2001 Volvo S60: problems, recalls and reliability
9 recalls and 223 owner complaints on record; the weakest area is fuel system, gasoline (29% of complaints); the 2003 model year looks more trouble-free.
Data updated weekly · latest recall Sep 2021
All counts are reports filed with NHTSA in the United States - US market only, not worldwide totals.
Common problems
Computed from 223 owner complaints filed with NHTSA for this exact model year.
“1. The vehicle caught fire while driving. The radiator cooling fan stayed on after parking, The vehicle the night before. The vehicle had to be jump started the next morning. yes the vehicle is available for inspection. 2. bodily injury and property damage could have been caused by the fire. 3. Yes. independent service center. Automotive Body and Tire Center. (Skokie IL) 4. Yes. Fire was put out by prospect heights fire department. Police report #PHP23-004049 5. No warning lamps prior to the fire. Symptom of problem was the radiator cooling fan staying on after vehicle was turned off, which caused the battery to discharge.”Owner report · Electrical System · May 2023
“Terrible gas smell every time I drive it. I got someone to check it out, there is gas leaking from the fuel pump. This person put some putty over the leak which stopped the smell but this is not safe. I see a recall for the fuel pump but it says my car doesn't have a current recall.”Owner report · Fuel/Propulsion System · Apr 2021
“Tl* the contact owns a 2001 volvo s60. The contact stated that the vehicle was leaking fuel from the top of the fuel tank and fuel pump. The contact called the manufacturer after researching the failure and was informed that there was no recall. The manufacturer further stated that the failure occurred in states in warmer zones than the contact's state, and disconnected the call. The vehicle was not taken to a dealer for diagnostic testing or repairs. The failure mileage was 220,000.”Owner report · Fuel/Propulsion System · Apr 2019
Show 7 more owner reports
“Extreme gas smell inside car. Noticed gas leaking from top of tank by the screws that hold it. Vehicle was parked in my drive way and as soon as my kids got in they noticed the strong smell. Not driving it defenetly can cause a fire.”Owner report · Fuel/Propulsion System · Apr 2019
“I have an srs airbag warning light stays on and will not go away. The electrical wiring for the headlights are faulty, I tried everything to fix them nothing works. I used an inline fuse with the headlight wiring because the bulbs the continue to blowout. The volvo forum suggested the inline fuse to fix the issue, but it did not. One headlight remains on the driver side and the passenger side comes on and off when it wants to and it also displays dipped bulb failure or beam failure.”Owner report · Exterior Lighting · Feb 2019
“I have noticed a strong fuel odor inside and outside of car. It is also leaking fuel. The fuel leaking is underneath the car. I do not know exactly where fuel is leaking. It is not coming from fuel filter.”Owner report · Fuel/Propulsion System · Jun 2017
“Tl* the contact owns a 2001 volvo s60. The contact stated that there was a failure in which the throttle body failed to function properly. The contact experienced the failure when making a turn or while driving various speeds. The manufacturer was notified of the failure and indicated that the time frame had expired for the vehicle to be repaired per NHTSA campaign number: 06v441000 (vehicle speed control). The contact was advised to take the vehicle to the dealer. The failure mileage was not available.”Owner report · Vehicle Speed Control · Jan 2017
“Tl* the contact owns a 2001 volvo s60. Without warning, the vehicle failed to accelerate over 20 mph. The vehicle drastically reduced speed and stalled several times without warning. The vehicle was excluded from NHTSA campaign number: 06v441000 (vehicle speed control). The manufacturer was notified of the failure. The failure mileage was not available.”Owner report · Electrical System · Aug 2016
“Tl* the contact owns a 2001 volvo s60. While driving at unknown speeds, the vehicle stalled and the brakes and power steering malfunctioned without warning. The vehicle was not diagnosed nor repaired. The manufacturer was made aware of the failure. The vehicle was not repaired. The failure mileage was 173,000.”Owner report · Steering · Jul 2016
“Tl* the contact owns a 2001 volvo s60. While the vehicle was parked, a strong odor of fuel was noticed. The contact observed fuel leaking from an unknown part of the fuel tank. The failure occurred constantly. The vehicle was not diagnosed or repaired. The manufacturer was not made aware of the failure. The failure mileage and VIN were unknown.”Owner report · Fuel/Propulsion System · Mar 2016
When filing, owners marked a crash in 5 of these complaints and injuries in 3 - self-reported to NHTSA, not verified accident statistics.
Recalls - 9 campaigns
Volvo Car USA, LLC (Volvo Car) is recalling certain 2001-2006 S80 and 2001-2009 S60 vehicles. The driver's air bag inflator may explode during deployment, due to propellant degradation occurring after long-term exposure to high absolute humidity, high temperatures, and high temperature cycling.
Remedy: Dealers will replace the driver's air bag, free of charge. Owner notification letters were mailed November 29, 2021. Owners may contact Volvo Car customer service at 1-800-458-1552. Volvo's number for this recall is R10125.
ON CERTAIN PASSENGER AND SPORT UTILITY VEHICLES, UNDER CERTAIN OPERATING CONDITIONS, SOME ELECTRIC COOLING FANS MAY OVERHEAT POTENTIALLY CAUSING HEAT DAMAGE AND, IN RARE INSTANCES, A FIRE IN THE ENGINE COMPARTMENT.
Remedy: DEALERS WILL REPLACE THE COOLING FAN. THE RECALL BEGAN ON NOVEMBER 29, 2004. CUSTOMERS SHOULD CONTACT VOLVO CARS AT 1-800-458-1552.
Volvo Car USA LLC (Volvo Car) is recalling certain 2001-2003 S80 and S60 vehicles sold or ever registered in Alabama, Arkansas, Florida, Georgia, Hawaii, Louisiana, Mississippi, North Carolina, Oklahoma, South Carolina, Tennessee, Texas, Puerto Rico, American Samoa, Guam, the Northern Mariana Islands (Saipan), and the U.S. Virgin Islands. The driver side frontal air bag inflator may rupture, sending metal fragments into the passage compartment, when the driver side air bag is deployed.
Remedy: Volvo Car will notify owners, and dealers will replace the driver side air bag module, free of charge. The recall began April 20, 2021. Owners may contact Volvo Car customer service at 1-800-458-1552. Volvo Car's number for this recall is R10058.
VOLVO IS RECALLING CERTAIN VEHICLES EQUIPPED WITH GARMIN 760 PORTABLE GLOBAL POSITIONING SYSTEM (GPS) UNITS BECAUSE THE BATTERIES ON THOSE UNITS MAY OVERHEAT.
Remedy: VOLVO ADVISES OWNERS TO PLEASE STOP USING THE GARMIN PORTABLE GPS DEVICE IMMEDIATELY, AND VISIT THE GARMIN WEBSITE TO DETERMINE IF THEIR UNIT IS AFFECTED. THE UNIT'S BATTERY WILL BE REPLACED WITH A NEW BATTERY AND A SPACER WILL BE INSERTED ON TOP OF THE BATTERY NEXT TO THE PCB. THIS SERVICE WILL BE PERFORMED FREE OF CHARGE. THE SAFETY RECALL BEGAN ON NOVEMBER 18, 2010. OWNERS MAY CONTACT GARMIN AT 866-957-1981 OR VISIT GARMIN'S WEBSITE AT WWW.GARMIN.COM/NUVIBATTERYPCBRECALL.
ON CERTAIN PASSENGER VEHICLES, A COMBINATION OF THROTTLE POSITIONING SENSOR IRREGULARITIES, A DIRTY THROTTLE HOUSING, AND/OR INEFFICIENT SOFTWARE CALIBRATION MAY CAUSE A WARNING LAMP TO LIGHT AND THE SUBSEQUENT ONSET OF LIMP HOME MODES.
Remedy: DEALERS WILL INSTALL THE CURRENT SOFTWARE UPGRADE ONTO THE INVOLVED VEHICLES. THE RECALL BEGAN ON DECEMBER 29, 2006. OWNERS MAY CONTACT VOLVO AT 1-800-458-1552.
CERTAIN CARDONE MASTER CYLINDERS WITH PART NUMBERS 10-2925, 10-2987, 10-2987MZA, 10-3083, 11-3015, 11-3042, 11-3044, 11-3045, 11-3047, 11-3064, AND 11-3156, AND WITH DATE CODES LOWER THAN DCA7078 SOLD AS REPLACEMENT EQUIPMENT FOR USE ON THE VEHICLES LISTED ABOVE. THE SEAL ON MASTER CYLINDER CAN FAIL AND LEAK BRAKE FLUID.
Remedy: CARDONE WILL NOTIFY OWNERS AND OFFER TO REPURCHASE ANY DEFECTIVE MASTER CYLINDERS. THE RECALL BEGAN DURING APRIL 2007. OWNERS CAN CONTACT CARDONE AT 1-800-777-4780.
VOLVO IS RECALLING CERTAIN MODEL YEAR 2001-2005 S80, MODEL YEAR 2001-2004 V70, S60, XC70 AND MODEL YEAR 2003-2005 XC90 VEHICLES SOLD IN OR REGISTERED IN THE STATES OF ALABAMA, ARIZONA, ARKANSAS, CALIFORNIA, FLORIDA, GEORGIA, HAWAII, KENTUCKY, LOUISIANA, MISSISSIPPI, NEVADA, NEW MEXICO, NORTH CAROLINA, OKLAHOMA, SOUTH CAROLINA, TENNESSEE, TEXAS, UTAH, VIRGINIA AND THE U.S. TERRITORIES. WHEN EXPOSED TO CERTAIN ENVIRONMENTAL CONDITIONS (HOT CLIMATE AND TEMPERATURE CYCLING) OVER TIME AND IN COMBINATION WITH VARYING FUEL QUALITY, THE FUEL PUMP CAN DEVELOP CRACKS IN THE FUEL PUMP FLANGE.
Remedy: DEALERS WILL INSPECT THE FUEL PUMP INSTALLED IN THE VEHICLE, AND IF NECESSARY REPLACE THE FUEL PUMP WITH A PART OF A MODIFIED DESIGN. THIS SERVICE WILL BE PERFORMED FREE OF CHARGE. THE SAFETY RECALL BEGAN ON JANUARY 15, 2010. OWNERS MAY CONTACT VOLVO AT 1-800-458-1552.
CERTAIN PASSENGER CARS FAIL TO COMPLY WITH THE REQUIREMENTS OF FEDERAL MOTOR VEHICLE SAFETY STANDARD NO. 225, "CHILD RESTRAINT ANCHORAGE SYSTEMS." THE SECOND ISOFIX GUIDE WAS NOT INSTALLED IN THESE VEHICLES AND, IN CERTAIN CASES, THE OWNER'S MANUAL ISOFIX INFORMATION IS INCORRECT.
Remedy: OWNERS WILL RECEIVE A LETTER/PACKAGE CONSISTING OF THE SECOND ISOFIX GUIDE WITH INSTALLATION INSTRUCTIONS, AND IN CERTAIN CASES, THE CORRECTED OWNER'S MANUAL MAY BE PROVIDED. IF THE OWNER WANTS TO TAKE THEIR VEHICLE TO A VOLVO DEALER FOR INSTALLATION OF THE GUIDE, IT WILL BE PERFORMED AT NO CHARGE TO THE OWNER. OWNER NOTIFICATION BEGAN ON DECEMBER 19, 2003. OWNERS SHOULD CONTACT VOLVO AT 1-800-458-1552.
ON CERTAIN VEHICLES ORIGINALLY SOLD IN OR CURRENTLY REGISTERED IN THE STATES OF ARIZONA AND NEVADA, DUE TO THE COMBINATION OF FUEL QUALITY AND CLIMATE CONDITIONS, THE FUEL PUMP MAY, IN CERTAIN CASES, EXPERIENCE A REDUCED FUNCTIONALITY. THE MOST COMMON SYMPTOMS WOULD BE FUEL ODOR.
Remedy: DEALERS WILL REPLACE THE FUEL PUMP FREE OF CHARGE. THE RECALL BEGAN ON JULY 10, 2007. OWNERS MAY CONTACT VOLVO AT 1-800-458-1552.
How other years compare
Check your exact S60 by VIN
Recalls and equipment differ between individual vehicles. Decode your VIN to see what applies to yours.
Open VIN decoderFrequently asked questions
Is the 2001 Volvo S60 reliable?
NHTSA has 223 owner complaints and 9 recall campaigns on record for the 2001 Volvo S60. The most complained-about area is fuel system, gasoline (29% of complaints).
At what mileage do 2001 Volvo S60 problems usually appear?
Half of the complaints that mention mileage were filed at 81,436 miles or less.
Does the 2001 Volvo S60 have open recalls?
9 recall campaigns have been issued, the latest concerning air bags:frontal:driver side:inflator module. Check your specific vehicle by VIN - recall repairs are free at franchised dealers.
Source: NHTSA recall campaigns and owner complaints (public domain). Counts reflect reports on file and are not a defect rate.