ETS Light - ETM failure -> Volvo US admits to problem.

Surely not every car that's had a replacement ETM has had a Bosch unit fitted? I believe that the Bosch unit can only be fitted to P2 cars, P1 cars can only be fitted with a new unit which will suffer the same problems again.

Regards

Andy

Oh, and i don't think there's a cover up at all.

There will be two purposes of the e-mails. As After Shock says, to keep staff informed but also for damage limitation. There's a big difference between a cover up and damage limitation.

Regards

Andy

[doctorstephen]

Hi chaps and chapesses,
I only knew of this news yesterday when my friend mentioned what was said on watchdog. I have been reading through all the threads this morning and my heart sinks. We have only recently took delivery of a new XC90, is this issue of ETM going to affect this model? This is my wife's car primarily, as she often shifts the kids to and fro from school, nursery.....etc. I don't wish to see her car fail as some of you have experienced.

Steve

[Al115]

There IS indeed a problem with the UK ETMs. I have had mine replaced twice because of failure, the second unit failed approx 12,000 miles after it was fitted! Rubbish.

Originally Posted by doctorstephen

Hi chaps and chapesses,
I only knew of this news yesterday when my friend mentioned what was said on watchdog. I have been reading through all the threads this morning and my heart sinks. We have only recently took delivery of a new XC90, is this issue of ETM going to affect this model? This is my wife's car primarily, as she often shifts the kids to and fro from school, nursery.....etc. I don't wish to see her car fail as some of you have experienced.

Steve

I think this problem only affects cars up to model year 2002 so you're XC90 shouldn't be affected.

[volvo2]

After-Shock,

As a consumer, your comments seem very odd. Without wishing to appear paranoid, have you been tasked to make these remarks? I certainly hope not, that would be far too sinister.

I guess it is natural that you feel an affinity towards your employer. Believe it or not, I also feel loyalty to Volvo. I have had good service over the years and have no doubt that the older Volvo models (particularly the 240 and perhaps 740) were superior to their competition. That's assuming one values safety, durability and reliability above handling and high speed performance. Though as I and others have said, the ETM problem is real and unsatisfactory and not what one would expect from a quality brand.

Incidentally, the increased problem in the USA maybe caused by driving conditions causing increased localised wear on the potentiometer track - American roads are straight and very long.

Melvyn Smith
PS Incidentally, why is there a tendency on these forums to hide behind pseudonyms? At best this seems somewhat impersonal.
PPS Sorry for the duplicate posting. I also posted this message on the S80 site where there is a similar thread - as there is on the S60 site.

[Rich5ltr]

Originally Posted by After_Shock

because of all of this crap on TV suddenly everyone in the country is an expert and can self diagnose there cars so straight away everyone has a faulty ETM.

After speaking with a senior manager at Volvo UK, Aftershock is forbidden from writing on these forums, even if to help someone. It is something that can cause employment dismissal. This senior manager is watching this forum and reading our comments and agrees that Aftershock's comments are against their employment policy. I really hope winding the Volvo consumer up was worth it Aftershock since you are breaking your employment agreement.

[pyaap]

After_Shock,

It is precisely this sort of approach towards customers which has gotten Volvo into the mess it currently faces and as a Volvo employee working in a Volvo dealership, you really need to learn to be a little more sensitive towards customers. Alright, you work in a dealership which runs several other franchises and claim to have only seen a handful of such issues. Could you kindly enquire and then post up how many ETMs have been replaced, across the entire Volvo dealer network in the UK, since 1999 when the ME7 cars started coming in?

In any case, why are you stating that the parts supplier to Volvo should be held accountable for this; when a customer buys a new or select used Volvo, who is their contractual partner, the supplying dealer or a company in Italy which supplied one of the engine components? All customers want is some re-assurance either that their car is not affected by this issue and if it unfortunately is, that something will be done about it. Common sense would tell that this sort of “all guns blazing” approach would only be met by the sorts of responses that it already has.

Afterall, this case has been now investigated and brought to public attention by BBC Watchdog. You will be surprised how much some car owners will put up with, thinking that something is just an occasional glitch, especially if it does not put them in any danger. When I experienced the hesitation issue with my Phase 1 T4, I was similarly assured by VCUK that it was not an issue affecting cars elsewhere in the UK and it was only after exhaustive research and checks on my part that an admission was made in writing, which I still possess. Following on from that, I’ve lost count of the numbers of T4 owners whom I’ve spoken to and asked if they have experienced the problem, only to be told that they do, but that they just put it down to a “quirk” of some sort. I, on the other hand, almost had a bus ram into my door when the engine suddenly stalled on me when moving off at a round-a-bout so it was something I did not forget and would not accept. However, as I said in a previous post, my issue was resolved well beyond my expectations and some of the Volvo staff I dealt with at the time, have now become personal friends. It was the exceptional manner in which my issue was handled, which prompted me to go on to buy more new Volvos and I will continue to do so.

If you are so sure that there is no problem, and your company will support you on this, then may I suggest you write, on your company letterhead, a letter signed by yourself, to BBC Watchdog and state, as categorically as you have on both this and other UK based fora, that it is not a common problem in the UK. Perhaps they will then get the re-assurance they need that no further investigation is required.

Originally Posted by PunkDebutante

After speaking with a senior manager at Volvo UK, Aftershock is forbidden from writing on these forums, even if to help someone. It is something that can cause employment dismissal. This senior manager is watching this forum and reading our comments and agrees that Aftershock's comments are against their employment policy. I really hope winding the Volvo consumer up was worth it Aftershock since you are breaking your employment agreement.

Is that not a little unfair given that all he's done is defend Volvo. Shame on them if any disciplinary action is taken over him expressing his opinion.