Faults:

This car was a nightmare.

Battery was dead within first week.

Dash lights blew out.

Exhaust leak.

AC would not hold a charge for more than one summer.

Timing belt let go.

The small oil leak from the turbo that I was told to merely keep an eye on went supercharged, and a rod in the engine popped through, causing all the oil to leak out and the engine to seize. The car is now on its way to the junkyard.

CD player skips when you hit a pothole.

AC malfunction lights flash, even though nothing is wrong with the system.

Check engine light is constantly coming back on when there is nothing wrong with the engine... the sensor keeps letting go.

General Comments:

I loved the car at first... it was my first car. But the fact that even with careful regular maintenance and care, it only lasted a little over a year, really irritates me. I'm a college student with no way of getting to school now and I'm extremely disappointed in my Volvo.

Faults:

Concerning the brakes and rotors; I just replaced the rotors and pads at a cost of $100.00 (all OEM parts). They usually last 40,000, and it takes 20 minutes to replace both. The car has been extremely reliable, and it withstands accident damage really well.

Faults:

The brakes were vibrating really bad, so I replaced the pads and rotors with the premium options. The cost was $464 and 25k miles the vibration is creeping back...

I replaced the front axles and wheel hubs for $1200 at 95,000 miles.

Alternator, spark plugs & wires... $300.

Heater core is broken, and I'm not going to replace it.

Doors are coming unglued, very obnoxious.

Warning!!! The check engine light will come on and stay on if the gas cap isn't properly screwed in.

Cup holders are bad, rattling sounds are increasing.

General Comments:

I love the comfort.

The car always runs very well.

The sound system is great.

It's overall a great ride.

Faults:

Radio control went out within first 3 months.

Oil leak at 20,000 miles.

Engine check light virtually monthly (long ago stopped having it checked). Dealer admits this is ongoing problem.

Driver interior door lining started coming unglued at approx 20,000 miles (in SoCal with moderate temps). Passenger door lining did same at approx 45,000 miles, but could not get to dealer until 52,000 and dealer refused to fix under warranty even with history.

Intermittent hesitation that no dealer or independent shop has been able to correct.

Overall, trim peels easily, again readily admitted by dealer.

Headlights and tail lights constantly going out and needing replaced.

Electric door locks always sticking, starting at approx 60,000 miles. Particularly frustrating since only the driver door has a key lock. Must reach in to all other doors from driver door to open.

Interior switch for Headlamps literally fell apart in my hand. Fixed under a recall.

Shimmy in front end started at 35,000 miles. At first thought due to tires. Continues to occur on all sets of tires and again neither dealer nor other service has been able to correct.

General Comments:

Car is very comfortable and handles well, except for the constant shimmy in front end that no one has been able to correct.

Looks good, but regarding reliability is the worst car I have ever owned (my first bought in 1979), which is even worst due to the extremely high cost of repair for Volvos compared too many other manufacturers.

A dealer tried explaining away the trim coming unglued being due to the car built more "ecologically friendly" than other cars, so areas such as glue are made to decompose faster and may be less effective. Thank you very much, but my first concern is performance, with ecology being important, but secondary.

My Ford Explorer came with higher end features, such as key-less door entry, lights that automatically turn off after 5 minutes if car is off, etc.

Bottom line, although we love the looks, and the handling with the exception of the front end shimmy, I will NEVER buy another Volvo.