2009 Volvo S80 problems, complaints & recalls
Most-reported problem areas: Wheels (4) · Structure:body (4) · Seat Belts (2)
🧭 Reliability snapshot
Compared against other Volvo S80 model years — complaint volume vs the model's median year, recalls and severity. How we score →
Safety recalls (3)
Seat Belts:front 2020-06-30 · campaign 20V378000 · 308,260 vehicles
Defect: Volvo Cars of N.A., LLC (Volvo) is recalling certain 2008-2016 V70 and XC70, 2007-2016 S80, 2011-2018 S60 and V60, 2016-2018 S60 Cross Country, 2014-2020 S60L, 2009-2015 S80L, 2009-2016 XC60 and 2015-2018 V60 Cross Country vehicles. The flexible steel cable that connects the seat belt to the front outboard seating positions may fatigue over time, causing the seat belt to not secure the occupant in the event of a crash.
Risk: An unsecured occupant has an increased risk of injury in the event of a crash.
Fix: Volvo will notify owners, and dealers will replace the seat belt anchor cable for both front seats. The recall began December 10, 2020. Owners may contact Volvo customer service at 1-800-458-1552. Volvo's number for this recall is R10029.
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.
Tires:pressure Monitoring And Regulating Systems 2010-07-22 · campaign 10V335000 · 3,635 vehicles
Defect: VOLVO IS RECALLING CERTAIN MODEL YEAR 2007-2010 S80 VEHICLES FOR FAILING TO COMPLY WITH THE REQUIREMENTS OF FEDERAL MOTOR VEHICLE SAFETY STANDARD NO. 110, "TIRE SELECTION AND RIMS." THE TIRE AND LOADING INFORMATION LABEL AND A PAGE IN THE OWNER'S MANUAL CONTAIN INCORRECT MAXIMUM PERMISSIBLE INFLATION PRESSURE AND THE TIRE PRESSURE MONITORING SYSTEM (TPMS) SOFTWARE HAS AN INCORRECT TRIGGER LEVEL.
Risk: THESE VEHICLES DO NOT MEET THE REQUIRED SAFETY STANDARDS.
Fix: DEALERS WILL UPDATE THE VEHICLES WITH A NEW TIRE AND LOADING INFORMATION LABEL, OWNER'S MANUAL LABEL AND TPMS SOFTWARE. THIS SERVICE WILL BE PERFORMED FREE OF CHARGE. THE SAFETY RECALL IS EXPECTED TO BEGIN ON OR ABOUT AUGUST 27, 2010. OWNERS MAY CONTACT VOLVO AT 1-800-458-1552 OR CUSTOMERCARE@VOLVOFORLIFE.COM .
Service bulletins (238)
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 238 bulletins. Search all of them free at nhtsa.gov.
What owners report
2025-08-17 · Exterior Lighting“the headlight system malfunctioned. it is available for inspection upon request. the low beam failure error occurred, which led to an inspection of the headlight system. the wiring inside the headlight assembly failed. the insulation on bulb wires is crumbling everywhere and causing short circuits from exposed wire conductors. this causes a saf…”
2023-05-02 · Seat Belts“for the last several years i’ve been complaining about my tpms always reflecting a “low tire pressure “ response. recently i went in for a oil change but indicated the my tire pressure light was on again. i take the volvo to a shop i trust. global autoworks in grandhaven. they took care of my previous owned bmw without any issues. i put in volvo…”
2022-06-23 · Lane Departure: Blind Spot Detection“at night, when a direct strong light (headlight) from behind shines on the car, the blis system stop working. the only way to reset the system is to stop and restart the car, instead of turning the system button off and then back on. this is unsafe since when you are on the highway, it is unsafe to do so. a simple fix is a software update that …”
2022-05-03 · Seat Belts · 188,000 mi“the contact owns a 2009 volvo s80. the contact stated that the seat belt warning light was illuminated. the contact took the vehicle to the local dealer, where it was diagnosed with needing the seat belt assembly to be replaced. the vehicle was not repaired but was pending repairs. upon investigation, the contact associated the failure with nhtsa c…”
2021-04-10 · Structure:body · 122,000 mi“severe subframe rust due to the exhaust on volvo s80 v8 being too close and melting the paint off. car is very clean and we'll taken care of. appears to be a very common problem on the v8 s80s.…”
2020-09-27 · Structure:body · 100,000 mi“my car is extremely clean and well taken care of. but just like every single volvo s80, specifically the v8 model there is a rust hole in the subframe. this is because volvo put the exhaust too close to the subframe and the heat from the v8 eats away the paint and causes it to rust.…”
2020-03-11 · Structure:body · 84,000 mi“the subframe/engine cradle has a large rot hole which is increasing in size at a high rate. the car is only a 2009 with less than 100k miles on it (and was maintained very well its whole life) but this still occurred. i've met a lot of people with s80 v8s who have this same issue. it seems that the design on the car is flawed where the exhaust is t…”
2019-05-15 · Structure:body · 161,600 mi“engine subframe crossbar is rusting out and needs to be replaced. the vehicle was in for a tire rotation and alignment and this was found.…”
2017-04-26 · Wheels · 70,000 mi“aluminum nuts on the valve stems completely disintegrate and fall apart causing tires to go flat while driving. this happened on two occasions (two tires) while driving down the highway. luckily we were able to get off the road quickly without incident. all 4 valve stems were inspected…”
2016-07-29 · Engine · 85,000 mi“tl* the contact owns a 2009 volvo s80. the contact stated that the cooling fan failed and the engine overheating message displayed. the vehicle was taken to the dealer where it was diagnosed that the cooling fan was faulty and needed to be replaced. the contact was informed that in 2009 the vehicle was repaired per nhtsa campaign number: 09v2180000…”
Excerpts of consumer complaints filed with NHTSA, lightly truncated. They are owner statements, not verified findings.