Edmunds.com | Inside Line | Auto Observer Your Account | Help | Directory
You are here:
![[F]](http://a332.g.akamai.net/f/332/936/12h/www.edmunds.com/media/townhall/webxicons/site.gif){kind=small}
Forums
Sedans Volvo S40 Volvo S40
1743 messages, Last post on Oct 08, 2009 at 7:09 AM
You are in the Volvo S40 Forum. Your Hosts are pat & karens
I NOTICED THAT THE TURBO HAS A TERRIBLE LAG, FROM A STAND STILL ACCELERATION. ALSO WHEN I START THE VEHICLE IT SEEMS TO TAKE LONGER THAN USUAL. THE FACTORY BATTERY IS STILL IN PLACE. WHAT COULD THIS BE?
|
|
|
Replying to: james26 (Jun 05, 2005 9:28 am) Take it to the delaer. |
|
|
Well my 2005 S40 T5 is back in the shop for the fourth time in 2 mos. This visit is for replacement of the aluminum colored center panel that the dealer dented during the previous visit, to address a check engine light that came on a week after the dealer replaced the engine management computer, and to determine why the transmission shifts so abruptly in manumatic mode. I thought the transmission problem was just inherent to the car until I noticed that my loaner car, an S40 2.4i, shifts perfectly smoothly. The problem in my car is mostly the 3-2 downshift at speeds above 5 MPH, which lurches the car enough to scare me into keeping the transmission in D. Anyone else have this? The dealer said he will look at the transmission software, which seems kind of bogus to me. The check engine light has something to do with the fuel pump or fuel pump sensor. Added to a failed oxygen center, complete failure of the engine computer, loose part in the door, and poor customer service I am finding it harder and harder to love this car. BTW: the fake wood center stack on my loaner S40 looks really cheap. I cannot imagine why anyone would choose this over the aluminum look. Sorry if I am starting to sound bitter, but I really do want to know if my experiences are normal.
|
|
|
Replying to: jessenola (Jun 08, 2005 7:36 pm) I have a '01 S40.....with the "adaptive" transmission. When I first got the car it did the very SAME THING.....not all the time, but very often when downshifting when coming to a stop it would lurch and let loose with a mighty CLUNK!! Turns out there was a software update for the adaptive transmission. Also the adaptive module itself had a hardware issue.....needed to be replaced. Obviously, my '01 IS NOT your '05.....but it's at least something to consider. The transmission software/hardware upgrade made a world of difference for me. Hope this helps you in some small way...... |
|
|
Replying to: jessenola (Jun 08, 2005 7:36 pm) Good-day, I recently placed a deposit on a S40 to be delivered in a few months but after reading much negative press about Vovlo quality and service, I wonder if I have made a wise decision. I have a few questions that will determine if I terminate my order...and my bosses decision to look elsewhere (he's considering). These are some of the primary complaints by current owners in several on-line forums and of the owners I've talked to. My question is "what is Volvo doing about these?" Lack of viable responses will definitely terminate my purchase and warn away others. No canned flowery answers or round about talk, please provide specific information. So here they are, no personal offense to your company. It's what folks are saying... - Getting the run around instead of straight answers from service points. Dealerships and home Vovlo customer service (and Ford) being unresponsive to customer concerns. Non-caring attitudes by service points (dealerships). - Very slow acquisition of ordered parts...even if the car is inoperative. - Check engine service lights with no known cause. - Car will not start, must be towed to dealership...sometimes a few days or weeks after the CE light came on. - Fuel issues with the tank or associated pressure lines (not sure what they meant on this one) - Rotors that are too thin and must be replaced rather than turned at shorter than average (30K) intervals. Very expensive. I know it depends on how it's driven but are the rotors thinner than other car makes? - Radio that will not play, car must be shut off in order to reset it. Radio shifts modes and goes mute. Radio eats CDs, jams and must be taken to the dealership for repair. Tons of these complaints. - Dealerships not having a "loaner" policy for BRAND NEW cars less than 3 mos old that need overnight or all day service. Some had to wait a week. Please don't tell us this is dealership specific, it's not a dealership's shortcoming if a car won't run - it's the manufacturers. - Brake pedal too close to accelerator. - Expensive maintenance costs (beyond initial full coverage) Volvo ended up (as did most European manufactures) on the short end of the recent quality survey. So what is being done NOW to correct the trend? Love your car, drove it many times in deciding on a new auto but if I'm paying cash for a 30K+ automobile, there should be three inherent things 1) fun product 2) quality and 3) outstanding service. You're currently 1 for 3. Please don't tell us not to worry about these issues because they're under warranty...I do not have the luxury of time beating a path to the dealership...with no car to drive in the interim. We want to love your product, please help us help you. Sell me - intelligently. Thanks for your time. Anyone think we'll get some good answers?
|
|
|
|
|
Well it’s finally over. I just dropped off my ’05 Volvo S40 at the dealership for the last time. I purchased the S40 back in November thinking it would be a decent vehicle with good gas mileage and good safety ratings. That was a big mistake. At 3,000 miles the check engine light came on and that was just the start of many things to come. By the time I hit 4,500 miles my S40 had been in the service department 7 different times for a total of 45 days. After the 4th visit, I decided it was time to take some action so I filed a lemon law lawsuit against Volvo. After two months of negotiating and Volvo trying to convince me to buy another S40, they finally settled and agreed to pay off my car completely and pay for all of my attorney fees. That was over a month ago, I had to wait for them to send the check to the bank, and pay for the attorney. Then I went out and purchased a replacement vehicle. Today, I made that last trip to the service department, where I met with a Volvo representative so that he could inspect the car and take possession. The whole thing was a nightmare and a learning experience, and I will never buy another Volvo again. By the time I finally turned that car back in today, I hated it with a passion. So many things about the car are poor in design and quality and they should never have released the car to the public before getting all of the 'bugs' worked out. For those wanting a list of the problems I had, here you go: First service visit: 1. The radio will turn off at random times and lock up so that there is no way of turning it back on or controlling the volume. It usually takes turning the car completely off and then letting it sit a while before turning it back on so that the radio will work again. I was told that it needed a software update, but there is not one available now and they are not sure when it will become available. 2. The brakes make a lot of noise that can be heard by neighbors on the other side of my neighborhood when I back out of my driveway. This only happens while in reverse and it is very frequent and has become very annoying. I was told that because they couldn't duplicate it, they couldn't fix it. 3. The 'Check Engine' light turned on and stayed on. They claimed that the code returned was a "loose gas cap" which makes no sense because I always tighten the cap until it clicks. They turned the light off. Second service visit (one week later): 1. The 'Check Engine' light had turned back on again. I knew it couldn't be a gas cap because I hadn't even put gas in it since the previous visit. They said it was a bad "air pump" and they had to order a new one from Sweden so I had to wait 10 days for them to fix that problem. 2. I was still having problems with the radio, but still no update available. So I buy an almost $30K car and my radio only works part of the time! 3. The brakes are still very noisy, and when I was backing out of my garage, I heard a felt a very loud thump and I thought I had run over something. I immediately got out of my car only to discover that the right-rear brake was apparently locked up and when I backed the car up it broke loose causing a black mark on my garage floor and made me wonder how safe the brakes were now. Third service visit: 1. While driving my car on the interstate with my girlfriend in the passenger seat, the 'Passenger Air Bag' light turned on and stayed on for 15 minutes. Then, the next day my dad was riding in the passenger seat and the light again turned on and stayed on for about 20 minutes. The next week my brother was in the passenger seat and the light came on and stayed on for OVER AN HOUR. Service told me they couldn't duplicate it but they would "try to calibrate the seat" so that the sensor worked correctly. So now my car is a safety hazard for anybody in the passenger seat. 2. Radio is still having problems, but still no updates for fixes. 3. Brakes still make noise, but still no way of fixing it. 4. When switching the A/C on and off, there is a lot of noise that can be heard and even loud thumps that can be both heard and felt. They tell me this is normal!?! Fourth service visit: 1. After picking up my car from the service department, I went home and picked up my girlfriend. We went out to eat that night and sure enough, the 'Passenger Air Bag' light came on again. This time I had my camera ready and took pictures to show the service department. They are now telling me a Volvo Rep will have to look at the car. 2. The radio also failed on that same night adding to my frustration and I will not be happy until an update or fix is done. 3. The brakes are still making noise, so I took pictures of the mark left on my garage floor when they locked up and broke loose previously. Fifth service visit: 1. The radio was still giving me problems. 2. The brakes were still making noise, and NOW they finally decide to replace the pads and add shims. They also added lubricant to make the noise go away. The noise came right back when the lubricant washed away. 3. I was driving home from work and my brother was riding in the passenger seat, and we came to a stop and I looked up and big surprise… the ‘Passenger Airbag OFF’ light is on AGAIN! I turned right around and drove straight to the dealership so they could witness the light and I made them write this in the service report. Then, and only then, they decide that maybe they should start replace parts to correct this safety hazard. Sixth service visit: 1. I went to pick my car up after they replaced the airbag sensor only to find they had damaged the dashboard and also the plastic molding by the passenger door. I am told they can repair the damage and have it done in a day. So I leave it there over night. Seventh service visit: 1. I go to pick up my car after the dash and plastic is repaired only to find that they had literally sanded and spray-painted my dashboard to cover up the scratch. Their answer to that was to cover the dash with armor-all to cover up the scratch. I insisted that they replaced the entire dash and had to get the manager involved before they agreed to do so. After all of that, the radio still didn’t work, the brakes still made noise, and I’m sure the airbag sensor still doesn’t work correctly but I refused to test it because I didn’t want somebody hurt or killed because they didn’t have an airbag present in the event of an accident.
|
|
|
Replying to: ride (Jun 09, 2005 5:51 am) it's a great car for what you pay....! great design from inside to outside fun to drive.........! but when a car makes you go several times to the dealer for services with no answers.......! that can make you change your mind. I got mine (s40 t5 sport package and audio system upgrade for $25,900 + tax) at the end of January, since then, I had problems with: a) Radio problems, all the ones you heard , plus cd's got stucked inside they downloaded software upgrades twice, but the other day came back again........! b) climate control not working at all.....! but that was after dealer upgraded radio software.......! now it's working perfect but after a second visit to the dealer. Was dealer fault. c)passenger air-bag light on several times. They downloades software, but didn't work....... no official word from volvo, nothing from the dealer.....! d)weard noise coming from brakes ( a thumb noise) looks like a somebody with a hummer in banging underneath the car....! I did't take the car to the dealer for that issue yet. d) Here is my nightmare  ....."cold start" problems.... I would say "warm start" problems..... the car doesn't want to start (first) if a leave it for more than 4 hours. basically It will start, and linger between 2-500 RPM, shuddering and sputtering...Giving it gas won't help, it just stalls, on a second attemp finally engine start (occasionally will take 3 attempts) and yhen runs normally.... I guess.  I noticed that problem got worse with summer right next to the door.....! (combination of high temperatures and high humidity make that problem worse.) I heard that they believe is cause by premium gasoline.....! e) it's 3 weeks I'm still waiting for a volvo field tech to come to florida, in the mean time no word from volvo, not a word from the dealer.......! by the way......they provided a terrible service......! (lack of training and follow up) . So I don't know what to tell you.......! may be look for the new A3.........! |
|
|
may be look for the new A3.........! Trade an unreliable Volvo in for an Audi? I haven't laughed that hard all week!
|
|
|
|
|
Replying to: fedlawman (Jun 09, 2005 11:41 am) Because an Audi just as much unreliable? |
|
New? Join Now!
Forum Tools
Search Forums
Browse by Vehicle
2010 Volvo S40
Browse by Board
Browse by Topic
Today's Chats
