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.
1997 Volvo 850 electrical problems
13 complaints (12% of all complaints for this car). 1 crash reported.
- owner complaints
- 13
- of this car's complaints
- 12%
- crashes
- 1
- recalls
- 0
Which part fails
- 12v/24v/48v battery4
- Alternator/generator/regulator3
- Wiring2
- Wiring: interior/under dash1
- Instrument cluster/panel1
- Ignition1
- Horn1
At what mileage
Complaints by mileage at the time of the problem.
0k-25k
25k-50k
50k-75k
75k-100k
100k-125k
125k-150k
150k-175k
175k-200k
200k+
Volvo 850 electrical problems in other years
Related recalls
No recalls on record for this model year.
Related investigations
Seat fires
Volvo is conducting a safety recall based on its analysis of complaints and technical information developed during its investigation.volvo'ssurvey of vehicles routinely brought in for maintenance at east-coast dealerships produced evidence that bare metal wires (that provide support for the seat bottom) can contact the thermostat and electrical wiresin or beneath the seat cushion.this can result in an electrical short.volvo confirmed in testing that if such a condition is present, the short to the wire seat support could cause burning of the seat cushion without activating (opening) the seat heater fuse.volvo will replace the entire thermostat assembly with an electronic timer delay unit.
EA02019
Passenger compartment fires
PE02029
What 1997 Volvo 850 owners say
Most recent owner complaints, unedited.
The trac off light comes on on my 1997 volvo 850 glt turbo wagon. Apparently, the trac, no longer works and I have to pay hundreds of dollars to get it fixed. This should be a recall and relates directly to a safety claim made by volvo. From the list serv that I am on, apparently this is a very common problem amongst 1996-1998 volvos.
Car would not start - appeared to be dead battery - replaced battery - car started, next day car battery dead - jumped battery, car started-2 hours later car battery dead - tested new battery tested ok. Jumped battery took car to volvo dealer - lawrence motors in walnut creek - took service department 1 day? To diagnose - "wiring harness needs to be replaced at $2,000 cost!! Car to be ready in 3 to 4 weeks (september 1st), then delayed (unknown reasons), delayed to oct 1st, as of todays call oct 6, 2005 was advised car not available until possibly nov 1st. Why would a car with 100,000 miles and 8 years old (always properly serviced) require a new wiring harness? And at such a cost? And why does the part take over 90 days to receive?
Heating and cooling fan started coming on, 7/7/2003, car over heated 10/04, dealer replaced fan at my cost. Shift over drive light came on 12/04 dealer replaced solenoid switch, 6/05 shift over drive switch came back on, now 2 solenoids are not working and my car is in limp home mode. No 1st or 2 gear.
While traveling on the highway and without prior warning the horn will not blow.
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.
Previously reported driver's seat fire in odi #758194 - I simply want to cross-reference odi #'s 734813 and 560677 which have the same fact pattern. Why hasn't anything been done about this defect? My baby could have died from the smoke inhalation, let alone the fire if we had not been able to immediately remove her from the vehicle. I would like to strongly suggest that this defect be investigated and remedied as soon as possible since the potential damage is severe - I.e., death or serious injury.
Battery had to be replaced in march of 1999, battery had a 5 year warranty. At this time battery needs to be replaced again.
This is similar to prior complaints: 528520, 533799,848379,869541. When driving thru a puddle/in rain, at times, all dashboard indicator lights flash and power is lost including to the steering. This is a dangerous situation. Also I have a problem with my air pump similar to complaint no. 728130. I understand that water can get into the pump causing it to malfunction. Are both these problems related to limited "splash guard" protection underneath the engine compartment?
No summary listed for abov evehicle.
Questions about the 1997 Volvo 850 electrical
Does the 1997 Volvo 850 have electrical problems?
Owners have filed 13 complaints about the electrical of the 1997 Volvo 850, 12% of all its complaints.
At what mileage do 1997 Volvo 850 electrical problems start?
Not enough complaints include the mileage to tell.
Was there a recall on the 1997 Volvo 850 electrical?
There is no recall for this problem on this model year.
What year does the Volvo 850 have the most electrical problems?
The Volvo 850 model years with the most electrical complaints are 1996 (18 complaints), 1995 (13 complaints) and 1997 (13 complaints).
Other 1997 Volvo 850 problems
Brakes 33Seats 10Tires 9Lights 8Seat belts 7Visibility 7Acceleration 6Engine 6Steering 6Transmission 6Fuel system 5Suspension 4Body 3Airbags 2Wheels 2Driver assistance 1Locks 1
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