Which parts fail
Components named in complaints (battery, alternator, wiring, ignition, instrument cluster, infotainment).
Mileage when the problem started
Owner reports
Selected complaints filed with NHTSA by 2000 Volvo V70XC owners, lightly cleaned up (personal details are redacted by NHTSA).
The electronic throttle module (etm) has failed twice on my 2000 Volvo V70XC. The first time it was still under warranty, the second was about 17K miles after the first. Both times it failed while driving on highway at high speed. Both times engine stalled in traffic. Both times managed to get to shoulder, restart, and get home with car alternately surging and stalling the whole way. Both times had my preschool age twins in the car and didn't feel it safe to stop on the shoulder to wait for help. Also, would have had a difficult time getting them home safety (in their car seats). Then had car towed to dealer for repair. First failure - car mileage was 41,222, repair date was 6/25/03. Quote from annapolis Volvo service receipt: "ets lamp comes on and vehicle surges badly, almost stalled. Internal fault inspected and found codes ecm903f/904d/9150/9160/904c. Tested and replaced elec. …
I have a 2000 Volvo v70 cross country wagon. The problem began in December 2005. Car starts but immediately dies, starts but dies, starts but dies and then, finally, catches. This has happened on about 15 occasions since dec 10, 2005 and takes about 3 to 6 tries before engine catches. Car surged once while on the highway. I had the computer replaced in jan 2005 (before this problem emerged), the starter motor replaced (June), the thermostat replaced (January 2006) and recently the catalytic converter replaced (latter covered under warranty). I have only 75,000 miles on this car and it's beginning to feel like a lemon. The service dealer put me off when I stated that it must have something to do with the electronic throttle module. I don't have all the old parts but maybe either the thermostat of the catalytic converter. …
Dt: the consumer was having a problem with 2000 Volvo v70 xc losing power and then surging while driving 20-25 MPH. The consumer did not make it up a hill . The loss of power even occurred when the car was slowing to stop and turning. This happened twice. Then, it was surging and smoking, and surging with no smoking, the car was wobbly and sluggish. Dealer replaced the following parts; spark plugs, coils, thermostat, and the filters. Other parts have been flushed, this included fuel injectors and ignition. The car has been at the dealer once, a certified Volvo specialist once, and at pep boys once. The consumer had to pay $1300.00 to figure out what was wrong with the car. The car has had 2 diagnostic tests done. No one knew what was wrong with the car. The engine light came on, and was turned off. …
Car began to run in an uncontrollable manner, speeding up then loosing power while shaking violently. My wife was driving with my daughter in the car. They were terrified. I drove it after she called for help it was a terrible ride. Had this occurred in traffic on one of the many high speed roads around here, this could have been a tragic event. The following morning it acted the same and I drove it to the nearest Volvo repair shop. It was determined that it was a failed electronic throttle body. The repair cost as over $1100. It was not covered by the extended warranty I had purchased for the car. I had the car repaired. The shop told me that they had seen many such failures in volvos at about 50K . They joked it was a serious mid-life crisis for volvos. I did not find it funny. It was a devastating, unplanned cost. …
As I was driving the engine would momentarily loose power, then resume & the ets light would come on. The ets light went out after a while. I reported this to my service people and was told that this was an intermittent problem and to bring it in when the light stayed on. This happened approximately 10 times and the last time it happened I had just gotten onto the expressway and the car lost power. I was in the middle of fast moving traffic and the car would not move. Many cars had to swerve around me causing a grave traffic hazard. I was very lucky that no one hit my car and possibly causing serious injury. I called for a tow truck and after waiting about 15 minutes I decided to try and start my , the ets light was still on. Fortunately the engine had regained power and I was able to drive off the expressway and bring it to be serviced.
2 weeks ago my 2000 v70 xc abruptly loss acceleration power, where the vehicle could not go over 20 MPH and then stalled which lost power steering ability while my wife was driving on the highway with my 2 young children. Luckily, she pulled over to the side of the highway and avoided an accident. She shut the car off and restarted with no apparent problem and drove the remainder of the way with her hazards on. The car had just been back from the Volvo dealer after dealing with another unrelated issue approx a week earlier. I drove the car to the Volvo dealer and experienced the same problem, but was driving cautiously. The dealer replaced the electronic throttle module which cost approx $1,000.00. I previously had the same problem with a 1999 Volvo s80 t6, which I subsequently sold due to repeated attempts to fix the problem!!
Ets dashboard light on 2000 Volvo v70 xc came on while driving approx. 35 MPH. Car immediately hesitated and slowed to a speed of approx. 15 MPH, then came to a traffic light and engine shut down. After several attempts to restart engine, it did start and arrived at destination which was car repair shop. Traffic behind vehicle was stopped while attempts made to restart car, amid much honking of horns and angry comments. On at least four previous occasions within two weeks prior to this incident, ets warning light came on, and except for one occasion when car stalled but could be maneuvered to side of road, engine hesitated but did not shut down. Hence the trip to the car repair shop on this date. As I write this, the ets system is being evaluated and the throttle body is being replaced.
On 1/20/05, our 2000 Volvo v70 xc with 74215 miles on the odometer started to lose power, and run erratically. The ets light came on the dashboard. We managed to get it to a local import specialist about 2 miles away from the incident. Left us stranded in winchester without transportation. Told import specialist to inspect and clean the etm module, which they did. Said they couldn't replace it because of the programming issues. Cost us. $121.85. Car worked without ets light coming on until 2/17/05. Took it to fairfax Volvo on 2/18/05. They replaced the etm module. There was 75005 miles on the odometer. Cost to us was $859.66 parts and labor. Since then, the car has not had the ets light come on.
Tl contact owns a 2000 Volvo V70XC. The contact believes that the electronic throttle module is a safety hazard. She stated that the vehicle will suddenly hesitate and come to a complete stop. While driving 60 MPH, the vehicle had a sudden loss of power. All of the instrument panel lights illuminated and the power steering failed. The speed decreased from 60 MPH to 0. She was able to pull off the road and stated that the entire electrical system was not working. The vehicle was towed to a shop and they stated that the cause of failure was electrical. The VIN and engine size were unknown. The current and failure mileages were 51,247.
Dt: the consumer owens a 2000 Volvo v70 xc and at 30,000 miles had to replace the throttle. Would try to accelerate and the car would not go, and then stalled. Had electrical problems. While on the freeway the car started shaking uncontrollably. The throttle was replaced, and the repairman told the consumer that they would have to replace the throttle again because it was defective. Since the car was fixed there was some hesitation . The consumer took the car to a Volvo specialist to have the repairs done. The consumer has not contacted the manufacturer.
Electrical complaints in other V70XC years
Frequently asked questions
How common are electrical problems on the 2000 Volvo V70XC?
NHTSA has 24 complaints about the electrical system of the 2000 Volvo V70XC, 23% of the model year's 103 complaints. The component named most often is ignition › module (3 mentions).
Is there a recall for 2000 Volvo V70XC electrical problems?
No. NHTSA lists no electrical system recall for the 2000 Volvo V70XC, though it has 2 recalls for other components. If the problem is widespread, a repair may still be covered by an extended warranty or a manufacturer service bulletin — ask a dealer.
At what mileage do 2000 Volvo V70XC electrical problems start?
Half of the complaints with a recorded mileage happened before about 67,000 miles.
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.