2003 Volvo V70: problems, recalls and reliability
5 recalls and 32 owner complaints on record; the weakest area is fuel system, gasoline (19% of complaints).
Data updated weekly · latest recall Oct 2021
All counts are reports filed with NHTSA in the United States - US market only, not worldwide totals.
Common problems
Computed from 32 owner complaints filed with NHTSA for this exact model year.
“I live 5 hours from the closest Volvo dealership so I called to see if they could send me the the air bag that has been recalled. The airbag is very easy to be replaced in less then 10 minutes. Because of this it is absolutely absurd for me to travel for ten hours to get something done that I can do myself in 10 minutes. They said I can buy the airbag and they could send it. But this being a recall is'nt it their responsibility to fix it in any way possible. I just feel like this is wrong that they are doing this and am addressing it in this compliant.”Owner report · Air Bags · May 2023
“This is subject to a recall R10136 NHTSA Recall 21v-800 We have set appointments twice to have this done only to be told that the parts are not available and we would be contacted when they are. The local dealer is Maple Hill in Kalamazoo. I started a chat with Volvo and the suggestion was to try another dealer. If the part is not available I fail to see how that will help.”Owner report · Air Bags · Dec 2021
“The contact owns a 2003 Volvo V70. The contact received notification of NHTSA Campaign Number: 21V800000 (Air Bags) however, the part to do the recall repair was not yet available. The contact called the local dealer who confirmed that parts were not yet available. The contact stated that the manufacturer had exceeded a reasonable amount of time for the recall repair. The manufacturer was not notified of the issue. The contact had not experienced a failure. Parts distribution disconnect.”Owner report · Air Bags · Oct 2021
Show 7 more owner reports
“Tl* the contact owns a 2003 volvo v70. The contact stated that while driving at various speeds below 30 mph, the vehicle suddenly stalled without warning. The vehicle was not diagnosed or repaired. The vehicle was not included in NHTSA campaign number: 09v483000 (fuel system, gasoline). The manufacturer was notified of the failure. The approximate failure mileage was 134,066.”Owner report · Engine · Jan 2017
“The driver side interior door latch has disconnected four times in the past five years. As a driver, I am literally stuck in the car, and I have to exit thhrough passenger side of the vehicle. This repair(s) does not work, and the door latches are faulty in these cars. As a person that is driving in florida, with three kiddos, I can't be stuck in my car if for some reason the car goes into the water. The spring in the handle of the car does not work, and there should be a recall of the assembly of the door handle. Yes, this is an unsafe condition, as I can't exit my car, especially in the event of an emergency.”Owner report · Structure · Jul 2016
“The turn signal is somehow not connected properly to the vehicle. Every time the driver uses the turn signal, the brights to the car go on. This is very dangerous at night especially, as the driver flashes brights to other drivers as the turn signal goes on with the brights to the car. Tried to fix the issue once, and the same issue happened again about two years later. Will fix the part again. *tr”Owner report · Exterior Lighting · Mar 2014
“While driving on the freeway the dashboard display completely shut down for a few seconds and then flashed back on. This happened several times. Then the display indicated the seat belts weren't working. *tr”Owner report · Electrical System · Dec 2012
“Tl* the contact owns a 2003 volvo v70. The contact stated that while driving, he heard a knocking noise. The vehicle was taken to the dealer for inspection and they stated that the transmission needed to be replaced. The vehicle was not repaired. The manufacturer was notified but provided no assistance. The failure mileage was 63,000. The VIN was unavailable.”Owner report · Power Train · Jun 2012
“The dim/driver information manual/dashboard display broke. This is a safety issue due to the loss of warning lights and turn signal displays. *tr”Owner report · Exterior Lighting · Dec 2011
“When coming to a stop and the transaxle downshifts from 3rd to 2nd gear, it will lurch and a loud 'clunk' shakes the vehicle. This also occurs when accelerating, shifting from 1st gear to 2nd gear; the transaxle will hesitate, engine will rev and makes a loud 'clunk' that shakes the vehicle when the gear change finally occurs. Also, if I need to step on the brakes suddenly and then re-accelerate, it really makes a loud 'clunk' as the engine will rev and go nowhere, eventually slamming itself into 2nd gear and frightening the occupants of the vehicle due to the loud noises and lurching. *js”Owner report · Power Train · Apr 2011
When filing, owners marked a crash in 1 of these complaints and injuries in 1 - self-reported to NHTSA, not verified accident statistics.
Recalls - 5 campaigns
Volvo Cars USA, LLC (Volvo Car) is recalling certain 2001-2007 V70 and XC70 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 December 14, 2021. Owners may contact Volvo Car customer service at 1-888-458-1552. Volvo Car's number for this recall is R10136.
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, THE FUEL PRESSURE SENSOR LOCATED ON THE LEFT END OF THE FUEL RAIL MAY, AT TIMES, TRANSMIT INCORRECT SIGNAL REGARDING THE FUEL PRESSURE TO THE ENGINE CONTROL MODULE. IF THE SIGNAL IS OUTSIDE OF THE PRE-PROGRAMMED ALLOWABLE LIMITS, A DIAGNOSTIC TROUBLE CODE MAY BE SET AND THE CHECK ENGINE LIGHT WILL COME ON. THE SOLDERED JOINTS ON THE CIRCUIT BOARD OF THE FUEL PRESSURE SENSOR MAY CRACK DUE TO TEMPERATURE CHANGES AND EXCESSIVE VIBRATIONS.
Remedy: DEALERS WILL REPLACE THE FUEL PRESSURE SENSOR FREE OF CHARGE. THE RECALL BEGAN ON JUNE 29, 2007. OWNERS MAY CONTACT VOLVO AT 1-800-458-1552.
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.
Specifications
Factory options offered for the 2003 model year, decoded from the NHTSA vPIC database. Individual vehicles have one of each.
How other years compare
Check your exact V70 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 2003 Volvo V70 reliable?
NHTSA has 32 owner complaints and 5 recall campaigns on record for the 2003 Volvo V70. The most complained-about area is fuel system, gasoline (19% of complaints).
At what mileage do 2003 Volvo V70 problems usually appear?
Half of the complaints that mention mileage were filed at 63,000 miles or less.
Does the 2003 Volvo V70 have open recalls?
5 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.