The 1999 Volvo C70 Convertible has 1 NHTSA recall campaign affecting an estimated 170,099 vehicles. Recall repairs are always free at any authorized dealer. Owners have filed 10 complaints with NHTSA, most often about the vehicle speed control. Last updated July 5, 2026.
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.
Consequence
THIS RESULTED IN A HIGH NUMBER OF VEHICLES GOING INTO THE LIMP HOME MODE WITHOUT NEED.
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.
Complaints by component
VEHICLE SPEED CONTROL
4
ELECTRICAL SYSTEM
2
1crashes
AIR BAGS
1
EQUIPMENT
1
SERVICE BRAKES, ELECTRIC
1
1crashes
STRUCTURE:FRAME AND MEMBERS
1
Total complaints10
What owners report
Verbatim reports filed with NHTSA, lightly edited for readability and with personal
information removed.
“Convertible top back bar structure cracked in half and top will not operate(close or open) now. While the top broke, as I was opening it, it also fell on the sensor for the lock and broke that also. The car is in the shop again for this problem, the only fix is ordering a new bar at the cost of…”
“Convertible top back bar structure cracked in half and top will not operate(close or open) now. While the top broke, as I was opening it, it also fell on the sensor for the lock and broke that also. The car is in the shop again for this problem, the only fix is ordering a new bar at the cost of…”
“My brakes were making a weird squeaking noise in front. I took to orange county volvo dealer twice, both times was told nothing was wrong. Two weeks later, I experienced complete brake failure,without warning and the only way to stop was to hit the car in front of me. No warning lights…”
“My brakes were making a weird squeaking noise in front. I took to orange county volvo dealer twice, both times was told nothing was wrong. Two weeks later, I experienced complete brake failure,without warning and the only way to stop was to hit the car in front of me. No warning lights…”
“Engine rolling w/varying rpm. Ets warning light came on, continues to do so intermittently. Dealer (tasca volvo, seekonk, ma) stated on 01-09-06 that, based on orders from volvo na,vehicle needed a "system upgrade" and other repairs & diagnostics before part replacement could be performed. Said…”
“We sold this vehicle to a retail customer on august 12, 2005. Soon after, customer complained to us that ets light was on and they had experienced loss of power. We reimbursed customer for having "faulty throttle unit" replaced at bill gray volvo. *nm”
“Volvo c70 presented a problem with the engine revving and down by itself, and mostly noticeable while standing still at idle. I took the car to the dealer, and they informed me that they had to replace the electronic throttle module (etm and throttle) body along with some other parts. I paid and…”
“1999 volvo c70 with 52,000 miles. Car started running staggered at about 48,000 miles. Check engine and ets lights sometimes come on. Took it in for computer diagnosis and mechanic's test drive. Problem is faulty electronic throttle module. Needs replacement at cost of $900.00.*jb”
Defect investigations
InvestigationEA05021 Opened 2005-12-06 · closed 2006-12-12
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…
InvestigationPE05041 Opened 2005-07-26 · closed 2005-12-07
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…
Recall, complaint, and investigation records from official NHTSA datasets (FLAT_RCL,
FLAT_CMPL, FLAT_INV), synced weekly. Counts reflect NHTSA records for the 1999 Volvo C70 Convertible as of
July 5, 2026. Complaint narratives are consumer-submitted and unverified. This page
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