1999 Volvo S80

Problems owners report

Complaints filed with NHTSA about the 1999 Volvo S80, by the system named in each complaint. One complaint can name several.

• Vehicle speed control53
• Electrical system35
• Engine and engine cooling33
• Fuel system, gasoline26
• Suspension24
• Service brakes, hydraulic17
• Steering16
• Power train15
• Air bags10
• Visibility8

NHTSA ODI complaints (public domain) · updated 23 Oct 2026 · 4 injuries and 0 deaths reported

Compared with other years

NHTSA ODI complaints by model year

New York safety inspections

At its first New York inspection the 1999 Volvo S80 failed the safety check 4.07% of the time — 131% more often than the average 1999 passenger car (1.76%). Median odometer at inspection: 120,417 miles.

NY DMV Vehicle Inspections (vezn-fmmk), initial inspections since Aug 2021 · how we count

Engines

The most common engines in 1999 Volvo S80 cars on Dutch roads are the 2.4 petrol (125 kW, 168 hp), 2.9 petrol (150 kW, 201 hp) and 2.4 petrol (103 kW, 138 hp), out of 4 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

296 first registered in 1999 are on Dutch roads; 11% arrived later as imports.

Most common APK defects

• Band onvoldoende profiel109
• Waarschuwingsinrichting airbag- / gordelsysteem geeft defect81
• Bandenspanning niet op juiste waarde79
• Kentekenplaatverlichting werkt niet (goed) / ontbreekt79
• Overmatige vloeistoflekkage overige vloeistoffen59
• Band(en) aanwezig met een profieldiepte van 1,6 t/m 2,5 mm58
• Achterlicht werkt niet (goed)43
• Waarschuwingsinrichting antiblokkeersysteem geeft defect aan41

Colours

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

In the United Kingdom

54 cars built in 1999 were licensed for the road at the end of 2025, and 173 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

MOT test results in Great Britain

In 2023, 111 of these cars first registered in 1999 took their annual MOT test. 62% passed first time; among all cars first registered in 1999 the figure was 63%.

DVSA anonymised MOT tests and results, 2023 (Department for Transport) · Open Government Licence v3.0 · first tests only; a fix made at the test station within the hour still counts as a fail

In Finland

688 of these cars first registered in 1999 were in use in Finland on 30 Jun 2026, with an average of 365,000 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

20 1999 cars are on the New Zealand register; 60% arrived as used imports, 40% 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 2 variants: combined 11.8–12.1 L/100 km (about 19–20 mpg US), CO₂ 271–278 g/km.

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

Recalls in Canada

4 Transport Canada recalls for the 1999 Volvo S80.

Transport Canada Vehicle Recalls Database · Contains information licensed under the 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 1999 Volvo S80: known faults, fixes and updates.

NHTSA manufacturer communications (public domain)

NHTSA investigations

NHTSA Office of Defects Investigation