Faults:

I changed the throttle at 35,000 miles; this was real costly. I am not sure, but there was later a recall for the problem.

The drivers seat was a little worn off when I bought it, but now is in shreds. The leather on the other seats still looks nice.

The chrome stripe on the rear right door started ripping. I asked at a body shop and I was told that replacing it was not going to be cheap, so I gave up on it. I let the car was ripped it off all the way.

I did the front suspension at 70,000 miles; now the computer has malfunctioned with the lights intermittently blinking, no indicator and a few more issues.

The SRS Urgent maintenance is on and I had it towed to the dealer. Thankfully I have been saving up for this car's maintenance, as the maintenance cost is about $2,000 a year. I am now afraid to drive it across state lines for I am not sure it will make it back in one piece.

However, I still want to drive it for 5 to 6 more years while I save for a new vehicle; maybe a Toyota next time.

Castro.

Faults:

Throttle Control Module.

Steering Wheel Module (3 times)

Cruise Control (twice)

Computer Software (program bug, but I had to pay to get software patch installed)

Numerous gaskets leaking oil.

Fuel Door - fell off.

Side lights fell off.

Driver's side rear window (power windows) rolled down one day and will not go back up. Strange as it has seldom been used.

Metal Brace on Moon Roof - Fell off, parts from this caused malfunction in seatbelt mechanism.

Interior - things just fall off, such as center dash mounted speaker cover, fabic covered surfaces like front side pillars, side pillars, seat belt guides.

General Comments:

I bought this car after deciding to "move up" to a luxury sport car with great safety ratings. However, the maintenance costs for this car are extraordinarily high. The repair costs, had it not been for the extended warranty, would have caused me to rid myself of the vehicle within the first three years. Even the tire size for this car made them hard to find with little competitive choices causing the price to be much higher than necessary.

Even with the extended warranty, I had to fight in order to get the throttle control module replaced. This was prior to the recall yet after a class-action law suit filled in California. I let the dealer know about it and that Volvo would pay for it if I were to complain. So, I complained. They still tried to put it on my extended warranty at which point I complained more profusely. They then covered it free of charge. The recall notice showed up about two months later.

The computer software upgrade made my head spin. I work for a software company. Bugs happen and most companies make patches available free of charge. Not Volvo, since the dealer has to install it, there will be at least $100 on your extended warranty deducible that will be due.

The cruise control failing actually throws an error that will cause the car to fail the emissions inspection test. This was one of the most ridiculous issues with this car.

I have been, so far, very happy with performance. Interior quality of construction is poor and destined to fall apart after 4 years. Electronics and software are VERY problematic with frequent failures and very expensive repair costs.

The car is a good idea, but definitely show signs of poor quality or cutting corners in materials, workmanship or testing.