CarComplaints.com Notes: The 2nd generation XC70 has a transmission issue and the 2003 model year seems to be the worst of it. These are still solidly built and comfortable cars, but if you're looking at buying used you might be better off avoiding the 2003 unless it has already had its transmission replaced.

10.0

really awful
Crashes / Fires:
1 / 0
Injuries / Deaths:
1 / 0
Average Mileage:
101,954 miles

About These NHTSA Complaints:

This data is from the NHTSA — the US gov't agency tasked with vehicle safety. Complaints are spread across multiple & redundant categories, & are not organized by problem.

So how do you find out what problems are occurring? For this NHTSA complaint data, the only way is to read through the comments below. Any duplicates or errors? It's not us.

2003 Volvo XC70 seat belts / air bags problems

seat belts / air bags problem

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2003 Volvo XC70 Owner Comments

problem #4

Sep 012015

XC70

  • 170,000 miles

A D V E R T I S E M E N T S

The contact owns a 2003 Volvo XC70. When the vehicle was started, the air bag warning light illuminated continuously. The vehicle was not diagnosed or repaired. The manufacturer was not notified of the failure. The approximate failure mileage was 170,000.

- Baltimore, MD, USA

problem #3

Jan 112015

XC70 5-cyl

  • 170,000 miles
While driving down the road, a car was attempting to make a left-hand turn across four lanes of traffic. The person, apparently, did not see me and struck the side of my vehicle breaking the tire rod and doing extensive damage to the passenger front and back doors. The glove box was even difficult to open. In all of this, the passenger side airbag did not deploy. My son who is 14 and is 170 pounds was sitting in the passenger seat at the time. He is quite sore along his arm and neck. In 2012, I posted a complaint about the car having a dim problem and how the Volvo mechanic said the dim problem could cause airbag problems, but after having the dim problem fixed, I was told the airbags should deploy. In 2012, I posted the following complaint with NHTSA and can be read online: "I was driving my 2003 Volvo XC70 at the posted speed limit (55mph) when the dashboard suddenly went black and all of the gauges, including speedometer, tachometer, gas gauge, and clock stopped working. Every warning light lit up. The Volvo dealer admitted they had seen this issue before. The cost to replace the dim was over $1400 and I had no choice but to pay it since I was not going to drive my car with no speedometer or gas gauge. The dim replacement is now only warranted for two years, so I may find myself in the exact same boat in the future if the new dim also fails. Researching this issue online, I found that this was a known problem, particularly for 2003 Volvo models. After finding the NHTSA website, I also found that someone else had recently reported the exact same problem and also noted that the dim failure could impact the proper operation of the airbag system...."

- Ardmore, TN, USA

problem #2

Aug 132009

XC70

  • miles
Service light illuminated indicating failure in the SRS airbag system on my 2003 Volvo cross country wagon. Dealer investigated and stated the central computer on the auto had failed resulting in a $1300 repair. Dealer indicated that if computer was not repaired, airbags would not deploy in an accident and presents serious safety issue. Dealer indicated automobile would not be safe to drive without computer replacement. Since when do central SRS computers just stop working? I believe this repair should be covered by Volvo and not the consumer as it poses serious safety issues to the consumer and is a component of the automobile that should not require any service.

- New Paltz, NY, USA

problem #1

Dec 022008

XC70

  • 67,815 miles
Service light illuminated indicating failure in the SRS airbag system on my 2003 Volvo cross country wagon. Dealer investigated and stated the central computer on the auto had failed resulting in a $980 repair. Dealer indicated that if computer was not repaired, airbags would not deploy in an accident and presents serious safety issue. Dealer indicated automobile would not be safe to drive without computer replacement. Since when do central SRS computers just stop working? I believe this repair should be covered by Volvo and not the consumer as it poses serious safety issues to the consumer and is a component of the automobile that should not require any service, such as tire or brake replacement. Computers do not incur wear and tear.

- Westwood, MA, USA

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