Total Complaints
4 filings
VOLVO DL · model year
1984 VOLVO DL
4 NHTSA complaints for this specific cohort.
NHTSA overall rating
Not crash-tested
New Car Assessment Program
The 1984VOLVODL carries 4 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 1984 DL is electrical system:wiring:front underhood with 2 filings, followed by exterior lighting:headlights:concealment devices (1) and equipment (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 1984 DL. 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.
4
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:WIRING:FRONT UNDERHOOD | 2 |
| EXTERIOR LIGHTING:HEADLIGHTS:CONCEALMENT DEVICES | 1 |
| EQUIPMENT | 1 |
Recent Complaints
20030718EXTERIOR LIGHTING:HEADLIGHTS:CONCEALMENT DEVICES
DEAR NHTSA, MY COMPLAINT IS DIRECTED TOWARDS ALL MODERN AUTOMOBILE HEADLIGHTS, AND IS TWO-FOLD. THE FIRST PART OF MY COMPLAINT INVOLVES NON-SEALED BEAM HEADLAMPS. SINCE ABOUT 1984, AUTOS HAVE BEEN PERMITTED TO USE THIS TYPE OF HEAD LAMP, AND IT IS BECOMING MORE AND MORE EVIDENT THAT THE PLASTIC USED FOR THE LENSES OF THESE HEADLAMPS DETERIORATES, EVENTUALLY MAKING THE LENS MORE AND MORE OPAQUE. (I'VE NOTICED THIS ESPECIALLY ON VOLVO'S AND CHRYSLER MINIVANS MADE IN THE LATE 1980'S.) THE FORMERLY USED SEALED BEAM HEADLAMPS WERE MADE OF GLASS AND SELDOM CLOUDED OVER. ANY SAFETY ADVANTAGE OF CHANGING FROM GLASS TO PLASTIC CONSTRUCTION IS OVERRIDDEN BY THE LOSS OF VISIBILITY WITH CLOUDED LENSES. IT WOULD BE SO GREAT IF SHATTER-PROOF GLASS SEALED BEAMS WOULD MAKE A COMEBACK! THE SECOND PART OF MY COMPLAINT INVOLVES THE HID HIGH INTENSITY LIGHTS ON SOME NEWER CARS. THEY ARE SO ANNOYING AND DISTRACTING TO ONCOMING TRAFFIC! IT WAS MY UNDERSTANDING THAT BLUE LIGHTS WERE PERMITTED O
20030718EQUIPMENT
DEAR NHTSA, MY COMPLAINT IS DIRECTED TOWARDS ALL MODERN AUTOMOBILE HEADLIGHTS, AND IS TWO-FOLD. THE FIRST PART OF MY COMPLAINT INVOLVES NON-SEALED BEAM HEADLAMPS. SINCE ABOUT 1984, AUTOS HAVE BEEN PERMITTED TO USE THIS TYPE OF HEAD LAMP, AND IT IS BECOMING MORE AND MORE EVIDENT THAT THE PLASTIC USED FOR THE LENSES OF THESE HEADLAMPS DETERIORATES, EVENTUALLY MAKING THE LENS MORE AND MORE OPAQUE. (I'VE NOTICED THIS ESPECIALLY ON VOLVO'S AND CHRYSLER MINIVANS MADE IN THE LATE 1980'S.) THE FORMERLY USED SEALED BEAM HEADLAMPS WERE MADE OF GLASS AND SELDOM CLOUDED OVER. ANY SAFETY ADVANTAGE OF CHANGING FROM GLASS TO PLASTIC CONSTRUCTION IS OVERRIDDEN BY THE LOSS OF VISIBILITY WITH CLOUDED LENSES. IT WOULD BE SO GREAT IF SHATTER-PROOF GLASS SEALED BEAMS WOULD MAKE A COMEBACK! THE SECOND PART OF MY COMPLAINT INVOLVES THE HID HIGH INTENSITY LIGHTS ON SOME NEWER CARS. THEY ARE SO ANNOYING AND DISTRACTING TO ONCOMING TRAFFIC! IT WAS MY UNDERSTANDING THAT BLUE LIGHTS WERE PERMITTED O
20000418ELECTRICAL SYSTEM:WIRING:FRONT UNDERHOOD
NO SUMMARY LISTED FOR ABOVE VEHICLE. *AK
19960930ELECTRICAL SYSTEM:WIRING:FRONT UNDERHOOD
CONSUMER STATES THAT WHEN STARTING THE VEHICLE SMOKE CAME FROM THE HOOD AND LASTED FOR THREE MINUTES.*AK
Compare 1984VOLVODL to Similar Vehicles
NHTSA Investigations
Frequently Asked Questions
How many complaints does the 1984 VOLVO DL have?▼
The 1984 VOLVO DL has 4 NHTSA complaints, 0 crashes, 0 fires, 0 injuries, and 0 deaths reported.
What are the most common problems with the 1984 VOLVO DL?▼
The most-complained component for the 1984 VOLVO DL is ELECTRICAL SYSTEM:WIRING:FRONT UNDERHOOD with 2 complaints. Other frequently reported areas include EXTERIOR LIGHTING:HEADLIGHTS:CONCEALMENT DEVICES and EQUIPMENT.
Is the 1984 VOLVO DL 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.