VOLVO V70XC · model year

1999 VOLVO V70XC

94 NHTSA complaints, 1 crash report for this specific cohort.

NHTSA overall rating

Not crash-tested

New Car Assessment Program

The 1999VOLVOV70XC carries 94 consumer safety complaints in NHTSA's Office of Defects Investigation database for this specific model-year cohort. Within that volume, owners reported 1 crash, 1 fire, 2 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 V70XC is vehicle speed control with 27 filings, followed by electrical system (16) and fuel system, gasoline (4). 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 V70XC. 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.

94
Complaints
1
Crashes
1
Fires
2
Injuries
0
Deaths

Total Complaints

94 filings

Crashes Reported

1 reports

Source

NHTSA ODI

Federal complaints database

Complaints vs. fleet median (215)

At or below the fleet median complaint volume.

Complaints by Component

ComponentCount
VEHICLE SPEED CONTROL27
ELECTRICAL SYSTEM16
FUEL SYSTEM, GASOLINE4
POWER TRAIN:AUTOMATIC TRANSMISSION4
ENGINE AND ENGINE COOLING4
EXTERIOR LIGHTING:HEADLIGHTS:SWITCH3
SERVICE BRAKES, HYDRAULIC:ANTILOCK/TRACTION CONTROL/ELECTRONIC LIMITED SLIP:CONTROL UNIT/MODULE3
FUEL SYSTEM, GASOLINE:DELIVERY2
FUEL SYSTEM, GASOLINE:FUEL INJECTION SYSTEM2
FUEL SYSTEM, OTHER2
AIR BAGS:SIDE/WINDOW1
SERVICE BRAKES, HYDRAULIC:ANTILOCK/TRACTION CONTROL/ELECTRONIC LIMITED SLIP1
SERVICE BRAKES, AIR:ANTILOCK:CONTROL UNIT/MODULE1
ENGINE AND ENGINE COOLING:COOLING SYSTEM:RADIATOR ASSEMBLY1
FUEL SYSTEM, OTHER:DELIVERY1

Recent Complaints

20180910UNKNOWN OR OTHER

KEY IGNITION IS FAILING WILL OFTEN NOT START THEN AFTER MOVING KEY AROUND IN IGNITION TO FIND THE PERFECT POSITION THE CAR WILL START

20180801FireENGINE

MY VOLVO V70 WAS ON A TEST DRIVE BY THE MECHANIC BEFORE RETURNING THE VEHICLE TO ME AFTER ROUTINE MAINTENANCE. THE CAR HAD 59,800 MILES. THE ENGINE CAUGHT FIRE ALLEGEDLY DUE TO AN OIL GASKET DEFECT. THE VEHICLE WAS ON A LOCAL ROAD IN WAINSCOTT, LONG ISLAND, NEW YORK.

Mileage: 59,800

20130115VEHICLE SPEED CONTROL

THE CAR WENT INTO A "LIMP HOME MODE" AS I WAS PULLING INTO TRAFFIC, CAUSING SEVERAL CARS TO HAVE TO SWERVE TO KEEP FROM HITTING ME. I CALLED VOLVO AND THEY SAID THE 99 & 00 ( WHICH I OWN BOTH ) MODELS HAD A RECALL ON THE PART. I CARRIED THE CAR TO THE VOLVO DEALERSHIP AND THEY SAID THE RECALL WAS ONLY TO INSTALL A SOFTWARE UPDATE, NOT TO REPLACE THE PART ITSELF. WELL, THEY DID THE SOFTWARE UPGRADE AND ABOUT HALF WAY HOME, 5 MILES OR LESS, THE ETC LIGHT CAME ON AGAIN AND THE CAR WENT INTO THE LIMP HOME MODE AGAIN, BARELY MAKING IT HOME. I CALLED THE DEALERSHIP AND THEY SAID THAT THE MODULE ITSELF NEEDED TO BE REPLACED AND WAS NOT COVERED BY THE RECALL ????? THEY TOLD ME IT WOULD BE BETWEEN $1200-$1300 TO REPLACE. THIS IS EXTREMELY WRONG AND DANGEROUS. AS MUCH AS I CAN GATHER FROM READING COMPLAINTS ON VOLVO FORUMS, THIS IS A PROBLEM VOLVO HAS KNOWN ABOUT SINCE AT LEAST 2004 AND HAS AFFECTED ABOUT 200,000 CARS. IS THERE NOTHING THAT CAN BE DONE ABOUT THIS MATTER ?? PLEASE ADVISE..

Mileage: 174,000

20110705FUEL SYSTEM, GASOLINE

TL* THE CONTACT OWNS A 1999 VOLVO V70XC. THE CONTACT STATED THERE WAS FUEL LEAKING FROM THE TOP OF THE FUEL TANK CAUSING IT TO FAIL INSPECTION. THE VEHICLE WAS NOT TAKEN TO THE DEALER NOR TO AN INDEPENDENT MECHANIC. THE MANUFACTURER WAS CONTACTED REGARDING THE FAILURE BUT OFFERED NO ASSISTANCE. THE VEHICLE WAS NOT REPAIRED. THE FAILURE MILEAGE WAS 101,000.

Mileage: 101,000

20110412POWER TRAIN:AUTOMATIC TRANSMISSION

MY 1999 V70R WITH 122,000 MILES HAS HAD THE MOST PROBLEMS OF ANY VOLVO I HAVE OWNED IN 44 YEARS; HEATER CORE, ELECTRONIC THROTTLE MODULE, STEERING RACK, WHEEL BEARINGS, LOWER CONTROL ARMS, BALL JOINTS, PARKING BRAKE FAILURE, BRAKE LINES AND HOSES, AND NOW? THE TRANSMISSION HAS FAILED COMPLETELY AFTER A 105,000 MILE CHECKUP BY THE DEALER SHOWED NO ISSUES. 2 MONTHS LATER - WILL NOT SHIFT INTO 4TH GEAR AND BUCKS LIKE A HORSE. WHY DO I READ ABOUT MANY SIMILAR COMPLAINTS BUT SEE NO ACTION - RECALL OR REIMBURSEMENT OR FIX FROM VOLVO? *TR

Mileage: 122,000

20100412VEHICLE SPEED CONTROL

1999 VOLVO XC V70. CONSUMER STATES VEHICLE THE WOULD HESITATE AND THEN SUDDENLY ACCELERATE. *TGW THE CONSUMER STATED THE DEALER INFORMED HIM THE VEHICLE WAS TOO OLD FOR WARRANTY REPAIRS CONCERNING THE ETM COMPONENTS. *JB

20091209FUEL SYSTEM, OTHER

I RECENTLY PURCHASED A 1999 VOLVO V70XC, SHORTLY AFTER, THE CAR WENT INTO WHAT'S CALLED LIMP HOME MODE. I LOOKED ONLINE TO SEE WHAT WOULD CAUSE THIS AND SAW THAT THERE WAS A RECALL IN 2006 TO REPAIR THIS PROBLEM. I CALLED VOLVO TO SEE IF MY CAR WAS BROUGHT IN FOR SERVICE, I WAS INFORMED THAT IT WAS REPAIRED. I BROUGHT MY CAR TO A REPAIR SHOP AND WAS TOLD THAT IT NEEDED A THROTTLE MODULE, THE SAME REASON FOR THE RECALL IN 2006. THE MODULE WAS REPLACED AND NEW SOFTWARE INSTALLED AND NOW THE CARD RUNS GOOD. SHOULD I HAVE TO PAY FOR A NEW MODULE, $900 SINCE THIS WAS SUPPOSED TO BE FIXED ON THE INITIAL RECALL? *TR

Mileage: 171,000

20091026ENGINE AND ENGINE COOLING

FAILURE OF ELECTRONIC THROTTLE MODULE ASSEMBLY CAUSING VERY POOR DRIVABLE. PROBLEM IS INTERMITTENT AND SEVERE THAT THE CAR CAN NOT SAFELY BE DRIVEN IN TRAFFIC WITHOUT A RISK OF ACCIDENT. BRIEF CHRONOLOGY: I HAVE A VERY EARLY PRODUCTION 1999 VOLVO V70XC. IT HAD DRIVABLE PROBLEMS SINCE I BOUGHT IT. NEVER WAS FIXED. (SUPPOSEDLY) REPLACED ETM THE FIRST TIME IN ~ 2004, USING PART WHOSE DESIGN WAS KNOWN TO BE FAULTY. LATER DID SOFTWARE UPDATE (CAMPAIGN 155). DRIVABLE IMPROVED SLIGHTLY, BUT WAS NEVER CORRECT. REPLACEMENT MODULE IS NOW FAILING. CAR CAN NOT BE DRIVEN SAFELY. ENGINE RUNS POORLY, RPM LIMITED TO < 2000, ALWAYS IN "LIMP HOME MODE". YOU ARE AWARE (I BELIEVE) THAT THERE IS A RECALL/REPLACEMENT CAMPAIGN UNDERWAY FOR THIS PART. HOWEVER, THE REPLACEMENT PART HAS THE SAME DESIGN FLAW AS THE ORIGINAL. (I AM ALREADY ON A "SUPPOSEDLY" REPLACED MODULE). VOLVO IS PRETENDING TO HONOR AN EXTENDED WARRANTY WHILE EITHER: 1) CHANGING THE MODULE'S SOFTWARE TO POSTPONE OR HID

Mileage: 113,000

20091018SERVICE BRAKES, ELECTRIC

ABS CONTROL MODULE REPLACED AT 115K MILES IN AUGUST 2007 FOR A COST OF $1,000 DUE TO MALFUNCTION INDICATION AND RECOMMENDATION OF MECHANIC. IS THIS A RECURRING PROBLEM WITH THE 1999 VOLVO V70? *TR

Mileage: 115,000

20090729FUEL SYSTEM, GASOLINE

1. PREMATURE WEAR OF THE ETM. 2. CAR HAS ROUGH IDLE, STALLS, SURGES IN TRAFFIC. 3. REPLACING THE ETM. FOR THE THIRD TIME. *TR

Mileage: 142,000

20081224SERVICE BRAKES, HYDRAULIC

REAR BRAKE ROTORS WEAR DOWN QUICKLY. WE HAD THEM REPLACED IN THE SUMMER OF 2007 AND THEY ARE WORN DOWN NOW, DEC 2008. *TR

20080125ENGINE AND ENGINE COOLING

DRIVING ON FREEWAY 65 MILES PER HOUR, VEHICLE LOSES COMPLETE POWER, ETS AND CHECK ENGINE LIGHTS COMES ON. I WAS ABLE TO COAST OFF THE FREEWAY ONTO THE RIGHT SHOULDER. TRIED SEVERAL RESTARTS TO SEE IF ENGINE WILL RUN NORMALLY, AFTER 10-15 MINUTES, STARTED CAR, ENG RAN NORMAL, ETS AND CEL LIGHT STILL ON. I WAS ABLE TO DRIVE HOME WITHOUT FURTHER INCIDENT. *TR

Mileage: 116,900

20070901FUEL SYSTEM, OTHER:DELIVERY:HOSES, LINES/PIPING, AND FITTINGS

I BOUGHT THIS VOLVO USED W/ 120K MILES. I SAW RECORDS OF MAJOR WORK DONE AT THE DEALER JUST PREVIOUS TO 100,000 AND FIGURED IT WOULD BE GOOD FOR ANOTHER 100K. AT 131K, IT BEGAN CONSTANTLY STALLING AND LUNGING. I DID A TINY BIT OF RESEARCH AND LEARNED OF THE RECALL. I TOOK IT TO THE DEALER AND THEY TRIED TO CHARGE ME 200 TO DO NOTHING OTHER THAN READ THE CODES AND TELL ME THE ETM SOFTWARE HAD ALREADY BEEN UPDATED, AND THAT THE MASS AIRFLOW SENSOR WAS BAD. I REPLACED THE MAFS TO NO CHANGE. *TR

Mileage: 130,000

20070901ENGINE AND ENGINE COOLING

I BOUGHT THIS VOLVO USED W/ 120K MILES. I SAW RECORDS OF MAJOR WORK DONE AT THE DEALER JUST PREVIOUS TO 100,000 AND FIGURED IT WOULD BE GOOD FOR ANOTHER 100K. AT 131K, IT BEGAN CONSTANTLY STALLING AND LUNGING. I DID A TINY BIT OF RESEARCH AND LEARNED OF THE RECALL. I TOOK IT TO THE DEALER AND THEY TRIED TO CHARGE ME 200 TO DO NOTHING OTHER THAN READ THE CODES AND TELL ME THE ETM SOFTWARE HAD ALREADY BEEN UPDATED, AND THAT THE MASS AIRFLOW SENSOR WAS BAD. I REPLACED THE MAFS TO NO CHANGE. *TR

Mileage: 130,000

20070312VEHICLE SPEED CONTROL:ACCELERATOR PEDAL

TL*- THE CONTACT STATED THAT WHILE DRIVING THE 1999 VOLVO V70XC WITH 114000 FAILURE MILEAGE AT 65 MPH THE ETS LIGHT TURNED ON AND THE VEHICLE BEGAN TO REDUCE SPEED. THE CONTACT PRESSED ON THE GAS PEDAL, BUT NOTHING HAPPENED. THE SPEED WENT DOWN TO 35 MPH, THEN THE CONTACT PULLED TO THE SIDE OF THE ROAD. THE VEHICLE WAS TOWED TO THE MECHANIC. THE MECHANIC STATED THAT THERE WAS A PROBLEM WITH THE VEHICLE SPEED CONTROL. THE VEHICLE HAD NOT BEEN REPAIRED. *AK

Mileage: 114,000

20061212POWER TRAIN

1999 VOLVO V70XC'S TRANSMISSION HAD TO BE REPLACED AT 86, 000 MILES. *TS

Mileage: 86,000

20061130VEHICLE SPEED CONTROL

THE ABS/TRAC AND BRAKE WARNING LIGHTS ARE COMING ON SIMULTANEOUSLY AND THEN GO OFF AFTER A FEW MINUTES. ON OTHER OCCASIONS, THE SPEEDOMETER STOPS WORKING AND THE ORANGE ARROW STARTS BLINKING. SOMETIMES WHEN THE ORANGE LIGHT IS BLINKING, THE CAR SHIFTS TO WINTER MODE AND YOU CANNOT ACCELERATE AS YOU NORMALLY WOULD. THE DEALER TOLD ME THAT IT IS THE ABS MODULE AND COST OF REPAIR WOULD BE OVER $1000. I HAD THE ELECTRONIC THROTTLE REPLACED LAST YEAR. IT LOOKS LIKE A POOR DESIGN, AS I HAVE BEEN READING A LOT ABOUT THESE PROBLEMS ON VOLVOS. I AM REQUESTING NHTSA CONTACT VOLVO HEADQUARTERS AND DEMAND A RECALL ON THIS HAZARDOUS ABS AND ACCELERATION SAFETY PROBLEM. *JB

Mileage: 95,000

20061130SERVICE BRAKES, HYDRAULIC:ANTILOCK/TRACTION CONTROL/ELECTRONIC LIMITED SLIP:ABS WARNING LIGHT

THE ABS/TRAC AND BRAKE WARNING LIGHTS ARE COMING ON SIMULTANEOUSLY AND THEN GO OFF AFTER A FEW MINUTES. ON OTHER OCCASIONS, THE SPEEDOMETER STOPS WORKING AND THE ORANGE ARROW STARTS BLINKING. SOMETIMES WHEN THE ORANGE LIGHT IS BLINKING, THE CAR SHIFTS TO WINTER MODE AND YOU CANNOT ACCELERATE AS YOU NORMALLY WOULD. THE DEALER TOLD ME THAT IT IS THE ABS MODULE AND COST OF REPAIR WOULD BE OVER $1000. I HAD THE ELECTRONIC THROTTLE REPLACED LAST YEAR. IT LOOKS LIKE A POOR DESIGN, AS I HAVE BEEN READING A LOT ABOUT THESE PROBLEMS ON VOLVOS. I AM REQUESTING NHTSA CONTACT VOLVO HEADQUARTERS AND DEMAND A RECALL ON THIS HAZARDOUS ABS AND ACCELERATION SAFETY PROBLEM. *JB

Mileage: 95,000

20060807VEHICLE SPEED CONTROL

DT*: THE CONTACT STATED WHILE DRIVING 20MPH THE VEHICLE ACCELERATED WITHOUT WARNING WHICH CAUSED THE CONTACT TO LOSE CONTROL OF THE VEHICLE. THE VEHICLE THEN SUDDENLY SLOWED, AND SUBSEQUENTLY WOULD NOT ACCELERATE BEYOND 15MPH. THE CHECK ENGINE LIGHT ILLUMINATED. THE VEHICLE WAS TAKEN TO THE DEALER WHO DETERMINED THE PROBLEM WAS CAUSED BY THE ELECTRONIC THROTTLE MODULE. THE CONTACT EXPRESSED THERE WAS NO BRAKE INTERFERENCE TO CAUSE THE VEHICLE TO DECELERATE. THE MANUFACTURER WAS ALERTED WHO WILL BE INVESTIGATING THE PROBLEM. *AK

Mileage: 126,000

20060627POWER TRAIN:AUTOMATIC TRANSMISSION

CAR WAS GETTING POOR GAS MILEAGE. FAILURE OF THE TRANSMISSION MARCH 27, 2006. THE CAR WOULD NOT SHIFT OUT OF GEAR AT ALL AND HAD TO BE TOWED TO THE DEALERSHIP. I WAS TOLD THIS WAS NORMAL. I HAD TO PURCHASE A REBUILT TRANSMISSION AT A TOTAL COST OF $4004.04. THIS REPRESENTS 20% OF THE PURCHASE PRICE NOT INCLUDING THE ADDITIONAL EXTENDED WARRANTY. THE CAR WAS "CHECKED OUT" AT 82,000 MILES WITH NO APPARENT ISSUES. THIS WAS THE ENDING MILEAGE FORTHE EXTENDING WARRANTY. THE TRANSMISSION FAILED AT 89,330 MILES. *JB

Mileage: 89,330

Compare 1999VOLVOV70XC to Similar Vehicles

NHTSA Investigations

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Frequently Asked Questions

How many complaints does the 1999 VOLVO V70XC have?
The 1999 VOLVO V70XC has 94 NHTSA complaints, 1 crashes, 1 fires, 2 injuries, and 0 deaths reported.
What are the most common problems with the 1999 VOLVO V70XC?
The most-complained component for the 1999 VOLVO V70XC is VEHICLE SPEED CONTROL with 27 complaints. Other frequently reported areas include ELECTRICAL SYSTEM and FUEL SYSTEM, GASOLINE.
Is the 1999 VOLVO V70XC 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.