1998 Volvo S90 from North America

Summary:

Flawed

Faults:

While backing my 1998 Volvo S90 into my garage, the car suddenly accelerated. I noticed what was happening and immediately applied the brakes. The car crashed into a platform holding a row of cabinets. The rear end of the car is destroyed and the car is totaled.

General Comments:

I need help dealing with Volvo and/or an attorney.

Would you buy another car from this manufacturer? No

Review Date: 12th March, 2010

13th Mar 2010, 03:46

I think you'll find that you accelerated too hard!!!

12th May 2010, 12:41

A Volvo cannot be totaled unless driving above 120 mph.

The 960/40 and S90 are the same cars. You probably did it yourself without knowing, or the car is having gearbox problems. But I doubt that. Take a look http://www.volvoforums.org.uk/showthread.php?t=23406

26th Mar 2011, 22:51

The S90 wasn't produced in 1996.

11th Apr 2011, 19:36

Your comment really makes no sense. No other reports of this ever happening - period!

19th Dec 2011, 16:46

Sounds false to me.. I have owned two of the 9 series Volvos, and two of the 7 series.. all of which are the same chassis and super-heavy construction. I've backed into a Ford Explorer with mine; destroyed the Explorer's lower door, but only lost a tail light. Unless your garage is three hundred feet long so you can get some actual speed, no way you did anything besides cosmetic damage. Try again.. also how old is the car? Sue who for what because your fifteen year old car had an acceleration surge.

13th Aug 2015, 00:16

One pedal accelerates and one brakes.

I think you may have gotten yourself confused. Reversing into a garage is hard work ;)

2nd Apr 2017, 17:43

What the original poster said CAN happen, and has happened to me on a V70/S70 (a FWD model), but the throttle cable is the same, just shorter. So the throttle cable has a spring loaded kickdown switch built into the cable encased in plastic. Over time and heat cycles, it's possible for the case to break, popping the spring, which shortens the cable length, which is equal to wide open throttle.

In reply to 12th May 2010, 12:41

19th Apr 2020, 18:43

"A Volvo cannot be totaled unless driving above 120 mph."

So all those wrecked Volvos in the junkyards must have really been flying, right?

In reply to 19th Apr 2020, 18:43

21st Apr 2020, 12:22

They were travelling at the speed of light :)

22nd Sep 2022, 17:24

Even if the accelerator stuck, the brakes would be strong enough to stop the car.

In reply to 22nd Sep 2022, 17:24

22nd Sep 2022, 17:39

If the accelerator stuck & you slammed on the brakes, your car would probably go sideways & flip over. Very dangerous. We see how that interaction works when a teenager is peeling out in a parking lot by having both those pedals pressed down simultaneously.

1997 Volvo S90 CD 3.0 24v from UK and Ireland

Summary:

Superb - a refined yet potent luxury saloon

Faults:

I have records of the air conditioning going wrong, and the LED strip on the gear selector panel. That's it!

I acquired it without MOT, and it needs the handbrake hinges unseizing (previous owner never used it, just left it in 'P') and a new front tyre!

MOT on my last car was £230, and £448 the year before that - so I'm quite happy.

General Comments:

I bought this car as a replacement for my 460, which was costing so much to maintain. I dreaded every MOT and every long trip, as I knew something would fall off or come undone.

This car is very well-built, and is all Volvo. And more importantly, perhaps, the engine is the right way round :)

The interior is perfect, for me, and has pretty much every toy you could possibly want. It has cream leather, wood effect dash, thick carpets on the floor, ceiling and even on the side pillars. And at night the dash lights glow a really nice blue/green colour - perfect!

The engine is quite amazing, being a straight six it is smooth, quiet and very powerful. The car is not as nippy as my 460 turbo, but once on the motorway or on a big enough country lane, it will quite happily zip along (making a gorgeous sound as it does).

It is an ex undercover police car, so it has obviously been looked after - I've never seen a car that drives and performs so well with 143k on the clock.

It was the perfect replacement for my last car - it's basically a much bigger, much more reliable and much more executive version. It's a true beast, and is giving me the impression it'll last for a very long time to come.

I have not yet measured the fuel consumption, but I can see it's pretty bad. On a long run, it might get over 30mpg! My last got 48mpg once! The way I see it, I will recover the costs in not having to visit the garage every week.

I can highly recommend one of these cars, they are fantastic. Oh yes, and it is group 16, but I am only 21 and can insure one for £597, so don't let that hold you back!

Would you buy another car from this manufacturer? Yes

Review Date: 19th June, 2007

20th Jun 2007, 09:36

I agree too with the above comment. I am 25 and run a 960 facelift 3.0 CD Estate (young big Volvo drivers are still quite rare in the UK) with 180k miles and love it too. I also have had other Volvo's in the past and think they are great. Exceptionally comfortable and safe and drives lovely. ps; I also saw the S90 above on eBay and thought about it!!!

23rd Jun 2007, 08:21

Haha - yes sir, that was the one. Looked a bit pink in the photos, but went to see it and fell in love straight away! It's a nice dark metallic red/maroon and looks pretty nice when it's all polished up!

It's still sitting in the driveway waiting for the MOT, but I have spent some time cleaning it up. It turns out it really is in good condition and has been really well looked after.

I've had two 340s, a 460 turbo and now this. This is obviously the best by far to date. But all of them have been great cars. The chap was quite surprised I wasn't a 50 year old gent when I went round to view it. Not exactly a student's car :)

I will update once I've had it on the road for a bit!

30th Jul 2007, 04:31

Well, have owned the car for a bit now - it flew through the MOT with nothing needing doing to it. The handbrake just needed to be used a bit to get it working! Everything else on it is working perfectly except a small coolant leak. Think a pipe has come loose. As I work out how to use each of the toys the car just gets better and better. It's quite a lot of fun round corners if you get bored :) even in the dry. Also, I'm averaging 20-22mpg which I'm not displeased about as that's with fairly harsh driving. I still highly recommend these cars and can see me having this for a very long time.

All the best!

1999 Volvo S90 SE 2.9 litre 201HP from North America

Summary:

A True Modern Volvo

Faults:

The car has barely any faults, build quality is excellent. Warranty covers everything and the customer service is the best.

My timing belt needed replacement at 60Ks.

The radio was repaired after two years.

General Comments:

This is a great car, one of the modern Volvos without the Ford ideas.

I love my car very much, I have driven over 300,000kms and there has been only minor problems.

Would you buy another car from this manufacturer? Yes

Review Date: 14th November, 2004

1st Jul 2005, 10:44

I agree that the S90 is a great car. I am looking to buy a S90 or 960 to replace my beautiful 1987 760 GLE (the only thing that doesn't work on my car is the AC, and it has beena VERY hot summer this year : (...

Ford has very little input into Volvo cars until now... the newest S40/V50 are based on a Focus/Mazda3 platform. The car is solid, has the 5 cyl, and will out last the other two without fail. Volvo is still very much Volvo, but platform sharing is today's reality that cannot be avoided if we want to enjoy inexpensive (affordable) cars.

17th Feb 2009, 00:23

The S90 does not have a 5cyl. engine. That is the 850. The S90 has an inline 6cyl.

In reply to 17th Feb 2009, 00:23

1st Jul 2017, 16:29

Surely he is referring to the new S40.