2001 Volvo S80
The Verdict
The 2001 Volvo S80 has 180 owner complaints filed with NHTSA. The most reported issues are body (76 complaints) and engine (48 complaints). With a Klunk Score of 58/100, it earns a "Proceed with Caution" rating. If you're shopping for a Volvo S80, consider the 2014 model year which has 99% fewer complaints.
Safe Bet
The 2014 has 99% fewer complaints
View the 2014 Volvo S80 dashboard →
Klunk Score: Proceed with Caution
About average for complaint volume. Research the specific issues before buying.
How is this calculated?
The Klunk Score ranks this vehicle year against all others in our database based on total owner complaints filed with NHTSA. 100 = fewest complaints (top tier), 0 = most complained-about. Scores above 60 are better than average; below 40 means more problems than most.
Recalls 1
Active safety recalls from NHTSA for this vehicle year.
VEHICLE DESCRIPTION: SEDANS AND WAGONS. THE REAR OUTBOARD SEAT BELT ANCHORAGE BOLTS MAY HAVE BEEN INCORRECTLY TIGHTENED.
Risk
IN THE EVENT OF A CRASH, THE SEAT OCCUPANT MAY NOT BE PROPERLY RESTRAINED, INCREASING THE RISK OF INJURY.
Remedy
DEALERS WILL INSPECT THE ANCHORAGE BOLTS AND TIGHTEN TO THE CORRECT TORQUE LEVEL. OWNER NOTIFICATION BEGAN MAY 7, 2001. OWNERS WHO TAKE THEIR VEHICLES TO AN AUTHORIZED DEALER ON AN AGREED UPON S...
Reported Apr 11, 2026
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Under the Hood
Each number is a complaint. Darker = bigger problem.
By Category
By Severity
Worst Problems
Complaints
Takata recall. The contact owns a 2001 Volvo S80. The contact received a notification for NHTSA Campaign Number: 21V766000 (Air Bags). The dealer had been notified about the recall; however, the contact was informed that the part was not yet available. The manufacturer was then notified and informed him that they were unaware of when the parts may have become available. The contact stated that the manufacturer had exceeded a reasonable amount of time for the recall repair. The contact had not experienced a failure. Parts distribution disconnection.
MY CAR LURCHES FORWARD WHEN YOU ARE IDLING AS WELL AS DRIVING. I WAS ON A BUSY STREET WHEN I PULLED OUT INTO AN ONCOMING LINE OF TRAFFIC WHEN THE MOTOR COMPLETELY DIED LEAVING ME IN THE MIDDLE OF BOTH LANES OF TRAFFIC. AFTER A TIME I WAS ABLE TO RESTART THE VEHICLE. THIS HAS ALSO HAPPENED IN BUMPER TO BUMPER HIGHWAY TRAFFIC. AS YOU ARE IDLING AT AN INTERSECTION OR AWAITING A TRAIN TO PASS, THE MOTOR RACES AND THEN SLOWS AND ALSO LURCHES AHEAD. FOOT MUST BE HARD ON THE BRAKE OR I COULD REAR END THE VEHICLE IN FRONT OF ME. THIS VEHICLE HAS ONLY ABOUT 65,000 MILES AND I HAVE NO IDEA WHY THIS IS HAPPENING. IT HAS BEEN A GREAT CAR UNTIL THIS STARTED HAPPENING. THE CAR IS NOW SITTING IN THE DRIVEWAY AS AN UNSAFE CONDITION IS CAUSED BY THIS MALFUNCTION.
ON NOVEMBER 9TH MY WIFE WAS DRIVING OUR 2001 VOLVO S80 TO CHURCH. SHE PARKED THE CAR BUT IT BEGAN TO MOVE. IT ACCELERATED AND SHE WOUND UP DRIVING INTO A TREE TO AVOID HITTING OTHER CARS. SHE WAS ALSO WORRIED THAT CHILDREN FROM THE SCHOOL MIGHT BE AROUND. THE CAR WAS IN PARK. THE ENGINE WAS OFF. THE EMERGENCY BREAK WAS ON. THE STEERING WHEEL WAS TIGHT, MAKING IT DIFFICULT TO STEER SINCE THE ENGINE WAS OFF. THE CHURCH SECRETARY OBSERVED THE INCIDENT. SHE SAW SMOKE COMING OUT OF THE BACK OF THE CAR WHICH WOULD INDICATE THE EMERGENCY BREAK WAS ON. WHEN SHE FIRST REACHED THE CAR WITH MY WIFE IN IT SHE NOTED THAT THE CAR WAS IN PARK.
TAKATA RECALL" FRIST I CALLED VOLVO TO INQUIRE ABOUT RECALLS REFERENING TO THE COOLING SYSTEM AND THE FUEL PUMP THE FIRST LADY I SPOKE WITH INFORMED ME THIS PROBLEM WAS UNDER RECALLS AND TO TAKE MY CAR TO GET IT SERVICED AT THE NEAREST DEALER AFTER TAKING MY CAR TO THE DEALER AT 7:15AM 4HOURS LATER AFTER I CALLED THEM FIRST THEY NOW ARE SAYING THAT THERE ISN'T ANYTHING THEY CAN DO WITH MY CAR AND THEY DO NOT KNOW WHO TOLD ME THAT FALSE INFORMATION. ON TOP OF ALL OF THIS MY CAR ACCELERATES BY ITSELF LUCKY WHEN IT HAPPENS I HURRY AND PUSH THE BRAKES AND THE CAR DOSENT START UP ONCE TURNING THE KEY EVEN THE GUY SAY THAT'S ALWAYS BEEN A PROBLEM. BASED ON HOW EXPENSIVE THIS CAR IS IT SEEM THERE WOULDN'T BE MANY PROBLEMS WITH IT OR IT SEEM THAT THEY WOULD AT LEAST TRY TODO SOMETHING ABOUT THE FALSE INFORMATION OVER ALL I WILL NEVER BUY ANOTHER VOLVO AGAIN!
TAKATA RECALL- THE VEHICLE BECOME NON RESPONSIVE WHEN PUSHING THE ACCELERATOR, THE ENGINE STARTED RUNNING ROUGH, THE CRUISE CONTROL STOPPED WORKING, THE DSTC (DYNAMIC STABILITY TRACTION CONTROL) FAILED AND THE ENGINE COOLANT TEMPERATURE STOPPED READING. THE VEHICLE STARTED STALLING EVERYTIME I COME TO A STOP. ALL THIS STARTED AT THE SAME TIME WHILE I WAS DRIVING THE VEHICLE. *TR
PLACED MY VEHICLE IN REVERSE TO PULL BACK OUT OF MY GARAGE & MY CAR ACCELERATED OUT OF CONTROL. I WAS FORCED INTO A PARKING SIGN THAT SCRATCHED AND DENTED MY LEFT REAR BUMPER. IN THE LAST 2 1/2 MONTHS RELATED PROBLEMS CONTINUE WHERE MY CAR SURGES & ALSO EXPERIENCES SUDDEN & UNEXPECTED REDUCED PERFORMANCE. WHEN I ACCELERATE MY CAR FEELS LIKE IT IS STUCK IN GEAR & WON'T RESPOND. IT IS A SAFETY HAZARD!! AGAIN!!! THIS DUPLICATES THE SAME ELECTRONIC THROTTLE MODULE PROBLEM I HAD IN AUGUST OF 2005. AFTER TAKING MY CAR IN 4 TIMES (NOT KNOWING WHAT THE PROBLEM WAS), IT WAS FINALLY DETERMINED IT IS THE ETM AGAIN. VOLVO PERFORMED A COMPUTERIZED UPGRADE ON THE ETM & THEN IT WAS FINALLY RECALLED IN JANUARY OF 2006. IT IS ANOTHER SAFETY HAZARD READY TO HAPPEN. VOLVO SHOULD HAVE IN THE BEGINNING & SHOULD AT THIS TIME BE MADE TO REPLACE THE FAULTY ETM! *TR
I PURCHASED VEHICLE 8 MONTHS AGO I NOW HAVE PROBLEMS WITH THE FRONT AND BACK SUSPENSION. THE AIR TURNS ON ITS OWN, THE AXLE HAS BROKEN, THE SUNROOF OPENS WHEN IT WANTS TO OPEN, CHECK ENGINE LIGHT HAS TURNED ON ALONG WITH MAINTENANCE LIGHT, MY DOORS WILL UNLOCK THEMSELVES WHEN I LOCK THEM AND THE ALARM WILL ENGAGE, THE LEFT WINDOW DOES NOT WORK , SOMETIMES I CANT UNLOCK THE DOORS HAVE TO UNLOCK WITH MY HAND. MY CRUISE CONTROL DOES NOT WORK, THE BATTERY STOPS WORKING OFTEN, THE INSIDE LIGHTS WORK SOMETIMES. IT IS RUNNING TERRIBLE , IDLE UP AND DOWN I KNOW ALL HAS SOMETHING TO DO WITH RECALL PLEASE HELP! *TR
TL* THE CONTACT OWNS A 2001 VOLVO S80. THE CONTACT STATED THAT THE RPMS BEGAN TO FLUCTUATE ABNORMALLY AS THE VEHICLE EXHIBITED SIGNS OF POSSIBLE STALLING. THE VEHICLE THEN ACTIVATED IN LIMP MODE AND STOPPED RUNNING. THE CONTACT REFERENCED NHTSA RECALL CAMPAIGN ID NUMBER: 06V441000 (VEHICLE SPEED CONTROL) THAT DEALT WITH THE DIRTY THROTTLE HOUSING. THE RECALL REPAIR CONSISTED OF A SOFTWARE UPGRADE TO CORRECT THE FAILURE. THE MANUFACTURER STATED THAT THE VEHICLE WAS INCLUDED IN THE RECALL, BUT THE VEHICLE EXCEEDED THE WARRANTY STIPULATIONS. THE VEHICLE WAS NOT REPAIRED. THE FAILURE AND THE CURRENT MILEAGES WERE 87,000.
TL* THE CONTACT OWNS A 2001 VOLVO S80. THE CONTACT STATED WHILE DRIVING 40 MPH THE VEHICLE SHIFTED INTO LIMP MODE AND DECELERATED AFTER THE CHECK ENGINE LAMP ILLUMINATED. THE VEHICLE WAS TAKEN TO THE DEALER WHO DIAGNOSED THAT THE ELECTRONIC THROTTLE MODULE WAS DEFECTIVE AND NEEDED TO BE REPLACED. THE MANUFACTURER WAS MADE AWARE OF THE FAILURE BUT DID NOT OFFER ANY ASSISTANCE SINCE THE VEHICLE WAS PREVIOUSLY REPAIRED UNDER RECALL NHTSA CAMPAIGN ID NUMBER: 06V441000 (VEHICLE SPEED CONTROL). THE VEHICLE WAS NOT REPAIRED. THE FAILURE MILEAGE WAS 170,000 AND THE CURRENT MILEAGE WAS 170,200.
TL* THE CONTACT OWNS A 2001 VOLVO S80. THE CONTACT TOOK THE VEHICLE TO THE DEALER FOR REPAIRS UNDER NHTSA CAMPAIGN ID NUMBER: 09V483000 (FUEL SYSTEM; GASOLINE; DELIVERY; FUEL PUMP) AND WAS TOLD THAT THE VEHICLE COULD NOT BE REPAIRED UNDER THE RECALL BECAUSE IT HAD BEEN TEN YEARS SINCE THE VEHICLE WAS MANUFACTURED. THE RECALL WAS ISSUED DECEMBER 7, 2009. THE CONTACT HAD NOT EXPERIENCED A FAILURE. THE CURRENT MILEAGE WAS 65,000.
TL* THE CONTACT OWNS A 2001 VOLVO S80. THE CONTACT STATED THAT THE VEHICLE WOULD HESITATE BEFORE RESPONDING TO ACCELERATION ATTEMPTS. THE VEHICLE WAS TAKEN TO THE DEALER WHERE THEY ADVISED THAT THE THROTTLE MODULE HAD FAILED AND NEEDED TO BE CLEANED AND REPLACED. THE THROTTLE WAS CLEANED BUT THE DEALER WAS UNABLE TO DUPLICATE THE FAILURE AFTER THE CLEANING SO THE THROTTLE WAS NOT REPLACED. THE FAILURE RECURRED WITHIN A FEW WEEKS. THE MANUFACTURER WAS CONTACTED AND OFFERED NO ASSISTANCE. UPDATED 09/27/11 *BF UPDATED 09/30/11
TL* THE CONTACT OWNS A 2001 VOLVO S80. THE CONTACT STATED THAT THE TRANSMISSION URGENT WARNING LAMP ILLUMINATED AND THE VEHICLE WOULD NOT SHIFT INTO GEAR. THE VEHICLE WAS TAKEN TO A LOCAL REPAIR SHOP WHERE IT WAS DIAGNOSED THAT THE SOLENOID WAS DEFECTIVE AND THE TRANSMISSION WOULD NEED TO BE REPLACED. THE MANUFACTURER WAS NOT MADE AWARE OF THE FAILURE AND THE VEHICLE WAS NOT REPAIRED. THE FAILURE AND CURRENT MILEAGE WAS 126,741. UPDATED 3/1/12 *CN
MY CHECK ENGINE LIGHT WENT ON. I TOOK MY CAR TO MY MECHANIC WHO INFORMED ME THE CODE WAS FOR THROTTLE BODY POSITION SENSOR AND THAT THERE WAS A RECALL. I CALLED THE VOLVO DEALER AND ASKED THEM ABOUT IT. THEY SAID, YES THERE WAS A RECALL FOR SOFTWARE AND THAT MY VEHICLE HAD GOTTEN THE UPGRADE. I ASKED IF THERE WAS ANYTHING ELSE THEY COULD DO ABOUT IT, THE EMPLOYEE IN VOLVO SERVICE SAID NO. I RECEIVED THE SAME ANSWER WHEN I ASKED THEM IN PERSON. ON MARCH 1, 2011, NEARLY A YEAR LATER, I ASKED ANOTHER MECHANIC, WHO INFORMED ME THAT IF THE SOFTWARE UPGRADE DIDN'T WORK, THE DEALER WAS SUPPOSED TO REPLACE THE ENTIRE THROTTLE BODY. I CALLED THE ANOTHER VOLVO DEALER WHO INFORMED ME THAT YES, THIS WAS THE CASE. MY CAR WAS ONE DAY OUT OF COVERAGE FOR THE RECALL NOW. AND SOMETIME WITHIN THE YEAR MY COMPUTER WAS RESET AND THE PROBLEM CODE FOR THE THROTTLE BODY IS GONE. I AM UPSET BECAUSE WHEN IT WAS A PROBLEM FOR ME, THE FIRST DEALER GAVE ME THE INCORRECT INFORMATION ABOUT THE RECALL. I WAS DRIVING FOR A LONG TIME WITH MY CAR IN LIMP MODE AND A MALFUNCTIONING THROTTLE BODY. I AM SURE THAT THE DEALER WAS OBLIGATED TO REPLACE THE THROTTLE BODY, SINCE IT IS PART OF THE ACCELERATION SYSTEM. I THINK YOU SHOULD COMPEL THEM TO REPLACE MY THROTTLE BODY OR GUARANTEE REPLACEMENT IF MY THROTTLE BODY MALFUNCTIONS AGAIN. *TR
BOTH FRONT POWER WINDOW REGULATORS FAILING. *TR
2001 VOLVO S 80 T6 EX TRANSMISSION FAILURE. BASED ON PERSONAL RESEARCH IT APPEARS THAT THE 2001 VOLVOS HAVE A WIDESPREAD PROBLEM WITH TRANSMISSION FAILURE. TRANSMISSIONS WERE BUILT BY GM FOR VOLVO AND TRANSMISSION PROBLEMS ACROSS THE ENTIRE LINE FOR THAT YEAR ARE EXTREMELY HIGH. IS THERE OR CAN THERE BE AN INVESTIGATION OF THIS PROBLEM. IT APPEARS TO ENCOMPASS THE ENTIRE LINE FOR THAT YEAR. *TR
TL*THE CONTACT OWNS A 2001 VOLVO S80 T6. WHILE DRIVING APPROXIMATELY 25 TO 30 MPH THE CONTACT STATED THAT HE SMELLED FUEL INSIDE THE VEHICLE. HE DROVE HOME AND HAD NOT DRIVEN THE VEHICLE SINCE THE FAILURE OCCURRED. THE VEHICLE WAS PREVIOUSLY OWNED AND PURCHASED ONE WEEK AGO. THE CONTACT CALLED THE DEALER AND THE MANUFACTURER AND WAS ADVISED THAT THE VEHICLE WAS NOT A PART OF NHTSA RECALL CAMPAIGN ID NUMBER: 09V483000, FUEL SYSTEM, GASOLINE DELIVERY, FUEL PUMP. THE APPROXIMATE FAILURE AND CURRENT MILEAGES WERE 155,000.
TL* THE CONTACT OWNS A 2001 VOLVO S-80. THE CONTACT STATED AFTER HAVING THE BATTERY REPLACED, THE CLIMATE CONTROL UNIT BECAME INOPERABLE. THE DEALER WAS UNABLE TO RESET THE UNIT AND ADVISED IT WOULD NEED TO BE REPLACED. THE CONTACT BELIEVED THE MANUFACTURER SHOULD TAKE THE LIABILITY FOR THE FAILURE WHICH COULD POTENTIALLY BECOME A SAFETY ISSUE WHEN TRYING TO DEFOG THE WINDOWS, DISRUPTING VISIBILITY. THE FAILURE MILEAGE WAS 74,610 AND THE CURRENT MILEAGE WAS 74,665.
TL*THE CONTACT OWNS A 2001 VOLVO S80. WHILE DRIVING 5MPH TRAVELING OVER A SPEED BUMP THE LEFT FRONT TIRE SUDDENLY SEPARATED FROM THE LOWER BALL JOINT DAMAGING THE FRONT END OF THE VEHICLE .THE VOLVO MANUFACTURER HAD NOT BEEN CONTACTED AT THE TIME OF THE COMPLAINT. THE FAILURE MILEAGE WAS 117,900.
VOLVO VEHICLES SUDDEN SPEEDS INCREASE THERE IS A AIR-BOX PROBLEM WHICH CAUSES THE ENGINE TO ACCELERATE,AND VEHICLE TO LUNGE FORWARD. SPEEDS THE ENGINE. *TR
THE POWER STEERING MAKES A VERY LOUD GROANING NOISE ALL OF THE TIME. I AM CONCERNED THAT THERE COULD BE A STEERING FAILURE. THE DEALER HAS CHECKED THIS COMPLAINT A MANY TIMES DATING BACK TO 2002 AND FOUND NO PROBLEMS AND SAID THE POWER STEERING FLUID WAS NORMAL AND NOT LEAKING. PROBLEM IS GETTING WORSE. *TR
180 total