Volvo S80 owners have reported 18 unknown or other related problems since 1996. Table 1 shows the 1 most common unknown or other problems. The number one most common problem is related to the vehicle's unknown or other (18 problems). For details of each of the problem category, use the links in the table.
| Problem Category | Number of Problems |
|---|---|
| Unknown Or Other problems |
2000 S80 Volvo on highway going straight. 60 miles an hr. Steering wheel turns radically to left. Loose control of car. Steering wheel is locked. Mac truck driver said that he heard a loud sound out of car. He heard it before he saw it. After bouncing off truck and hitting railing. Car finally stops. Car is totaled. Volvo body of car was not very crushed. I feared that if the mac truck did not hit me. The Volvo would have taken many lives with it. It went through 4 lanes of honking traffic. Hit the rail and went through 4 lanes of traffic again. I have never had an accident and do not know what happened to car. I had just had it in for maintenance. 2 weeks ago.
1999 vollvo S80 t6 transmission went completely out. Would not go forward or back. Towed in and said transmission needed to be replaced. Also mechanic said the cv shaft that connects the transmission to the spindle needed replaced after the transmission was replaced.
While driving down the road, my 2004 Volvo S80 2. 5t will suddenly lose power, surge forward or enter 'limp mode" with a message of "reduced engine performance" followed by "engine service required. " using an obdii code reader I discovered that these messages and my issue were caused by a problem within the electronic throttle module (etm). I took it into a local Volvo repair shop and they confirmed that this was a throttle body issue. If this problem occurs while I am driving within the city, it is fairly easy to pull over to safety, but on the freeway, losing power in the middle of traffic can be dangerous, and this has happened to me, causing a near accident. The issue is recurring and while it does seem to "clear itself" it has returned multiple times. There was a defect investigation, opened July 26th 2005 under NHTSA action number pe05041 for the exact same issue, and exact same group of problems. The report found that the issue was limited to S80s manufactured between 1999 and 2001. I would suggest that this issue is not limited to only those model years but has affected other years as well. I base my suggestion on information found by searching various Volvo owner discussion boards and finding others that have in fact been affected. Please take a look into this issue. . . As it has the potential to cause serious accidents as found in the original investigation.
Most recent is an upper idler arm went causing the timing belt to skip damaging the motor: cost 4k to fix or 5k to install a used motor. Pressure test came back (no pressure)pistons are ok. Sunroof caved in on my head. I did get cutup with the glass. Car stalled, need new alternator, fuel link shield fell off bottom of car causing the fuel line to drag on road. I had to tape the rubber fuel line up until garage to install a new shield. Passenger side safety belt linkage broke (no passenger side seat belt) there are other 'routine maintainence' tires/brakes/ etc that I did have done. I've take good car, but these large ticket items continue. There are always lights out somewhere on this car. One of the tire rims cracked and I need a new one (dangerous to drive highway with that). I did not think Volvo would except something like this, when I brought the car to gengris Volvo dealer they told me that that 'would not touch' this car and trade-in was not an option. This car is worthless what with all these problems. They told me that this model (2000/2001) of the S80 t6 are lemons and should never have been made road worthy. Is there anything you are able to do. . . I still owe 13k on this worthless car. I should have never bought a Volvo - this is my second and and very willing to share this with other potential buyers if nothing is dome by Volvo with this matter. . . There are more problems I can share if you are interested.
Last year my S80 Volvo stalled on the highway due to an etm defect. Two days, I experienced another serious safety issue with the Volvo. I was driving the car on a busy street. Suddenly, an electronic message came up indicating a problem with the air bag. Then two seconds later, a check engine message came up. Within another minute another message indicated transmission service required urgently. Then within two minutes the car went to a limp mode. They were cars behind me. It was a miracle that we were not involved in an accident. I searched the internet and found out that many people have experienced similar problems. I found many complaints online related to Volvo sudden transmission failure. Some were even involved in accidents when their cars suddenly stopped. I am wondering whether the government had looked at this serious safety hazard. Volvo must be aware of the defect. I am very concerned that no one holds them accountable and that no recall has been made thus far to address this issue. I had the car towed to the nearest Volvo garage. I was told that the transmission needs to be replaced. It will cost $5000 to fix the car. I called Volvo north America to report the problem. They did not help.
Volvo S80 t6 2001 have had engine surging for a while. Now the transmission failed with a major meltdown and damage. Always did frequent maintenance. Also had a catalytic converter go out. Must be a defect. Saw others with similar problems on line.
Twin turbo had to be replaced in February 2008. Not cheap. But ever since then, there has been a lack of power and very sluggish on take off and when trying to pass on the highway. Had the control valve replaced just recently, helped some, but still very sluggish. Think the Volvo dealer here have morons for service tech's.
While on a road trip, my 2001 Volvo S80 started lurching forward and speeding up/slowing down by itself. The car was idling erratically and would stall out. As I was away from home and needed to return soon, I took my car to be checked out. I was told that I needed a new electronic throttle module. I had no choice but to have the car fixed at a cost of over $800. 00. Now I find out that Volvo knew of problems with this particular part and that there may be a recall and I am very angry that I had to pay to replace a part they (Volvo) knew was defective!!! additionally, and more importantly, I wonder about the potential danger I and my family were unknowingly subjected to due to Volvo's decision to not inform consumers of this defect.
While driving in highway traffic, the car has a sudden loss of speed & steering & completely stalls. 1st time 3/17/04 throttle body control unit was replaced. 2nd time 11/26/05 mass air flow meter was replaced. Both times was able to restart car after coasting to shoulder. One other time as well, date not noted. These are the same symptoms as reported under complaint pe05041 involving the electronic throttle control module (etm).
Car began lurching when idling. Took to dealer, who said the electronic throttle module needed replacement - and that nhts was investigating this.
Contact states: consumer received a recall notice about the owners vehicle. Consumer was unable to get it serviced in his area as of last week, and was being sent out of state to oregon to correct the recall. There were Volvo mechanics locally that were certified to fix the car. Local dealership sold out. Actual complaint concerned Volvo not allowing the certified mechanics to do the work and requiring consumer to go out of state.
Carrier bike rack and 2 bikes flew off the roof of a s-80 Volvo(2003) while driving on the florida turnpike. Luckily no one was close behind and I was able to remove the wreckage from the highway. I complained to Volvo but they claimed that it was my fault. Nothing was replaced. Somewhere in the manual it says to check the rack. There is no warning label on rack and as it is enclosed there is no evident way to secure. There are fingers in the slot on top of the car but the roof materil is so flimsy that it appeared to have enough give so that the roof rack could disengage. Volvos attitude iss that the driver must constatantly check the roof rack. If this is so the least they could do is put a warning label on same. I am fotunate no one was injured but I think there is a serious problem. I had a very light load but I see Volvos with heavy boxes on them and I shudder to think what might happen.
Problems with 2000 S80 t6.
After the defective dip stick was repaired, consumer noticed oil on the garage floor. During a 65k maintenance, the technician found a malfunctioning dip stick which splattered oil. The part was replaced. A couple of weeks later the consumer noticed the garage floor covered in oil. The mechanic found that the temporary dipstick repair failed.
About two weeks ago, I attempted to install a child safety seat in my 2002 Volvo s-80. In order to do the job properly, I looked in my owners manual for the location of the lower anchorage system. On page 12 was the illustration and location of the anchors, but I was unable to find them in the car. The next Monday I called the dealership where I had purchased the car and was informed that sometimes Volvo didn't install this part. I was told to look in the wheel-well in the trunk. The part was not there. So, I was told to stop by the dealarship and they would take care of it. Several days later, I went to the dealership, and the mechanic couldn't find the anchor either. Some discusion transpired, after which I was told that my owners manual was in error, and that my car did not come with the lower anchorage system. It was going to cost about $100 to order and install the part. I was angry. Afterall, my owners manual showed the location of this system. How could Volvo make such an error? I called Volvo customer service to complain. I was read the following statement, "Volvo reserves the right to make model changes at any time, or to change specifications or design, without notice and incurring obligation. " as a result of this statement the company confirmed that they were not going to rectify this situation unless I paid for it, since they are not responsible for the contents of their owners manual. I leased this car in may, 2002, more than halfway through the model year. I seems to me that Volvo has the obligation to see that its owners manual is current at the time of delivery. Volvo is a brand that has earned its reputation through safety. I object to the fact that they Dodge their responsibilty for safety by hiding behind some legalize. It is the company's obligation to the consumer to see that either their car is delivered as stated, or to see that any erroneous statement and illustrations are removed from the manual.
Complaint about Volvo's attitude and refusal to issue a recall for a faulty dipstick and the refusal to reimburse the $50. 00 dollars deductible for the problems the consumer experienced with their vehicle.
Consumer was dissatisfied with the numerous repairs done to her vehicle within a year. (nar).
Vehicle shuts down while driving and engine check light illuminates. Volvo has been contacted.