What breaks most · 1991 to 2003 model years
Volvo Volvo problems by year
Owners have filed 87 safety complaints with NHTSA about the Volvo Volvo across model years 1991 to 2003. Three years stand out: 2000 for electrical system complaints, 2001 for speed control and throttle complaints and 1998 for body and structure complaints. The quietest years are 1991, 1992 and 1994.
- Years to check closely: 2000, 2001, 1998
- Fewest complaints: 1991, 1992, 1994
- Complaints on file
- 871991 to 2003, all trims
- Worst year
- 200024 complaints
- Crashes reported
- 92 fires · 9 injuries · 1 deaths
- Typical failure mileage
- 54kMedian where owners gave mileage
- Recall campaigns
- 0Across 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 | Air bags (1) | |
| 1 | 0 | 0 | Air bags (1) | |
| 5 | 0 | 0 | Seat belts (1) | |
| 3 | 1 | 0 | Body and structure (1) | |
| 3 | 0 | 0 | Electrical system (1) | |
| 3 | 0 | 0 | Speed control and throttle (1) | |
| 4 | 0 | 0 | Engine and cooling (2) | |
| 11 | 3 | 0 | Body and structure (3) | |
| 11 | 0 | 0 | Electrical system (3) | |
| 24 | 2 | 0 | Electrical system (5) | |
| 15 | 3 | 0 | Speed control and throttle (5) | |
| 3 | 0 | 0 | Speed control and throttle (1) | |
| 3 | 0 | 0 | Powertrain and transmission (2) |
What fails on the 2000 Volvo Volvo
| Component | Share of complaints | Filings | Crashes | Parts for this job |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Electrical systemAlternators, starters and ignition | 21% |
5 | 0 | Shop all electrical system parts, not filtered to this vehicle |
| Speed control and throttleThrottle and pedal sensors | 17% |
4 | 0 | Shop all speed control and throttle parts, not filtered to this vehicle |
| SteeringPower steering pumps, racks and hoses | 13% |
3 | 0 | Shop all steering parts, not filtered to this vehicle |
| Fuel systemFuel pumps and injectors | 13% |
3 | 1 | Shop all fuel system parts, not filtered to this vehicle |
| Engine and coolingRadiators, thermostats and cooling | 13% |
3 | 0 | Shop all engine and cooling parts, not filtered to this vehicle |
| Body and structureDoors, latches and body hardware | 8% |
2 | 0 | Shop all body and structure parts, not filtered to this vehicle |
| Unknown or other | 4% |
1 | 0 | — |
| Tires | 4% |
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.
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Very low fuel efficiency approximately 13 mpg. Dealer advised etc cleaned. The service was performed in winter 2004. The cleaning increased fuel efficiency to 15 mpg. Total cost to me. *jb
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I have a 2001 volvo v70. Entering interstate 95 the vehicle failed to accelerate forcing me to make a stop and shut off the car. The same has happened a couple of times more during the next days. *cn
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ABS intermittently fails. Brakes work if system on, brakes work when system off. Transitin from on to off results in momentary loss of brakes. Many repeated incidents, volvo claims not a safety issue.
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 Volvo years have the most problems?
By NHTSA complaint volume, 2000, 2001, 1998 carry the most filings on the Volvo Volvo. The 2000 alone has 24 complaints, led by electrical system.
What is the most common Volvo Volvo problem?
On the 2000 model year, the most-reported component is electrical system with 5 complaints. The table above lists the top components for every year.
At what mileage do Volvo Volvo problems start?
The median mileage at failure across all Volvo Volvo complaints that include mileage is about 54,000 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.