Total Complaints
10 filings
VOLVO C70 CONVERTIBLE · model year
1999 VOLVO C70 CONVERTIBLE
10 NHTSA complaints, 2 crash reports for this specific cohort.
NHTSA overall rating
Not crash-tested
New Car Assessment Program
The 1999VOLVOC70 CONVERTIBLE carries 10 consumer safety complaints in NHTSA's Office of Defects Investigation database for this specific model-year cohort. Within that volume, owners reported 2 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 1999 C70 CONVERTIBLE is vehicle speed control with 4 filings, followed by electrical system (2) and air bags (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 1999 C70 CONVERTIBLE. 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.
10
Complaints
2
Crashes
0
Fires
0
Injuries
0
Deaths
Crashes Reported
2 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 |
|---|---|
| VEHICLE SPEED CONTROL | 4 |
| ELECTRICAL SYSTEM | 2 |
| AIR BAGS | 1 |
| SERVICE BRAKES, ELECTRIC | 1 |
| STRUCTURE:FRAME AND MEMBERS | 1 |
| EQUIPMENT | 1 |
Recent Complaints
20100617STRUCTURE:FRAME AND MEMBERS
CONVERTIBLE TOP BACK BAR STRUCTURE CRACKED IN HALF AND TOP WILL NOT OPERATE(CLOSE OR OPEN) NOW. WHILE THE TOP BROKE, AS I WAS OPENING IT, IT ALSO FELL ON THE SENSOR FOR THE LOCK AND BROKE THAT ALSO. THE CAR IS IN THE SHOP AGAIN FOR THIS PROBLEM, THE ONLY FIX IS ORDERING A NEW BAR AT THE COST OF $1500, WHICH I DON'T HAVE. NOW I HAVE A CAR THAT I CANT DRIVE OR REPAIR. *TR
Mileage: 105,182
20100617EQUIPMENT
CONVERTIBLE TOP BACK BAR STRUCTURE CRACKED IN HALF AND TOP WILL NOT OPERATE(CLOSE OR OPEN) NOW. WHILE THE TOP BROKE, AS I WAS OPENING IT, IT ALSO FELL ON THE SENSOR FOR THE LOCK AND BROKE THAT ALSO. THE CAR IS IN THE SHOP AGAIN FOR THIS PROBLEM, THE ONLY FIX IS ORDERING A NEW BAR AT THE COST OF $1500, WHICH I DON'T HAVE. NOW I HAVE A CAR THAT I CANT DRIVE OR REPAIR. *TR
Mileage: 105,182
20100603CrashSERVICE BRAKES, ELECTRIC
MY BRAKES WERE MAKING A WEIRD SQUEAKING NOISE IN FRONT. I TOOK TO ORANGE COUNTY VOLVO DEALER TWICE, BOTH TIMES WAS TOLD NOTHING WAS WRONG. TWO WEEKS LATER, I EXPERIENCED COMPLETE BRAKE FAILURE,WITHOUT WARNING AND THE ONLY WAY TO STOP WAS TO HIT THE CAR IN FRONT OF ME. NO WARNING LIGHTS ILLUMINATED, THERE WERE NO OTHER WARNINGS PRIOR TO COMPLETE BRAKE FAILURE. I CALLED MY DEALER WHO DENIED ANY PROBLEMS. I HAD IT TOWED TO ANOTHER DEALER (POWER VOLVO)WHO IDENTIFIED THE PROBLEM AS A COMPLETE BRAKE BOOSTER FAILURE. MY DEALER SAID THERE WAS NO WAY THE NOISE I PREVIOUSLY COMPLAINED ABOUT (WEIRD SQUEAK)COULD HAVE BEEN DUE TO A BRAKE BOOSTER PROBLEM(HE SAID BOOSTER FAILURE MAKES A HISSING SOUND). VOLVO OF NORTH AMERICA (VONA) "INSPECTED" THE VEHICLE AND STATED THAT THE PROBLEM IS "INTERMITTENT" AND THAT WHEN THEY DROVE IT, THEY COULD NOT FIND A PROBLEM, BUT THAT DUE TO THE FACT THAT POWER VOLVO EXPERIENCED A PROBLEM WITH THE BOOSTER, IT SHOULD BE REPLACED FOR SAFETY REASONS. IN A VOICE ME
Mileage: 105,400
20100603CrashELECTRICAL SYSTEM
MY BRAKES WERE MAKING A WEIRD SQUEAKING NOISE IN FRONT. I TOOK TO ORANGE COUNTY VOLVO DEALER TWICE, BOTH TIMES WAS TOLD NOTHING WAS WRONG. TWO WEEKS LATER, I EXPERIENCED COMPLETE BRAKE FAILURE,WITHOUT WARNING AND THE ONLY WAY TO STOP WAS TO HIT THE CAR IN FRONT OF ME. NO WARNING LIGHTS ILLUMINATED, THERE WERE NO OTHER WARNINGS PRIOR TO COMPLETE BRAKE FAILURE. I CALLED MY DEALER WHO DENIED ANY PROBLEMS. I HAD IT TOWED TO ANOTHER DEALER (POWER VOLVO)WHO IDENTIFIED THE PROBLEM AS A COMPLETE BRAKE BOOSTER FAILURE. MY DEALER SAID THERE WAS NO WAY THE NOISE I PREVIOUSLY COMPLAINED ABOUT (WEIRD SQUEAK)COULD HAVE BEEN DUE TO A BRAKE BOOSTER PROBLEM(HE SAID BOOSTER FAILURE MAKES A HISSING SOUND). VOLVO OF NORTH AMERICA (VONA) "INSPECTED" THE VEHICLE AND STATED THAT THE PROBLEM IS "INTERMITTENT" AND THAT WHEN THEY DROVE IT, THEY COULD NOT FIND A PROBLEM, BUT THAT DUE TO THE FACT THAT POWER VOLVO EXPERIENCED A PROBLEM WITH THE BOOSTER, IT SHOULD BE REPLACED FOR SAFETY REASONS. IN A VOICE ME
Mileage: 105,400
20060128VEHICLE SPEED CONTROL
VOLVO C70 PRESENTED A PROBLEM WITH THE ENGINE REVVING AND DOWN BY ITSELF, AND MOSTLY NOTICEABLE WHILE STANDING STILL AT IDLE. I TOOK THE CAR TO THE DEALER, AND THEY INFORMED ME THAT THEY HAD TO REPLACE THE ELECTRONIC THROTTLE MODULE (ETM AND THROTTLE) BODY ALONG WITH SOME OTHER PARTS. I PAID AND HAD THE REPAIRS COMPLETED. THE DEALER INFORMED ME THAT THEY PUT A NEW ETM IN, BUT THAT THE ETM LIGHT INDICATOR ON THE DASHBOARD CAME ON, WHICH WAS NOT THE CASE WHEN I BROUGHT THE CAR IN. THEY PUT A SECOND ONE IN AND THE LIGHT CAME OFF. I TOOK POSSESSION OF THE CAR AND DROVE TO WORK. AFTER WORK I DROVE HOME, AND THE ETM LIGHT CAME ON AGAIN. I THOUGHT THE LIGHT WAS NOT A PROBLEM SINCE I WAS TOLD SO BY THE DEALER.*AK A FEW MONTHS LATER WHILE NAVIGATING THE WEB I FOUND A FORUM MENTIONING THAT VOLVO HAS A PROBLEM WITH THE ETMS. SEVERAL SITES CLAIM VOLVO IS TRYING TO HIDE THE PROBLEM AND NOT TAKING SUFFICIENT ACTIONS TO INFORM CUSTOMERS. SINCE LIGHT IS STILL ON NOW, I WILL TAKE MY CAR BAC
20060109VEHICLE SPEED CONTROL
ENGINE ROLLING W/VARYING RPM. ETS WARNING LIGHT CAME ON, CONTINUES TO DO SO INTERMITTENTLY. DEALER (TASCA VOLVO, SEEKONK, MA) STATED ON 01-09-06 THAT, BASED ON ORDERS FROM VOLVO NA,VEHICLE NEEDED A "SYSTEM UPGRADE" AND OTHER REPAIRS & DIAGNOSTICS BEFORE PART REPLACEMENT COULD BE PERFORMED. SAID UPGRADE DONE & PAID FOR. AFTER 6 MILES OF DRIVING, ETS LIGHT ON AGAIN. CAR SURGES, ACCELERATES FOR NO REASON AND AT OTHER TIMES HAS NO PEP. VEHICLE RETURNED TO DEALER. I AM WAITING FOR RESULTS. *NM
Mileage: 96,500
20051018ELECTRICAL SYSTEM
1999 VOLVO C70 WITH 52,000 MILES. CAR STARTED RUNNING STAGGERED AT ABOUT 48,000 MILES. CHECK ENGINE AND ETS LIGHTS SOMETIMES COME ON. TOOK IT IN FOR COMPUTER DIAGNOSIS AND MECHANIC'S TEST DRIVE. PROBLEM IS FAULTY ELECTRONIC THROTTLE MODULE. NEEDS REPLACEMENT AT COST OF $900.00.*JB
Mileage: 48,000
20050920VEHICLE SPEED CONTROL
WE SOLD THIS VEHICLE TO A RETAIL CUSTOMER ON AUGUST 12, 2005. SOON AFTER, CUSTOMER COMPLAINED TO US THAT ETS LIGHT WAS ON AND THEY HAD EXPERIENCED LOSS OF POWER. WE REIMBURSED CUSTOMER FOR HAVING "FAULTY THROTTLE UNIT" REPLACED AT BILL GRAY VOLVO. *NM
Mileage: 67,557
20050802VEHICLE SPEED CONTROL
DT: THE CONTACT OWNED A 1999 VOLVO C70. WHILE ATTEMPTING TO ACCELERATE VEHICLE STALLED/DIED, AND LOST POWER AT LEAST 6 TIMES. CONTACT DID NOT HAVE REPAIRS DONE SINCE HE WOULD HAVE TO PAY FOR THE REPAIRS AND PARTS. *AK *JB
20050121AIR BAGS
AIR BAG PROBLEMS WITH THE 1999 S70 VOLVO. *NM
Compare 1999VOLVOC70 CONVERTIBLE to Similar Vehicles
NHTSA Investigations
Frequently Asked Questions
How many complaints does the 1999 VOLVO C70 CONVERTIBLE have?▼
The 1999 VOLVO C70 CONVERTIBLE has 10 NHTSA complaints, 2 crashes, 0 fires, 0 injuries, and 0 deaths reported.
What are the most common problems with the 1999 VOLVO C70 CONVERTIBLE?▼
The most-complained component for the 1999 VOLVO C70 CONVERTIBLE is VEHICLE SPEED CONTROL with 4 complaints. Other frequently reported areas include ELECTRICAL SYSTEM and AIR BAGS.
Is the 1999 VOLVO C70 CONVERTIBLE 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.