Table 1 shows one common equipment related problems of the 2004 Volvo S80.
| Problem Category | Number of Problems |
|---|---|
| Equipment problems |
Both of the key fobs I have are broken in that the key won't lock straight out or stay folded into the fob. The weight of the plastic fob alone frequently causes the key to twist backwards if the road is bumpy or uneven, which kills the engine and makes it extremely difficult to steer to safety without power steering. The first time this happened to me I was traveling at 55 mph on a crowded highway but fortunately I was in the rightmost lane, not in a curve, and was approaching an area where I could pull over to safety. I have had to duct tape both keys in the open position to prevent this. The situation is much worse if additional keys or other weight is added to the ring. It is possible to insert a broken key in a way that causes the weight of the fob to hang away from the driver but large road bumps or accidental interference from the driver or passengers can cause it to flip backwards anyway. These incidents are alarming and confusing for the driver, particularly the first time, and could easily cause an accident depending on the conditions. I am not the only person who has experienced this issue, and it will become even more common as these vehicles age.
Vehicle has been hesitant, sputtering and surging when stopped or increasing speed. When stopped the vehicle surges and moves. This can be very dangerous, as we can hit a vehicle in front of us. The etm has been cleaned by collins auto in SC. They told us that it needed to be replaced with a few thousand miles. There is build up in the throttle body and this is due to the oil change interval (7500 miles) which is recommended by Volvo. This is a safety issue and a part defect which Volvo should fix and replace at their cost.
This model Volvo uses a switchblade key, and due to a defect in the key, it does not lock in the extended position when the key is opened. The large plastic key handle dangles down below the ignition when driving. On more than one occasion, the driver's knee bumped the key fob and turned off the car while in motion. This has happened on the highway as well as local road. Both keys that were provided with the car are affected the same way. This is exceedingly dangerous in what is otherwise a very safe car.