The steering wheel sticks and hesitates and won't turn. Then it finally does. Sometimes it seems worse when cold. It has happened many times. I have taken it to many dealers and mechanics and they can't figure it out. Just recently pulling out of my driveway, I was using the gas, and it would not turn and I thought I was going to hit a tree. Another time while driving n a rotary it froze. Many times while turniing into a parking place it locks up.
Volvo XC70 hesitation problems
10 of the 418 owner complaints about the Volvo XC70 describe hesitation when accelerating, most of them for the 2001 model year.
- owner complaints
- 10
- worst model year
- 2001
- typical mileage
- 80,000
Is there a fix? No recall or service bulletin covers this area of the car yet.
By model year
- 20121
- 20051
- 20042
- 20033
- 20013
Often reported together
Jerking 3Fuel smell 2Transmission failure 1Loss of power 1Harsh shifting 1Fuel pump 1
What owners say
Tl* the contact owns a 2004 volvo xc70. The contact noticed an abnormally strong fuel odor coming from the vehicle. In addition, when he attempted to start the vehicle, it hesitated. The ignition would turn over, but the vehicle would not start. The contact had to turn off the vehicle and depress the accelerator pedal a few times before the vehicle would start. The vehicle was not diagnosed or repaired. The VIN was not included in the federal safety agency campaign number: 09v483000 (fuel system). The manufacturer was made aware of the failure issued an extended warranty, but the vehicle was not included. The failure mileage was 114,000.
Tl* the contact owns a 2003 volvo xc70. The contact stated that there was an abnormal strong fuel odor coming from the vehicle. The contact also stated that the vehicle would experience hesitation with starting and driving. The vehicle was taken to an independent mechanic where it was diagnosed that the fuel pump had failed and needed to be replaced. The manufacturer was not made aware of the failure. The failure mileage was unknown.
Engine hesitation upon acceleration and sudden transition into the "reduced engine performance" mode which was extremely dangerous on the freeway. The incident happened several times with the failure codes pointing to the "etm". In other cases the engine was surging after start and then went back to the "limp" mode.
I purchased my (2003) volvo xc70 in late 2006 from I service it regularly and do routine maintenance checks. About a month ago the car began to jerk and hesitate. I took it to the dealer and was told I needed a new transmission for $5700. The car has 71000 miles on it.
Tl* the contact owns a 2001 volvo xc70. The contact stated that when first depressing the accelerator or releasing the accelerator, the transmission would sporadically hesitate and surge abnormally. The vehicle was taken to the dealer where the contact was advised that the transmission would need to be replaced. The vehicle was not repaired. The failure mileage was 130,000 and the current mileage was 140,000. Updated 03/24/11*lj the transmission fluid, coils and etm were all replaced to try and resolve the problem. Updated 09/16/11
Volvo xc70 2003 transmission is going bad with 80,000 miles on it. Needs a total replacement. Hesitates during shifting and sometimes doesn't go into gear for several seconds. Power booster to the brakes also has a seal issue causing power booster electronic vacuum to constantly run.
I have a 2001 volvo xc70. The transmission has been clunking into and out of gear in the 20 - 40 MPH zone since I hit 95000 miles. I have taken it to the dealer who simply reprogrammed the car but the issue is not resolved. The car hesitates when I step on the gas. Sometimes it goes and other times it does not. This makes the car extremely dangerous to drive.
Transmission had a jerk to it when you came out of a stop. When you accelerated from a stop the engine then would stop. We have the dealer ship volvo ( barrier looking at the problem and have fixed the problem. There is still however a small jerk in the transmission and a slight hesitation in the engine to engage the transmission.
For about a week the car was running rough with hesitation and a jerking feeling of loss of power. Then as my wife was driving home with our children the night of the 27th of july the car started to lose power completely to the point where she was forced to pull the car off the road. The information center on the car indicated "performance reduced" but offered no other information and the manual offered no other narrative. The car was taken to tom wood volvo in indianapolis where the technician had a hunch right away that it was a faulty etm. Item was replaced with new which resulted in a bill of $1100. Since the problem I have been made aware that this is a common problem with this vehicle.
Related recalls
No recalls on record for this model year.
Questions about the Volvo XC70 hesitation
Which Volvo XC70 years have hesitation when accelerating problems?
The model years with the most reports are 2001 (3 complaints), 2003 (3 complaints) and 2004 (2 complaints).
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