Owner-reported complaints naming the electrical system, filed with NHTSA
Data refreshed
Reports naming the electrical system — wiring, battery, charging, control modules, infotainment and electrical accessories. Every record below is an owner-reported complaint about the 1994 Volvo 850 submitted to NHTSA — not a confirmed defect, not a recall and not a manufacturer bulletin. 13 reports on file name it.
Complaints are reports submitted by owners and drivers to NHTSA. They are not verified and do not establish that a defect exists.
Shown in the owner’s own words, exactly as filed
I BELIEVE IT'S THE ELECTRONIC THROTTLE CONTROL. I'VE HAD THE PART REPLACED AND YET THE CAR STILL RUNS POORLY. IT STALLS, LOOSES SPEED, AND QUITS RUNNING ALL TOGETHER. IT IS A VERY SERIOUS AND DANGEROUS SITUATION. *JB
I AM HAVING PROBLEMS WITH MY CAR CUTTING OFF WHILE DRIVING. STRANGELY, FIRST IT STARTED OUT CUTTING OFF WHENEVER I WOULD MAKE A RIGHT TURN. THE CAR WOULD JUST CUT OFF, ALL THE LIGHTS IN THE DASH WOULD COME ON. I HAVE HAD THREE AUTO REPAIR PLACES LOOK AT IT. OF COURSE I WAS ADVISED TO DO SEVERAL THINGS WHICH THEY THOUGHT WOULD FIX THE PROBLEM. IT DID NOT. WELL THE LASTEST AND WORST HAPPENED ON 8/6 WHEN THE CAR CUT OFF WHILE DRIVING AND ON A BUSY STREET. FORTUNATELY, I WAS ABLE TO COAST TO THE FAR SIDE AND SWITCH THE CAR OFF AND IT STARTED RIGHT BACK UP. PLEASE I NEED HELP. I AM SCARED TO GET ON THE INTERSTATE IN FEAR THAT IT WILL SHUT DOWN ON ME.
RECENTLY READ AN ARTICLE IN USA TODAY ABOUT VOLVO'S STALLING, LOSING SPEED AND ETC. THAT PERFECTLY DESCRIBES MY PROBLEM WITH MY 1994 VOLVO 850 SEDAN. OVER THE LAST 2 YEARS WE HAVE HAD VERY SIMILAR OCCURRENCES WITH OUR CAR LOSING SPEED AND DYING IN TRAFFIC. AFTER EACH INCIDENT IT HAS RESTARTED AFTER A COUPLE OF MINUTES AND WILL NOT REPEAT THE FAILURE WITH ANY FREQUENCY. I HAVE HAD THE CAR TO MY MECHANIC AND TO A VOLVO DEALERSHIP. BOTH PLACES HAVE NO CLUE WHAT IS CAUSING THE PROBLEM AND SINCE WE CANNOT DUPLICATE THE PROBLEM IT MAKES IT MORE DIFFICULT TO DIAGNOSE. I REALIZE THE INVESTIGATION IS FOR THE YEAR 1999 - 2001 BUT I HOPE THERE ARE OTHERS OUT THERE LIKE ME AND YOU MIGHT CONSIDER EXTENDING THE NUMBER OF YEARS YOUR ARE INVESTIGATING. *JB
I COULD NOT REMOVE MY KEY WHEN I TURNED OFF THE IGNITION. TRIED ALL COMBINATIONS OF GEAR POSITIONS, ETC, NOTHING WORKED. PROBLEM IS THE NUMBER OF CARS STOLEN IN THE US WITH KEYS LEFT IN THE IGNITION. A RECALL SHOULD BE LAUNCHED TO PREVENT THIS POTENTIAL PROBLEM. THE MECHANICAL DESIGN OF THE CAR SHOULD NOT BE A CONTRIBUTING CAUSE TO THIS NATIONAL PROBLEM. A FAIL SAFE MECHANISM WITH OVER RIDE CAPABILITIES SHOULD BE INCLUDED IN EVERY CAR DESIGN TO MAKE SURE THIS DOES NOT HAPPEN! DT
HORN COMES ON AND OFF INTERMITTENTLY, AND WITHOUT PRIOR WARNING THERE IS NO SOUND. ALSO, AFTER FIFTH ATTEMP TO START, IT COMES ON. DEALERSHIP TOLD CONSUMER THAT HER CONTACTS WERE BAD.*AK
THE CAR STRUCK A POTHOLE IN A JACKSON, MS RESIDENTIAL STREET WHILE TRAVELING AT THE POSTED SPEED LIMIT (35MPH). THIS ACTION CAUSED THE HORN TO STICK. ACCORDING TO MY MECHANIC, THIS PROBLEM IS COMMON ON THIS TYPE MODEL AND YEAR OF VOLVO. HE SAYS THE CAUSE IS ELECTRICAL CONTACT PROBLEMS IN THE HORN ASSEMBLY WHICH CAUSES THE ENTIRE STEERING WHEEL TO NEED REPLACING (APPROX $800 COST). SIMILAR PROBLEMS HAVE BEEN REPORTED WITH THE CONTACT ASSY (RE REPORT # 705930). THIS PROBLEM IS SAFETY RELATED. MY WIFE HAD TO DRIVE IN TRAFFIC AFTER THE EVENT WITH THE HORN BLASTING AWAY. ALTHOUGH NO ACCIDENT WAS CAUSED BY THIS, IT STILL SHOULD BE INVESTIGATED FOR POSSIBLE RECALL/RE-DESIGN, ESPECIALLY IN A CAR PRODUCT THAT IS SOLD WITH EMPHASIS ON SAFETY RELATED FEATURES. IN ADDITION, THE HORN IS FUSED ON THE SAME CIRCUIT AS THE WINDSHIELD WIPER. IN ORDER TO SHUT OFF THE HORN, I DISABLED IT BE REMOVING THE FUSE. ON MY WAY TO THE SHOP FOR REPAIRS, A THUNDERSTORM OCCURRED WHICH MADE IT IMPOSSIBLE FOR ME TO DRIVE WITHOUT THE BENEFIT OF WINDSHIELD WIPERS. ALTHOUGH NO ACCIDENT OCCURRED, I WAS CERTAINLY PLACED IN GREAT DANGER GIVEN THE AMOUNT OF TRAFFIC AROUND ME ON A SECTION OF HIGHWAY THAT WAS UNDER CONSTRUCTION. THANK YOU.
THE STEERING WHEEL MATERIAL ON WHICH THE HORN RING WAS MOUNTED DISINTEGRATED. THE RESULT WAS THE ELECTRICALLY CHARGED HORN MECHANISM INTOLERABLY ADJACENT TO THE AIRBAG MECHANISME IN THE STEERING WHEEL. THE HORN ELECTRICS HAD TO BE DISCONNECTED AS DID THE AIRBAG TO OPERATE THE VEHICLE WITHOUT DANGER OF INCORRECTLY ACTIVATING THE AIR BAG AND CAUSING AN ACCIDENT. *AK *MJS
POWER WINDOW FAILED. YH
HORN FAILED.
IF THE CRASH SENSOR LOCATED IN THE CENTER CONSOLE UNDER THE ORIGINAL EQUIPMENT CUP HOLDER BETWEEN THE TWO FRONT SEATS GETS WET IT WILL DISABLE THE AIR BAGS, AND THE SEAT BELT WILL NOT WORK. THE DEALER WANTS THE OWNER TO PAY 1158 TO CORRECT THE PROBLEM THAT HE IS HAVING WITH THE ELECTRICAL SYSTEM, CAUSING THE AIR BAG AND THE SEAT BELT NOT TO WORK IF EITHER FUNCTION GETS WET. *AK VEHICLE ALSO EXPERIENCED FLASHING LIGHTS AND DEALER STATED THIS WAS DUE TO A FAULTY REGULATOR, CONSUMER FEELS THAT THE CRASH SENSOR DID NOT GET WET DUE TO IT HAD NOT BEEN OPENED FOR INSPECTION, CONSUMER FEELS THAT THERE IS AN ELECRICAL PROBLEM THAT IS CAUSING LIGHTS TO FLASH AND POTENTIAL PROBLEMS WITH THE AIR BAGS. *SLC
ENGINE WILL STALL, TEMPORARY LOSS OF STEERING WHILE DRIVING . TT
WHILE DRIVING ON HWY. AT APPROX. 55MPH SUDDENLY ENGINE SHUT DOWN, NO PRIOR WARNING, DEALER HAS SERVICED FOR INTERMITTENT PROBLEM SEVERAL TIMES. TT
FRONT PASSENGER REPLACEMENTS AND ORIGINAL RIM CRACKED THREE TIMES WITHIN THIRTY DAYS, RESULTING IN FLAT TIRES, REPLACE RIMS THREE TIMES. TT FIRST OCCASION, HIT A POT HOLE AND TIRE BUSTED AND WHEEL CRACKED, SECOND OCCASTION, HIT A BUMP AND TIRE WENT FLAT AND WHEEL CRACKED, ON THIRD OCCASION, HIT A HOLE AND WHEEL CRACKED AGAIN, CONSUMER STATES CRAKED WHEELS ONLY OCCUR ON THE FRONT PASSENGER SIDE. RIGHT REAR SEAT BACK NOT OPERATING PROPERLY. WEATHER STIP DEFECTIVE, KEPT FALLING OFF. JACK BROKE PRIOR TO RECALL. BATTERY WAS REPLACED. ENGINE TORQUE ARM BROKE AND WAS REPLACED. *SLC
Higher-selling and older vehicles accumulate more reports. Counts are not failure rates and are not directly comparable between vehicles that sold in very different numbers.
Categories with enough reports to have a page of their own
Data on this page last refreshed .