What breaks most · 2000 to 2019 model years
Volvo S60 problems by year
Owners have filed 926 safety complaints with NHTSA about the Volvo S60 across model years 2000 to 2019. Three years stand out: 2001 for fuel system complaints, 2004 for engine and cooling complaints and 2002 for fuel system complaints. The quietest years are 2000, 2009 and 2011.
- Years to check closely: 2001, 2004, 2002
- Fewest complaints: 2000, 2009, 2011
- Complaints on file
- 9262000 to 2019, all trims
- Worst year
- 2001220 complaints
- Crashes reported
- 3921 fires · 36 injuries · 0 deaths
- Typical failure mileage
- 73kMedian where owners gave mileage
- Recall campaigns
- 82Across the years shown
Complaints by model year
Raw filings with NHTSA, not adjusted for how many were sold.
| Model year | Complaints | Crashes | Recalls | Most-reported component |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | 0 | 0 | Steering (1) | |
| 220 | 5 | 9 | Fuel system (68) | |
| 181 | 4 | 9 | Fuel system (40) | |
| 117 | 1 | 7 | Electrical system (53) | |
| 190 | 10 | 6 | Engine and cooling (63) | |
| 42 | 0 | 4 | Engine and cooling (7) | |
| 23 | 1 | 4 | Engine (5) | |
| 17 | 1 | 2 | Electrical system (6) | |
| 8 | 2 | 2 | Speed control and throttle (4) | |
| 3 | 0 | 3 | Speed control and throttle (1) | |
| 4 | 1 | 6 | Engine and cooling (1) | |
| 55 | 5 | 8 | Engine (28) | |
| 32 | 5 | 4 | Unknown or other (6) | |
| 9 | 1 | 3 | Speed control and throttle (3) | |
| 16 | 2 | 2 | Electrical system (4) | |
| 6 | 1 | 4 | Engine (3) | |
| 1 | 0 | 5 | Unknown or other (1) | |
| 1 | 0 | 4 | Tires (1) |
What fails on the 2001 Volvo S60
| Component | Share of complaints | Filings | Crashes | Parts for this job |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Fuel systemFuel pumps and injectors | 31% |
68 | 0 | Shop fuel system parts for the 2001 Volvo S60 |
| Speed control and throttleThrottle and pedal sensors | 19% |
42 | 1 | Shop speed control and throttle parts for the 2001 Volvo S60 |
| Electrical systemAlternators, starters and ignition | 13% |
29 | 0 | Shop electrical system parts for the 2001 Volvo S60 |
| Powertrain and transmissionTransmission parts | 10% |
22 | 0 | Shop all powertrain and transmission parts, not filtered to this vehicle |
| Engine and coolingRadiators, thermostats and cooling | 8% |
18 | 0 | Shop engine and cooling parts for the 2001 Volvo S60 |
| Fuel systemFuel pumps and injectors | 7% |
15 | 0 | Shop fuel system parts for the 2001 Volvo S60 |
| Tires | 3% |
7 | 0 | — |
| Seats | 2% |
5 | 0 | — |
One complaint can name more than one component, so shares add to more than 100%. "Unknown or other" is NHTSA's uncategorized bucket and is shown but never ranked.
In owners' words
Complaint narratives as filed with NHTSA, trimmed for length.
-
I had an oil change and soon thereafter, i noticed that the car has a strong smell of gasoline. This has been happening for a week and i am afraid to drive the car. This is my only car and i need to know if there is a recall on this since there seem to be a good number of complaints.
-
At any given time the vehicle stalls. I loose all power and have to restart the car. I've taken the car to the dealer they don't give me an answer. Finally they gave me a list of items that say may be the problem, but are not sure it's the problem.
-
I have a gas/fume smell coming from my car ,i can smell the fumes when i stand next to vehicle. Do you know what i should check or any recalls for this vehicle. Thank you
How to read this page
Every figure comes from the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration's public complaint database, which holds every safety-related defect complaint filed by owners since 1995. We refresh it monthly and count each complaint once per component it names. Data through September 30, 2026.
NHTSA only accepts safety-related complaints. Rattles, paint, infotainment bugs and other annoyances are under-reported here, so this page is a map of what fails in ways owners consider dangerous, not a full reliability score.
Counts are raw. Use the year-over-year shape and the component mix, not the absolute numbers. Where a component maps to parts we stock, the row links to that category filtered to the year you are viewing. Air bag and seat belt complaints link to the recall checker instead, because those repairs are almost always covered.
Common questions
Which Volvo S60 years have the most problems?
By NHTSA complaint volume, 2001, 2004, 2002 carry the most filings on the Volvo S60. The 2001 alone has 220 complaints, led by fuel system.
What is the most common Volvo S60 problem?
On the 2001 model year, the most-reported component is fuel system with 68 complaints. The table above lists the top components for every year.
At what mileage do Volvo S60 problems start?
The median mileage at failure across all Volvo S60 complaints that include mileage is about 73,000 miles. Older model years skew higher; the per-year figure is in the "at a glance" card.
Are these complaints verified?
No. NHTSA publishes complaints as submitted and does not investigate individual filings. Patterns across hundreds of complaints are meaningful; a single one is not.