IllustrationVOLVO 1999 S80 - CAR WENT FROM 60 MPH TO 20 MPH ON FREEWAY. TOLD IT WAS THE ELECTRONIC THROTTLE BODY. ALSO TOLD IT WAS A MONTH OUT OF THE EXTENDED WARRANTY. *TR
1999 Volvo S80
Owner reports · Recalls · Investigations
More warning signs than most S80 years
Owner complaints for the 1999 Volvo S80 are substantially higher than the model-year median of 20.
About this comparison →How this year compares
Owner complaints by model year
Compare all S80 years →Counts vary with age, sales and reporting. They are not failure rates.
What owners reported most
All reported categories
Tap a category to read its complaints. One report may name several components.
When problems were reported
Mileage at the reported incident
70–25K
925–50K
3350–75K
2775–100K
36100–150K
8150K+
120 reports with mileage · 79 unknown
NHTSA’s mileage field refers to the reported incident, not necessarily the filing date. This shows report counts, not the likelihood of a failure.
What to inspect
Issues worth paying extra attention to based on owner reports.
- Vehicle Speed Control. Review the 53 owner reports in this category and discuss these concerns during a pre-purchase inspection. Read reports →
- Electrical System. Review the 35 owner reports in this category and discuss these concerns during a pre-purchase inspection. Read reports →
- Engine And Engine Cooling. Review the 33 owner reports in this category and discuss these concerns during a pre-purchase inspection. Read reports →
NHTSA owner reports · September 18, 2026 snapshot.
6 crash reports6 fire reports3 injury reports
What owners actually said
199 reports1999 VOLVO S80 HAS ISSUES WITH RECALL NOTICE ON THE ELECTRONIC THROTTLE SYSTEM SOFTWARE. CONSUMER WANTS A REFUND FOR THE DEFECTS ON THE VEHICLE. *NJ PRIOR TO THE RECALL, THE CONSUMER NOTICED SOME IRREGULARITIES REGARDING THE PERFORMANCE SUCH AS THE SERVICE ENGINE LIGHT ILLUMINATED AND WHEN THE VEHICLE WAS ON AN UPHILL AND T…
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1999 VOLVO S80 HAS ISSUES WITH RECALL NOTICE ON THE ELECTRONIC THROTTLE SYSTEM SOFTWARE. CONSUMER WANTS A REFUND FOR THE DEFECTS ON THE VEHICLE. *NJ PRIOR TO THE RECALL, THE CONSUMER NOTICED SOME IRREGULARITIES REGARDING THE PERFORMANCE SUCH AS THE SERVICE ENGINE LIGHT ILLUMINATED AND WHEN THE VEHICLE WAS ON AN UPHILL AND THE ACCELERATOR WAS APPLIED, THE VEHICLE WOULD NOT MOVE. *JB
TL*THE CONTACT OWNS A 1999 VOLVO S80. THE CONTACT STATED THAT THE VEHICLE WOULD IDLE HIGH AND THEN LOW. THE VEHICLE WOULD SLOW DOWN AS WELL. WHEN HE RELEASED THE ACCELERATOR PEDAL, THE VEHICLE WOULD LURCH INSTEAD OF GAIN SPEED. THE FAILURE OCCURRED EVERY TIME THE VEHICLE WAS DRIVEN. THE CONTACT TOOK THE VEHICLE TO THE DEALE…
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TL*THE CONTACT OWNS A 1999 VOLVO S80. THE CONTACT STATED THAT THE VEHICLE WOULD IDLE HIGH AND THEN LOW. THE VEHICLE WOULD SLOW DOWN AS WELL. WHEN HE RELEASED THE ACCELERATOR PEDAL, THE VEHICLE WOULD LURCH INSTEAD OF GAIN SPEED. THE FAILURE OCCURRED EVERY TIME THE VEHICLE WAS DRIVEN. THE CONTACT TOOK THE VEHICLE TO THE DEALER AND THEY STATED THAT THERE WAS NOT ENOUGH VACUUM IN THE SYSTEM, WHICH CAUSED A LOSS OF POWER ASSIST TO THE BRAKES. IN REFERENCE TO NHTSA CAMPAIGN ID NUMBER 06V441000, BOTH THE DEALER AND MANUFACTURER STATED THAT THEY COULD NOT ASSIST BECAUSE THE VEHICLE WAS TEN YEARS OLD. THE CURRENT MILEAGE WAS 100,348 AND FAILURE MILEAGE WAS APPROXIMATELY 95,000.
I OWN AN 1999 VOLVO S80 (T6 TURBO) SEVERAL MONTHS AGO THE CAR DEVELOPED A ROUGH IDLE AND ENGINE SURGE WHEN THE RPMS WERE BELOW ABOUT 1200. I HAVE HAD THE CAR LOOKED AT BY A VOLVO DEALER AND INDEPENDENT MECHANICS. NO ONE HAS FOUND THE PROBLEM. THE ERROR CODES THAT ARE BEING GENERATED ARE INACCURATE. REPLACING THE INDI…
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I OWN AN 1999 VOLVO S80 (T6 TURBO) SEVERAL MONTHS AGO THE CAR DEVELOPED A ROUGH IDLE AND ENGINE SURGE WHEN THE RPMS WERE BELOW ABOUT 1200. I HAVE HAD THE CAR LOOKED AT BY A VOLVO DEALER AND INDEPENDENT MECHANICS. NO ONE HAS FOUND THE PROBLEM. THE ERROR CODES THAT ARE BEING GENERATED ARE INACCURATE. REPLACING THE INDICATED PARTS DOES NOT SOLVE THE PROBLEM. THE MOST DANGEROUS ASPECT OF THIS PROBLEM IS THAT WHEN IN REVERSE THERE IS A SIGNIFICANT ENGINE SURGE AT TIMES. THIS CREATES A VERY UNSAFE SITUATION BECAUSE THE SURGE IS NOT PREDICTABLE. SIGNIFICANTLY INCREASED PRESSURE ON THE BRAKE PEDAL IS REQUIRED TO KEEP THE CAR UNDER CONTROL WHILE IN REVERSE WHEN THIS SURGE OCCURS. I STRONGLY URGE YOU TO INVESTIGATE THIS DEFECT IN THE VOLVO S80 AND TAKE ACTION TO REQUIRE A RECALL OF THESE VEHICLES. *TR
TL*THE CONTACT OWNS A 1999 VOLVO S80. THE VEHICLE SHUT OFF IN THE MIDDLE OF THE ROAD WHILE TRAVELING AT AN UNKNOWN SPEED. THERE WAS NO POWER AND THE VEHICLE FAILED TO MOVE WHEN THE ACCELERATOR PEDAL WAS DEPRESSED. THE CONTACT MUST WAIT FOR A COUPLE OF MINUTES AND THEN DEPRESS THE ACCELERATOR PEDAL BEFORE THE VEHICLE WOULD STA…
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TL*THE CONTACT OWNS A 1999 VOLVO S80. THE VEHICLE SHUT OFF IN THE MIDDLE OF THE ROAD WHILE TRAVELING AT AN UNKNOWN SPEED. THERE WAS NO POWER AND THE VEHICLE FAILED TO MOVE WHEN THE ACCELERATOR PEDAL WAS DEPRESSED. THE CONTACT MUST WAIT FOR A COUPLE OF MINUTES AND THEN DEPRESS THE ACCELERATOR PEDAL BEFORE THE VEHICLE WOULD START. THE DEALER STATED THAT THE FAILURE WAS DUE TO THE ELECTRONIC THROTTLE SYSTEM SOFTWARE. THE VOLVO MANUFACTURER STATED THAT THEY WOULD NOT REPAIR THE VEHICLE BECAUSE IT WAS OUT OF WARRANTY. THE FAILURE MILEAGE WAS 118,000.
TL*THE CONTACT OWNS A 1999 VOLVO S80. IN 2008, THE DEALER DOWNLOADED THE THROTTLE SOFTWARE ON THE VEHICLE; HOWEVER, IT CONTINUED TO STALL AND LOSE POWER WHILE DRIVING 30 MPH. THE MANUFACTURER STATED THAT NHTSA CAMPAIGN ID NUMBER 06V441000 (VEHICLE SPEED CONTROL) WAS CLOSED; THEREFORE, THEY WOULD NOT ASSIST. THE CONTACT WILL H…
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TL*THE CONTACT OWNS A 1999 VOLVO S80. IN 2008, THE DEALER DOWNLOADED THE THROTTLE SOFTWARE ON THE VEHICLE; HOWEVER, IT CONTINUED TO STALL AND LOSE POWER WHILE DRIVING 30 MPH. THE MANUFACTURER STATED THAT NHTSA CAMPAIGN ID NUMBER 06V441000 (VEHICLE SPEED CONTROL) WAS CLOSED; THEREFORE, THEY WOULD NOT ASSIST. THE CONTACT WILL HAVE THE VEHICLE REPAIRED. THE FAILURE MILEAGE WAS 121,000 AND CURRENT MILEAGE WAS 122,000. UPDATED 04/24/09. *LJ UPDATED 04/27/09.*JB
SUNROOF WAS BUSTED OUT BY DRYER IN A CARWASH. *TR
MY SUNROOF WAS BUSTED OUT IN A CARWAS BY THE BLOWER DRYING IT OFF. *TR
AXLE FAILED AFTER DOING A U TURN AT 5MPH. CONTROL ARM BUSHINGS KEEP BREAKING AND NEED TO BE EPOXIED OFTEN BY MECHANIC. COOLANT LEAK PROBLEMS AS WELL AS TRANSMISSION FLUID LEAKS. *TR
TL*THE CONTACT OWNS A 1999 VOLVO S80. WHILE DRIVING 40 MPH, THE VEHICLE BEGAN TO SLOW DOWN AND THE ABS AND ENGINE INDICATORS ILLUMINATED ON THE INSTRUMENT PANEL. THE VEHICLE WAS TAKEN TO THE DEALER AND THEY STATED THAT THE TROLLIS SYSTEM NEEDED TO BE REPLACED. THE VEHICLE WAS REPAIRED, BUT THE FAILURE RECURRED TWO WEEKS LATER…
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TL*THE CONTACT OWNS A 1999 VOLVO S80. WHILE DRIVING 40 MPH, THE VEHICLE BEGAN TO SLOW DOWN AND THE ABS AND ENGINE INDICATORS ILLUMINATED ON THE INSTRUMENT PANEL. THE VEHICLE WAS TAKEN TO THE DEALER AND THEY STATED THAT THE TROLLIS SYSTEM NEEDED TO BE REPLACED. THE VEHICLE WAS REPAIRED, BUT THE FAILURE RECURRED TWO WEEKS LATER. THE VEHICLE WAS TAKEN TO THE DEALER AGAIN AND THEY STATED THAT THE CENTRAL MODULE NEEDED TO BE REPLACED. THE VEHICLE WAS REPAIRED. THE MANUFACTURER STATED THAT THE VEHICLE NEEDED TO BE TAKEN BACK TO THE DEALER FOR FURTHER INSPECTION. THE FAILURE MILEAGE WAS 60,000 AND CURRENT MILEAGE WAS 97,000. UPDATED 1/8/09 *CN THE BALL JOINT NEEDED TO BE REPLACED, THE HEATING SYSTEM, THROTTLE SYSTEMS, ENGINE COOLING FAN AND THE MASTER CYLINDER ALL FAILED. THE VEHICLE WOULD ACCELERATED ON ITS OWN. THE VEHICLE STALLED ON SEVERAL OCCASIONS. THE STEERING MADE A NOISE WHEN IT WAS TURNED. THE DEALER LUBRICATED THE STEERING. THE DEALER STATED THE VEHICLE NEEDED AN O2 SENSOR. THE IGNITION SWITCH WAS REPLACED. THE INNER TIE RODS WERE REPLACED. 01/14/09. *JB
Official recalls
406V441000 · Vehicle Speed Control
Nov 15, 2006
ON CERTAIN PASSENGER VEHICLES, A COMBINATION OF THROTTLE POSITIONING SENSOR IRREGULARITIES, A DIRTY THROTTLE HOUSING, AND/OR INEFFICIENT SOFTWARE CALIBRATION MAY CAUSE A WARNING LAMP TO LIGHT AND THE SUBSEQUENT ONSET OF LIMP HOME MODES.
Consequence & remedy
Consequence: THIS RESULTED IN A HIGH NUMBER OF VEHICLES GOING INTO THE LIMP HOME MODE WITHOUT NEED.
Remedy: DEALERS WILL INSTALL THE CURRENT SOFTWARE UPGRADE ONTO THE INVOLVED VEHICLES. THE RECALL BEGAN ON DECEMBER 29, 2006. OWNERS MAY CONTACT VOLVO AT 1-800-458-1552.
04V451000 · Engine And Engine Cooling:cooling System:fan
Sep 13, 2004
ON CERTAIN PASSENGER AND SPORT UTILITY VEHICLES, UNDER CERTAIN OPERATING CONDITIONS, SOME ELECTRIC COOLING FANS MAY OVERHEAT POTENTIALLY CAUSING HEAT DAMAGE AND, IN RARE INSTANCES, A FIRE IN THE ENGINE COMPARTMENT.
Consequence & remedy
Consequence: A FIRE IN THE ENGINE COMPARTMENT COULD OCCUR.
Remedy: DEALERS WILL REPLACE THE COOLING FAN. THE RECALL BEGAN ON NOVEMBER 29, 2004. CUSTOMERS SHOULD CONTACT VOLVO CARS AT 1-800-458-1552.
02V096000 · Engine And Engine Cooling:cooling System:fan
Apr 7, 2002
ON SOME PASSENGER VEHICLES, CERTAIN ELECTRIC COOLING FANS COULD BE INADEQUATE IN A HOT CLIMATE. UNDER CERTAIN CIRCUMSTANCES, EXCESSIVE HEAT COULD BE GENERATED.
Consequence & remedy
Consequence: SHOULD THIS OCCUR, THE ENGINE COOLING FAN COMPONENTS COULD OVERHEAT AND CAUSE THE MELTING OF ELECTRICAL CONNECTIONS AND ADJACENT COMPONENTS, INCREASING THE LIKELIHOOD OF A FIRE.
Remedy: DEALERS WILL REPLACE THE ENGINE COOLING FAN. OWNER NOTIFICATION BEGAN APRIL 1, 2002. OWNERS WHO TAKE THEIR VEHICLES TO AN AUTHORIZED DEALER ON AN AGREED UPON SERVICE DATE AND DO NOT RECEIVE THE FREE REMEDY WITHIN A REASONABLE TIME SHOULD CONTACT VOLVO AT 1-800-458-1552.
00V238000 · Suspension:front:control Arm:upper Ball Joint
Aug 24, 2000
VEHICLE DESCRIPTION: PASSENGER VEHICLES. OVER TIME, THE BALL JOINT BETWEEN THE FRONT WHEEL KING PIN AND THE SUSPENSION LINK ARM, CAN EXPERIENCE INCREASED LOOSENESS.
Consequence & remedy
Consequence: THIS CONDITION COULD AFFECT THE BALL JOINT'S DURABILITY AND PERFORMANCE.
Remedy: DEALERS WILL REPLACE BOTH FRONT BALL JOINTS.
Model-level recall history does not show whether a particular VIN is affected or has received a repair. Check a VIN with NHTSA ↗
NHTSA investigations
2EA05021 · Throttle Control Malfunction
Opened Dec 6, 2005 · Closed Dec 12, 2006
Status: closed (inferred from source dates) · Vehicle Speed Control
ON NOVEMBER 14, 2006 VOLVO SUBMITTED A DEFECT INFORMATION REPORT TO NHTSA CONCERNING ETM FAILURES IN MODEL YEAR (MY) 1999 THROUGH 2001 VOLVO MODELS (NOT INCLUDING THE S40 AND V40), MY 2002 S60 AND V70 WITH NATURALLY ASPIRATED ENGINES AND MY 2002 V70S.ACCORDING TO VOLVO, ?A COMBINATION OF THROTTLE POSITIONING SENSOR IRREGULARITIES, A DIRTY THROTTLE HOUSING AND/OR INEFFICIENT SOFTWARE CALIBRATION MAY CAUSE A WARNING LAMP TO LIGHT AND THE SUBSEQUENT ONSET OF LIMP HOME MODES.VOLVO FURTHER STATED THAT,THIS RESULTED IN A HIGH NUMBER OF THESE VEHICLES GOING INTO LIMP HOME MODE WITHOUT NEED.?VOLVO INDICATED THAT THIS WAS THE MOST SEVERE CONSEQUENCE OF AN ETM FAULT IN THE SUBJECT VEHICLES.THE RECALL REMEDY IS A SOFTWARE UPGRADE INTRODUCED BY VOLVO ON MARCH 16, 2006 IN A CUSTOMER SATISFACTION PROGRAM.AT THE TIME OF THE NOTIFICATION 161,202 VEHICLES OF THE POPULATION OF 331,301 HAD ALREADY HAD THE SOFTWARE UPLOADED AND WERE THEREFORE NOT INCLUDED IN THE POPULATION COUNT OF THE RECALL. ODI?S ANALYSIS OF COMPLAINTS TO ODI AND VOLVO, VOLVO FIELD REPORTS AND WARRANTY DATA FOUND THAT ETM FAILURE COULD RESULT IN (1) ENGINE STALL; (2) MECHANICAL LIMP MODE; (3) LUNGING FORWARD DURING LOW-SPEED DRIVING MANEUVERS; AND (4) FALTERING DURING HIGH SPEED MERGES OR WHEN CROSSING TRAFFIC.ODI IDENTIFIED 12 CRASHES RELATED TO ETM FAILURE, WITH 6 CAUSED BY LUNGING INCIDENTS, 3 CAUSED BY STALLING INCIDENTS, 2 CAUSED BY MECHANICAL LIMP MODE AND 1 FROM THE FALTERING CONDITION.ODI'S ANALYSIS OF COMPLAINT DATA AND INFORMATION OBTAINED FROM CONSUMER INTERVIEWS IDENTIFIED 1,289 INCIDENTS WITH SAFETY RELATED CONSEQUENCES (389.1 PER 100,000 VEHICLES), INCLUDING 479 INVOLVING ENGINE STALL (144.6 PER 100,000 VEHICLES) AND 729 INVOLVING MECHANICAL LIMP MODE (220.0 PER 100,000 VEHICLES).ODI'S ANALYSIS OF WARRANTY CLAIM NARRATIVE TEXT SHOWS AT LEAST 14,965 WARRANTY CLAIMS WITH CODES INDICATING AN ETM FAULT RESULTING IN VEHICLE OPERATION IN MECHANICAL LIMP MODE (4.5% OF THE SUBJECT VEHICLES). VOLVO?S RECALL ADDRESSES ODI?S SAFETY CONCERNS WITH ETM FAILURES.ODI WILL CONTINUE TO MONITOR THE SUBJECT VEHICLES TO DETERMINE IF ADDITIONAL ACTION IS REQUIRED.THIS ENGINEERING ANALYSIS IS CLOSED.
PE05041 · Throttle Control Malfunction
Opened Jul 26, 2005 · Closed Dec 7, 2005
Status: closed (inferred from source dates) · Vehicle Speed Control
PE05-041 WAS OPENED ON JULY, 26, 2005, BASED ON 136 CONSUMER COMPLAINTS TO ODI ALLEGING THROTTLE CONTROL MALFUNCTIONS IN THE SUBJECT VEHICLES.ODI HAS NOW RECEIVED 591 COMPLAINTS OF ETM FAILURES WHICH ALLEGE SYMPTOMS WITH POTENTIAL SAFETY RELATED CONSEQUENCES.THESE INCLUDE ALLEGATIONS OF ENGINE STALL, VEHICLE SURGING FORWARD WITHOUT ACCELERATOR INPUT, VEHICLE HESITATION UPON ACCELERATION AND SUDDEN AND UNEXPECTED TRANSITION INTO REDUCED PERFORMANCE OPERATION (LIMP MODE).VOLVO SUBMITTED OVER 2,900 COMPLAINTS CONCERNING THE ETM IN THE SUBJECT VEHICLES DURING PE05-041.ODI'S PRELIMINARY ANALYSIS OF A SAMPLE THE VOLVO COMPLAINTS IDENTIFIED APPROXIMATELY 55 PERCENT WITH ONE OR MORE OF THE SYMPTOMS DESCRIBED ABOVE.ODI IS CONTINUING ITS ASSESSMENT OF THE INFORMATION CONTAINED IN THE VOLVO COMPLAINTS. IN NOVEMBER 2005, TO RESOLVE AN INVESTIGATION BY THE CALIFORNIA AIR RESOURCES BOARD, VOLVO ANNOUNCED THAT IT WOULD EXTEND THE WARRANTY COVERAGE TO 10 YEARS / 200,000 MILES FOR THE ETM IN APPROXIMATELY 356,000 MODEL YEAR 1999 THROUGH 2002 PASSENGER CARS SOLD IN THE UNITED STATES AND CANADA.UNDER VOLVO'S POLICY, VEHICLES THAT EXPERIENCE ETM FAILURES WILL RECEIVE A VARIETY OF REPAIRS INCLUDING ETM CLEANING, REPROGRAMMING THE ENGINE CONTROL MODULE AND/OR REPLACEMENT OF THE ETM. THIS INVESTIGATION HAS BEEN UPGRADED TO AN ENGINEERING ANALYSIS (EA05-021) TO CONTINUE TO ASSESS THE SAFETY CONSEQUENCES OF ETM FAILURES IN THE SUBJECT VEHICLES.