Check Engine Light On problems of the 1999 Volvo S70

Ongoing problems since August 2008: engine stalls, decelerates, won't start, sometimes engine surges badly, engine lights go on, throttle gets dirty even with new part etm problems are occurring and now vehicle will not start or drive at all.

At approximately 206,000 miles my car wouldn't drive over 40 mph, the engine would rev up on its own and sputtered throughout the reduced rpm range. Rpms would not go over about 3500. Check engine light came on. Drove it to Volvo dealer and they replaced the throttle body at an out of pocket cost to me of approximately $1,000. They stated that it would have been covered up to 200,000 miles as this part had a recall. I do not feel that I was adequately notified of the recall. I received a letter about a recall last year and called the dealer to ask what it all meant since I did not understand it. The dealer said it was just a software upgrade and would only take about five minutes. I took the vehicle in for that software upgrade in March of 2007 with less than 200,000 miles on the vehicle and they did not say anything about the etm / throttle body issue. It should have been replaced at that time.

Since owning this vehicle the check engine light has illuminated on numerous occasions and fault codes for the engine have been entered. I even had the mass air flow sensor replaced during one of these episodes. But during the past 7 months I've had engine problems that have affected the driveability of the vehicle. Periodically, after the engine has been running for 30+ minutes, the vehicle will have problems idling (feels like it will stall) and then black smoke will start emitting from the exhaust. The check engine light does not come on during this process but only when the car is once again running normal. This problem is an intermittent one. The vehicle will run fine for 2 weeks and then suddenly the problem will reappear. Since this problem began, I've had the mass air flow sensor replaced (twice--three times in total since owing this car), O2 sensor replaced (twice), cleaning of intake and throttle plate, throttle body replaced, upgraded software for the electronic throttle control (etc) and spark plug replacement. None of these have fixed the problem. The dealership has had my car for days at a time. They have recently been able to recreate the problem but the computer readings are not showing any problems with the engine components. My car is still at the dealership and the problem still has not been solved.

The contact stated that 1999 Volvo S70 experienced the same problem with stalling while driving under 40 mph. The engine light was coming on and the car was uncontrollable. The car would shake and jerk, speed ahead and slow down. T the contact took vehicle to the dealership and they replaced the fuel throttle body, put in new spark plugs, and reprogrammed the computer. The car has since then ran well. The contact stated that this happened a year ago. The repair cost for the contact was almost $1,000. 00. The contact has been in touch with Volvo dealership, and they told him that they have not heard anything about recall. The Volvo manufacturer said that there was an investigation on the car, and to call the NHTSA. The contact has also filed a complaint with Volvo.

Engine will run like it's flooded. Resulting in loss of power. Prior to vehicle shutting down, check engine light came on. The dealer is repairing vehicle again, and has repaired vehicle twice before. Manufacturer has been notified.