Owners have filed 470 complaints on the Volvo S70, covering 1998–2000. The system named most often is Vehicle Speed Control (100 reports). Worst years by volume: 1999, 1998, 2000; cleanest: 2000, 1998, 1999. 26 reports describe a crash, 4 a fire. On average the car was 5.6 years old when the problem happened.
What breaks on Volvo S70
Grouped by the system owners named — percentages are shares of all 470 S70 complaints. Open any row for the full reports in owners' own words.
Vehicle Speed Control 100 Read
Unexplained, involuntary acceleration from low speed. 2000 volvo model s70 passenger car, AWD. During a slow-speed turn the vehicle accelerated at full throttle. Impact with residential structure severed a wheel and bent the front frame 90 degrees. What happened: during a slow turn into a neighbors driveway, speed…
- the contact stated that while driving the 2000 volvo s70 at approximately 15 mph the vehicle surged forward without warning, causing the contact's vehicle to crash into the back of an SUV. The front bumper of the contacts vehicle was underneath bumper of the SUV. The manufacturer sent a technician to inspect the…
The contact owns a 2000 volvo s70. The contact stated when braking and then attempting to accelerate, the vehicle would sporadically lunge forward or there would be limited acceleration power. The etf throttle warning light would illuminate when the failure occurred. The dealer advised that they were unable to assist…
Electrical System 76 Read
At time of fire, dash board indicator lights were on for light out and that car was in low gear, but car was not being driven in low gear. Additionally, air conditioner was on. No iindicator lights were on to indicate any other problems such as engine was overheated or low in any fluids. I attempted to shift through…
12 volt adapter needed to use hands free cell phone as required by law in new york & most other states failed due to design defect
In early october 2003 the electronic throttle system (ets) light appeared on my car's panel. This affected the drivability of the vehicle. I purchased an additional warranty for my vehicle when I bought the car in may 2000. The dealer indicated that my warranty would not cover this problem and that it would cost…
Service Brakes 63 Read
At about 10,000 miles the brakes would slip and rumble when braking down a hill. I took the car in to complain and they told me that they couldn't find anything wrong with it. I started avoiding hills. Every time I brought the car in for service I complained about this problem and was assured that nothing was wrong.…
This problem has been from purchase and taken back 5 times tapping and brake pedal being grabbed
Brought into dealer on numerous occassions in regards to brake pedal hard and brake fade at start up. Failure to come to full stop when brake is first applied after car stands overnight or period of time. Dealer replaced sealant and fuse on ABS sensors, master cylinder and ABS pump motor. Dealer replace climate…
Engine And Engine Cooling 57 Read
Engine problems since day 1. Always intermittant and without warning. I feel the car is rendered unsafe due to the potential for total unexpected power loss. Deal refuses to work on car until authorized by volvo usa. 6 months and no word yet
Consumer was traveling 60mph in a 65mph zone. Passing another vehicle going 60mph he floored throttle and ets light came up on dashboard. Vehicle went down to 2,000 RPM's. Consumer pulled over, and read manual, starting vehicle back up and it happened again. Dealer didn't know what to do. They had to inspect it for…
While driving 35 mph vehicle completely shutdown without warning. Vehicle was towed to dealer. Dealaer replaced axle. Please give any further details
Exterior Lighting 35 Read
Part apears to have failed en masse on many or most cars of this model. Volvo unable to supply replacement part to enable safe and legal operation of vehicle. New part number issued, but back order status of at least two months. Result - vehicle must either be parked for duration or operated in violation of law…
Front and back light bulbs have been replaced, brake lights also. Electric windows and electric locks malfunctioned one time but lights continue to fail
The vehicle's turn signal, tail and brake lights are constantly blowing out. The gear shift indicator has failed 3-4 times. Problem has occurred at least 5-6 times. Dealer is unable to determine cause. Ph
Fuel System 32 Read
Car caught on fire, fireman's best guess was a fuel leak
Driving on interstate highway, car began to hesitate and stall electronic throttle control was defective, car became inoperable dealer replaced throttle body and associated parts
1. Ets light, hesitation, had to press pedal down to floor to get car to move. . Danger of stopping/stalling in traffic 3. Replace throttle body $923.00 , 62,492 miles serviced regularly with dealer -- thanks ford
Air Bags 23 Read
The contact owns a 1999 volvo s70. The contact stated that the driver was traveling 65 mph when the vehicle crashed into a concrete culvert pipe and only the passenger side air bags deployed. The passenger seat however, was not occupied. The contact also stated that black and white smoke emitted from the engine after…
In a front-end collision (of approximately 40 mph), airbag did not deploy, and the drivers seat belt did not lock
I was in an accident in my 2000 volvo s70 in which the car was totaled. The driver's side airbag did not deploy. The passenger side airbag did deploy. Although, I was not seriously injured, I would like to report that the driver's side airbag did not deploy at any time during the accident
Structure 17 Read
After taking my car in for a scheduled 45000 mile service in september 2001, I noticed that the driver door was making a popping noise. I thought that the door had simply not been lubed. When I took my vehicle in for the next service in january 2002, I specified that the door was popping and to make sure it was lubed.…
When opening the door from the inside with door handle, it will pinch the occupant's finger. This occurs on all the inside door handles. Dealer says it is the design
Consumer states the weld on the upper hinge is broken from the driver side door. Nlm
S70 years to avoid — and the clean ones
Complaints per model year. More reports usually means more cars on the road as well as more trouble, so read the crash and fire columns alongside the count.
| Model year | Complaints | Top system | Crashes | Fires |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2000 | Air Bags | 6 | 1 | |
| 1999 | Air Bags | 12 | 1 | |
| 1998 | Air Bags | 8 | 2 |
The same model year, different builds
Every complaint carries the first 11 characters of the VIN — plant, year, body and engine. That is a production series, and complaints are spread across them very unevenly.
| Measure | Value |
|---|---|
| Distinct production series | 212 |
| Average complaints per series | 2.2 |
| Worst single series | 12 complaints |
| Average age at failure | 5.6 years |
A model average of 2.2 hides a worst series at 12. Enter a VIN above to see the numbers for that exact build instead of the model as a whole.
Owners reported these. Find out if yours is one of them.
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How we count
Every figure here comes from complaints owners filed with NHTSA — 1,100,006 of them, covering 1,982 models built between 1981 and 2026.
A complaint is an unverified report: someone wrote down what happened to their car. It is not a confirmed defect and not a recall. What makes the volume useful is the pattern — when thousands of owners of the same build describe the same failure, that is a signal no marketing brochure will give you.
Two things we do that the source does not. First, we compute the age of the car at the moment of failure from the incident date and the model year. Second, we group complaints by the first 11 characters of the VIN — the production series — so a bad plant run does not disappear into a model-wide average.
Frequently asked questions
What are the worst years for the S70?
By complaint volume, 1999, 1998, 2000 drew the most owner reports. Bear in mind that popular years put more cars on the road, so check the crash and fire columns too.
Which S70 years are the cleanest?
2000, 1998, 1999 have the fewest complaints on file. For recent years that can simply mean the cars are young.
How many complaints does the Volvo S70 have?
470 owner complaints filed with NHTSA, covering 1998–2000. Of those, 26 describe a crash and 4 a fire.
Are these complaints verified?
No. They are unverified reports from owners. NHTSA publishes them as filed and investigates only a fraction. The value is in the pattern, not in any single report.
Can I check complaints for one specific car?
Yes — enter its VIN above. We match the first 11 characters, which identify the plant, year, body and engine, so you get complaints on that exact production series rather than the whole model.