Volvo · XC70 · 2003
5
Recalls
24
Complaints
-
Not Rated
The 2003 Volvo XC70 has 5 recalls and 24 owner-reported complaints on file with NHTSA. Most reported issue: fuel system, gasoline (4 reports).
Source: NHTSA Public Records · Updated Apr 28, 2026
The 2003 Volvo XC70 page works best as a research starting point. Complaint totals show how much owner-reported activity exists, while recalls and investigations help show whether any of that activity turned into formal safety action.
Because this is a newer-era vehicle page, it usually helps to compare this year against nearby model years before deciding whether a complaint pattern looks isolated or persistent. On this page, the most prominent complaint area is fuel system, gasoline with 4 reported complaints.
This page combines three types of NHTSA data: recall campaigns (official manufacturer or government actions), owner complaints (unverified consumer reports), and crash test ratings (where available). A vehicle with many complaints is not necessarily less reliable — complaint volume correlates with sales volume and vehicle age. Recalls indicate identified defects, not overall quality. To compare this model year with others, use the year navigation in the sidebar or return to the model overview page.
If you are researching a used vehicle, start with the complaint categories, compare them against the recall list, and then check nearby model years to see whether the same issue profile repeats. That usually produces a better buying or research signal than treating the raw complaint total as a standalone safety ranking.
Volvo Cars USA, LLC (Volvo Car) is recalling certain 2001-2007 V70 and XC70 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.
Remedy Status
Dealers will replace the driver's air bag, free of charge. Owner notification letters were mailed December 14, 2021. Owners may contact Volvo Car customer service at 1-888-458-1552. Volvo Car's number for this recall is R10136.
VOLVO IS RECALLING CERTAIN VEHICLES EQUIPPED WITH GARMIN 760 PORTABLE GLOBAL POSITIONING SYSTEM (GPS) UNITS BECAUSE THE BATTERIES ON THOSE UNITS MAY OVERHEAT.
Remedy Status
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.
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.
Remedy Status
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.
CERTAIN CARDONE MASTER CYLINDERS WITH PART NUMBERS 10-2925, 10-2987, 10-2987MZA, 10-3083, 11-3015, 11-3042, 11-3044, 11-3045, 11-3047, 11-3064, AND 11-3156, AND WITH DATE CODES LOWER THAN DCA7078 SOLD AS REPLACEMENT EQUIPMENT FOR USE ON THE VEHICLES LISTED ABOVE. THE SEAL ON MASTER CYLINDER CAN FAIL AND LEAK BRAKE FLUID.
Remedy Status
CARDONE WILL NOTIFY OWNERS AND OFFER TO REPURCHASE ANY DEFECTIVE MASTER CYLINDERS. THE RECALL BEGAN DURING APRIL 2007. OWNERS CAN CONTACT CARDONE AT 1-800-777-4780.
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.
Remedy Status
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.
TL* THE CONTACT OWNS A 2003 VOLVO XC70. THE CONTACT STATED THAT THERE WAS AN ABNORMAL STRONG FUEL ODOR COMING FROM THE VEHICLE. THE CONTACT ALSO STATED THAT THE VEHICLE WOULD EXPERIENCE HESITATION WITH STARTING AND DRIVING. THE VEHICLE WAS TAKEN TO AN INDEPENDENT MECHANIC WHERE I...
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TL* THE CONTACT OWNS A 2003 VOLVO XC70. WHEN THE VEHICLE WAS STARTED, THE AIR BAG WARNING LIGHT ILLUMINATED CONTINUOUSLY. THE VEHICLE WAS NOT DIAGNOSED OR REPAIRED. THE MANUFACTURER WAS NOT NOTIFIED OF THE FAILURE. THE APPROXIMATE FAILURE MILEAGE WAS 170,000.
WHILE DRIVING DOWN THE ROAD, A CAR WAS ATTEMPTING TO MAKE A LEFT-HAND TURN ACROSS FOUR LANES OF TRAFFIC. THE PERSON, APPARENTLY, DID NOT SEE ME AND STRUCK THE SIDE OF MY VEHICLE BREAKING THE TIRE ROD AND DOING EXTENSIVE DAMAGE TO THE PASSENGER FRONT AND BACK DOORS. THE GLOVE BO...
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TL* THE CONTACT OWNS A 2003 VOLVO XC70. THE CONTACT STATED THAT A STRONG FUEL ODOR EMITTED INSIDE AND OUTSIDE OF THE VEHICLE CONTINUOUSLY HOWEVER, THERE WAS NO FUEL VISIBLE ON THE GROUND. THE VEHICLE WAS TAKEN TO THE DEALER AND AN INDEPENDENT MECHANIC, WHO BOTH CONFIRMED THAT TH...
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TL* THE CONTACT OWNS A 2003 VOLVO XC70. THE CONTACT STATED THAT THE VEHICLE EMITTED A FUEL ODOR. THE VEHICLE WAS NOT TAKEN TO THE DEALER FOR DIAGNOSTIC TESTING OR REPAIR. THE MANUFACTURER WAS NOTIFIED. THE FAILURE MILEAGE WAS 169,000.
I PURCHASED THIS 2003 VOLVO XC70 RECENTLY AND A FEW WEEKS AFTER DRIVING IT I NOTICED A BAD SMELL OF GAS. I LOOKED AROUND AND DID NOT SEE ANYTHING LEAKING. I KEPT DRIVING DAILY AND SMELLED GAS EVERY SINGLE TIME THE CAR WAS ON. I BECAME VERY CONCERNED BECAUSE I DRIVE WITH MY 6 YEAR...
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I WAS DRIVING ON THE HIGHWAY WHEN SUDDENLY MY GAS GAUGE DROPPED BELOW EMPTY AND ALL MY GAUGES STOPPED WORKING INCLUDING THE CLOCK, BLINKERS, SPEEDOMETER AND THE DIGITAL INFORMATION COMPUTER PANEL THAT INDICATES HOW MANY MILES LEFT TO A GALLON, ETC. THIS WAS QUITE DANGEROUS AS I C...
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I WAS DRIVING MY 2003 VOLVO XC70 AT THE POSTED SPEED LIMIT (55MPH) WHEN THE DASHBOARD SUDDENLY WENT BLACK AND ALL OF THE GAUGES, INCLUDING SPEEDOMETER, TACHOMETER, GAS GAUGE, AND CLOCK STOPPED WORKING. EVERY WARNING LIGHT LIT UP. THE VOLVO DEALER ADMITTED THEY HAD SEEN THIS ISS...
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I PURCHASED MY (2003) VOLVO XC70 IN LATE 2006 FROM I SERVICE IT REGULARLY AND DO ROUTINE MAINTENANCE CHECKS. ABOUT A MONTH AGO THE CAR BEGAN TO JERK AND HESITATE. I TOOK IT TO THE DEALER AND WAS TOLD I NEEDED A NEW TRANSMISSION FOR $5700. THE CAR HAS 71000 MILES ON IT. *TT
2003 VOLVO XC70 TRANSMISSION FAILURE IN CAR WITH 100,000K MILES. *TR
Showing 10 recent complaints from 24 total
View Full Complaint LogThe strongest comparison flow is usually: exact vehicle-year page, then nearby years of the same model, then other 2003 Volvo models. That sequence helps separate one-off year spikes from broader make-wide patterns.
The 2003 Volvo XC70 has 5 recalls recorded by NHTSA.
NHTSA has received 24 owner-reported complaints for the 2003 Volvo XC70.
NHTSA has not published a safety rating for the 2003 Volvo XC70.
The most commonly reported complaint categories for the 2003 Volvo XC70 are fuel system, gasoline (4 reports), power train (4 reports), air bags (4 reports).
Yes. NHTSA has 5 recalls on record for the 2003 Volvo XC70. Scroll up to review the published recall summaries, consequences, and remedies. To check for unrepaired recalls on your specific vehicle, use your VIN at nhtsa.gov/recalls.
Look up recalls and complaints for any year, make, and model.
This page summarizes publicly available data from the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration (NHTSA). Complaint counts reflect reports submitted to NHTSA by vehicle owners and do not by themselves prove defect severity or vehicle safety. Safety ratings may not be available for all vehicle-years. This site is not affiliated with NHTSA or any vehicle manufacturer. For official information, visit the official NHTSA page for this vehicle.