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2003 Volvo S60

Owner reports · Recalls · Investigations

More warning signs than most S60 years

Owner complaints for the 2003 Volvo S60 are substantially higher than the model-year median of 20.5.

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When problems were reported

Mileage at the reported incident

101 reports with mileage · 19 unknown

NHTSA’s mileage field refers to the reported incident, not necessarily the filing date. This shows report counts, not the likelihood of a failure.

What to inspect

Issues worth paying extra attention to based on owner reports.

  • Electrical System. Review the 54 owner reports in this category and discuss these concerns during a pre-purchase inspection. Read reports →
  • Vehicle Speed Control. Review the 18 owner reports in this category and discuss these concerns during a pre-purchase inspection. Read reports →
  • Engine And Engine Cooling. Review the 16 owner reports in this category and discuss these concerns during a pre-purchase inspection. Read reports →

NHTSA owner reports · September 18, 2026 snapshot.

1 crash reports1 fire reports0 injury reports

Air Bags complaints

8 reports
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100,000 miles · Nov 28, 2016
Air BagsElectrical SystemEngine

DASH CLUSTER LIGHTS AND GAUGES AND TURN SIGNAL INDICATOR SHUT DOWN AND BACK ON INTERMITTENTLY, MOTOR SEEMS TO LOSE POWER WHEN DRIVING, AND ROUGH IDLE. THE DASH CLUSTER PROBLEM HAPPENS WHILE DRIVING AND IN THE PARK POSITION. *TR

NHTSA ODI #10928324

153,000 miles · Dec 11, 2014
Air BagsElectrical SystemExterior Lighting

DRIVING CAR LIGHTS ON DASH BOARD WENT COMPLETELY OFF. TOOK IT TO SHOP THEY TAP IT AND DASH CAME ON AGAIN, CHANGE FUSE . LIGHTS WENT OFF AGAIN AND STAYED OFF. *TR

NHTSA ODI #10663718

130,000 miles · Jun 20, 2014
Air BagsElectrical System

I STARTED MY CAR AND WHERE IT TELLS YOU IF SOMETHING NEEDS TO BE DONE TO CAR IT SAID AIRBAG WARNING URGENT SERVICE NEEDED. THEN LATER WHILE DRIVING ALL THE GAUGES STOPPED WORKING. NOW THE GAUGES DON'T WORK AT ALL. PLUS WHEN DRIVING AND TURNING A CORNER THE CAR STALLS NOW THIS HAS BEEN HAPPENING FOR A COUPLE YEARS NOW. PLUS A COU…

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I STARTED MY CAR AND WHERE IT TELLS YOU IF SOMETHING NEEDS TO BE DONE TO CAR IT SAID AIRBAG WARNING URGENT SERVICE NEEDED. THEN LATER WHILE DRIVING ALL THE GAUGES STOPPED WORKING. NOW THE GAUGES DON'T WORK AT ALL. PLUS WHEN DRIVING AND TURNING A CORNER THE CAR STALLS NOW THIS HAS BEEN HAPPENING FOR A COUPLE YEARS NOW. PLUS A COUPLE YEARS AGO ALL MY HEAD LIGHTS BURNT OUT AT ONCE THEN THEY ONLY LASTED A COUPLE DAYS HAD TO BUY MORE THAT HAPPENED 5 TIMES IN ONE YEAR STILL HAVE NO BRIGHTS. *TR

NHTSA ODI #10604873

183,000 miles · Apr 23, 2013
Air BagsElectrical SystemExterior Lighting

MY 2003 S60 VOLVO HAS FAILED IT ALL STARTED WITH THE RADIO FLICKERING TO DIFFERENT STATIONS.I NOTICED FROM THAN MY LIGHTS STARTED BLINKING ON AND OFF I HAS NO IDEA WHAT WAS GOING ON WITH THIS CAR I SERIOUSLY ALMOST GOT INTO IN ACCIDENT I PULLED OVER AND TURNED THE CAR OFF 5MINS AFTER I STARTED IT UP NOW ALL THE GUAGES WHERE DOWN…

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MY 2003 S60 VOLVO HAS FAILED IT ALL STARTED WITH THE RADIO FLICKERING TO DIFFERENT STATIONS.I NOTICED FROM THAN MY LIGHTS STARTED BLINKING ON AND OFF I HAS NO IDEA WHAT WAS GOING ON WITH THIS CAR I SERIOUSLY ALMOST GOT INTO IN ACCIDENT I PULLED OVER AND TURNED THE CAR OFF 5MINS AFTER I STARTED IT UP NOW ALL THE GUAGES WHERE DOWN EVE FUEL WAS PASS EMPTY I WAS TERRIFIED THAT MY CAR WOULD SHUT OFF I HAD MY 7 YEAR OLD IN THE CAR AS I WAS CAREFULLY WAS DRIVING HOME THE GUAGES STARTING MOVING ALL OVER THE PLACE RADIO SWITCHING FROM LEFT TO RIGHT THE MSG WINDOW SAID SEA BAG SERVICE SOON IAM VERY SCARE OF MY SAFETY JUS BOUGHT THIS CAR ON FEB 12/2013. *TR

NHTSA ODI #10509339

48,672 miles · Nov 1, 2012
Air BagsElectrical SystemService Brakes

THE DASH INFORMATION SYTEM WILL RANDOMLY GO BLANK AND DISPLAY SRS AND BRAKE FAILURE, ALONG WITH ALL INFORMATION LIGHTS BLINKING ON AND OFF. ALSO THE ANALOG GAUGES LIKE THE SPEEDOMETER AND FUEL GAUGE WILL GO TO "0" AND EMPTY OR JUST MOVE ERATICALLY TO ANY NUMBER OR POSITION WHILE DRIVING. AT NIGHT SOMETIMES THE ENTIRE DASH OR INF…

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THE DASH INFORMATION SYTEM WILL RANDOMLY GO BLANK AND DISPLAY SRS AND BRAKE FAILURE, ALONG WITH ALL INFORMATION LIGHTS BLINKING ON AND OFF. ALSO THE ANALOG GAUGES LIKE THE SPEEDOMETER AND FUEL GAUGE WILL GO TO "0" AND EMPTY OR JUST MOVE ERATICALLY TO ANY NUMBER OR POSITION WHILE DRIVING. AT NIGHT SOMETIMES THE ENTIRE DASH OR INFORMATION CENTER WILL GO BLACK (NO LIGHTS AT ALL) AND ON ODD OCCASIONS ONE HEADLIGHT MAY GO OUT AND COME BACK ON. *TR

NHTSA ODI #10482872

94,000 miles · Aug 11, 2012
Air BagsElectrical SystemExterior Lighting

WHILE DRIVING OUT OF A PARKING LOT AND ACCELERATING TO 35 MPH, ENTIRE DASHBOARD BLACKED OUT. NO SPEEDOMETER, NO ODOMETER, NO GAS GAUGE,NO MESSAGE. RADIO, WINDOWS, AND AIR CONDITIONING CONTINUED TO WORK NORMALLY, AS DID HEADLIGHTS, INTERIOR LIGHTS, AND TURN SIGNALS. I TURNED OFF ENGINE AND THEN RESTARTED CAR. SAME SYMPTOMS. THE T…

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WHILE DRIVING OUT OF A PARKING LOT AND ACCELERATING TO 35 MPH, ENTIRE DASHBOARD BLACKED OUT. NO SPEEDOMETER, NO ODOMETER, NO GAS GAUGE,NO MESSAGE. RADIO, WINDOWS, AND AIR CONDITIONING CONTINUED TO WORK NORMALLY, AS DID HEADLIGHTS, INTERIOR LIGHTS, AND TURN SIGNALS. I TURNED OFF ENGINE AND THEN RESTARTED CAR. SAME SYMPTOMS. THE THIRD TIME I RESTARTED CAR I RECEIVED MESSAGE ON PANEL, SRS/AIRBAG SERVICE URGENT LIGHT COMES ON AND STAYS ON. I COULD NOT RETRIEVE ANY OTHER INFORMATION REGARDING AVERAGE SPEED, HOW FULL GAS TANK IS, ETC. I JUST WENT OUT TO MY CAR, WHICH HAS BEEN PARKED FOR ABOUT 21/2 HOURS SINCE THE INCIDENT, TO GET THE MILEAGE FOR THIS REPORT AND PANEL LIGHTS HAVE DISAPPEARED AGAIN! I WILL GET CAR TO MECHANIC TOMORROW, BUT I FEEL THIS IS A VERY DANGEROUS SITUATION TO BE IN,AND ESPECIALLY WITH NIGHT TIME OR HIGH SPEED HIGHWAY DRIVING! MY MILEAGE IS APPROXIMATELY 94,000 MILES. I COULD NOT GET A READING FROM MY ODOMETER AS THE PANEL IS BLACKED OUT AGAIN! *TR

NHTSA ODI #10470204

126,000 miles · Jul 5, 2012
Air Bags

TL* THE CONTACT OWNS A 2003 VOLVO S60. WHILE DRIVING APPROXIMATELY 30 MPH, THE SRS AIR BAG WARNING INDICATOR ILLUMINATED ON THE INSTRUMENT PANEL UNTIL THE KEY WAS REMOVED FROM THE IGNITION SWITCH. THE VEHICLE WAS TAKEN TO AN INDEPENDENT MECHANIC AND AN AUTHORIZED DEALER WHO BOTH ADVISED THAT THE DRIVER INFORMATION MODULE WITHIN …

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TL* THE CONTACT OWNS A 2003 VOLVO S60. WHILE DRIVING APPROXIMATELY 30 MPH, THE SRS AIR BAG WARNING INDICATOR ILLUMINATED ON THE INSTRUMENT PANEL UNTIL THE KEY WAS REMOVED FROM THE IGNITION SWITCH. THE VEHICLE WAS TAKEN TO AN INDEPENDENT MECHANIC AND AN AUTHORIZED DEALER WHO BOTH ADVISED THAT THE DRIVER INFORMATION MODULE WITHIN THE COMPUTER SYSTEM WOULD NEED TO BE REPLACED. THE TECHNICIAN INFORMED THE AIR BAG WOULD NOT DEPLOY DURING AN IMPACT. THE VEHICLE WAS NOT REPAIRED. THE MANUFACTURER WAS NOTIFIED OF THE DEFECT. THE APPROXIMATE FAILURE MILEAGE WAS 126,000. THE VIN WAS UNAVAILABLE.

NHTSA ODI #10464317

120,000 miles · Oct 23, 2010
Air BagsElectrical System

MY 2003 VOLVO S60 HAS A SEATBELT WARNING MESSAGE. THE DEALER DIAGNOSED THE PROBLEM AS A FAULTY DRIVER INFORMATION MODULE WHICH WOULD COST 1400 PLUS TAX TO REPAIR. THE CAR IS VALUED AT APPROXIMATELY 4000 AS A TRADE. THERE ARE MANY COMPLAINTS OF FAILURE OF THIS PART EVEN IN MUCH NEWER VOLVOS. *TR

NHTSA ODI #10361915

Official recalls

6

21V766000 · Air Bags:frontal:driver Side:inflator Module

Sep 30, 2021

Volvo Car USA, LLC (Volvo Car) is recalling certain 2001-2006 S80 and 2001-2009 S60 vehicles. The driver's air bag inflator may explode during deployment, due to propellant degradation occurring after long-term exposure to high absolute humidity, high temperatures, and high temperature cycling.

Consequence & remedy

Consequence: An inflator explosion may result in sharp metal fragments striking the driver or other occupants, resulting in serious injury or death.

Remedy: Dealers will replace the driver's air bag, free of charge. Owner notification letters were mailed November 29, 2021. Owners may contact Volvo Car customer service at 1-800-458-1552. Volvo's number for this recall is R10125.

20V681000 · Air Bags:frontal:driver Side:inflator Module

Nov 4, 2020

Volvo Car USA LLC (Volvo Car) is recalling certain 2001-2003 S80 and S60 vehicles sold or ever registered in Alabama, Arkansas, Florida, Georgia, Hawaii, Louisiana, Mississippi, North Carolina, Oklahoma, South Carolina, Tennessee, Texas, Puerto Rico, American Samoa, Guam, the Northern Mariana Islands (Saipan), and the U.S. Virgin Islands. The driver side frontal air bag inflator may rupture, sending metal fragments into the passage compartment, when the driver side air bag is deployed.

Consequence & remedy

Consequence: Metal fragments can strike vehicle occupants increasing the risk of serious injury or death.

Remedy: Volvo Car will notify owners, and dealers will replace the driver side air bag module, free of charge. The recall began April 20, 2021. Owners may contact Volvo Car customer service at 1-800-458-1552. Volvo Car's number for this recall is R10058.

10V566000 · Equipment:electrical:navigational System(global Positioning System)

Nov 8, 2010

VOLVO IS RECALLING CERTAIN VEHICLES EQUIPPED WITH GARMIN 760 PORTABLE GLOBAL POSITIONING SYSTEM (GPS) UNITS BECAUSE THE BATTERIES ON THOSE UNITS MAY OVERHEAT.

Consequence & remedy

Consequence: AN OVERHEATED BATTERY COULD LEAD TO A FIRE.

Remedy: VOLVO ADVISES OWNERS TO PLEASE STOP USING THE GARMIN PORTABLE GPS DEVICE IMMEDIATELY, AND VISIT THE GARMIN WEBSITE TO DETERMINE IF THEIR UNIT IS AFFECTED. THE UNIT'S BATTERY WILL BE REPLACED WITH A NEW BATTERY AND A SPACER WILL BE INSERTED ON TOP OF THE BATTERY NEXT TO THE PCB. THIS SERVICE WILL BE PERFORMED FREE OF CHARGE. THE SAFETY RECALL BEGAN ON NOVEMBER 18, 2010. OWNERS MAY CONTACT GARMIN AT 866-957-1981 OR VISIT GARMIN'S WEBSITE AT WWW.GARMIN.COM/NUVIBATTERYPCBRECALL.

09V483000 · Fuel System, Gasoline:delivery:fuel Pump

Dec 18, 2009

VOLVO IS RECALLING CERTAIN MODEL YEAR 2001-2005 S80, MODEL YEAR 2001-2004 V70, S60, XC70 AND MODEL YEAR 2003-2005 XC90 VEHICLES SOLD IN OR REGISTERED IN THE STATES OF ALABAMA, ARIZONA, ARKANSAS, CALIFORNIA, FLORIDA, GEORGIA, HAWAII, KENTUCKY, LOUISIANA, MISSISSIPPI, NEVADA, NEW MEXICO, NORTH CAROLINA, OKLAHOMA, SOUTH CAROLINA, TENNESSEE, TEXAS, UTAH, VIRGINIA AND THE U.S. TERRITORIES. WHEN EXPOSED TO CERTAIN ENVIRONMENTAL CONDITIONS (HOT CLIMATE AND TEMPERATURE CYCLING) OVER TIME AND IN COMBINATION WITH VARYING FUEL QUALITY, THE FUEL PUMP CAN DEVELOP CRACKS IN THE FUEL PUMP FLANGE.

Consequence & remedy

Consequence: IF THE CONDITION OCCURS VEHICLE OWNERS MAY NOTICE FUEL SMELL AND/OR FUEL LEAK WHICH, IN THE PRESENCE OF AN IGNITION SOURCE, COULD RESULT IN A FIRE.

Remedy: DEALERS WILL INSPECT THE FUEL PUMP INSTALLED IN THE VEHICLE, AND IF NECESSARY REPLACE THE FUEL PUMP WITH A PART OF A MODIFIED DESIGN. THIS SERVICE WILL BE PERFORMED FREE OF CHARGE. THE SAFETY RECALL BEGAN ON JANUARY 15, 2010. OWNERS MAY CONTACT VOLVO AT 1-800-458-1552.

07V226000 · Engine And Engine Cooling

Jun 5, 2007

ON CERTAIN PASSENGER VEHICLES, THE FUEL PRESSURE SENSOR LOCATED ON THE LEFT END OF THE FUEL RAIL MAY, AT TIMES, TRANSMIT INCORRECT SIGNAL REGARDING THE FUEL PRESSURE TO THE ENGINE CONTROL MODULE. IF THE SIGNAL IS OUTSIDE OF THE PRE-PROGRAMMED ALLOWABLE LIMITS, A DIAGNOSTIC TROUBLE CODE MAY BE SET AND THE CHECK ENGINE LIGHT WILL COME ON. THE SOLDERED JOINTS ON THE CIRCUIT BOARD OF THE FUEL PRESSURE SENSOR MAY CRACK DUE TO TEMPERATURE CHANGES AND EXCESSIVE VIBRATIONS.

Consequence & remedy

Consequence: MISFIRE MAY OCCUR DURING DRIVING THAT, IN TURN, WILL REDUCE THE ENGINE TORQUE AND IN THE WORST CASE SCENARIO, THE ENGINE MAY STALL WITHOUT WARNING. IN CERTAIN TRAFFIC SITUATIONS THIS COULD CAUSE AN UNSAFE SITUATION AND POSSIBLY A CRASH.

Remedy: DEALERS WILL REPLACE THE FUEL PRESSURE SENSOR FREE OF CHARGE. THE RECALL BEGAN ON JUNE 29, 2007. OWNERS MAY CONTACT VOLVO AT 1-800-458-1552.

03V284000 · Equipment:other:labels

Aug 1, 2003

CERTAIN PASSENGER CARS FAIL TO COMPLY WITH THE REQUIREMENTS OF FEDERAL MOTOR VEHICLE SAFETY STANDARD NO. 225, "CHILD RESTRAINT ANCHORAGE SYSTEMS." THE SECOND ISOFIX GUIDE WAS NOT INSTALLED IN THESE VEHICLES AND, IN CERTAIN CASES, THE OWNER'S MANUAL ISOFIX INFORMATION IS INCORRECT.

Consequence & remedy

Consequence: THIS DOES NOT MEET THE REQUIREMENTS OF THE STANDARD.

Remedy: OWNERS WILL RECEIVE A LETTER/PACKAGE CONSISTING OF THE SECOND ISOFIX GUIDE WITH INSTALLATION INSTRUCTIONS, AND IN CERTAIN CASES, THE CORRECTED OWNER'S MANUAL MAY BE PROVIDED. IF THE OWNER WANTS TO TAKE THEIR VEHICLE TO A VOLVO DEALER FOR INSTALLATION OF THE GUIDE, IT WILL BE PERFORMED AT NO CHARGE TO THE OWNER. OWNER NOTIFICATION BEGAN ON DECEMBER 19, 2003. OWNERS SHOULD CONTACT VOLVO AT 1-800-458-1552.

Model-level recall history does not show whether a particular VIN is affected or has received a repair. Check a VIN with NHTSA ↗

NHTSA investigations

0

No exact-year investigations in this snapshot.