What breaks most · 1996 to 2024 model years
Volvo VN problems by year
Owners have filed 53 safety complaints with NHTSA about the Volvo VN across model years 1996 to 2024. Three years stand out: 1998 for suspension complaints, 1999 for suspension complaints and 2000 for electrical system complaints. The quietest years are 2001, 2004 and 2013.
- Years to check closely: 1998, 1999, 2000
- Fewest complaints: 2001, 2004, 2013
- Complaints on file
- 531996 to 2024, all trims
- Worst year
- 19989 complaints
- Crashes reported
- 25 fires · 3 injuries · 0 deaths
- Typical failure mileage
- 164kMedian where owners gave mileage
- Recall campaigns
- 51Across 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 | 0 | 1 | Suspension (2) | |
| 9 | 0 | 6 | Suspension (6) | |
| 9 | 0 | 5 | Suspension (5) | |
| 5 | 0 | 2 | Electrical system (1) | |
| 1 | 0 | 2 | Body and structure (1) | |
| 3 | 1 | 4 | Latches and locks (1) | |
| 1 | 0 | 4 | Electrical system (1) | |
| 2 | 0 | 2 | Exterior lighting (2) | |
| 2 | 0 | 4 | Electrical system (1) | |
| 3 | 0 | 3 | Powertrain and transmission (2) | |
| 2 | 0 | 2 | Engine and cooling (1) | |
| 2 | 0 | 2 | Tires (2) | |
| 1 | 0 | 2 | Electrical system (1) | |
| 2 | 0 | 1 | Firerelated (1) | |
| 2 | 0 | 0 | Tires (1) | |
| 5 | 0 | 2 | Electrical system (2) | |
| 3 | 0 | 2 | Unknown or other (2) | |
| 1 | 1 | 7 | Unknown or other (1) |
What fails on the 1998 Volvo VN
| Component | Share of complaints | Filings | Crashes | Parts for this job |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| SuspensionStruts, springs and control arms | 67% |
6 | 0 | Shop all suspension parts, not filtered to this vehicle |
| Electrical systemAlternators, starters and ignition | 33% |
3 | 0 | Shop all electrical system parts, not filtered to this vehicle |
| Powertrain and transmissionTransmission parts | 33% |
3 | 0 | Shop all powertrain and transmission parts, not filtered to this vehicle |
| Body and structureDoors, latches and body hardware | 22% |
2 | 0 | Shop all body and structure parts, not filtered to this vehicle |
| Unknown or other | 22% |
2 | 0 | — |
| Engine and coolingRadiators, thermostats and cooling | 22% |
2 | 0 | Shop all engine and cooling parts, not filtered to this vehicle |
| SteeringPower steering pumps, racks and hoses | 22% |
2 | 0 | Shop all steering parts, not filtered to this vehicle |
| Tires | 11% |
1 | 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.
-
Consumer stated the alternator and idle pulley were bad, the air dryer was rebuilt, and the torque arm, foot valve and shocks were replaced.*jb
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Consumer stated the left steer axle wheel seal, acc drive seal, left steer wheel seal new seat valve and alternator were replaced.*jb
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It is hard to read the speed on the speedometer gauge, especially in arizona where it is required to wear sun glasses. Numbers are too small, and the color is better to be seen at night than in the day time. Consumer has to focus on the numbers to see them. *ak
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 VN years have the most problems?
By NHTSA complaint volume, 1998, 1999, 2000 carry the most filings on the Volvo VN. The 1998 alone has 9 complaints, led by suspension.
What is the most common Volvo VN problem?
On the 1998 model year, the most-reported component is suspension with 6 complaints. The table above lists the top components for every year.
At what mileage do Volvo VN problems start?
The median mileage at failure across all Volvo VN complaints that include mileage is about 164,000 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.