Problems · NHTSA complaints
1997 Volvo 8 Series problems
Owners filed 121 complaints about the 1997 Volvo 8 Series with NHTSA between Mar 1997 and Sep 2016. The most-cited component is service brakes, hydraulic (27).
Complaints
121
Filed with NHTSA
Crashes
7
Reported by owners
Fires
6
Reported by owners
Injuries
2
People reported injured
Deaths
0
Reported to NHTSA
Complaints by component
One complaint can cite several components
- Service brakes, hydraulic27
- Electrical system17
- Service brakes, air10
- Seats10
- Tires9
- Engine and engine cooling7
- Seat belts7
- Vehicle speed control6
- Power train6
- Visibility6
- Steering6
- Exterior lighting5
- Fuel system, gasoline4
- Suspension3
Complaints are unverified owner reports to NHTSA and are not normalized for sales volume. One complaint can cite several components.
Data from NHTSA Complaints API · synced Oct 30, 2026NHTSA vehicle page
When complaints were filed
Does it get worse with age? Complaints per calendar year filed
6
3
12
8
10
22
24
14
6
4
2
2
1
4
0
0
0
1
0
2
View as table
| Model year | Complaints filed per calendar year |
|---|---|
| 1997 | 6 |
| 1998 | 3 |
| 1999 | 12 |
| 2000 | 8 |
| 2001 | 10 |
| 2002 | 22 |
| 2003 | 24 |
| 2004 | 14 |
| 2005 | 6 |
| 2006 | 4 |
| 2007 | 2 |
| 2008 | 2 |
| 2009 | 1 |
| 2010 | 4 |
| 2011 | 0 |
| 2012 | 0 |
| 2013 | 0 |
| 2014 | 1 |
| 2015 | 0 |
| 2016 | 2 |
Mileage at failure isn’t a structured field in NHTSA complaint data, so we don’t chart it. Some owners mention it in their reports below.
Top problems in owners’ words
Verbatim from NHTSA complaints, newest first
Service brakes, hydraulic
27 reports2 crashes
“ABS MODULE FAILED. LOOKS LIKE MAJOR DEALER REPAIR. THIS IS A MAJOR COMPONENT OF THE VEHICLE AND SHOULD BE TREATED AS SUCH AND NO LONGER TREATED AS AN ACCESSORY ITEM. FOR THESE DEVICES TO BE CONSIDERED AN "ACCESSORY" THEY SHOULD THEN BE MADE AS USER REPLACEABLE WHICH IS NOT THE CASE. THEN AGAIN, IS IT A GOOD IDEA TO HAVE EVERY SUNDAY-MECHANIC REPLACING SUCH A CRITICAL ITEM? I HAVE HAD AN ABS WARNING LIGHT FOR OVER TWO YEARS NOW. DIAGNOSTICS SAY ITS THE ABS ELECTRONICS. I DO NOT HAVE THE BUDGET OR EXPERIENCE TO REPLACE IT. SEVERAL WEBSITES POINT TO FAILING OR DEFECTIVE CAPACITORS ON THE ELECTRONIC MODULE ITSELF. *TR”
Electrical system
17 reports1 crash1 fire
“1. LOSS OF ACCELERATION AND SOMETIMES STALLING DURING FREEWAY TRANSITION FROM ON RAMP TO FREEWAY AND OR DURING LEFT TURNING AGAINST TRAFFIC. 2. THE CAR FAILED TO ACCELERATE AND THE ACTION OF PUSHING THE ACCELERATOR CAUSED THE TRANSMISSION TO DOWN SHIFT CAUSING THE EXTREME SLOWING AND SOMETIMES STALLING. THE CONSEQUENCES WERE THAT TRAFFIC WAS GOING CONSIDERABLY FASTER AND HAD TO TAKE EVASIVE ACTION TO AVOID HITTING THE SLOWING CAR. 3. TODAY THE MEDIA REPORTED A POTENTIAL RECALL OF VOLVO'S DUE TO THIS PROBLEM AND I BELIEVE IT SHOULD BE EXTENDED TO 1997 MODEL 850 GLT. *JB”
Service brakes, air
10 reports
“ABS LIGHT COMING ON AND STAYING ON REPEATEDLY. AFTER NUMEROUS RESETS BY MY VOLVO REPAIR SHOP, THEY DETERMINED THAT THE ABS TRACTION CONTROL COMPUTER MODULE HAD FAILED. THE UNIT HAD TO BE REPLACED AT A COST TO ME OF $642.93. THE REPAIR SHOP INFORMED ME THAT THEY WERE DOING AN AVERAGE OF ONE OR TWO SUCH REPLACEMENTS ON THIS MODEL PER WEEK AND THAT THEY BELIEVED THIS TO BE A DEFECT FROM THE MANUFACTURE FOR THIS MODEL IN GENERAL. THE REPAIR SHOP WORKS EXCLUSIVELY ON VOLVOS, HUBBARD WOODS MOTORS, 985 GREENBAY ROAD, WINNETKA, IL, 60093; PHONE 8470446-0711; OWNER, ROBERT L. BERGER. *NM”
Seats
10 reports5 fires1 related recall
“DRIVER'S SEAT HEATER DID NOT OPERATE. FRONT PASSENGER'S SIDE SEAT HEATER WAS REPAIRED UNDER RECALL 02V314000, BUT CONSUMER MUST PAY TO GET THE DRIVER'S SEAT REPAIRED. *AK”
Tires
9 reports1 crash
“THE TIRE DEALER RECOMMENDED MICHELIN PRIMACY MXV4 AS A REPLACEMENT TIRE FOR MY 1997 VOLVO 850 (NORMALLY ASPIRATED) SEDAN. THE MICHELIN WEBSITE DESCRIBED THIS TIRE AS AN "ACCEPTABLE SUBSTITUTE" FOR THE TIRES SPECIFIED BY VOLVO BECAUSE MICHELIN NO LONGER OFFERS HIGH PERFORMANCE TIRES IN MY SIZE. STOPPING POWER IS MUCH WORSE WITH THESE NEW MICHELIN TIRES. THEY SQUEAL EASILY, EVEN AT VOLVO'S HIGHEST RECOMMENDED AIR PRESSURE (36PSI). I HAD DIFFICULTY STOPPING FROM 50MPH IN AN EMERGENCY, FOR THE FIRST TIME IN MY 17 YEAR OWNERSHIP OF THIS VEHICLE. I BLAME THESE NEW "COMFORT ORIENTED" TIRES. *TR”
Engine and engine cooling
7 reports
“UNINTENDED ACCELERATION. CAR IN NORMAL DRIVE, JUST STARTS TO ACCELERATE. ALSO SOMETIMES ENGINE RACES WHILE IN PARK OR IDLE FOR NO REASON. OCCURS RANDOMLY, BUT HAS BEEN RECURRING DAILY FOR TWO WEEKS. HAVEN'T TAKEN TO DEALER YET. *TR”
Data from NHTSA Complaints API (owner reports, unverified) · synced Oct 30, 2026
Complaints are unverified owner reports to NHTSA and are not normalized for sales volume. One complaint can cite several components.