J. D. Power just released the results of its most recent long-term owner satisfaction survey (November 15th release). The survey covers owners' experience with 1997 vehicles. This included Volvo's 960 series as well as the 850. Volvo fell into the below average category. Several other major European makes were all above average. Power claims that this survey is the best overall indication of vehicle quality.

I am well satisfied for the most part with my '96 after two years of ownership and 20K miles. The car has some outstanding drivability and assembly features. However, it has become clear to me that the A/C evaporators on these cars have an unacceptably high failure rate. This, as well as a number of other problems mentioned in this forum, is the sort of failure that would show up in a long term survey. Through the years Volvo has done little to correct the evaporator problem and has declined to offer extended warranty coverage. Evaps should not fail in the first 10 years!

Another thing I take issue with is the well known driver's side wiper arm problem. This is simply a case of a badly shaped casting. Volvo did finally recognize the problem. You can see that the newer arms have a different shape. This was an outright mistake and a borderline safety issue. I believe that Volvo, in keeping with its safety image, should have replaced all defective wiper arms.

Two messages have emerged from the CR and Power data. One is that Volvo is not a leader in the reliability and quality arena (Longevity may be a different matter-wait for the twenty year survey!). The other is that Volvo quality issues didn't just emerge with the '98 model year. I am of the conviction that Volvo cars will last a long time given regular care and feeding. People who buy them need to understand what they're getting in for.