RoadVitals

2008 Volvo V70

Recalls, owner-reported complaints, investigations and safety data

Data refreshed

Owner complaintsComplaints are reports submitted to NHTSA by owners and drivers. NHTSA does not verify most reports before publishing them, and a complaint does not establish that a defect exists. Volume is influenced by how many of a vehicle were sold, how long it has been on the road, and how much attention an issue has received.
11
Latest Aug 9, 2024
Safety recallsA safety recall is issued when a manufacturer or NHTSA determines that a vehicle has a safety-related defect or does not comply with a federal motor vehicle safety standard. Recall repairs are free. Whether a specific vehicle is covered depends on its VIN — a recall listed for a model year does not necessarily apply to every vehicle of that year.
4
Latest Jun 30, 2020
InvestigationsNHTSA opens an investigation to examine whether a safety defect may exist. An open investigation is not a determination that a defect exists, and many investigations close without a recall. Investigations can, however, lead to one.
0
Crash or fire reportedComplaints whose submitter recorded that a crash or a fire occurred. These are the reporter's own answers on the NHTSA form, not verified findings.
1

Overview

Our database contains 11 NHTSA owner-reported complaints for the 2008 Volvo V70, most frequently naming the electrical, engine and exterior lighting categories. 4 safety recalls have been issued covering this model year; and 241 manufacturer communications are on file.

Complaints are reports submitted by owners and drivers to NHTSA. They are not verified and do not establish that a defect exists.

What owners report

Complaints grouped by the component NHTSA recorded

  • Electrical650.0%
  • Engine433.3%
  • Exterior lighting18.3%
  • Tires & wheels18.3%

Percentages are of component mentions. A single complaint can name more than one component, so these do not sum to the total complaint count.

Safety recalls

4 campaigns cover this model year

Recalls apply to specific vehicles, not to every vehicle of a model year. Check your VIN with NHTSA or your manufacturer's dealer to confirm whether a recall affects your vehicle.

Check a VIN on NHTSA.gov

SEAT BELTS:FRONT

Jun 30, 2020
308,260 units potentially affected
The defect: Volvo Cars of N.A., LLC (Volvo) is recalling certain 2008-2016 V70 and XC70, 2007-2016 S80, 2011-2018 S60 and V60, 2016-2018 S60 Cross Country, 2014-2020 S60L, 2009-2015 S80L, 2009-2016 XC60 and 2015-2018 V60 Cross Country vehicles. The flexible steel cable that connects the seat belt to the front outboard seating positions may fatigue over time, causing the seat belt to not secure the occupant in the event of a crash.
The risk: An unsecured occupant has an increased risk of injury in the event of a crash.
The remedy: Volvo will notify owners, and dealers will replace the seat belt anchor cable for both front seats. The recall began December 10, 2020. Owners may contact Volvo customer service at 1-800-458-1552. Volvo's number for this recall is R10029.
Volvo Car USA LLCManufacturer number R10029View on NHTSA.gov

EQUIPMENT:ELECTRICAL:NAVIGATIONAL SYSTEM(GLOBAL POSITIONING SYSTEM)

Nov 8, 2010
416 units potentially affected
The defect: VOLVO IS RECALLING CERTAIN VEHICLES EQUIPPED WITH GARMIN 760 PORTABLE GLOBAL POSITIONING SYSTEM (GPS) UNITS BECAUSE THE BATTERIES ON THOSE UNITS MAY OVERHEAT.
The risk: AN OVERHEATED BATTERY COULD LEAD TO A FIRE.
The 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.
VOLVO CARS OF N.A. LLC.Manufacturer number R231View on NHTSA.gov

ENGINE AND ENGINE COOLING:COOLING SYSTEM:FAN

Jun 12, 2009
17,614 units potentially affected
The defect: VOLVO IS RECALLING 17,614 MY 2008-2009 S80, V70, AND XC70 VEHICLES. THE ENGINE COOLING FAN MAY STOP WORKING DUE TO A SOFTWARE PROGRAMMING ERROR IN THE FAN CONTROL MODULE (FCM). DEPENDING ON DRIVING CONDITIONS, THE CUSTOMER MAY EXPERIENCE REDUCED AIR CONDITIONING PERFORMANCE, AND/OR RAPID INCREASE IN ENGINE COOLANT TEMPERATURE.
The risk: THIS SITUATION MAY RESULT IN LOSS OF COOLING SYSTEM FUNCTION AND ENGINE FAILURE. THE DRIVER MAY NOT HAVE SUFFICIENT TIME TO REACT TO THE WARNING LIGHT(S) OR THE TEXT MESSAGE IN THE INSTRUMENT PANEL, INCREASING THE RISK OF A CRASH.
The remedy: DEALERS WILL REPLACE THE FAN CONTROL MODULE FREE OF CHARGE. THE RECALL IS EXPECTED TO BEGIN DURING JULY 2009. OWNERS MAY CONTACT VOLVO CUSTOMER CARE CENTER AT 1-800-458-1552.
VOLVO CARS OF N.A. LLC.Manufacturer number R214View on NHTSA.gov

Recent owner complaints

Reports submitted to NHTSA, shown in the owner's own words

Tires & wheels
Filed Aug 9, 2024

225/55R 95H On the highway in center lane going 70mph. Car was starting to shake and then heard loud noise coming from the back. Next thing the tire blew. Tread ripped off the bumper, side rear panel, taillight and trim under the door. We were lucky to be able to pull over to the shoulder. We had to get a flat bed tow back home. Took the tire to the Goodyear place where we had purchased the tires. There was 12000 mile on the tires. We purchased a new tire. Driving home there was the same shake. Went back to the tire place and they put the passenger rear tire on the front passenger side to see if it was truly the tire. Yes it was, so we purchased 3 new Goodyear tires, the same ones that was replaced from flat. The Goodyer guy told us to send the tire to Goodyear, because it felt it was defected. Maybe they would pay the over $5000.00 to repair our car. He told me that they have had a lot of problems with that tire. Goodyear sent a certified letter to us stating " Tire condition occured as a result of substantial impact causing overdeflection of the tire and fracture of sidewall rubber and/or fabric plies and/or liner material". They will not pay. If we had hit something substantial we would not be here today. There were not warning light or messages prior to the blowout.

NHTSA ID
11607598
Incident
Jul 20, 2024
Filed Feb 15, 2023

Sunroof exploded while mechanic was driving the vehicle. Fortunately, sunroof visor was closed, so only minor amount of glass entered the vehicle, and no injury from the explosion or glass. There was no inspection by manufacturer or police, as not needed, also no warning lights, etc.

NHTSA ID
11507436
Incident
Feb 14, 2023
ElectricalEngine
Filed May 3, 2022

In mid summer of 2021, my car overheated randomly without any warning driving down the interstate. I pulled off immediately and cut the car off but, it was already done. The radiator cracked as a result of the engine overheating. I had the car towed to my mechanic and he replaced the radiator. Since then I’ve been having a lot of check engine codes. It’s now May of 2022, my car is still using and going through a lot of coolant. There are no leaks in the coolant. My mechanic recently said that the radiator fan is malfunctioning which is popping the check engine and also probably making the car overheat. I contacted Volvo dealership after seeing the recall on the radiator fan for my year make and model but, they informed me there is no recall on my car via the vin#. This week I’ve been watching not only the coolant level but also the fans…. My car has two fans on the front, one of which is not cutting on when it should be , the smaller one seems to be working fine. I think the same recall issue is also effecting my car but, Volvo is not helping me.

NHTSA ID
11463285
Incident
May 3, 2022
ElectricalExterior lighting
Filed Jun 12, 2019
Fire reported

TODAY I RECEIVED A WARNING MESSAGE THAT MY LOW BEAM WAS OUT. I STOPPED IN THE AUTO PARTS STORE AND BOUGHT THE PASSENGER SIDE LOW BEAM REPLACEMENT BULB. WHEN I WENT TO DISASSEMBLE IT I NOTICED THAT THE WIRING HARNESS WAS BURNT. I'M GOING TO REPLACE THE WIRING HARNESS BUT THIS IS VERY CONCERNING. IT'S NOT OLD AND JUST CORRODED IT IS ACTUALLY BURNT.

NHTSA ID
11219631
Incident
Jun 12, 2019
Mileage
132,000 mi
Electrical
Filed Mar 30, 2019

MIRROR ON PASSENGER SIDE FELL OFF MOUNT SEPT 2015 DRIVING 45 MPH ON 2 LANE ROAD

NHTSA ID
11192575
Incident
Sep 25, 2015
Mileage
115,000 mi
Electrical
Filed Mar 30, 2019

MIRRORS PASSENGER MIRROR FELL FROM THE MOUNT ON SEPT 2015 DRIVER MIRROR FELL FROM THE MOUNT MARCH 2019 BOTH INCIDENTS WERE WHILE DRIVING 2 LANE ROADS. FLAT AND SMOOTH

NHTSA ID
11192573
Incident
Mar 28, 2019
Mileage
130,000 mi
Engine
Filed Sep 13, 2017

WHILE DRIVING THE WARNING FOR ENGINE OVERHEATING COMES ON AND ADVISES TO STOP SAFELY.VOLVO DEALER STATES IT IS THE FAN CONTROL MODULE THAT IS AT FAULT AND I BELIEVE THERE IS A RECALL FOR THIS PARTICULAR ISSUE WITH SOME 2008-2009 V70 MODELS.THE VOLVO DEALER STATES THAT MY VIN IS EXEMPT FROM RECALL BUT CLEARLY IS A HUGE SAFETY ISSUE WHICH COULD LEAD TO AN ACCIDENT. I WAS DRIVING IN THE CITY AND THE A/C WAS NOT FULLY FUNCTIONAL WINDOWS FOG UP AND THE ERROR MESSAGE DISPLAYS WITHOUT ANY PREDICTABILITY. THIS COULD HAVE HAPPENED WHILE TRAVELLING ON THE HIGHWAY LEADING TO MORE SERIOUS CONSEQUENCE.

NHTSA ID
11022958
Incident
Sep 9, 2017
Mileage
146,000 mi
Engine
Filed May 2, 2017

TAKATA RECALL: A RECALL FAILURE OCCURRED MAY 1, 2017 ON A FAN CONTROL MODULE THAT WAS INSTALLED ON 7/22/2009-RCALL NUMBER 214. . THE RECALL WAS DONE BUT NOW THE RECALL PART HAS FAILED AGAIN. DEALERSHIP IS NOT WILLING TO PAY FOR IT AGAIN..

NHTSA ID
10983146
Incident
May 1, 2017

Manufacturer communications

A bulletin sent by a manufacturer to its dealers. Not a recall, and repairs are not necessarily free.

35526.1.8

ENGINE

This is a Technical Journal: Text plus 2 PDFs and 1 .PNG Oil Consumption test. Perform the test. Follow service procedure
 Description and Service sections updated to clarify that vehicle reports are not required.

37809.1.1

This is a TJ text only - The purpose of this TJ is to be a master reference list to easily identify any components that are on prior approval. This TJ will be regularily updated as items are added or removed from prior approval.
 Current items under prior approval are listed in the "Service" section

19245

This is a Technical Journal. Vehicle type and platform identification.

8501

EXTERIOR LIGHTING

This is a Technical Journal: Remote connection, BOMGAR application. Before joining a remote session:
 •Connect a suitable battery maintainer/charger and verify that the battery voltage indicated in VIDA is between 12.5V and 14.9V.
 •Connect to the vehicle over a wired connection using a VOE (Volvo OBD to Ethernet) adapter and perform a NEW vehicle readout.

S10303

Volvo Cars USA LLC and Volvo Car Canada LTD on behalf of the Volvo Car Corporation has decided to launch Service Action S10303 on certain model year 2025 EX90 vehicles.
 Volvo Car Investigations have identified that there is a pairing issue with the key fob.
 As a result, there is a possibility that the customer’s key fob is not paired to the vehicle.
 The corrective action is to download SP Software.
 S10303 affects 151 vehicles in the U.S and 5 in Canada.

S10303

Volvo Cars USA LLC and Volvo Car Canada LTD on behalf of the Volvo Car Corporation has decided to launch Service Action S10303 on certain model year 2025 EX90 vehicles.
 Volvo Car Investigations have identified that there is a pairing issue with the key fob.
 As a result, there is a possibility that the customer’s key fob is not paired to the vehicle.
 The corrective action is to download SP Software.
 S10303 affects 151 vehicles in the U.S and 5 in Canada.

Manufacturers file copies of the bulletins they send to dealers with NHTSA. These often describe diagnostic or repair procedures for a known condition. They are not recalls: repairs described in a bulletin are usually only free if the vehicle is still under warranty or the manufacturer has extended coverage.

Compare model years

Complaint and recall counts across every year of this model

Volvo V70 by model year
YearComplaintsRecallsInvestigationsIssue Index
2017000
2016010
2015010
2014010
2013010
2012010
2011010
2010430
2009430
2008Viewing114048.0
2007720
2006214043.9
2005214044.0
2004836052.6
2003325046.4
2002766259.6
20012219257.2
2000936361.5
19991694555.7
19981875563.6
1997301
1996101
1995000
1994000
1993000
1992000

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. Older model years have had longer for reports to accumulate.