Owners have filed 258 complaints on the Volvo XC70, covering 2004–2016. The system named most often is Electrical System (30 reports). Worst years by volume: 2004, 2008, 2005; cleanest: 2014, 2015, 2013. 8 reports describe a crash, 4 a fire. On average the car was 7.6 years old when the problem happened.
What breaks on Volvo XC70
Grouped by the system owners named — percentages are shares of all 258 XC70 complaints. Open any row for the full reports in owners' own words.
Electrical System 30 Read
This report is for my 2004 volvo for which I am original owner and only has 35500 miles. My seat caught on fire while driving yesterday. I got the fire out and am told that the seat warmer driver side is what caught on fire. Is there a recall for this or does it come under warranty perhaps
We have experienced three major defects with this vehicle. First and most concerning is the intermittent blackout of the driver's instrument panel (aka driver's information module, DIM). Second most conerning is the defect in the trailer lighting control module that leaves stop, running and signal lighting on our…
The contact owns a 2009 volvo xc70. The contact discovered that NHTSA campaign id number 09V343000, electrical system, software recall is related to his year, make and model vehicle. He was displeased to know that his VIN was excluded from the recall. The contact had concerns of the safety risk involved. There are no…
Fuel/propulsion System 27 Read
Fuel gauge doesn’t show actual fuel level. When full, it shows 50% left, and gauge doesn’t start to move till half the tank is empty
Vehicle stalls, it will start up again, can be driven a short distance but stalls again this happens while vehicle is in motion has happened on city streets and on the highway a recall is associated with this problem volvo recall no.r215 recall 09v3433000 component: electrical system software
Vehicle shuts down as if it is not getting fuel, stalls and shuts off. It will restart after sitting for a while but will only go a short distance before doing it again. First occurence vehicle was traveling at 65 mph in fairly fast moving traffic creating a very unsafe situation. This continues to happen and now we…
Suspension 25 Read
The contact owns a 2008 volvo xc70 cross-country. The contact stated that all four tires prematurely wore at 20,000 miles. The tires were replaced but had become worn at 43,500 miles. The vehicle was taken to the dealer who stated that the tires were wearing as normal. The manufacturer advised that the tires would…
While traveling on the highway with 3 family members and our dog in the car this last weekend, there was suddenly a loud bang (sounded like something had hit the car). The road was smooth and weather was good. I pulled over immediately and could see nothing. Cautiously driving the rest of the way home (approx. 15…
Initial rear spring failure driver side on 5/23/2011. Car out of warranty at 50,00. Appealed to dealer and volvo of america with no consideration for failure major suspension component, warranty, and safety issue. Second spring failure on 4/2/2012, passenger side, mileage 67,274. *j
Power Train 24 Read
When cold sometimes not able to shift from park to any other gear or neutral. After driving, able to shift from drive or reverse back to park but get message saying "car is not in park - shift to park". When in neutral sometimes not able move shifter from neutral to drive or park. When contacted dealer for service…
My Volvo XC70 has had a sudden and significant increase in oil consumption. I believe this is due to the pistons which Volvo is now acknowledging. They refuse to issue a recall or to repair my very well maintained vehicle. Continue operation requires up to 2 quarts of oil every 500 miles! It also presents an ongoing…
I replaced a catalytic converter and 2 O2 sensors a few months ago. Check engine light came on. Oil was pooling into the catalytic converter from the engine. Technician checked pistons. Said there was unusual wear and oil was coming in through the pistons
Fuel System 19 Read
I purchased this vehicle from a used car lot on saturday, two days ago. Last night I was hammered by the presence of a nauseatingly intense fuel smell, both inside and out of the vehicle. It doesn't matter if the car has been sitting for hours or if I've been driving it, the smell is equally intense and I have to say…
Traveling on a busy expway during rush hour in left lane when car started bucking. I was able to switch 2 lanes and almost made it to the shoulder when the car stopped and wouldn't start again. Car information system reported that the battery power was critically low. I put my hazard lights on and called the police. I…
2008 volvo xc70 had a defective fuel tank. Consumer states that the fuel tank was defective because it registered a half tank of fuel on the gauge, but the vehicle ran out of gas
Air Bags 18 Read
The contact owned a 2013 volvo xc70. While driving at approximately 42 mph, a deer jumped in front of the contact's vehicle. As a result, the contact crashed into the deer and the air bags failed to deploy. When the contact turned the ignition key to the off position, the front driver side air bag inadvertently…
I was t boned at an intersection from the right side, by a vehicle traveling 45 mph and the airbags did not deploy! Front wheel, both doors, frame, seat, post and suspension were damaged. $10,000 worth. I was temporarily paralyzed from the impact, I received a concussion from hitting the air bag curtain emblem. I…
I had a car accident yesterday, car slid on ice and hit tree, total loss of my vehicle. I was driving by my self, the passenger air bag deployed but the driver side air bag did not
Seat Belts 16 Read
This is a correction to complaint #10296298. Vehicle in connection to this complaint is a 2005 volvo xc70, not a 2009
The seatbelts on the front driver and passenger side have failed to release when trying to unbuckle. This is a hazard. If there was a moment where it's imperative to leave the car (fire, water, etc) Driver and passenger could get locked in their seatbelts without the ability to exit the vehicle. Volvo would have…
At age 6 years (53K mi.), the front passenger seatbelt clasp began to refuse to latch when the belt buckle was inserted. Using a jeweler's headset, I could not see any foreign object causing interference. To rule out a bent buckle, I tested the clasp (after its removal) with 5 other buckles, and all failed to latch…
Engine 11 Read
My 2008 volvos engine caught on fire while I was shopping , the engine is completely destroyed so it is totaled
Car stalled at an intersection twice. We took it to a repair shop after the first instance and they told us the battery had died, though they were able to charge it and it restarted fine. They could not find any other issues. We continued to drive it and two days later the car died at another intersection just after…
Volvo. Consumer writes in regard to a defective engine
XC70 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 |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2016 | Electrical System | — | — | |
| 2015 | Engine | — | — | |
| 2014 | Fuel System, Gasoline,fuel/propulsion System | — | — | |
| 2013 | Air Bags | 1 | — | |
| 2012 | Seat Belts | — | — | |
| 2011 | Latches/locks/linkages | 1 | — | |
| 2010 | Air Bags | — | — | |
| 2009 | Electrical System | — | — | |
| 2008 | Air Bags | 2 | 1 | |
| 2007 | Air Bags | — | — | |
| 2006 | Air Bags | — | — | |
| 2005 | Air Bags | 2 | — | |
| 2004 | Air Bags | 2 | 3 |
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 | 113 |
| Average complaints per series | 2.3 |
| Worst single series | 13 complaints |
| Average age at failure | 7.6 years |
A model average of 2.3 hides a worst series at 13. 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.
- Complaints matched to the exact production run, not just the model
- What the car is worth given what tends to fail on it
- The original window sticker and factory options
- Full research report as a PDF for the pre-purchase inspection
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- No ads, no tracking — and much more
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 XC70?
By complaint volume, 2004, 2008, 2005 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 XC70 years are the cleanest?
2014, 2015, 2013 have the fewest complaints on file. For recent years that can simply mean the cars are young.
How many complaints does the Volvo XC70 have?
258 owner complaints filed with NHTSA, covering 2004–2016. Of those, 8 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.