Total Complaints
9 filings
VOLVO C70 · model year
2003 VOLVO C70
9 NHTSA complaints for this specific cohort.
NHTSA overall rating
Not crash-tested
New Car Assessment Program
The 2003VOLVOC70 carries 9 consumer safety complaints in NHTSA's Office of Defects Investigation database for this specific model-year cohort. Within that volume, owners reported 0 crashes, 0 fires, 0 injuries, and 0 fatalities. No NCAP 5-star crash-test rating is available for this model year in the federal database.
Component-level analysis is where model-year complaints become actionable: the top complaint category for the 2003 C70 is electrical system with 3 filings, followed by power train:automatic transmission (1) and engine and engine cooling:cooling system (1). Concentration in one or two component groups is the classic signature of a systemic defect; a flat distribution usually reflects normal aging, warranty complaints, or isolated build-plant variability.
NHTSA currently has 28 investigation files overlapping the 2003 C70. Owners comparing this cohort against neighboring years should pair the counters above with the complaint-by-year trend on the parent model page — a spike in a single year often tracks to a platform refresh, a new transmission supplier, or an updated ECU calibration. Use the related-complaint feed below to read raw owner narratives before deciding whether any pattern here affects your specific use case.
9
Complaints
0
Crashes
0
Fires
0
Injuries
0
Deaths
Crashes Reported
0 reports
Source
NHTSA ODI
Federal complaints database
Complaints vs. fleet median (215)
At or below the fleet median complaint volume.
Complaints by Component
| Component | Count |
|---|---|
| ELECTRICAL SYSTEM | 3 |
| POWER TRAIN:AUTOMATIC TRANSMISSION | 1 |
| ENGINE AND ENGINE COOLING:COOLING SYSTEM | 1 |
| INTERIOR LIGHTING | 1 |
| STEERING | 1 |
| ENGINE | 1 |
| POWER TRAIN | 1 |
Recent Complaints
20200528ELECTRICAL SYSTEM
TL* THE CONTACT OWNS A 2003 VOLVO C70. THE CONTACT STATED THAT THE VEHICLE EXPERIENCED INTERMITTENT FAILURES WHILE STARTING AND DRIVING THE VEHICLE. THE CONTACT STATED THAT IN WARMER WEATHER, THE GEAR SHIFTER FAILED TO SHIFT AS DESIGNED. THE VEHICLE WAS TAKEN TO LEIKIN MOTOR COMPANIES (38750 MENTOR AVE #1, WILLOUGHBY, OH 44094), TO BE DIAGNOSED. THE CONTACT WAS INFORMED THAT THE TRANSMISSION AND IGNITION NEEDED TO BE REPLACED. THE VEHICLE WAS NOT REPAIRED. THE MANUFACTURER WAS NOT MADE AWARE OF THE FAILURE. THE FAILURE MILEAGE WAS APPROXIMATELY 90,000. THE VIN WAS NOT AVAILABLE.
Mileage: 90,000
20200528ENGINE
TL* THE CONTACT OWNS A 2003 VOLVO C70. THE CONTACT STATED THAT THE VEHICLE EXPERIENCED INTERMITTENT FAILURES WHILE STARTING AND DRIVING THE VEHICLE. THE CONTACT STATED THAT IN WARMER WEATHER, THE GEAR SHIFTER FAILED TO SHIFT AS DESIGNED. THE VEHICLE WAS TAKEN TO LEIKIN MOTOR COMPANIES (38750 MENTOR AVE #1, WILLOUGHBY, OH 44094), TO BE DIAGNOSED. THE CONTACT WAS INFORMED THAT THE TRANSMISSION AND IGNITION NEEDED TO BE REPLACED. THE VEHICLE WAS NOT REPAIRED. THE MANUFACTURER WAS NOT MADE AWARE OF THE FAILURE. THE FAILURE MILEAGE WAS APPROXIMATELY 90,000. THE VIN WAS NOT AVAILABLE.
Mileage: 90,000
20200528POWER TRAIN
TL* THE CONTACT OWNS A 2003 VOLVO C70. THE CONTACT STATED THAT THE VEHICLE EXPERIENCED INTERMITTENT FAILURES WHILE STARTING AND DRIVING THE VEHICLE. THE CONTACT STATED THAT IN WARMER WEATHER, THE GEAR SHIFTER FAILED TO SHIFT AS DESIGNED. THE VEHICLE WAS TAKEN TO LEIKIN MOTOR COMPANIES (38750 MENTOR AVE #1, WILLOUGHBY, OH 44094), TO BE DIAGNOSED. THE CONTACT WAS INFORMED THAT THE TRANSMISSION AND IGNITION NEEDED TO BE REPLACED. THE VEHICLE WAS NOT REPAIRED. THE MANUFACTURER WAS NOT MADE AWARE OF THE FAILURE. THE FAILURE MILEAGE WAS APPROXIMATELY 90,000. THE VIN WAS NOT AVAILABLE.
Mileage: 90,000
20120830ELECTRICAL SYSTEM
THE KEY WON'T TURN FOR THE IGNITION. THIS IS A KNOWN PROBLEM WITH THE DEALERSHIP BUT VOLVO WON'T RECOGNIZE THE PROBLEM. THE COST TO FIX THIS AT THE DEALERSHIP IS APPROX 800 DOLLARS. MY FEAR IS THAT THIS PROBLEM WILL LEAVE U STRANDED AND MORE IMPORTANTLY I FEAR THIS WILL PROGRESS AND LOCK THE STEERING WHEEL WHILE YOU ARE DRIVING. *TR
Mileage: 75,426
20120830STEERING
THE KEY WON'T TURN FOR THE IGNITION. THIS IS A KNOWN PROBLEM WITH THE DEALERSHIP BUT VOLVO WON'T RECOGNIZE THE PROBLEM. THE COST TO FIX THIS AT THE DEALERSHIP IS APPROX 800 DOLLARS. MY FEAR IS THAT THIS PROBLEM WILL LEAVE U STRANDED AND MORE IMPORTANTLY I FEAR THIS WILL PROGRESS AND LOCK THE STEERING WHEEL WHILE YOU ARE DRIVING. *TR
Mileage: 75,426
20110221INTERIOR LIGHTING
2003 C70 CONV. CAR BATTERY GOES DEAD MULTIPLE TIMES. CHANGED BATTERY AND IT CONTINUES TO HAPPEN. DETAILED CHECK DISCOVERED A SHORT IN THE PASSENGER SUN VISOR. PLASTIC PIVOT SHAFT HAS TORQUED OFF AND CAUSED A SHORT IN THE WIRES EMBEDDED IN THE SHAFT THAT POWER THE VISOR LIGHT. REPLACEMENT SUN VISOR COSTS AROUND $200 AND THE WEAK SHAFT IS THE SAME, SO FAILURE WILL MOST LIKELY HAPPEN AGAIN. SHAFT NEEDS TO BE REDESIGNED TO ALLOW FOR GREATER TORQUE WHEN LOWERING THE SUN VISOR. REMOVAL OF THE BULB IN THE AFFECTED VISOR ELIMINATED THE BATTERY DRAIN. POTENTIAL FIRE HAZARD. *TR
Mileage: 75,000
20110221ELECTRICAL SYSTEM
2003 C70 CONV. CAR BATTERY GOES DEAD MULTIPLE TIMES. CHANGED BATTERY AND IT CONTINUES TO HAPPEN. DETAILED CHECK DISCOVERED A SHORT IN THE PASSENGER SUN VISOR. PLASTIC PIVOT SHAFT HAS TORQUED OFF AND CAUSED A SHORT IN THE WIRES EMBEDDED IN THE SHAFT THAT POWER THE VISOR LIGHT. REPLACEMENT SUN VISOR COSTS AROUND $200 AND THE WEAK SHAFT IS THE SAME, SO FAILURE WILL MOST LIKELY HAPPEN AGAIN. SHAFT NEEDS TO BE REDESIGNED TO ALLOW FOR GREATER TORQUE WHEN LOWERING THE SUN VISOR. REMOVAL OF THE BULB IN THE AFFECTED VISOR ELIMINATED THE BATTERY DRAIN. POTENTIAL FIRE HAZARD. *TR
Mileage: 75,000
20090302POWER TRAIN:AUTOMATIC TRANSMISSION
TRANSMISSION/RADIATOR FAILURE. COOLANTS MIXING WITH EACH OTHER AND CAUSING TRANSMISSION TO SLIP IN AND OUT OF GEAR AT LOWER SPEEDS. DEALER SAYS $5000.00 TO REPAIR/REPLACE BOTH TRANNY AND RADIATOR. I HAD TAKEN MY 2003 VOLVO C-70 CONVERTIBLE IN 6 MONTHS PRIOR COMPLAINING OF A LOW WHIRRING NOISE WHICH THEY COULD NOT DETECT OR WOULD NOT DETECT. I ASKED ABOUT WARRANTY/OR SECRET WARRANTY AND THEY SAID THERE WERE NONE AND THAT VOLVO WOULDN'T PAY FOR REPAIR, THEY ALSO STATED THAT THIS HAS BEEN HAPPENING QUITE A BIT. CONSUMERS ARE FOOTING THE BILL FOR THIS MANUFACTURE DEFECT. *TR
Mileage: 92,000
20090302ENGINE AND ENGINE COOLING:COOLING SYSTEM
TRANSMISSION/RADIATOR FAILURE. COOLANTS MIXING WITH EACH OTHER AND CAUSING TRANSMISSION TO SLIP IN AND OUT OF GEAR AT LOWER SPEEDS. DEALER SAYS $5000.00 TO REPAIR/REPLACE BOTH TRANNY AND RADIATOR. I HAD TAKEN MY 2003 VOLVO C-70 CONVERTIBLE IN 6 MONTHS PRIOR COMPLAINING OF A LOW WHIRRING NOISE WHICH THEY COULD NOT DETECT OR WOULD NOT DETECT. I ASKED ABOUT WARRANTY/OR SECRET WARRANTY AND THEY SAID THERE WERE NONE AND THAT VOLVO WOULDN'T PAY FOR REPAIR, THEY ALSO STATED THAT THIS HAS BEEN HAPPENING QUITE A BIT. CONSUMERS ARE FOOTING THE BILL FOR THIS MANUFACTURE DEFECT. *TR
Mileage: 92,000
Compare 2003VOLVOC70 to Similar Vehicles
NHTSA Investigations
Frequently Asked Questions
How many complaints does the 2003 VOLVO C70 have?▼
The 2003 VOLVO C70 has 9 NHTSA complaints, 0 crashes, 0 fires, 0 injuries, and 0 deaths reported.
What are the most common problems with the 2003 VOLVO C70?▼
The most-complained component for the 2003 VOLVO C70 is ELECTRICAL SYSTEM with 3 complaints. Other frequently reported areas include POWER TRAIN:AUTOMATIC TRANSMISSION and ENGINE AND ENGINE COOLING:COOLING SYSTEM.
Is the 2003 VOLVO C70 safe to buy?▼
Review the complaint history, crash and fire reports, safety ratings, and recall status on this page to make an informed decision. No NHTSA crash test rating is available for this model year. Compare with other model years using the links above.
Where does this data come from?▼
All complaint, recall, and safety rating data is sourced from the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration (NHTSA). Complaints are filed by vehicle owners through NHTSA's Office of Defects Investigation.
Vehicle Safety Guides
Data as of 2025. Sources: NHTSA Office of Defects Investigation (ODI) complaints database, NHTSA recall campaign API, NHTSA NCAP crash-test ratings, and NHTSA FARS for fatality cross-reference.
Read our methodology — how this data is sourced, computed, and verified.