Which parts fail
Components named in complaints (accelerator pedal, throttle, sudden acceleration, cruise control).
Mileage when the problem started
Owner reports
Selected complaints filed with NHTSA by 2001 Volvo V70 owners, lightly cleaned up (personal details are redacted by NHTSA).
I have Volvo V70 t5 wagon with reduced performance and unexpected acceleration and reduction of acceleration. The vehicle stopped on traffic and I was almost rear ended. The vehicle accelerated while entering the garage and causing damage to the body of the vehicle. Additionally, the climate control in the car stopped working. My dealer ed schmidt Volvo in perrysburg,ohio now saids that I need to replace my throottle module ($1300) and the processor for the climate control ($1400). The vehicle is only three thousand miles beyond warranty. I have a dangerous lemon in my hands and there is nothing I can do. I thank god that my young children where not near the garage when the car accelearted out of control. Please feel free to contact me. This car should not be on the road in its present condition.
Dt: the contact stated vehicle surged forward after placing it into gear. She tried to stop the vehicle by applying the brakes, but they would not work. She lost control of the vehicle and struck a pole. The vehicle has not been inspected to determine the cause of the problem. Updated 11/29/2005 - the few weeks prior to this accident the vehicle had a computer problem and the passenger door, window and turn signal were inoperative. These problems were fixed by the dealer.
Initially noticed erratic acceleration, then my wife was accelerating from a stop light and the vehicle actually lost acceleration and she was hit behind by a pickup truck. The dash readout showed the message "performance reduced". Our insurance paid for the $2600 in damages. Our Volvo mechanic determined that the problem was in the electronic throttle module and said that this was a fairly common occurrence in this year model.
Dt: consumer was traveling from charlotte to cincinnati in 2001 Volvo V70 when vehicle suddenly lost power . Could not drive faster than 20 MPH. Was able to exit onto the highway shoulder. Message light said performance reduced, but there was no explanation for this message in the service manual. Volvo roadside service claimed to be unaware of what could be wrong, as did the nearest dealer. After twenty minutes the car restarted and ran well for two days . This was a holiday weekend and consumer could not obtain service. However, on return trip to charlotte vehicle experienced the same failure 4 or 5 times, a very scary and dangerous condition for interstate driving. When consume r scheduled an appointment with local dealer service department the service manager claimed to be unaware of any such problem with other volvos. …
On the way to an appointment my wife was driving our Volvo V70 t5 on a major highway when suddenly the car lost power and a message stating "performance reduction" was visible on the console. The car felt like it was about to stall at any minute and was only able to be driven at 20 MPH. She was able to pull the car over to the hard shoulder but as she was about to enter a section where road works had removed any hard shoulder she decided to stop and call for help. We arranged for a tow truck to pick the car up and take it to our nearest Volvo dealer. When we arrived there and explained what had happened the first question asked by the service rep was "have you had the etm recall performed ?" I stated that we were not aware of any recall and had not received any letter from Volvo of north America. …
On 6/2/06 I was driving on the freeway ( at about 60 MPH), and suddenly my car slowed down and I could not accelerate, fortunately I was in the right hand lane and able to exit the freeway and slowly move to the side of the road, a warning light was on stating" engine performance reduced". I turned off the ignition and waited a few minutes. I restarted the engine and the warning light was not on, however, I was very concerned and called the dealer and was told to bring the car in. The car was a little hesitant at first but I was able to drive slowly on side streets, to the dealer. He kept the car overnight and diagnosed a problem with the etm, he cleaned the etm and downloaded new software. It was $20 for the parts and $307.00 for the labor! I have not had a recurrence of this problem with the etm. …
Dt: the consumer was having problems with Volvo 2001 v-70 cross country wagon. The vehicle was stalling at random speeds starting in mid-August of 2004. Consumer took the vehicle to a repair shop, and the mechanic suspected the throttle was the issue. The problem was random and it would not do this for several days. The vehicle stalled on the highway while the consumer was merging into traffic. The vehicle would start after consumer let the car sit for a few minutes. Later that day the car stalled again. Consumer had to have the car towed to a dealership for repairs. This time the car did not start. The dealer replaced the throttle module, loaded software; throttle body, cable tie and etm reloaded. The car was running okay at times, but the engine was racing very high for seconds and then returns back to the normal rate. …
We purchased a 2001 Volvo V70 2.4t wagon 12-16-01 from the dealer, who had used it as a loaner vehicle. This complaint is regarding the throttle control. For about a month it would feel as if a plug was bad or a fuel line clogged when driving at a steady speed. It wasn't at first noticeable during acceleration. Then a "reduced performance" message came on the dash. Finally, on 8-20-05, the car stalled on the way to the dealer in reno to get it repaired. Fortunately, we were in the right lane and managed to pull off the road out of traffic. Just a matter of timing and this problem could well have been deadly. It restarted and we made it into the dealer. The throttle body was replaced and the pvc system cleaned, as the service manager stated the problem caused it to need cleaning. The total bill was $1,336.49. …
I have a 2001 Volvo V70 t5. This car has the high failure rate electronic throttle module component. During highway driving, I experienced a sudden loss of power while in passing lane of a 2 lane highway. The message window on the dash flashed "performance reduced" this occurred during while passing a semi with other cars following closely behind in a caravan. It was in pouring rain with water from the semi splashing over the windshield. Needlesstosay, this was a nervous moment when power was suddenly lost. I was able to slow down and pull off to the next exit ramp where the engine was sputtering while idling. Shutting off the engine and restarting made the problem disappear. About 3 months later, I'm getting "performance reduced" message nearly every day. Finally trace it down to the etm internal fault using a obdii reader I purchased to diagnose this problem. …
I have a 2001 Volvo V70 and I was driving south on I-95 when the car failed to accelerate, just went limb, I tried to accelerate and nothing happened, the car behind almost hit me and the same with the 2 behind him. This is the second time something like this happen, that me along with my family are exposed to such a danger. The first time I checked the recalls and took it to the dealer where they supposedly fixed what was wrong, 8 months after the mentioned repair the car is doing the same but now with worse consequences because now I am so afraid to drive that just thinking about it makes me tremble. The Volvo dealer do not want to be responsible and dot says that just when big accidents happen they can do something. …
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 V70 years
Frequently asked questions
How common are acceleration problems on the 2001 Volvo V70?
NHTSA has 61 complaints about the speed control & acceleration of the 2001 Volvo V70, 28% of the model year's 221 complaints. The component named most often is cruise control (2 mentions).
Is there a recall for 2001 Volvo V70 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 V70 acceleration problems start?
Half of the complaints with a recorded mileage happened before about 66,000 miles.
Is it dangerous?
Owners linked 3 crashes, 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.