Owner-reported complaints naming the brake system, filed with NHTSA
Data refreshed
Reports naming service brakes, the antilock braking system, brake hoses, master cylinders or the parking brake. Every record below is an owner-reported complaint about the 1998 Volvo V70 submitted to NHTSA — not a confirmed defect, not a recall and not a manufacturer bulletin. 50 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.
The 25 most recent of 50, in the owner's own words
TL* THE CONTACT OWNS A 1998 VOLVO V70. THE CONTACT STATED THAT WHILE OPERATING THE VEHICLE, AN ABNORMAL SOUND WAS PRESENT COMING FROM THE REAR PASSENGER SIDE. WHILE INSPECTING THE VEHICLE IT WAS DISCOVERED THAT THE REAR PASSENGER SIDE BRAKE ROTOR HAD CRACKED. THE VEHICLE WAS NOT DIAGNOSED OR REPAIRED. THE MANUFACTURER WAS NOT NOTIFIED OF THE FAILURE. THE FAILURE MILEAGE WAS 200,000. MA 10/25/15
TL*THE CONTACT OWNS A 1998 VOLVO V70. WHILE DRIVING BETWEEN 10-60 MPH, THE ENGINE REVVED. THE VEHICLE SHOOK AND THE BRAKES MADE A GRINDING NOISE, ALTHOUGH THEY WERE NOT APPLIED. THE ABS WARNING INDICATOR LIGHT ILLUMINATED. THE BRAKE PEDAL WAS DEPRESSED AND THE VEHICLE STOPPED NORMALLY. THE ABS CONTROL UNIT (PART NUMBER 860266) WAS REPLACED. THE FAILURE CEASED FOR 30,000 MILES BEFORE IT RECURRED. THE FAILURE MILEAGE WAS 22,000 AND CURRENT MILEAGE WAS 105,000.
ABS / TRAC LIGHTS INTERMITTENT FAILURE, CAUSING OCCASIONAL LOSS OF BRAKING FOR 1-2 SECONDS. *JB
THE ABS / TRACTION CONTROL UNIT ON THESE CARS FAIL IN UNREASONABLY HIGH NUMBERS. IT'S SUCH A BIG BUSINESS, THAT MECHANICS SELL THOUSANDS OF REFURBISHED UNITS ON EBAY. VOLVO CHARGES OVER $700 FOR THE PARTS, AND IS AVOIDING REPAIRING THIS ITEM BECAUSE I'M SURE SOME ACTUARY TOLD THEM IT'S CHEAPER TO PAY CLAIMS AND DEFEND LAWSUITS THAN TO PROTECT THEIR CUSTOMERS. I HAVE NOT EXPERIENCED AN ACCIDENT OR CRASH AS A RESULT, BUT I'M SURE HUNDREDS OF PEOPLE HAVE. *NM
DT*: THE CONTACT STATED THE PADS AND CALIPERS CAME INTO CONTACT WITH THE ROTORS. THE REAR PADS, ROTORS AND CALIPERS WERE REPLACED THREE TIMES. THE FRONT PADS, ROTORS AND CALIPERS WERE REPLACED TWICE. PRIOR TO EACH REPLACEMENT, THE BRAKES MADE A LOUD SQUEAKING SOUND AND THE FRONT AND REAR END SHOOK WHEN THE BRAKES WERE APPLIED. CURRENTLY THE BRAKES MADE A LOUD SQUEAKING NOISE AND THE FRONT END SHOOK WHEN THE BRAKES WERE APPLIED. THE DEALERSHIP WAS NOTIFIED.
THE ABS SYSTEM FAILED DURING A PANIC STOP, CAUSING THE BRAKES TO LOCK UP AND THE CAR TO SKID UNCONTROLLABLY INTO THE MIDDLE OF AN INTERSECTION. FORTUNATELY IT DID NOT RESULT IN ANY SIGNIFICANT DAMAGE. *AK THERE HAD BEEN NO INDICATION OF A PROBLEM PRIOR TO THE INCIDENT AND THE ABS LIGHT WAS ON AFTER THE INCIDENT AND HAD NOT BEEN ON PREVIOUSLY. THE PROBLEM WAS REPAIRED BY REPLACING THE ABS CONTROL MODULE. UPON DISCUSSIONS WITH THE TECHNICIAN, IT WAS CLEAR THAT THIS IS A VERY COMMON FAILURE WITH THESE MODELS AND IT LEAVES THE THE ABS SYSTEM COMPLETELY DISABLED WHEN IT OCCURS. AS MY INCIDENT SHOWS, THIS FAILURE CAN OCCUR WITHOUT WARNING AND CAUSE A VERY DANGEROUS SITUATION WHERE THE DRIVER IS RELYING ON THE ABS SYSTEM AND INSTEAD HAS THE BRAKES LOCK UP CAUSING AN UNCONTROLLABLE SKID. IN ADDITION TO THIS INCIDENT, THE TECHNICIAN ALSO TOLD ME THAT THE MODULE HAD ALREADY FAILED AND BEEN REPLACED PREVIOUSLY AT 31K MILES. THIS APPEARS TO BE A DEFECT THAT IS VERY COMMON AND WILL CAUSE UNSUSPECTING DRIVERS TO SUDDENLY LOSE CONTROL OF THEIR VEHICLES IN A PANIC STOP SITUATION.
AT ONLY 70,000 MILES MY ABS UNIT FAILED AND HAD TO BE REPLACED. THIS IS SUCH A COMMON PROBLEM THAT THE DEALER AGREED TO PAY HALF. VOLVO SHOULD REPLACE THIS CRITICAL SAFETY COMPONET ON EVERY VEHICLE AT THEIR EXPENSE. *JB
I OWN A 1998 VOLVO V70. WITH LESS THAN 50,000 MILES ON THE ODOMETER, I HAVE HAD TO REPLACE BOTH THE AIR PUMP AND THE ABS CONTROL MODULE. THESE PARTS SHOULD NOT HAVE FAILED ON A CAR THAT IS FIVE YEARS OLD. SINCE THE CAR IS PAST ITS WARRANTY PERIOD, VOLVO WILL NOT REIMBURSE ME FOR THESE PARTS (A TOTAL OF $1,273). IN RESPONSE TO A LETTER FROM ME, VOLVO SAID, "IN THE EVENT THAT EITHER OF THESE COMPONENTS IS RECALLED, REIMBURSEMENT COULD BE CONSIDERED AT THAT TIME." PLEASE ADD MY NAME TO OTHERS WHO UNDOUBTEDLY HAVE COMPLAINED ABOUT THESE FAULTY PARTS (AIR PUMP - PKS70AP AND ABS/TRAC - 8602266) SO THAT A RECALL CAN BE ISSUED. I WOULD BE GLAD TO SUBMIT TO NHTSA BOTH LETTERS BETWEEN VOLVO AND MYSELF.*AK
MY 1998 VOLVO V70 AWD. WITH LESS THAN 49,000 MILES THE ABS/TRACS WARNING LIGHT BEGAN TO INTERMITTANTLY COME ON (INDICATES ABS SYSTEM AND ASSOCIATED TRACTION CONTROL ARE INOPERATIVE). SUBSEQUENT COMPUTERIZED TROUBLE FAULT EVALUATION BY DEALER'S SERVICE DEPT (PENKUS VOLVO) INDICATED THAT THE ABS CONTROL MODULE WAS AT FAULT AND NEEDED TO BE REPLACED (AT ALMOST $800). CAR HAD MILEAGE WITHIN THE WARRANTY LIMIT, BUT WAS BEYOND THE TIME LIMIT TO QUALIFY FOR WARRANTY SERVICE. I HAVE SINCE DONE EXTENSIVE RESEARCH/INTERNET SEARCHES ON THIS ISSUE (NOTE I AM A RESEARCH SCIENTIST) AND HAVE FOUND NUMEROUS INSTANCES OF THIS TEVES 20 ABS UNIT FAILING. SPECIFICALLY, I HAVE DISCOVERED THAT THIS 1998 VOLVO MODEL HAS BEEN PLAGUED BY THIS! I RECOGNIZE THAT ALL OF THE HISTORICAL CLAIMS THAT I'VE REVIEWED DO NOT INVOLVE DEATH NOR PERSONNEL INJURY AS A RESULT OF THIS DEFECT, HOWEVER, THERE ARE SOME DOCUMENTED "CLOSE CALLS." I FEEL VERY STRONGLY THAT YOUR AGENCY, NHTSA, SHOULD INVESTIGATE FURTHER AND PERHAPS MANDATE A RECALL BY VOLVO. YOU PRIMARILY EXIST TO PROMOTE SAFETY IN THE AUTOMOTIVE INDUSTRY AND TO PROTECT THE AMERICAN CONSUMER. PLEASE DON'T WAIT UNTIL SOMEONE IS KILLED OR HURT BEFORE YOU ACT! THANK YOU. *AK
THE VOLVO ABS / TRAC CONTROL MODULE IS FAILING AT AN ABNORMALLY HIGH RATE. LOCAL DEALERSHIP REPLACES IN EXCESS OF 5 OF THESE PER MONTH. VOLVO CORPORATE OFFICE WILL NOT ACKNOWLEDGE ANY PROBLEM WITH THIS SAFETY DEVICE, AND OTHERWISE REFUSES TO DISCUSS THE HIGH RATE OF FAILURES. OTHER RESEARCH, INCLUDING A HIGH DEMAND FOR NON-DEALER ACQUIRED ABS COMPUTER MODULES IN THE AFTERMARKET INDUSTRY STRONGLY SUGGESTS THAT THOSE UNITS INSTALLED IN VEHICLES ARE FAILING AT AN ABNORMALLY HIGH RATE. IN MY 1998 V70 WAGON THE ABS & TRAC OFF INDICATORS (WARNING LAMPS) RANDOMLY LIGHT. AS A RESULT THE SAFETY OFFERED BY THE ABS BRAKE SYSTEM BECOMES DISABLED OVER LONG PERIODS OF TIME. EVERY POTENTIAL CAUSE HAS BEEN RULED OUT EXCEPT FOR THE ABS COMPUTER MODULE (ABS / TRAC CONTROL MODULE). THIS SAFETY ISSUE NEEDS TO BE ADDRESSED BY THE NHTSA DUE TO THE IMPENDING RISK TO LIFE THAT CONTINUED FAILURES OF THIS SAFETY DEVICE WILL UNDOUBTEDLY BRING.
WHILE DRIVING, THE ABS AND TRACTION CONTROL INDICATOR ILLUMINATED. BOTH LIGHTS STAYED FOR THE DURATION OF TRAVEL. *AK *JB *NM
ABS MODULE FAILED. ABS AND TRACKING SYSTEM WARNING LIGHTS CAME ON/OFF. *AK
ANTI LOCK BRAKES CONTROL UNIT FAILED. A LIGHT INDICATED THAT THE ABS BRAKES WERE NOT WORKING, BUT THE CONSUMER HEARD AND FELT THE ABS BRAKES WERE WORKING WHEN APPLYING THE BRAKES. *AK
ABS/TRACKS SYSTEM FAILURE ON BOTH 1995, 850 AND 1998, V70. WHEN ABS/TRACK LIGHT(S) COMES ON, NO ABS/TRACK. LEFT FRONT WEEL MAY PULL WHEN BRAKING ON V70. VOLVO CORP. DOES NOT WANT TO DO ANYTHING ABOUT THIS PROBLEM... MADE SEVERAL CALLS, HAD INSPECTION/SERVICE DONE BY "CERTIFIED VOLVO SERVICE TECHNICIAN," VOLVO WILL NOT ACCEPT PROBLEM...
WHILE TRAVELING ON THE HIGHWAY, THE AIR MESSAGE APPEARED ON THE DASHBOARD AND CODES WERE NOT CORRECT. DEALER WAS AWARE OF THE PROBLEM. TS THE COMPUTER CHIP ON THE ANTI LOCK BRAKING SYSTEM FAILED. THE MECHANIC STATED THAT THERE WERE SEVERAL OTHER VEHICLE WITH THE SAME PROBLEM. VOLVO WOULDN'T REPAIR THE VEHICLE UNDER WARRANTY. *SCC *JB
ANTI-LOCK BRAKES NOT FUNCTIONING. CAUSE HAS BEEN IDENTIFIED AS A DEFECTIVE ABS/TRACS MODULE, A KNOWN WEAK SPOT ON 1998 MODEL VOLVO S/V/C 70 SERIES.*AK
WHEN THE BRAKES WERE APPLIED, THE ABS LIGHT APPEARED ON THE DASHBOARD. BRAKING POWER HESITATED, WHICH CAUSED THE TO HAVE NO BRAKES.*AK THE BRAKES ACTIVATED WITHOUT DRIVER APPLICATION. YET, WHEN THE BRAKES WERE APPLIED, THERE WAS A DELAY IN BRAKING. *PH *JB
1998 VOLVO - (V70 AND OTHERS) ABS/TRAC CONTROL MODULE FAILS WITH 64,000 MILES ON CAR. SYMPTOMS ARE INTERMITTENT WARNING LIGHTS. WELL DOCUMENTED PROBLEM ACCORDING TO DEALER AND OTHER OWNERS (SEE WWW.BRICKBOARD.COM) REPAIR IS NEARLY $700. MAJOR SAFETY ISSUE SINCE ABS AND TRAC DO NOT WORK WHEN LIGHTS ARE ON AND MODULE FAILS.*AK
ABS / TRACTION CONTROL MODULE FAILED WHICH RESULTED IN LOSS OF ABS AND TRACTION CONTROL. IT HAS COME TO MY ATTENTION THAT THIS IS A COMMON SAFETY ISSUE WITH VOLVOS. ACCORDING TO MY SERVICE WRITER AT THE VOLVO THIS IS A COMMON PROBLEM WITH THIS MODEL. THE REPAIR IS ALSO NOT CHEAP AT APPROX. $650.00. EXCLUDED IN THE VOLVO INCREASED PROTECTION (VIP) "LIMITED" EXTENDED WARRANTY. *AK
DEFECTIVE ABS COMPUTER MODULE. *NLM
FAILURE OF ABS CONTROL MODULE. 1998 VOLVO V70. INTERMITTENT AND PARTIAL LOSS OF BRAKES, USUALLY (NOT ALWAYS) WHEN GOING OVER BUMP. SOMETIMES BRAKE PEDAL ALMOST GOES TO FLOOR BEFORE ENGAGING. THE PROBLEM STARTED SPORADICALLY ABOUT FOUR YEARS AGO (ABS FAULT LIGHT WITH NO NOTICEABLE PROBLEM). SEVERAL VISITS TO DEALER, BUT NO REMEDY. ABOUT 18 MONTHS AGO, PROBLEM BECAME MORE SEVERE WITH ACTUAL LOSS OF BRAKES OCCURRING. IT SEEMS FROM NEWSGROUPS THAT THIS IS A VERY COMMON PROBLEM WITH THIS YEAR VOLVO, SO I DON'T BELIEVE IT IS A ISOLATED INCIDENT. *NLM
I BOUGHT THIS CAR USED WITH LESS THAN 35K MILES IN FEB 2002. PROBLEM WAS A FROZEN RIGHT FRONT BRAKE CALIPER AND A FAULTY RIGHT REAR WHEEL SPEED SENSOR WHICH ENGAGES THE ABS UNNECESSARILY/RANDOMLY. THIS DID NOT HAPPEN FOR ABOUT A YEAR AFTER OWNING THE CAR. I HAVE BEEN TOLD BY MY MECHANIC THAT THE REAR WHEEL SPEED SENSOR FAILURE APPEARS TO BE QUITE COMMON BECAUSE HE HAS SEEN IT IN MANY OF THE SAME CARS. THE PART THAT IS USED TO REPLACE IT IS ALSO A DIFFERENT PART NUMBER WHICH LEADS ME TO BELIEVE THAT VOLVO IS MOST LIKELY AWARE OF THIS PROBLEM AS WELL BUT HAVE NEVER ISSUED A RECALL. THERE WERE MANY OTHER PROBLEMS WITH THE CAR SUCH AS BAROMETRIC PRESSURE SENSOR FAILURE, UPPER MOTOR MOUNT REQUIRING REPLACING, AC SENSOR FAILURE, WHEEL BEARING, ETC. ALL WITHIN THE PERIOD OF 1 YEAR BUT NONE OF THESE THINGS AFFECTED THE SAFETY/BRAKING OF THE CAR SO I DO NOT CONSIDER THAT TRULY DANGEROUS. THOSE ISSUES INVOLVE AGGRAVATION AND MONEY, NOT SAFETY. *NLM
ABS/ TRACTION COMPUTER FAILURE, PREMATURE BRAKE FAILURE, SIDE AIRBAG DEPLOYED FALSELY (VOLVO V 70 AWD CROSS COUNTRY). *NLM
I HAVE A 1998 VOLVO V70R AWD AND BOTH THE ABS/TRAC WARNING LIGHTS HAD BEEN GOING ON AND OFF FOR THE PAST COUPLE MONTHS. THE LIGHT WOULD COME ON FOR A FEW MINUTES THEN GO OFF. I UNDERSTAND THAT THIS IS A COMMON PROBLEM WITH THE VEHICLE AND HAVE NOW HAD THE CONTROL UNIT REPLACED. THE COST TO REPLACE THE ABS CONTROL UNIT WAS APPROXIMATELY $563.60. *JB
ABS WARNING LIGHT COMES ON INTERMITTENTLY. THEN GOES OFF AFTER A CYCLING OF THE ENGINE. SEEMS TO BE A VERY COMMON PROBLEM WITH THIS MODEL AND BECAUSE THE ABS SYSTEM IS NOT WORKING WHEN THE LIGHT IS ON, IT IS DANGEROUS. VOLVO DOES NOT SEEM TO BE PAYING MUCH ATTENTION TO THIS PROBLEM DESPITE A HIGH NUMBER OF COMPLAINTS. BECAUE THERE IS NO ONE DATE FOR THIS PROBLEM I WILL ARBITRARILY PUT ONE IN FOR REPORTING PURPOSES
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 .