the trailer would continue to illuminate and provide other drivers of the intentions of the semi trailer driver.pursuant to 49 cfr 396.11 & 13, a commercial vehicle operator is required to perform a pre-trip and post-trip inspection, which includes checking the functionality of the tail lights.given the above information, odi has not identified a safety-related defect trend at this time and further use of agency resources does not appear to be warranted.the closing of this investigation does not constitute a finding by the federal safety agency that no safety-related defect exists.the agency reserves the right to take further action if warranted by the circumstances.
PE06054
Front suspension u-bolts loosen or break
Odi'sinvestigation did not find any evidence that loose or brokenfront suspension u-bolts have caused or contributed to any crashes or near miss events.see the attached engineering analysisreport for full technical details.* 1996/1997 built vehicles are designated by volvo as 1998 model year.
EA02021
Technical service bulletins for the 2003 Volvo VHD 118
Bulletins tell dealers how to fix known problems. A warranty extension means the manufacturer pays for that repair for longer.
What 2003 Volvo VHD owners say
Most recent owner complaints, unedited.
The truck was just working an average day, hauling hot mix asphalt, when the engine began to skip. Brought the truck into dario diesel, they found faulty injector connector, had it replaced. One month later, the same thing happened, again took truck to dario diesel, they found the same problem, they repaired the connector, and sent the truck on its way. 2 months after second repair, it happened again, they found the same problem, corrected it and sent the truck on its way again. One month after third repair, the same thing happened again, again took the truck to dario diesel, they found the same problem and sent the truck on its way. Now they tell us the whole wiring harness for the connectors need to be replaced. We have already spent $1397.00 having this problem supposedly repaired. We have also sent a letter to volvo trucks telling them of the problem.
Abs malfunction brake shutdown and unit turned of completely while driving vehicle. Could not maintain control of vehicle. I placed vehicle in company shop several times and incident continued to occur numerous times. I spoke to swift operation manager scott johnson located in ocala florida about problem and nothing was done. I spoke to rick pickard swift fleet manage in ocala officer and nothing was done. I spoke to rob who is the head shop manager of the ocala office. I requested that the vehicle be sent to volco technicians and nothing was done. They place the vehicle in the shop for the fourth time in three consecutive weeks for the same initial problem and nothing was done. Furthermore it states in the vehicle manual of volvo, if total shutdown of vehicle occurs at any time please notify volvo directly as well as dot to report vehicle problems to prevent any outcome of an accident, injury or death. Page 134 of vehicle manual.
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Questions about the 2003 Volvo VHD
Is the 2003 Volvo VHD reliable?
Owners have filed 3 complaints about the 2003 Volvo VHD, 1.5 times a typical VHD model year.
What is the most common problem with the 2003 Volvo VHD?
Electrical system, with 2 complaints. Next is engine (2).
How many recalls does the 2003 Volvo VHD have?
11 recalls, covering seat belts, visibility and electrical system.
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