1996 Volvo 850

Problems owners report

Complaints filed with NHTSA about the 1996 Volvo 850, by the system named in each complaint. One complaint can name several.

• Service brakes, hydraulic46
• Fuel system, gasoline23
• Engine and engine cooling21
• Electrical system18
• Power train15
• Tires11
• Equipment11
• Seat belts11
• Structure10
• Seats9

NHTSA ODI complaints (public domain) · updated 23 Oct 2026 · 9 injuries and 2 deaths reported

Compared with other years

NHTSA ODI complaints by model year

Engines

The most common engines in 1996 Volvo 850 cars on Dutch roads are the 2.4 petrol (106 kW, 142 hp), 2.3 petrol (166 kW, 223 hp) and 2.4 petrol (125 kW, 168 hp), out of 8 versions with at least 20 cars.

RDW Open Data (CC0): registered passenger cars and their fuel data · engine size rounded to 0.1 litre, net maximum power · versions with at least 20 cars

In the Netherlands

1,137 first registered in 1996 are on Dutch roads; 27% arrived later as imports.

Most common APK defects

• Bandenspanning niet op juiste waarde396
• Overmatige vloeistoflekkage overige vloeistoffen338
• Waarschuwingsinrichting antiblokkeersysteem geeft defect aan308
• Stofhoes aandrijfas beschadigd en dicht niet af275
• Band onvoldoende profiel220
• Dimlicht onjuist afgesteld184
• Ruitenwisserinstallatie geeft onvoldoende zicht157
• Stadslicht werkt niet (goed)150

Colours

RDW Open Data: registered vehicles and APK defects (CC0) · defect descriptions in the RDW's Dutch wording

In the United Kingdom

599 cars built in 1996 were licensed for the road at the end of 2025, and 1,041 more were declared off the road (SORN).

Department for Transport and DVLA, vehicle licensing statistics (table VEH0124, year of manufacture) · Open Government Licence v3.0

In Finland

451 of these cars first registered in 1996 were in use in Finland on 30 Jun 2026, with an average of 337,000 km on the odometer at their last inspection.

Traficom (Finnish Transport and Communications Agency), open data on vehicles in use · CC BY 4.0

In New Zealand

57 1996 cars are on the New Zealand register; 67% arrived as used imports, 28% were sold new in New Zealand.

NZ Transport Agency Waka Kotahi, Motor Vehicle Register (March 2026) · CC BY 4.0

Fuel consumption

Official Canadian test results for 12 variants: combined 11.3–12.4 L/100 km (about 19–21 mpg US), CO₂ 260–285 g/km.

Litres per 100 km. Natural Resources Canada, Fuel consumption ratings (open.canada.ca) · Open Government Licence – Canada

Recalls

Whether a recall was fixed on a particular car is known only to the manufacturer: check the VIN at nhtsa.gov/recalls.

NHTSA recalls · summaries in NHTSA's own words

Service bulletins

What Volvo told its dealers about the 1996 Volvo 850: known faults, fixes and updates.

NHTSA manufacturer communications (public domain)

NHTSA investigations

NHTSA Office of Defects Investigation