- 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
2004 Volvo S80 Problems, complaints & recalls
Owners have filed 50 complaints about the 2004 Volvo S80 with NHTSA, most often about the fuel system (14) and the engine & cooling (8). Those complaints describe 4 crashes and 2 injuries. It is covered by 5 recalls, the latest in September 2021 for the inflator module. For comparison, the 2003 has 29 and the 2005 has 15.
NHTSA data checked
DMore problems than a typical S80 year, for its age
#151 most complained-about 2004 vehicle
- Complaints
- 50
- Recalls
- 5
- Crashes
- 4
- Fires
- 0
- Injuries
- 2
- Deaths
- 0
Most common 2004 Volvo S80 problems
Share of all 50 complaints. One complaint can name more than one area. Tap an area for its complaints and recalls.
2004 Volvo S80 recalls 5
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 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
- On certain passenger vehicles, the front control arms may not have been manufactured correctly and, as a result, the stud and nut that secure the arm to the spindle may lose their initial axial tension. Under certain driving conditions, the steering may become less responsive and the driver may experience steering wheel play.
- The risk
- This driving condition could eventually lead to separation between the front control arm and the spindle, which could result in a crash.
- The fix
- Dealers will install a new type of nut. Owner notification began on february 16, 2004. Owners should contact volvo cars at 1-800-458-1552.
What owners say
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50 complaints about the 2004 Volvo S80
Newest first, as filed with NHTSA by owners. Page 1 of 2.
Both of the key fobs I have are broken in that the key won't lock straight out or stay folded into the fob. The weight of the plastic fob alone frequently causes the key to twist backwards if the road is bumpy or uneven, which kills the engine and makes it extremely difficult to steer to safety without power steering. The first time this happened to me I was traveling at 55 mph on a crowded highway but fortunately I was in the rightmost lane, not in a curve, and was approaching an area where I could pull over to...
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safety. I have had to duct tape both keys in the open position to prevent this. The situation is much worse if additional keys or other weight is added to the ring. It is possible to insert a broken key in a way that causes the weight of the fob to hang away from the driver but large road bumps or accidental interference from the driver or passengers can cause it to flip backwards anyway. These incidents are alarming and confusing for the driver, particularly the first time, and could easily cause an accident depending on the conditions. I am not the only person who has experienced this issue, and it will become even more common as these vehicles age.
On 11/17/2020 was driving to pick up decal for my car and I got a message that read a check airbags I didn't have any reading on my gages turn signal for right turn stay lit up not brinking just on , when I stopped and went in building to get decal came back to car started it my gages came back which was glad they were working but still had message about airbags
After noticing a very acute smell of gas I took the vehicle in for inspection. The mechanic advise that I had a fuel leak in my 2004 volvo s 80 . Thats could have been a serious problem and that the car is not driveable in this condition.
Strong odor of gas outside of car. Recall on similiar cars but not in this area. Known issue by volvo but will not repair at no cost as it is outside of the 10 year extended warranty even though car does not have 150000 miles on. Fire hazard and should be for all cars of this year and make but offer little if any help.
Tl* the contact owns a 2004 volvo s80. On several occasions, the contact smelled fuel coming from the garage. Upon checking underneath the vehicle, the odor became stronger. The vehicle was taken to an independent mechanic who diagnosed that a fuel leak originated from the top of the fuel tank. The fuel pump needed to be replaced. The vehicle was not repaired. The manufacturer was not made aware of the failure. The failure mileage was unknown.
Tl* the contact owns a 2004 volvo s80. The contact stated that he smelled fuel around the vehicle. Upon inspection, the contact noticed fuel had leaked out of the top of the fuel pump. The vehicle was not taken to a dealer. The vehicle was not diagnosed or repaired. The manufacturer was not made aware of the failure. The approximate failure mileage was 19,000. The vin was not available.
The car is putting forth a strong odor of gasoline. This was first noticed a couple of weeks ago but was put down to having just filled the tank. The problem has progressed to the point where you can smell gas 20 feet away from the car. We are not allowing our daughter to drive the car as it is an extreme fire hazard. I had the same issue with another s80 in 2015 which also wasn't covered in the recall since it was not sold in a "hot climate". With that car the fuel pump (with defective flange) was replaced and the...
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problem went away. Although I am not convinced that heat is the problem (rather the defective flange) the temperatures in our area ranges from 15 in winter to low 100s in the summer. This is a problem which volvo has acknowledged and it clearly makes driving the car dangerous if not deadly. Recall for this problem 09v483000 - volvo recall #r220.
Tl* the contact owns a 2004 volvo s80. While driving approximately 45 mph, the vehicle lost acceleration. The contact pulled the vehicle over in a parking lot and noticed that the front driver side axle was hanging. The contact stated that the same failure occurred two other times. The vehicle was repaired, but the control arm kept fracturing. The vehicle was not repaired again. The manufacturer was notified of the failure. The approximate failure mileage was 157,000.
Purchased a 2004 volvo s80 in "mint condition" from a used car dealership (good reputation).Three (3) months later the transmission started the famous volvo "slip, slide, away".. It rides like a rock, I fell every crack, grain of sand in the road. I replaced the struts, coil springs, lower control arms and other suspensions parts but to no avail improved its condition. Every week or so I get the "stop safely coolant level low" warning on my dash...Keep in mind the dealership had nothing to do with these issues...
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since the conditions didn't appeared until 3 months/50000 miles after the purchase. Steering has some play and I'm continuously recovering the directional path slightly. Shortly after I purchased the vehicle I installed all new tires (michelins) purchased a lifetime wheel alignment, which was done during new tire install and recently re-checked. I do 90% of the work myself; I'm an engineer by trade with 40 years of mechanical skills/knowledge. Checked the recall database by vin (safercar.Gov) and various other sites and there was no recall on my vehicle. The volvo situation is extremely disheartening for such a well-known european car. [[redacted]] information redacted pursuant to the freedom of information act (foia), 5 u.S.C. 552(B)(6). *Tr
Shortly after moving to north carolina, I began to smell fuel. I first thought that it was the gas cap and replaced it. The smell continued to grow stronger and stronger, to the point I could not keep it parked in my garage in my townhome due to the smell of gas which would permeate the entire house. I also noticed during this time a substantial loss in gas mileage. I took the car in to have it looked at. The auto shop found that the fuel pump was leaking and showed me the back of the fuel tank which was...
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covered in gas. Due to the extreme risk, the auto shop stated that the pump needed to be replaced immediately, especially since I was about to take a 300-mile trip. The shop did find the recall: 09v483000 and called the local volvo dealer. The dealer stated that my car was not covered by the recall. I requested that the fuel pump be given to me so that I could review the recall. I then reviewed all the documentation online, specifically the pictures of the pumps which were covered vs. The pump which was bad. My pump matches exactly to the "bad" pump. In addition, the fact that my car was leaking gas to the point of coating the outside of the fuel tank indicates that this should have been a covered incident.
FUEL SMELL FROM REAR OF THE CAR, HARD TO START.
Back in 2010 under the recall adv ,i took my car in to my volvo dealer for the recall for fuel smell and they told me it was ok . The car then had around 90.000 Miles or so, now I take my car back with strong fuel smell in 2015 170.000 Miles and I reported to volvo head quarters and they tell they will cover the pump only and not the labor to tune of 550.00 Because the car has over 150000 miles on it and is past the recall extended warrinty , but I thought under recall p29075 that volvo is lia for free...
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replacement of parts and labor the first time I took it in. Volvo told me it is about 4 hrs labor when there own recall calls for .09 Hrs labor. So it hasn't been fixed yet. I will fix it my self to the tune of a pump (bocsh pump 155.00 )And my own labor.Thanks for nothing volvo I guess if I would of burnt up in this car volvo wouldn't be lia ? My att sure thinks they would of been. Never will buy a volvo again.
Based on nhtsa campaign 04v029000> the control arms are grinding as I drive the vehicle. There is a grinding noise coming from the front right passenger side. I have lost stabilization of the vehicle when in motion. This happens on city streets, highways and while turning. This is a problem that has led to complainants and presents a danger while driving.
There was a recall regrding fuel smell/fuel pump and/or fuel seal problem in 2010..My car is not regersted in the data base for the dealer to fix the fuel pump. How do I get a dealer vocher to take of this problem.
Car began overheating and eventually overheated and ruined engine later mechanic discovered thermostat wasnt working properly so no indication as to vehicle tempurature. Car was on freeway and stopped coming off freeway. Head gasket blew also as well as bad transmission
Tla* the contact owns a 2004 volvo s80. While driving approximately 55 mph, the vehicle veered to the right and drove into an embankment. The front passenger side wheel separated from the vehicle. The vehicle was towed to the contact's residence. The vehicle was not diagnosed or repaired. The manufacturer was not notified of the failure. The approximate failure mileage was 120,000. ...Updated 02/04/16 *b the consumer stated the vehicle had been pulling slightly to the right for 3-4 days prior to the incident 03/15/18 *jb
Vehicle has been hesitant, sputtering and surging when stopped or increasing speed. When stopped the vehicle surges and moves. This can be very dangerous, as we can hit a vehicle in front of us. The etm has been cleaned by collins auto in sc. They told us that it needed to be replaced with a few thousand miles. There is build up in the throttle body and this is due to the oil change interval (7500 miles) which is recommended by volvo. This is a safety issue and a part defect which volvo should fix and replace at their cost. *Tr
Tl*the contact owns a 2004 volvo s80. The contact stated that while driving at 60 mph, the contact noticed a fuel odor coming from the air vents. The vehicle was not diagnosed or repaired. The manufacturer was not notified of the failure. The contact was aware of nhtsa campaign number: 09v483000 (fuel system, gasoline) but the vin was not included in the recall. The failure mileage was 122,000.
Tl* the contact owns a 2004 volvo s80. The contact stated that fuel fumes were emitted in the cabin and around the exterior of the vehicle. After inspecting the vehicle, the contact noticed that there was fuel leak. The contact mentioned that the vehicle was exhibiting failure directly related to recall nhtsa campaign number: 09v483000 (fuel system, gasoline).The vehicle was not taken to the dealer. The manufacturer was not made aware of the failure. The failure mileage was 105,000.
Broken key can cause vehicle key switch to turn off unexpectedly while driving. The following is my interaction with volvo, I have heard nothing from them since march. Advise how and I will send you a picture of this condition. Customercare web form - 3/19/2014 7:08 pm response by email ([[redacted]]) (03/20/2014 09:09 am) dear dick, thank you for your email. Your comments have been documented and I forwarded to our headquarters in sweden. Of course there's no telling what will be done with this...
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information, but I thank you for taking the time to write. [[redacted]] volvo customer care 1-800-458-1552 x [[redacted]] auto-response by (administrator) (03/19/2014 08:08 pm) thank you for contacting volvo cars of north america's customer care center. Our team is looking into your email right now and will respond to you within 24 hours. If you would prefer to speak to a volvo representative, please call us during our regular business hours listed below. Please refer to this id#140319-000156. This will help us quickly locate and review your correspondence. Customer by css web ([[redacted]]) (03/19/2014 08:08 pm) after this vehicle's engine shut off several times while zipping along the interstate I resolved to figure out why and found the following condition would cause it to do so. I have a number of keys on the keyring and the spring which normally holds the key out straight from its holder is broken. When the key/holder is inserted back side up and then rotated to the run position the body of the holder eventually folds half way in against the column, with the other keys on the ring pulling it downwards. After enough bumps in the road the downward force rotates the key out of the run position. If the key/holder is inserted buttons side up this does not occur. Thought you'd like to know about this scenario before the gm litigators get wind of it. Information redacted pursuant to the freedom of information act (foia), 5 u.S.C. 552(B)(6). *Tr
Transmission has erratic shifting doesn't know what gear to be in was told by volvo mechanic that transmission was brought up in class action lawsuit because transmission is not strong enough for cars horse power. I would like to have it fixed. *Tr
Switchblade/smartkey design continually shuts off vehicle in traffic when other keys are on the ring. Unsafe! *Js
This model volvo uses a switchblade key, and due to a defect in the key, it does not lock in the extended position when the key is opened. The large plastic key handle dangles down below the ignition when driving. On more than one occasion, the driver's knee bumped the key fob and turned off the car while in motion. This has happened on the highway as well as local road. Both keys that were provided with the car are affected the same way. This is exceedingly dangerous in what is otherwise a very safe car. *Tr
Tl* the contact owns a 2004 volvo s80. The contact stated, while driving approximately 60 mph she smelled a strong odor in the rear of the vehicle as she stopped driving. She drove the vehicle less than 5 miles to an independent mechanic who that there was a crack in the fuel pump housing flange. The manufacturer was notified and the vehicle was not repaired. The contact stated that her vin should have been included in nhtsa campaign id number: 09v483000 and volvo's safety recall number r220. The failure mileage was not available.
The fuel pump it cracks from the top off the fuel pump flange a gas comes from the top off the fuel pump and leak alot off gas the pump is not damage just the top off the lange off the pump it cracks and leaks gas. *Tr
Volvo S80: every year compared
| Year | Complaints | Recalls | Grade |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2008 | 26 | 7 | D |
| 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 |
2004 Volvo S80 vs rivals
| Vehicle | Complaints | Recalls | Grade | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2004 Volvo S80 | 50 | 5 | D | |
| 2004 Volvo S60 | 198 | 6 | F | Compare |
| 2004 Volvo V70 | 89 | 6 | F | Compare |
| 2004 Volvo S40 | 50 | 6 | D | Compare |
| 2004 Volvo C70 | 16 | 0 | C | Compare |
| 2004 Volvo VNL | 5 | 6 | C | Compare |
| 2004 Volvo 780 | 5 | 0 | C | Compare |
| 2004 Volvo V40 | 4 | 3 | C | Compare |
| 2004 Volvo VHD | 3 | 7 | C | 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 2004 Volvo S80
Does the 2004 Volvo S80 have any recalls?
Yes - NHTSA lists 5 recalls for the 2004 Volvo S80: inflator module (September 2021); navigational system(global positioning system) (November 2010); fuel pump (December 2009); master cylinder (March 2007) 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 2004 Volvo S80?
By the complaints owners filed with NHTSA, the most common problem areas are the fuel system (14), engine & cooling (8), steering (6).
How many complaints has the 2004 Volvo S80 had?
50 complaints have been filed with NHTSA, the first on November 27, 2003 and the latest on January 1, 2023. Of these, 4 describe a crash and 0 a fire, and together they report 2 injuries and 0 deaths.
Is the 2004 Volvo S80 a reliable vehicle?
Its Safety Index is 26 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 2004 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