1998 Volvo S70 problems
NHTSA has received 317 complaints about the 1998 Volvo S70, and 25% of them involve brakes. After that come lighting (16%) and electrical system (12%).
At a glance
- Complaints
- 317 filed with NHTSA
- Most reported
- Brakes 25% of complaints
- Crashes and fires
- 11 and 5
- Injuries and deaths
- 17 and 0
- Typical mileage
- 78,000 miles 90 complaints with mileage
Source: NHTSA owner complaints
Where the complaints are
Share of this model year's complaints by the part of the car involved. One complaint can name more than one part, so the shares can add up to more than 100%.
When problems show up
View the numbers
| Mileage | Complaints |
|---|---|
| 0k to 20k miles | 5 |
| 20k to 40k miles | 3 |
| 40k to 60k miles | 9 |
| 60k to 80k miles | 29 |
| 80k to 100k miles | 18 |
| 100k to 120k miles | 13 |
| 120k to 140k miles | 7 |
| 140k to 160k miles | 4 |
| 160k to 180k miles | 2 |
| 180k to 200k miles | 0 |
| 200k+ miles | 0 |
What the data shows
Among the 90 complaints that report mileage, the typical (median) problem appeared at about 78,000 miles. For brakes specifically, the median reported mileage is about 77,000 miles (34 complaints with mileage).
Safety-related details: 11 complaints mention a crash; 5 complaints mention a fire; 17 injuries reported.
It is also covered by 4 safety recall campaigns.
What owners wrote
A few complaints as filed, shortened and with personal details removed. The first ones are among the most serious reports for this model year; the rest are typical.
The driver's side airbag did not deploy even though the car was hit on the side. Contacted volvo and asked to inspect. Their answer was that everything was ok. I asked for a report with all the engineering data and supporting documents to show why it was ok, no response, have asked twice. They say everything is ok. I think there is a problem and they are hiding the truth. The side air bag should have deployed to give extra protection. I was not satisfied with their answer and I do need you help. *scc
I was traveling about 15 MPH through a green light. And coming from my left a 1988 chevy s-10 went through a red light at about 30MPH. I had no time to reach for the brakes, and I rammed into the passenger side of the s10 . The whole front end of the volvo was smashed . If I'm told you need a head-on collision for deployment of air bags. O.k. If the whole front end is gone why didn't the air bags work. Thank you for your time.
Vehicle was invovled in an accident at 30-35 MPH; head on collision. Upon impact, both air bags failed to deploy. Can NHTSA provide additional information.
I have a 1998 volvo s70 t5. The anti-lock brake controller board is malfunctioning causing the anti-lock brake "red" indicator light to come on at various "random" times while driving the car. When this happens, the brake pedal depresses on its own and many noises are heard around the area of the front left tire and the anti-lock brakes stop working while the light is on. This happens very frequently (at least once every time I drive the car).
Dt*: the contact stated the ABS and traction control lights on the dash illuminated causing both components to be inoperable. This occurred intermittently. The vehicle was driven to the dealer who determined both systems needed to be replaced. Updated 10/31/2006 -