VOLVO · vehicle model
VOLVO S80
1,320 NHTSA complaints and 27 safety recalls across model years 1999–2016.
- Complaints
- 1,320
- Recalls
- 27
- Model years
- 18
The VOLVOS80 appears in NHTSA's Office of Defects Investigation database with 1,320 consumer safety complaints and 27 recall campaigns across 18 model years (1999–2016). That averages roughly 73 complaints per model year. Report counts can differ between model years for many reasons; this dataset does not establish the cause of a difference.
Complaint volume on a nameplate alone is not a reliability verdict: a long-running bestseller can accumulate more filings than a low-volume niche model because more vehicles are on the road. The table below shows report counts and published NHTSA crash-test ratings side by side for each model year. The filing-year histogram shows the timing of submitted reports, not a causal trend.
NHTSA has 28 investigation files tied to this model. Investigation records, complaint reports, and recall campaigns each provide different context. Use the official NHTSA VIN lookup and the underlying notices to research a specific vehicle; PlainCars does not infer a vehicle-risk or pricing conclusion from these records.
Complaints by Year
| Year | Complaints |
|---|---|
| 2016 | 7 |
| 2015 | 12 |
| 2014 | 1 |
| 2013 | 8 |
| 2012 | 11 |
| 2011 | 8 |
| 2010 | 36 |
| 2009 | 20 |
| 2008 | 37 |
| 2007 | 32 |
| 2006 | 22 |
| 2005 | 26 |
| 2004 | 63 |
| 2003 | 30 |
| 2002 | 59 |
| 2001 | 218 |
| 2000 | 442 |
| 1999 | 288 |
Complaint Filing Trend
NHTSA complaint volume by year filed (not model year).
Filings moved from 112 in 2017-2021 to 58 in 2022-2026, a fall of 48.2%. That is the 43th percentile of change across the 772 nameplates with enough filings in both windows to compare, where 0 is the steepest fall and 100 the steepest rise.
Filing volume, not a reliability verdict: counts also move with how many vehicles are on the road, how old they are, and whether a recall drew attention. Computed from this portal's NHTSA filing-year records over the same two windows the trend rankings use.
Year filed (bar labels show the complaint count).
Compare VOLVOS80 to Similar Vehicles
NHTSA Investigations
Discrepancies in Required CFR Reporting
Ride Quality
Windshield Wiper Failures
Volvo Sleeper glass de-bonding
Central Electronic Module Failure
FUEL PUMP LEAK
Drag Link Failure
SAF HOLLAND FIFTH WHEEL ASSEMBLY
INOPERABLE TAIL LIGHTS
FUEL PUMP LEAKAGE
Frequently Asked Questions
How reliable is the VOLVO S80?▼
What years of VOLVO S80 are available?▼
Does the VOLVO S80 have safety ratings?▼
What are the most common VOLVO S80 complaints?▼
How do I check if my VOLVO S80 has been recalled?▼
Data sources
Data vintage: August 2026. 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.
Every figure on PlainCars is rendered directly from NHTSA complaint and safety data, no number is typed in by an editor. VOLVO S80 totals are aggregated from the linked NHTSA model-year rows; no figure is typed in by an editor. See our editorial standards & corrections policy, the methodology behind these numbers, or report a data error. Data current as of August 2026.