The Volvo C70 has 11 NHTSA recall campaigns on record covering 1998–2012. On average a defect was admitted 2.89 years after the car was built, the slowest took 7 years. The most recalled system is Exterior Lighting (3 campaigns). Owners also filed 162 complaints on this model — see what breaks.
What was recalled on the Volvo C70
Grouped by system. Open any row for the campaigns themselves — what failed, what it risks and how the dealer fixes it, straight from the NHTSA filing.
Exterior Lighting 3 Read
What's wrong. Vehicle description: passenger vehicles. There could be inadequate contact between the bulb and socket which could cause the front turn signal not to function as designed
Risk. This would fail to warn an approaching driver that the vehicle is turning and could lead to a crash
Fix. Dealers will replace the left and right front turn signal bulb and socket
What's wrong. Vehicle description: passenger vehicles. There could be inadequate contact between the bulb and socket which could cause the front turn signal not to function as designed
Risk. This would fail to warn an approaching driver that the vehicle is turning and could lead to a crash
Fix. Dealers will replace the left and right front turn signal bulb and socket
What's wrong. On certain passenger and sport utility vehicles, over an extended period of time, the headlight switch may cease to function
Risk. The head lights may not operate properly which could result in intermittent or no headlight function. This could impair a driver's visibility, increasing the risk of a crash
Fix. On vehicles with an original oem switch, dealers will replace the headlight switch. All other vehicles will be inspected to determine if the switch has een damaged and replace only if necessary. The recall began on january 24, 2005. Owners should contact volvo at 1-800-458-1552
Equipment 2 Read
What's wrong. Volvo is recalling certain model year 2006-2012 c70 vehicles manufactured from november 15, 2005, through july 31, 2011, and model year 2011-2012 s60 vehicles manufactured from july 14, 2010, through april 16, 2011, that were equipped with optional accessory spare tire kit. These vehicles fail to comply with the requirements of federal motor vehicle safety standard number. 110, "tire selection and rims." these vehicles do not contain the correct information for vehicles equipped with the optional accessory spare tire and wheel kit
Risk. A misprinted label could lead to improper tire inflation which could result in a tire failure, increasing the risk of a crash
Fix. Volvo will notify owners and dealers will inspect the vehicle and install the label as necessary, free of charge. The safety recall began on february 23, 2012. Owners may contact volvo at 1-201-768-7300
What's wrong. Volvo is recalling certain model year 2006-2012 c70 vehicles manufactured from november 15, 2005, through july 31, 2011, and model year 2011-2012 s60 vehicles manufactured from july 14, 2010, through april 16, 2011, that were equipped with optional accessory spare tire kit. These vehicles fail to comply with the requirements of federal motor vehicle safety standard number. 110, "tire selection and rims." these vehicles do not contain the correct information for vehicles equipped with the optional accessory spare tire and wheel kit
Risk. A misprinted label could lead to improper tire inflation which could result in a tire failure, increasing the risk of a crash
Fix. Volvo will notify owners and dealers will inspect the vehicle and install the label as necessary, free of charge. The safety recall began on february 23, 2012. Owners may contact volvo at 1-201-768-7300
What's wrong. Volvo is recalling certain model year 2006-2012 c70 vehicles manufactured from november 15, 2005, through july 31, 2011, and model year 2011-2012 s60 vehicles manufactured from july 14, 2010, through april 16, 2011, that were equipped with optional accessory spare tire kit. These vehicles fail to comply with the requirements of federal motor vehicle safety standard number. 110, "tire selection and rims." these vehicles do not contain the correct information for vehicles equipped with the optional accessory spare tire and wheel kit
Risk. A misprinted label could lead to improper tire inflation which could result in a tire failure, increasing the risk of a crash
Fix. Volvo will notify owners and dealers will inspect the vehicle and install the label as necessary, free of charge. The safety recall began on february 23, 2012. Owners may contact volvo at 1-201-768-7300
Service Brakes, Hydraulic 2 Read
What's wrong. Volvo is recalling 1,114 my 2007 c30, c70, s40, and v50 passenger vehicles. A soft anodized layer in the master cylinder may trigger early wear on a rubber seal that can result in internal leakage of brake fluid. If affected, the driver may experience reduced brake performance when applying and maintaining force of the brake pedal
Risk. The capacity to brake will gradually deteriorate forcing the driver to use a higher than expected force on the brake pedal when compared to an intact brake system. The deterioration can eventually result in complete loss of the brake system functionality increasing the risk of a crash
Fix. Dealers will inspect the master cylinder. The brake master cylinder and brake fluid reservoir will be replaced and certain brake lines cleaned free of charge. The recall began on march 11, 2008. Owners may contact volvo at 1-800-458-1552
What's wrong. Certain cardone master cylinders with part numbers 10-2925, 10-2987, 10-2987mza, 10-3083, 11-3015, 11-3042, 11-3044, 11-3045, 11-3047, 11-3064, and 11-3156, and with date codes lower than dca7078 sold as replacement equipment for use on the vehicles listed above. The seal on master cylinder can fail and leak brake fluid
Risk. Loss of brake fluid can result in poor braking performance, possibly resulting in a vehicle crash
Fix. Cardone will notify owners and offer to repurchase any defective master cylinders. The recall began during april 2007. Owners can contact cardone at 1-800-777-4780
What's wrong. Certain cardone master cylinders with part numbers 10-2925, 10-2987, 10-2987mza, 10-3083, 11-3015, 11-3042, 11-3044, 11-3045, 11-3047, 11-3064, and 11-3156, and with date codes lower than dca7078 sold as replacement equipment for use on the vehicles listed above. The seal on master cylinder can fail and leak brake fluid
Risk. Loss of brake fluid can result in poor braking performance, possibly resulting in a vehicle crash
Fix. Cardone will notify owners and offer to repurchase any defective master cylinders. The recall began during april 2007. Owners can contact cardone at 1-800-777-4780
Steering 1 Read
What's wrong. Volvo is recalling my 2008-2009 vehicles. A section of the power steering return line hose was not properly vulcanized (cured) and does not meet specifications. If the power steering return hose fails, a sudden rupture of the hose can occur
Risk. This can result in a rapid drainage of the power steering fluid in the system and a complete loss of power assistance, increasing the risk of a crash
Fix. Dealers will inspect and replace the steering return line hose assembly free of charge. The recall began on august 13, 2008. Owners may contact volvo at 1-800-458-1552
What's wrong. Volvo is recalling my 2008-2009 vehicles. A section of the power steering return line hose was not properly vulcanized (cured) and does not meet specifications. If the power steering return hose fails, a sudden rupture of the hose can occur
Risk. This can result in a rapid drainage of the power steering fluid in the system and a complete loss of power assistance, increasing the risk of a crash
Fix. Dealers will inspect and replace the steering return line hose assembly free of charge. The recall began on august 13, 2008. Owners may contact volvo at 1-800-458-1552
Latches/locks/linkages 1 Read
What's wrong. On certain passenger vehicles, an incorrect temporary assembly instruction resulted in an incorrect assembly of the left door handle bowden cable attachment
Risk. This incorrect assembly may result in the left door not meeting certain legal requirements at a certain crash scenario
Fix. Dealers will adjust the left door bowden cable by removing an existing cable tie and placing the bowden cable in its designated position free of charge. The recall began on june 29, 2007. Owners may contact volvo at 1-800-458-1552
Vehicle Speed Control 1 Read
What's wrong. 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
Risk. This resulted in a high number of vehicles going into the limp home mode without need
Fix. 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
What's wrong. 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
Risk. This resulted in a high number of vehicles going into the limp home mode without need
Fix. 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
What's wrong. 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
Risk. This resulted in a high number of vehicles going into the limp home mode without need
Fix. 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
Air Bags 1 Read
What's wrong. Vehicle description: passenger vehicles. The frontal passenger air bag may be overly sensitive to certain electrostatic discharge
Risk. This could possibly cause an inadvertent deployment
Fix. Dealers will install an additional ground wire in the passenger side to assure sufficient grounding
How long a defect stays unadmitted
Campaign numbers encode the year of the announcement, so each recall on this model can be dated against the car it applies to.
| Measure | Value |
|---|---|
| Average gap before admission | 2.89 years |
| Slowest campaign | 7 years |
| Admitted 5+ years later | 28.6% |
| Campaigns on record | 11 |
Which C70 years were recalled most
Campaigns per model year. A year with more campaigns is not automatically worse — it may simply have sold in far greater numbers.
| Model year | Campaigns | Most recalled system |
|---|---|---|
| 2012 | Equipment | |
| 2011 | Equipment | |
| 2010 | Equipment | |
| 2009 | Steering | |
| 2008 | Steering | |
| 2007 | Latches/locks/linkages | |
| 2006 | Equipment | |
| 2002 | Vehicle Speed Control | |
| 2001 | Exterior Lighting | |
| 2000 | Exterior Lighting | |
| 1999 | Exterior Lighting | |
| 1998 | Exterior Lighting |
Check your own car
A campaign applies to a range of production, not to every car of the model. The only way to know whether yours is affected — and whether the repair was already done — is by VIN.
| Step | What you get |
|---|---|
| Enter the VIN above | Open campaigns for that exact vehicle, straight from NHTSA |
| Check the repair status | Whether the free fix has already been carried out on this car |
| Book at any franchised dealer | Recall work is free regardless of age, mileage or owner |
Go deeper
A campaign covers a production range. Yours is one car.
- Check whether this exact VIN is affected — and whether the fix was done
- Alerts if a new campaign lands on a car in your garage
- Full research report as a PDF you can hand to a mechanic
- Decode a whole list of VINs at once
- No ads, on every page
- No ads, no tracking — and much more
Frequently asked questions
How many recalls does the Volvo C70 have?
11 NHTSA campaigns on record, covering 1998–2012. Not every campaign applies to every car — coverage is by production range, so check your VIN.
Is recall work free?
Yes. Safety recall repairs are free at any franchised dealer regardless of the car's age, mileage or how many owners it has had. That is a federal requirement, not a courtesy.
How do I know if my C70 still has an open recall?
Enter its VIN above. We show campaigns that apply to that exact vehicle and whether the repair has already been recorded as done.
Why did a defect take years to be recalled?
On this model the average gap between the car being built and the defect being admitted is 2.89 years, and the slowest campaign came 7 years later. Defects usually surface as they accumulate in the field: complaints pile up, an investigation opens, and only then is a campaign issued.