Mileage when the problem started
Owner reports
Selected complaints filed with NHTSA by 2001 Volvo S60 owners, lightly cleaned up (personal details are redacted by NHTSA).
Dt*: the contact stated the vehicle accelerated on its own after reaching 30 MPH and caused an accident. The contact tried braking, but the brakes failed, due to the throttle issue. The vehicle was not taken to a service dealer to address the issue. A police report was taken.
(1) at around 6:30 am, Saturday, January 7, 2006, I was driving in san francisco going downhill. Once I hit the bottom of the hill, I began taking a left turn. (2) in the process of conducting my left turn, my car completely stalled and all power steering was lost. Had there been parked cars on the road that morning, I would have directly hit them due to the lack of power steering as I slammed on my brakes to stop from hitting the sidewalk. Immediately, the "reduced performance" light came on and fortunately, after 10 minutes of leaving my car in the middle of the road because it would not start, I was able to start it again and drive it back to my home. (3) I took the car to royal motors, 1525 howard street, san francisco, ca and they informed me that there had been an extended warranty associated with the etm failure. …
At 53,000 miles (February 2006) my check engine light, service transmission light and urgent service warning lights came on at the same time. However, I was I not experiencing any noticeable drivability issues. (with the exception of some slightly rough gear shifting - but I didn't think much of it). The dealer told me that the fault code was related to my transmission and that I need a software upgrade to my TCM (transmission control module). If the fault code returned after the upgrade, my transmission would have to be replaced. And that most likely (99.9%) the software upgrade would correct the problem. In addition, I had to pay $340 for the software upgrade because I was 6 months / 3,000 miles out of warranty and software issues where not covered by the extended warranty (3rd party - easycare -[via Ford]). …
I own a Volvo S60 and have experienced an electronic throttle module failure. As the Volvo dealer has told me. "oh yeah, we keep those in stock. Manufacturing flaw. They are burning out like crazy." the repair is going to cost me $900 usd and I am absolutely livid. Some research has yielded that an excess of 200,000 vehicles could be affected and so far tens of thousands have been diagnosed and cleaned, or replaced. My vehicle has received the "software upgrade 'recall'", but clearly to no avail. My car has only 60,000 miles on it and has to have a faulty manufactured part replaced. I bought Volvo for the reliability and service and thus far, have received neither. This is a serious problem that results in excessive and sudden stalling in traffic, open road, and parked conditions. …
Dt: while driving on highway the owner noticed a message came up which read performance reduced. The owner was traveling about 55-60 MPH when the car lost power and wouldn't go over 30 MPH . He then exit off the and the vehicle experienced a significant loss of power at a stop light. The idle was rough, and as the owner attempted to go through the light, the car wouldn't go over 10 MPH. Then the owner put the flashers on and exited onto to the shoulder. The owner shut the car off because he couldn't continue on the road at that low speed. The owner sat there for about a minute, and was able to make it to work only about 1/2 mile away the message was still showing. Then as owner was driving the message changed to engine failure. The owner read the article about NHTSA investigation pe05041. The owner called the dealership and reported the loss of power. …
I was driving on a busy highway, and making a left turn across traffic. When I depressed the gas pedal, the car could not accelerate above about five miles per hour. The computer on the car read" reduced performance" and I narrowly missed being in an accident as limped across the highway. The car required a new throttle, and the download of activation software. The cost for this repair was $736.56. When I had this problem, the mechanic told me of numerous past problems with the throttle on this model and a pending class action law suit against Volvo. I wrote to the Volvo corporation to tell them of this problem, and then learned that NHTSA was investigating this very problem. They apparently won't do anything to remedy this unless forced to. I thought it important to go on record with numerous other owners that have experienced this same defect. …
Speed control problem. My 2001 Volvo S60 lost power last night, while I was in the fast lane driving 70 MPH on interstate 5! I rapidly lost speed and by some miracle was able to weave through traffic to the roadside. The engine continued to run but it was as if the gas pedal was not connected to the engine. I managed to proceed at fast idle speed to an off ramp and found a parking lot, where I shut off the engine. I contacted the company I bought the car from and they suggested that I try to re-start the engine, which I did and the problem had corrected itself. I have scheduled my Volvo for service. The irony is that my wife has a 2001 Volvo xc station wagon and the same problem occurred with her vehicle last September. The Volvo dealer corrected the problem by replacing an ECM and re-programming it. The problem with her Volvo xc hasn't re-occurred. …
I own a 2001 Volvo S60 with a little over 18,000 miles on the vehicle. On 10-19-2005, I was stopped at an intersection waiting for the left lane turn signal. When the signal turned green, I proceeded into the intersection and noticed that my car started to lose power even though my foot was on the accelerator throttle. I applied more pressure to the accelerator throttle, but the vehicle continued to lose speed, then all of a sudden the vehicle lurched forward as if to kick in and the acceleration resumed. It was alarming, because if I had been on a freeway or had been in a situation whereby I had to pass a slow driver on a two lane highway, I could have been in some serious trouble. Again, my car has very low mileage for a 2001 vehicle. I would appreciate being included in any investigation that May uncover a possible defect in the vehicle regarding this matter. …
I was on a long trip back home on 11/29/05 when I noticed my 2001 Volvo started surging after about 20 minutes of this it showed me a check engine light and a message appeared saying " performance reduced ". The car was basically shutting down. I was doing 75 MPH at the time and had to pull over to the shoulder from the left lane 4 lanes over to the right. This was a little scary doing 75 MPH. I sat on the shoulder for about 2 minutes and tried restarting the car. I seemed fine so I continued on. The same thing happened 2 more times on the trip home. The following Monday 11/1/05 I brought the car to a ramsey Volvo to have it looked at. They told me the etm needed to be replaced. I had them replace it. The problem I have is that it seems as if this is very common among Volvo's with the etm and it is quite dangerous when they fail. …
Tl* the contact owns a 2001 Volvo S60. The contact stated while driving approximately 65 MPH on cruise control, there was a sudden loss of engine power as the service engine urgent warning light illuminated. The service engine urgent warning illuminated intermittently. The vehicle was taken to a dealer where the failure was unable to be replicated. The manufacturer was notified of the failure and stated that the vehicle was previously repaired under NHTSA campaign number: 06V441000 (vehicle speed control) in 2011. The vehicle was not repaired. The approximate failure and current mileage was 205,000.
Related recalls
Vehicle speed control
On certain passenger vehicles, a combination of throttle positioning sensor irregularities, a dirty throttle housing, and/or inefficient software calibration May cause a warning lamp to light and the subsequent onset of limp home modes.
Remedy: Dealers will install the current software upgrade onto the involved vehicles. The recall began on December 29, 2006. Owners May contact Volvo at 1-800-458-1552.
NHTSA investigations
Throttle control malfunction
Pe05-041 was opened on July, 26, 2005, based on 136 consumer complaints to odi alleging throttle control malfunctions in the subject vehicles.odi has now received 591 complaints of etm failures which allege symptoms with potential safety related consequences.these include allegations of engine stall, vehicle surging forward without accelerator input, vehicle hesitation upon acceleration and sudden and unexpected…
Throttle control malfunction
On November 14, 2006 Volvo submitted a defect information report to NHTSA concerning etm failures in model year (my) 1999 through 2001 Volvo models (not including the s40 and v40), my 2002 s60 and v70 with naturally aspirated engines and my 2002 v70s.according to Volvo, ?a combination of throttle positioning sensor irregularities, a dirty throttle housing and/or inefficient software calibration May cause a warning…
Acceleration complaints in other S60 years
Frequently asked questions
How common are acceleration problems on the 2001 Volvo S60?
NHTSA has 42 complaints about the speed control & acceleration of the 2001 Volvo S60, 19% of the model year's 223 complaints.
Is there a recall for 2001 Volvo S60 acceleration problems?
Yes — NHTSA recall 06V-441 (vehicle speed control, Nov 15, 2006). Recall repairs are free at authorized dealers.
At what mileage do 2001 Volvo S60 acceleration problems start?
Half of the complaints with a recorded mileage happened before about 75,000 miles, and 6% before 25,000 miles.
Is it dangerous?
Owners linked 1 crash, 0 fires and 0 injuries to speed control & acceleration problems on this model year. If you notice symptoms, have the car checked before driving further.
Source: U.S. National Highway Traffic Safety Administration (NHTSA) — owner complaints through October 20, 2026, recalls and defect investigations; fuel economy from the EPA. Complaints are unverified reports and are not proof of a defect. How we rate model years.