Volvo VNL · model year

2001 Volvo VNL

1 NHTSA complaints, and 8 recall campaigns listed for this cohort. A VIN lookup is required to determine whether a specific vehicle has an unrepaired recall.

NHTSA overall rating

Not crash-tested

New Car Assessment Program

Complaints
1
Recalls
8

The verdict

The 2001 Volvo VNL posts top-10% complaint standing among its own model-year siblings.

Top 9%
fewest complaints, own model years
8
recall campaigns

The 2001VolvoVNL carries 1 consumer safety complaint 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.

The most frequently selected component label in reports for the 2001 VNL is unknown or other with 1 filings. Complaint categories reflect owner reports and intake categorization; they do not establish a defect pattern or cause. This cohort has 8 NHTSA recall campaigns listed below. Enter a VIN in NHTSA's official recall lookup to determine whether a specific vehicle has an unrepaired recall.

NHTSA currently has 28 investigation files overlapping the 2001 VNL. Owners comparing this cohort against neighboring years should read the complaint-by-year trend as report volume, not a causal diagnosis. Use the related-complaint feed and the official recall lookup when researching a specific vehicle.

1
Complaints
0
Crashes
0
Fires
0
Injuries
0
Deaths
F
PlainCars Safety Score
0/100
2001 Volvo VNL

PlainCars' own composite of NHTSA NCAP crash-test ratings and rollover-risk assessment, each dimension normalized against the federal scale or the full national model-year corpus. Not an official NHTSA figure, and not a substitute for a specific vehicle's VIN-level recall check.

NHTSA Overall Rating N/A
Not rated
NHTSA New Car Assessment Program overall crash-test rating.
Front Crash N/A
Not rated
Frontal barrier crash-test rating.
Side Crash N/A
Not rated
Side barrier and pole crash-test rating.
Rollover Resistance N/A
Not rated
Static stability factor + dynamic rollover test rating.
Rollover Risk N/A
Not reported
NHTSA single-vehicle rollover probability, dynamic test.

Total Complaints

1 filings

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

ComponentCount
UNKNOWN OR OTHER1

Recalls (8)

03V20400030/05/2003

TRAILER HITCHES:FIFTH WHEEL ASSEMBLY

ON CERTAIN HEAVY DUTY TRUCKS EQUIPPED WITH JOST INTERNATIONAL JSK 37U SERIES FIFTH WHEELS, A FATIGUE CRACK CAN DEVELOP IN THE BRACKET PIN WELD UNDER CERTAIN LOADING CONDITIONS.

03V19900028/05/2003

SUSPENSION:FRONT

ON CERTAIN TRUCKS EQUIPPED WITH TRUCK HUB UNITS MANUFACTURED BY SKF EXCLUSIVELY FOR USE ON ARVINMERITOR'S FF98X SERIES NON-DRIVE STEER AXLES, THE HUB UNIT BEARINGS CAN WEAR PREMATURELY.

10V28200024/06/2010

STEERING:LINKAGES:DRAG:LINK:CONNECTION

VOLVO TRUCKS IS RECALLING CERTAIN MODEL YEAR 2001-2006 VNL AND VNM TRUCKS MANUFACTURED WITH A TRW SEALED DRAG LINKS. CERTAIN FACTORS CAN EXIST, WHICH IF LEFT UNTREATED MAY RESULT IN A BALL SOCKET SEPARATION.

09V17300021/05/2009

VISIBILITY:WINDSHIELD WIPER/WASHER:MOTOR

VOLVO TRUCKS IS RECALLING 127,764 MY 2001-2008 VHD, VNL, VNM, AND MY 2005-2008 VT TRUCKS. A SEAL MAY FAIL ALLOWING WATER AND CONTAMINANTS TO SEEP INTO THE WINDSHIELD WIPER MOTOR.

01V20100018/06/2001

STEERING:GEAR BOX (OTHER THAN RACK AND PINION)

VEHICLE DESCRIPTION: HEAVY DUTY CLASS 8 TRUCKS. THE WRONG STEERING COLUMN TO STEERING GEAR SHAFT MAY HAVE BEEN INSTALLED IN THESE VEHICLES. USING THE SHORTER VNM STEERING SHAFT COULD RESULT IN STEERING SHAFT BEING OPERATED (STEERING COLUMN EXTENDED ADJUSTMENT) OUTSIDE THE NORMAL OPERATING RANGE

02V11000011/04/2002

SERVICE BRAKES, AIR:ANTILOCK

CERTAIN HEAVY DUTY CLASS 8 VEHICLES FAIL TO COMPLY WITH FEDERAL MOTOR VEHICLE SAFETY STANDARD NO. 121, "AIR BRAKE SYSTEMS", S5.1.6.3, "ANTILOCK POWER FOR TOWED VEHICLES." ELECTRICAL POWER FOR THE TRAILER ANTI-LOCK BRAKING SYSTEM (ABS) CAN BE DISRUPTED WHEN A SWITCH LOCATED ON THE VEHICLE INSTRUMENT

02V01800311/02/2002

SERVICE BRAKES, AIR:SUPPLY:CHECK VALVE

ON CERTAIN HEAVY DUTY TRUCKS EQUIPPED WITH MERITOR WABCO PNEUMATIC ANITLOCK BRAKE SYSTEM (ABS) VALVE PACKAGES, THE ASSEMBLY BOLTS ON THESE VALVE PACKAGES WERE NOT TIGHTENED CORRECTLY.

02V23800009/09/2002

EXTERIOR LIGHTING:TAIL LIGHTS:SWITCH

CERTAIN HEAVY DUTY CLASS 8 TRUCKS FAIL TO COMPLY WITH THE REQUIREMENTS OF FEDERAL MOTOR VEHICLE SAFETY STANDARD NO. 108, "LAMPS, REFLECTIVE DEVICES, AND ASSOCIATED EQUIPMENT." THE TWO TAIL LAMPS, BACK-UP LAMP,AND LICENSE TAG LAMP WERE MOUNTED ON INSUFFICIENTLY RIGID MOUNTS.

Recent Complaints

20010828UNKNOWN OR OTHER

CONSUMER STATES THE CLUSTER DISPLAY/FUEL MGT. PANEL IS BAD, FAWR IS 12,350, TRUCK WEIGHT KINGPIN AT CENTER SPLITTING THE DRIVES AND EMPTY TRAILER ATTACHED IS 10,860 FUEL AT ALMOST FULL CAPACITY, DUAL 125 GALLON TANKS PER DRIVERS.*JB

Compare 2001VolvoVNL to Similar Vehicles

NHTSA Investigations

View all investigations

Vehicle Safety Guides

Frequently Asked Questions

How many complaints does the 2001 Volvo VNL have?
The 2001 Volvo VNL has 1 NHTSA complaints, 0 crashes, 0 fires, 0 injuries, and 0 deaths reported.
Are there any recalls for the 2001 Volvo VNL?
Yes, the 2001 Volvo VNL has 8 recall(s). The most common affected component is TRAILER HITCHES:FIFTH WHEEL ASSEMBLY. Recalls are issued by NHTSA and manufacturers must provide a free remedy.
What are the most common problems with the 2001 Volvo VNL?
The most-complained component for the 2001 Volvo VNL is UNKNOWN OR OTHER with 1 complaints. Other frequently reported areas include various components.
Is the 2001 Volvo VNL 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.

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. This year-specific record is rendered from NHTSA ODI, recall, and NCAP rows for the 2001 Volvo VNL; 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.