1997 Volvo 850 problems
Owners have filed 142 complaints about the 1997 Volvo 850 with NHTSA. Service brakes, hydraulic account for 18.3% of them — the clear leader, ahead of electrical system at 11.3%.
Complaints142
Crashes7
Fires8
Injuries2
Deaths0
What owners report breaking
Service brakes, hydraulic 18.3% · 26
Electrical system 11.3% · 16
Seats 7.7% · 11
Tires 6.3% · 9
Service brakes, air 5.6% · 8
Visibility 5.6% · 8
Seat belts 4.9% · 7
Steering 4.2% · 6
Severity
Of those complaints, 7 describe a crash, 8 describe a fire and 2 report an injury.
Reading the numbers
Across the 4 model years of the Volvo 850 in this data, 1997 ranks 3rd by complaint volume — 1996 draws the most.
Filing volume has held steady, 7 in the last three years against 8 in the three before.
The median odometer reading at the time of complaint was 90,000 miles.
In owners' own words
Abs/traction control module faulty...Cost us $700 to repair...According to our Volvo dealer, Volvo is aware that this problem has occurred in a lot of Volvo's but they have chosen to not conduct a recall...This is wrong and Volvo needs to be punished for not taking care of their customers...It's an absoulute disgrace...We'll never buy another Volvo...Too many problems, very poor reliability! Service brakes, hydraulic · reported at 74,000 miles
Abs traction controller failure on my 1997 volov 850 requiring replacement costing approx. $750. The repair shop I use works exclusively on volvos and has indicated to me that they have on average one such failure and customer repair each week. The repair shop is hubbard woods motors, 985 greenbay road, winnetka, il 60093, phone 847-446-0711, owner, robert l. Berger. Service brakes, hydraulic · reported at 57,183 miles
Consumer states the brakes constantly screech, the dealer informed consumer they were just glazing, however the abs light illuminated and the abs started activating inappropriately when approaching a stop sign, the dealer informed consumer that most likely there was a problem with the sensor. Service brakes, hydraulic
Verbatim from NHTSA filings. Complaints are unverified owner reports.
Safety recalls
Checking NHTSA for open recalls…