2018 Volvo Bus 9700 problems, complaints & recalls
Safety recalls (9)
Equipment:other:labels 2026-09-18 · campaign 26V600000 · 1,236 vehicles
Defect: Volvo Bus Corporation (Volvo Bus) is recalling certain 2009-2025 Volvo 9700 buses. The emergency exit label on the entrance door is missing the exit operating instructions. As such, these vehicles fail to conform to Federal Motor Vehicle Safety Standard (FMVSS) number 217, "Bus Emergency Exits and Window Retention and Release."
Risk: The missing information may prevent or delay the use of the emergency exit, increasing the risk of injury.
Fix: Prevost will replace the emergency exit identification labels, free of charge. Owner notification letters are expected to be mailed November 3, 2026. Owners may contact Prevost's customer service at 1-866-870-2046. Prevost's number for this recall is SR26-84. Vehicle Identification Numbers (VINs) involved in this recall will be searchable on NHTSA.gov beginning September 25, 2026.
Equipment Adaptive/Mobility:wheelchair Lift/Ramp 2023-12-22 · campaign 23V890000 · 193 vehicles
Defect: Volvo Bus Corporation (Volvo Bus) is recalling certain 2013-2021 9700 buses. The red beacon lighting on the Threshold Warning System (TWS) may not be bright enough. As such, these vehicles fail to comply with the requirements of Federal Motor Vehicle Safety Standard number 403, "Platform Lift Systems."
Risk: Beacons that do not provide proper illumination may be less visible to wheelchair lift users, increasing the risk of injury.
Fix: Prevost will replace the red beacons, free of charge. Owner letters were mailed September 16, 2024. Owners may contact Volvo Bus customer service at 1-866-870-2043. Volvo Bus number for this recall is SR24-81.
Exterior Lighting:headlights:bulbs 2021-09-15 · campaign 21V717000 · 860 vehicles
Defect: Volvo Bus Corporation (Volvo Bus) is recalling certain 2008-2021 9700 vehicles. The headlights may not have the correct amount of light output, and either be too bright, or too dim. As such, these vehicles fail to comply with the requirements of Federal Motor Vehicle Safety Standard number 108, "Lamps, Reflective Devices, and Associated Equipment."
Risk: Excessively bright or dim headlights may reduce visibility, increasing the risk of a crash.
Fix: Dealers will replace of the headlight assembly or the bulbs, free of charge. Owners notification letters were mailed September 1, 2023. Owners may contact Volvo Bus' customer service at 1-866-870-2046.
Equipment Adaptive/Mobility:wheelchair Lift/Ramp 2021-08-02 · campaign 21V597000 · 266 vehicles
Defect: Volvo Bus Corporation (Volvo Bus) is recalling certain 2009-2021 Volvo 9700 vehicles equipped with wheelchair lifts. When the lift's outer barrier is fully deployed, it may not withstand a sufficient amount of force, which could cause it to fail. As such, these vehicles fail to comply with the requirements of Federal Motor Vehicle Safety Standard numbers 403, "Platform Lift Systems" and 404, "Platform Lift Installations."
Risk: In the event that a mobility device pushes into the outer barrier, the barrier may fail, increasing the risk of injury for the lift occupant.
Fix: Volvo Bus will reinforce the outer barrier with additional supports, free of charge. Interim owner notification letters were mailed on September 28, 2021. Owner notification letters were mailed on March 18, 2022. Owners may contact Volvo Bus customer service at 1-866-870-2046.
Power Train:automatic Transmission 2020-12-21 · campaign 20V803000 · 553 vehicles
Defect: Volvo Bus Corporation (Volvo Bus) is recalling certain 2015-2020 9700 buses. The transmission C1 hub may fail which may lead to a disabled vehicle.
Risk: A disabled bus may require passengers to transfer to a different bus on the side of the road, increasing the risk of injury.
Fix: Volvo Bus will notify owners, and dealers will update the Transmission Control Module (TCM) calibration software, free of charge. The recall is expected to begin February 12, 2021. Owners may contact Volvo Bus customer service at 1-866-870-2046.
Seat Belts 2019-10-09 · campaign 19V724000 · 34 vehicles
Defect: Volvo Bus Corporation (Volvo Bus) is recalling certain 2018-2020 Volvo 9700 vehicles. The passenger seat belt attachments may not be sufficient to anchor the seat belts and restrain the seat occupants in the event of a crash. As such, these vehicles fail to comply with the requirements of Federal Motor Vehicle Safety Standard (FMVSS) number 210, "Seat Belt Assembly Anchorages."
Risk: In the event of a crash, a passenger that does not remain properly restrained has an increased risk of injury.
Fix: Volvo Bus will notify owners, and dealers will add reinforcement to the passenger seats, free of charge. The recall began December 11, 2019. Owners may contact Volvo Bus customer service at 1-866-870-2046.
Equipment 2019-02-21 · campaign 19V119000 · 316 vehicles
Defect: Volvo Bus Corporation (Volvo Bus) is recalling certain 2015-2018 9700 motorcoaches equipped with specific fire suppression systems. The actuator of the fire extinguisher system may not function properly, preventing the fire extinguisher from discharging the fire suppression agent.
Risk: If the fire suppression system does not work as intended, it can increase the risk of injury in the event of a fire.
Fix: Volvo Bus will notify owners, and the fire suppression system manufacturer will inspect the systems, replacing them as necessary, free of charge. The recall began April 15, 2019. Owners may contact Volvo Bus customer service at 1-866-870-2046. Volvo Bus' number for this recall is SR19-83.
Electrical System:wiring 2017-12-28 · campaign 17V845000 · 159 vehicles
Defect: Volvo Bus Corporation (Volvo) is recalling certain 2016-2018 9700 buses equipped with I-Start. The hardware that attaches the power supply cable to the fuse box may not be properly tightened, possibly causing the power cable and fuse box to overheat.
Risk: The power cable and fuse box can overheat, increasing the risk of a fire.
Fix: Volvo will notify owners, and dealers will inspect the fuse box for damage, and replace it if necessary, as well as replace and tighten the nuts attaching the power cable, free of charge. The recall began February 2, 2018. Owners may contact Volvo customer service at 1-866-870-2046. Volvo's number for this recall is SR17-85.
Vehicle Speed Control:accelerator Pedal 2017-09-14 · campaign 17V568000 · 33 vehicles
Defect: Volvo Bus Corporation (Volvo) is recalling certain 2017-2018 Prevost 9700 transit buses. The buses may not react when the accelerator pedal is pushed.
Risk: If the vehicle does not accelerate when commanded, there would be an increased risk of a crash.
Fix: Volvo will notify owners, and dealers will replace the accelerator pedals, free of charge. The recall began on October 3, 2017. Owners may contact Volvo customer service at 1-866-870-2046. Volvo's number for this recall is SR17-82.
Service bulletins (92)
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.
Structure 2024-04-16 · MI24-83 · Service Bulletin/Repair Instructions
this procedure eliminates the step moving.
Power Train 2022-11-08 · SP18-35J · Service Bulletin/Repair Instructions
p20ee (diagnostic troubleshooting code) solution - nox conversionefficiency. revision j - range of applicable vins updated.
Electrical System 2022-10-24 · WB22-11A · Service Bulletin/Repair Instructions
inspect fuses f76 & f77 in the battery box which may have been inverted - revision: a proper battery box identified
Power Train 2022-09-23 · SP18-35J · Service Bulletin/Repair Instructions
p20ee (diagnostic troubleshooting code) solution - nox conversion efficiency.revision j - range of applicable vins updated.
Equipment:other:owners/Service/Other Manual 2022-09-14 · SMB00-108C · Service Bulletin/Repair Instructions
expendable items parts list.
Unknown Or Other 2022-08-30 · IS22-901 · Service Bulletin/Repair Instructions
instructions to repair roof water entry.
Showing the 6 most recent of 92 bulletins. Search all of them free at nhtsa.gov.
What owners report
No detailed complaint narratives on file.
Excerpts of consumer complaints filed with NHTSA, lightly truncated. They are owner statements, not verified findings.