- The problem
- 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.
- The risk
- An inflator explosion may result in sharp metal fragments striking the driver or other occupants, resulting in serious injury or death.
- The fix
- 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.
Vehicle safety record
2003 Volvo S80 Problems, complaints & recalls
Owners have filed 29 complaints about the 2003 Volvo S80 with NHTSA, most often about the fuel system (8) and the brakes (4). Those complaints describe 1 crash, 1 fire and 4 injuries. It is covered by 6 recalls, the latest in September 2021 for the inflator module. For comparison, the 2002 has 45 and the 2004 has 50.
NHTSA data checked
DMore problems than a typical S80 year, for its age
#179 most complained-about 2003 vehicle
- Complaints
- 29
- Recalls
- 6
- Crashes
- 1
- Fires
- 1
- Injuries
- 4
- Deaths
- 0
Most common 2003 Volvo S80 problems
Share of all 29 complaints. One complaint can name more than one area. Tap an area for its complaints and recalls.
2003 Volvo S80 recalls 6
Recall repairs are free. Your dealer fixes them whether or not you bought the car there - check your VIN at nhtsa.gov/recalls to see if yours is done. What to do
- The problem
- 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.
- The risk
- Metal fragments can strike vehicle occupants increasing the risk of serious injury or death.
- The fix
- 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.
- The problem
- 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 fix
- 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.
- The problem
- 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.
- The risk
- If the condition occurs vehicle owners may notice fuel smell and/or fuel leak which, in the presence of an ignition source, could result in a fire.
- The fix
- 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.
- The problem
- 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.
- The risk
- Loss of brake fluid can result in poor braking performance, possibly resulting in a vehicle crash.
- The fix
- 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.
- The problem
- 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.
- The risk
- This does not meet the requirements of the standard.
- The fix
- 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.
What owners say
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29 complaints about the 2003 Volvo S80
Newest first, as filed with NHTSA by owners. Page 1 of 2.
See attached document for complaint
In Tank Fuel Pump, problem was leaking at top of pump @ the inlet at the outlet & return valve, crack in the plastic mold. Was giving off fumes, totally unhealthy and waitin for someone to light up a cigarette for a total car explosion and death for all occupants. I have replaced the pump myself. Local Dealer wanted 1100 plus to replace out of my budget This in my view it should have been done by recall, local Jim Volvo of Portland, Oregon said no, out of warranty period. I disagree, If unrepaired, I would have...
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been risking me and my family or occupants in the vehicle at the time. There are still many of these cars and other models & years that I found my research on the web that has had this same problem. I have a 1998 Volvo s70 that appears to be developing the same issue. I had come to like my 2003 S80, it will be my last Volvo My cost so far About $150, and 1st pump I installed was defective, had to start over [[redacted]] [[redacted]] INFORMATION Redacted PURSUANT TO THE FREEDOM OF INFORMATION ACT (FOIA), 5 U.S.C. 552(B)(6).
The lovely GM transmission suddenly decided to not shift while going uphill. Pushing the accelerator just made the RPMs go up and up while the car did nothing. Then a warning light. Transmission service Then limp mode. And all I could do literally was go 5 mph then. It occurred as I was turning at a light. I did call my local volvo dealer who kind of laughed about the price of a new transmission and told me that was all I could do.
The contact owns a 2003 Volvo S80. The contact received a notification for NHTSA Campaign Number: 21V766000 (Air Bags). The dealer had been notified about the recall and an appointment was made for the recall repair. The contact then received a call that the appointment was cancelled due to parts not yet being available. The manufacturer was also notified of the recall and also stated that parts were unavailable. The contact stated that the manufacturer had exceeded a reasonable amount of time for the repair. The contact had not experienced a failure. Parts distribution disconnect.
The vehicle has a recall and Volvo told me I have to drive 8 hours to another state to get it fixed by the closest dealership. I cannot do that - I need to have it fixed locally
Within a week of purchasing the vehicle from a dealer, I discovered that the fuel tank has a leak, so its currently unsafe to drive. I found out about the leak when I brought it to an independent mechanic for service. I see that other vehicles of this model and year had been recalled for fuel leaks, so I wanted to report the issue.
Tl* the contact owned a 2003 volvo s80. While parked, the battery compartment caught fire without warning. The fire department extinguished the fire and filed a report. There were no injuries. The vehicle was not diagnosed. The manufacturer was not notified of the failure. The failure mileage was unknown. The vehicle was destroyed.
Tl* the contact owns a 2003 volvo s80. The contact smelled fuel inside the vehicle. It was diagnosed that the flange was cracked on the fuel pump. The manufacturer was notified. The vin was not available. The approximate failure mileage was 112,000.
Takata recall the dashboard lights are not working at all. I just bought the car 2 months ago. Without the dashboard lights not working, it is very dangerous. I can not see how many mph I am going, and can't tell how much gas I have. Also at night, it is completely black in the dashboard and is very dangerous. This happens day and night. It happened as soon as I drove it off the lot. I called the dealer, and they did not want to take care of it. I purchased the car at michele motors, located on rt.88, Brick, nj.
My car shows exact symptoms of the vehicles involved in nhtsa recall # 09v483. Recall involved cars in the hot weather states of us. At the time of the original recall I have resided in the massachusetts which was not included in the initial recall. I have moved to arizona in the summer of 2010 and now my car is smelling gas as recalled vehicles. Tried to contact volvo dealers and thy are stating since my vin is not in the database of recalled vehicles they will not perform repair ( unless I will pay full price of course ). *Tr
Driver information module (dim) originally started dropping out and returning multiple times during a trip, now it is going out completely after roughly 15 miles, no cluster gauges or dash lights. Will come back on after cool down time of roughly 2-3 hours. No speedometer, tach, gas or temp gauges. Signal lights work, but no dash indicators. *Tr
Tl* the contact owns a 2003 volvo s80. The contact was driving approximately 60 mph when there was a sudden reduction in acceleration. The engine rpms raced continuously. The vehicle had not been diagnosed or repaired for the failure. The manufacturer was notified of the defect. The approximate failure mileage was 123,000.
I keep getting abs module failure on volvo s80; every time we take our car to volvo dealer, they come up with some module failure diagnosis. Seems like a volvo generic issue with abs module failure message. We have tried contacting volvo about this and they really did not help us. They have asked me to talk to the service manager at the local volvo dealership. However service manager has told us that this is not a typical volvo and asked to get rid of our car. Please help. *Tr
2003 Volvo s80 t6 - gm transmission noticed transmission shifting oddly but no codes. Codes came after climbing hill, took to volvo dealer. Code (dtc) 0053 pressure switch lock up. Volvo says replace transmission. Software upgraded - did not fix. Declined. Transmission shifts oddly, car rev's and won't shift where it needs to causing trouble with acceleration and deceleration. There is a consistent problem with volvo's early 90's gm transmissions. *Tr
I have a 2003 volvo and twice I have had to have the front lens on the head :light replaced, not because it was damaged by an accident but because when water hits it the lens cracks ( it happens when the auto has been running or sitting out outside ) I believe there is some kind of defect in the lens . This is not a cheap expense, I have paid over $500.00 Each time I have it repaired. The volvo dealer I go to does not seem to care to investigate this, but I am getting tired of paying for something that is not my fault. *Tr
Hi, just had to have my fuel pump replaced to the tune of well over a thousand dollars. Cost and problem fall in to the "unreal" category. Hard to believe that something as simple as a fuel pump has evolved into a piece of equipment that apparently as complicated as something that is vital to the launch of the shuttle. Oh for the days when a fuel pump was activated by the cam shaft, held on to the engine with two bolts, cost five dollars, took about ten minutes to replace and seldom failed. According to the...
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stealership that did my work, in order to get to the fuel pump, they had to remove the rear seat to get to the fuel pump? I haven't had time to survey the total amount of damage they did in doing this, but do know that the headliner and steering wheel are covered with greasy hand prints and after three days there is still a strong odor of gasoline in the car. My volvo is an 03 s80 with only 45,000 miles on it. Is this typical of volvo dependability and excellence? Guess I'm going to have to go japanese. Comments please. *Tr
ANGLE GEAR REPLACEMENT ON A 2003 VOLVO XC90 AWD. *TR
After purchasing a volvo s80 in april 2003 from volvo north scottsdale, my wife (who drives the car) began experiencing a fuel injection problem. Each time the car was routinely serviced at volvo north scottsdale, she complained of the problem, but the dealer failed to repair it. After tiring of the deteriorating service quality at volvo north scottsdale, my wife began having the car serviced at powell volvo, to whom she continued to complain of the fuel injection problem. That dealer also failed to repair the...
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problem. When the warranty expired, my wife had the vehicle serviced at an independent mechanic, swedish auto werks, to whom she also complained of the fuel injection problem. At this time, the car had been driven 35,990 miles. By this time, she was also experiencing an intermittent slow/long crank starting the car, which was thought to be due to a failing battery. She complained of this also to swedish auto werks. Swedish auto werks diagnosed the causes of the problem as not only a failing battery but also a cracked fuel pump hose nipple. In addition to a new battery, it installed a new fuel pump assembly at a cost of $821.97. The car now runs very well. In a subsequent conversation with another volvo owner, my wife learned and has since confirmed that this fuel pump problem has been recurrent with the volvo s series since al least 2002-03 and that volvo knows of it. My wife also learned that there has been a "silent recall" prompted by this problem--i.E., If the problem is recognized by a volvo dealer, volvo will fix it at no cost to the owner. Neither volvo north scottsdale nor powell volvo identified the problem despite my wife's repeated complaints to them. By october 4, 2007 letter and attached copy of the repair invoice to volvo customer care center, I requested reimbursement. In reply, volvo denied my request, stating that there had been no recall. The date below is when the repair was made. *Tr
1. There is a whooping crane sound when I step on the foot feed and then release. The dealer said it was repaired and then when I drove it home it was still making the noise. After no response from my complaint to them I stopped the payment via ae and have still heard nothing. I think I put the wrong year of my vehicle in the beginning and if I try to go back I loose everything. It is a 2003 xc90 purchased in 12/02. Thank you for any help you can give. If you can't help, please at least send me an email and...
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tell me so. Thanks. 2. Another problem that started in july 2006 is a knocking noise coming from underneath the vehicle. After numerous trips to the dealer I was told a new box for that particular item and it would cost $2800.00 To repair. But they could not guarantee that would fix the problem. My xc90 had a 4 yr or 50,000 warranty. This problem started in july 2006 with 41800 miles. I took possession of the car in 12/02 so my math says the warranty expired 12/06 and that means it was still under warranty when this was first noticed. I have had the vehicle in at least every 4 months for service and each time complained about it. Also I had it in at least 5 times from june thru july 2007 with no satisfaction. Now they don't even answer my emails or return my phone calls. I have contacted the consumer complaint department of volvo and they have never answered me. I am at a loss as to what to do. This car was purchased at power volvo of cerritos (then it was called volvo of cerritos) please help me! *Tr
An s80, 2003 new, lost the right front wheel when the ball joint failed at 27,000 miles. Vovlvo replaced the right and left front ball joints under warranty. They said this happens sometimes. Had we not been on a local road travelling 20 mph there could have been serious injury. The steering problem has existed since 3/05. The vovlo dealership said, in march of 2005 the steering problem was do to a loose hose connection which they corrected. The car continued to steer, from time to time, like it was planing. Crown volvo of chapel hill nc is the dealer. They have offered to take over the last two lease payments if I buy a new volvo. *Nm
Carrier bike rack and 2 bikes flew off the roof of a s-80 volvo(2003) while driving on the florida turnpike.Luckily no one was close behind and I was able to remove the wreckage from the highway.I complained to volvo but they claimed that it was my fault.Nothing was replaced.Somewhere in the manual it says to check the rack.There is no warning label on rack and as it is enclosed there is no evident way to secure.There are fingers in the slot on top of the car but the roof materil is so flimsy that it appeared to...
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have enough give so that the roof rack could disengage.Volvos attitude iss that the driver must constatantly check the roof rack. If this is so the least they could do is put a warning label on same.I am fotunate no one was injured but I think there is a serious problem.I had a very light load but I see volvos with heavy boxes on them and I shudder to think what might happen.
Re: 2003, volvo s80. I had just pulled into a parking space at my preschool son's school, I went to shift gears and take my foot off the brake and my car had a sudden accelertation causing me to be without control of my car for over 50 feet, hitting a tree, 3 shrubs and a 3000 lb. Rock. My preschooler and I sustained minor injuries but my car is totalled. My car is in an auto body shop awaiting insurance approval for a totalled car. My son is traumatized and I was shaken up for days. I am concerned that there was a machanical failure but I have not received a call back from volvo about an investigation. I would like to request a formal investigation into this.
While applying the brakes, a loud noise was heard coming from the front wheel. Consumer shifted the gear into drive and then reverse and the loud noise was heard again. The consumer drove the vehicle to the dealer for inspection and the mechanic could not duplicate the problem. *Ak *jb
While applying brakes a loud noise was heard coming from the front wheel. Consumer shifted the gear in reverse and the noise recurred. Consumer drove the vehicle to dealer for inspection, but mechanic was unable to resolve the problem. *Ak
While driving and turning left, the consumer heard a noise like metal rubbing together coming from the steering wheel. The vehicle was taken to the dealer and they replaced the belts, hoses and a tube. Please provide further information. *Jb
Volvo S80: every year compared
| Year | Complaints | Recalls | Grade |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2007 | 24 | 5 | C |
| 2006 | 12 | 4 | B |
| 2005 | 15 | 6 | C |
| 2004 | 50 | 5 | D |
| 2003 | 29 | 6 | D |
| 2002 | 45 | 5 | D |
| 2001 | 179 | 8 | F |
| 2000 | 342 | 5 | F |
| 1999 | 210 | 5 | F |
2003 Volvo S80 vs rivals
| Vehicle | Complaints | Recalls | Grade | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2003 Volvo S80 | 29 | 6 | D | |
| 2003 Volvo S60 | 123 | 7 | F | Compare |
| 2003 Volvo V70 | 47 | 5 | F | Compare |
| 2003 Volvo S40 | 21 | 2 | B | Compare |
| 2003 Volvo V70XC | 15 | 0 | A | Compare |
| 2003 Volvo C70 | 7 | 0 | A | Compare |
| 2003 Volvo V40 | 5 | 2 | C | Compare |
| 2003 Volvo VN | 3 | 4 | D | Compare |
| 2003 Volvo VHD | 3 | 11 | D | Compare |
More sales usually means more complaints, so compare similar vehicles of the same year. The grade compares each vehicle with its own model's other years.
Questions about the 2003 Volvo S80
Does the 2003 Volvo S80 have any recalls?
Yes - NHTSA lists 6 recalls for the 2003 Volvo S80: inflator module (September 2021); inflator module (November 2020); navigational system(global positioning system) (November 2010); fuel pump (December 2009) and more. Recall repairs are free at any authorized dealer. Enter your VIN at nhtsa.gov/recalls to see whether yours has been fixed.
What are the most common problems with the 2003 Volvo S80?
By the complaints owners filed with NHTSA, the most common problem areas are the fuel system (8), brakes (4), electrical system (4).
How many complaints has the 2003 Volvo S80 had?
29 complaints have been filed with NHTSA, the first on April 2, 2003 and the latest on February 5, 2024. Of these, 1 describe a crash and 1 a fire, and together they report 4 injuries and 0 deaths.
Is the 2003 Volvo S80 a reliable vehicle?
Its Safety Index is 35 out of 100 (grade D: more problems than a typical Volvo S80 year, for its age). The index weighs complaints, crashes, fires, injuries, deaths and recalls against how long the vehicle has been on the road, compared with the same model's other years. It is not a measure of every repair - read the complaints and owner experiences, and have any used vehicle inspected before you buy.
Which Volvo S80 years have the most complaints?
2000 (342), 1999 (210), 2001 (179). See every Volvo S80 year compared.
What should I do if my 2003 Volvo S80 has a problem?
If it is a safety problem, stop driving it if it is unsafe and contact your dealer. Report it to NHTSA at nhtsa.gov/report-a-safety-problem - enough reports start investigations and recalls - and share your experience here so other owners know what to look for.
Source: U.S. National Highway Traffic Safety Administration (NHTSA) complaints and recalls, checked . Complaints are owners' own reports and are not verified. How we use the data