What breaks most · 1995 to 2002 model years
Volvo S70 problems by year
Owners have filed 593 safety complaints with NHTSA about the Volvo S70 across model years 1995 to 2002. Three years stand out: 1998 for brakes (hydraulic) complaints, 1999 for speed control and throttle complaints and 2000 for speed control and throttle complaints. The quietest years are 1995.
- Years to check closely: 1998, 1999, 2000
- Fewest complaints: 1995
- Complaints on file
- 5931995 to 2002, all trims
- Worst year
- 1998215 complaints
- Crashes reported
- 325 fires · 38 injuries · 0 deaths
- Typical failure mileage
- 78kMedian where owners gave mileage
- Recall campaigns
- 12Across 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 |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2 | 1 | 0 | Air bags (1) | |
| 4 | 0 | 0 | Speed control and throttle (1) | |
| 215 | 10 | 4 | Brakes (hydraulic) (61) | |
| 205 | 13 | 4 | Speed control and throttle (66) | |
| 164 | 8 | 4 | Speed control and throttle (70) | |
| 3 | 0 | 0 | Exterior lighting (1) |
What fails on the 1998 Volvo S70
| Component | Share of complaints | Filings | Crashes | Parts for this job |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Brakes (hydraulic)Brake pads, rotors and calipers | 28% |
61 | 1 | Shop brakes (hydraulic) parts for the 1998 Volvo S70 |
| Exterior lightingHeadlights, tail lights and bulbs | 16% |
35 | 0 | Shop exterior lighting parts for the 1998 Volvo S70 |
| Electrical systemAlternators, starters and ignition | 14% |
31 | 0 | Shop electrical system parts for the 1998 Volvo S70 |
| Engine and coolingRadiators, thermostats and cooling | 10% |
22 | 0 | Shop engine and cooling parts for the 1998 Volvo S70 |
| Service Brakes, AIR | 7% |
14 | 0 | — |
| Air bags | 6% |
13 | 8 | Check recalls for air bags on NHTSA.gov |
| Body and structureDoors, latches and body hardware | 6% |
13 | 0 | Shop body and structure parts for the 1998 Volvo S70 |
| SuspensionStruts, springs and control arms | 5% |
11 | 0 | Shop suspension parts for the 1998 Volvo S70 |
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.
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Dt*: the contact stated the ABS and traction control lights on the dash illuminated causing both components to be inoperable. This occurred intermittently. The vehicle was driven to the dealer who determined both systems needed to be replaced. Updated 10/31/2006 -*nm
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While driving speed needle goes back to zero as if you are not movin, show no mileage numbers n miles you have gone or zero trip miles, many lighton breaks, ABS ect.all while drivingif stop when time to go car thinks it is in park all this is while in traffichave pic can not down load be glad to send
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Ignition coil is misfiring, and park neutral position switch also known as the transmission position switch or neutral safety switch is having issues. When its idling its really rough while driving the car jolts an hiccups. Doesn't know what gear it's going into
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 6, 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 S70 years have the most problems?
By NHTSA complaint volume, 1998, 1999, 2000 carry the most filings on the Volvo S70. The 1998 alone has 215 complaints, led by brakes (hydraulic).
What is the most common Volvo S70 problem?
On the 1998 model year, the most-reported component is brakes (hydraulic) with 61 complaints. The table above lists the top components for every year.
At what mileage do Volvo S70 problems start?
The median mileage at failure across all Volvo S70 complaints that include mileage is about 78,000 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.