2003 Volvo S60 problems, complaints & recalls
Most-reported problem areas: Electrical System (29) · Vehicle Speed Control (18) · Exterior Lighting (7)
🧭 Reliability snapshot
Compared against other Volvo S60 model years — complaint volume vs the model's median year, recalls and severity. How we score →
🛣️ Complaints by mileage
101 NHTSA complaints that reported an odometer reading.
Safety recalls (3)
Air Bags:frontal:driver Side:inflator Module 2021-09-30 · campaign 21V766000 · 259,383 vehicles
Defect: 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.
Risk: An inflator explosion may result in sharp metal fragments striking the driver or other occupants, resulting in serious injury or death.
Fix: 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.
Air Bags:frontal:driver Side:inflator Module 2020-11-04 · campaign 20V681000 · 54,124 vehicles
Defect: 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.
Risk: Metal fragments can strike vehicle occupants increasing the risk of serious injury or death.
Fix: 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.
Equipment:electrical:navigational System(Global Positioning System) 2010-11-08 · campaign 10V566000 · 416 vehicles
Defect: VOLVO IS RECALLING CERTAIN VEHICLES EQUIPPED WITH GARMIN 760 PORTABLE GLOBAL POSITIONING SYSTEM (GPS) UNITS BECAUSE THE BATTERIES ON THOSE UNITS MAY OVERHEAT.
Risk: AN OVERHEATED BATTERY COULD LEAD TO A FIRE.
Fix: 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.
Service bulletins (178)
Technical service bulletins are repair instructions manufacturers send dealers for known issues. Unlike recalls, the fix is not automatically free — but naming the bulletin at the service desk can save diagnosis time and support goodwill repairs.
Engine 2026-04-23 · 35526.1.8 · Service Bulletin/Repair Instructions
this is a technical journal: text plus 2 pdfs and 1 .png oil consumption test. perform the test. follow service procedure description and service sections updated to clarify that vehicle reports are not required.
Unknown Or Other 2026-04-07 · 37809.1.1 · Service Bulletin/Repair Instructions
this is a tj text only - the purpose of this tj is to be a master reference list to easily identify any components that are on prior approval. this tj will be regularily updated as items are added or removed from prior approval. current items under prior approval are listed in the "service" sec
Unknown Or Other 2025-12-06 · 19245 · Service Bulletin/Repair Instructions
this is a technical journal. vehicle type and platform identification.
Exterior Lighting 2025-04-10 · 8501 · Service Bulletin/Repair Instructions
this is a technical journal: remote connection, bomgar application. before joining a remote session: •connect a suitable battery maintainer/charger and verify that the battery voltage indicated in vida is between 12.5v and 14.9v. •connect to the vehicle over a wired connection using a voe
Unknown Or Other 2025-02-21 · S10303 · Service Campaign
volvo cars usa llc and volvo car canada ltd on behalf of the volvo car corporation has decided to launch service action s10303 on certain model year 2025 ex90 vehicles. volvo car investigations have identified that there is a pairing issue with the key fob. as a result, there is a possibil
Unknown Or Other 2025-02-13 · S10303 · Service Campaign
volvo cars usa llc and volvo car canada ltd on behalf of the volvo car corporation has decided to launch service action s10303 on certain model year 2025 ex90 vehicles. volvo car investigations have identified that there is a pairing issue with the key fob. as a result, there is a possibil
Showing the 6 most recent of 178 bulletins. Search all of them free at nhtsa.gov.
What owners report
2026-01-18 · Exterior Lighting“the problem is when the weather turns cold my car a volvo 2003 s 60 turn signals do not operate, or if they do turn on sometimes the turn signals won't stop flashing until you turn the ignition off. the head lights also will not turn on at any setting during this time. when the weather turns warm again everything works until the weather turns cold…”
2020-08-14 · Suspension:front · 126,000 mi“tl* the contact own a 2003 volvo s60. the contact stated that the front struts were coming through the strut mounts. the contact stated that the vehicle shook violently while driving. the check engine warning light and another unknown warning light were illuminated. the contact stated that the vehicle was taken to cherry hill volvo cars (1810 w rte…”
2020-06-17 · Steering“the steering has become less responsive and i experience steering wheel play, replacing fluid has not resolved this issue. *tr…”
2019-05-12 · Electrical System · 158,000 mi“instrument panel/cluster goes out while driving which means you can't read any of the guages or warnings lights other than if check engine light is on. this imposes a safety risks to me and other traffic on the road. it does this erratically, going out completely and coming back on in time. no fuse problems, they are checked when this issue happens…”
2018-09-24 · Fuel/Propulsion System“vechile leaking gas and had strong gas smell.…”
2018-09-18 · Electrical System · 145,085 mi“the dashboard instrument panel and lights go off and come back on whenever. i have had the car for over a year. it was a gift. i just found out tonite from an officer that when the instrument panel and lights are off i have no tail lights. i was wondering if there has ever been a recall. this is very dangerous the date below is it an approximate…”
2018-09-02 · Fuel/Propulsion System · 120,000 mi“fuel leaking from tank (most likely top of tank), when fuel pump is operating. upon some search, i found that there was a recall for this problem for the s60 from 2001 to 2009. but for some reason my vin is not covered. seems like there's some loophole that they managed to use, why not all vins should be covered. its clearly a very dangerous f…”
2017-07-28 · Electrical System · 66,100 mi“instrument cluster not illuminating. i understand this is a common issue with 2003 s60 volvos. manufacturer needs to recall/repair as this is a significant safety issue when all the instruments go dark and you cannot gauge your speed and gas left in tank…”
2017-07-04 · Exterior Lighting · 101,200 mi“i have a 2003 s60 volvo. the instrument panel was fine yesterday, but when i got in the car today the panel instrument panel is completely black. this includes all gauges, speedometer, rpm, fuel, temp and blinkers, all gauges are off.. (see attached pic). the vehicle was stationary in my driveway. the car still run great.…”
2017-03-02 · Electrical System · 179,000 mi“tl* the contact owns a 2003 volvo s60. while driving at various speeds, the instrument panel indicator intermittently illuminated. the vehicle was taken to an independent mechanic where it was diagnosed that a cable behind the mileage gauge failed and needed to be replaced. the manufacturer was not made aware of the failure. the approximate failure…”
Excerpts of consumer complaints filed with NHTSA, lightly truncated. They are owner statements, not verified findings.