Odometer failure at under 90,000 miles. Original equipment; not tampered with; vehicle never in an accident.
The worst 1997 Volvo 854 problems
Ranked by number of owner complaints. Mileage and cost come from what owners wrote.
- Electrical4
- Brakes3
- Steering1
Problems by type
Tap a problem to see which part fails, at what mileage and in which other years.
- Electrical4
- Brakes3
- Steering1
Recalls 2
Seats: front assembly: seat heater/cooler
- What is wrong
- On some sedans and station wagons equipped with seat heaters, it is possible that excessive compression of the seat cushion could cause damage to the electrical wiring of the seat heater.
- Risk
- If this occurs, the damage could result in a short circuit that could cause a fire.
- Remedy
- Dealers will disconnect the existing wires and install a new electronic thermostat and cable harness. Owner notification began on february 19, 2003. Owners who take their vehicles to an authorized dealer on an agreed upon service date and do not receive the free remedy within a reasonable time should contact volvo at 1‑800‑458‑1552.
Recall number 02V314000 · Recall details
Vehicle speed control
- What is wrong
- The screws which attach the throttle plate to its axle (shaft) can loosen allowing the throttle plate to come in contact with the throttle housing.
- Risk
- This condition could prevent the throttle from returning to idle position increasing the potential for a vehicle accident.
- Remedy
- Dealers will replace the throttle housing.
Recall number 96V199000 · Recall details
See all 2 recalls for the 1997 Volvo 854
Defect 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
Technical service bulletins for the 1997 Volvo 854 8
Bulletins tell dealers how to fix known problems. A warranty extension means the manufacturer pays for that repair for longer.
- Complimentary upgrade C00009 description.
- Rubber cushion
- The Deutronic DBL-1200 is an advanced battery maintainer/charger with the flexibility to be updated as...
- ICUP/Google Built-In Diagnostic Operations
- Vida qr
- Shipping and Handling of Volvo Lithium-ion 48V Mild Hybrid Battery to Global Battery Solutions (GBS)
- Battery Charger/maintainer requirement
- This is a service product journal : the previously reported issue with vida 2015 and battery testing has...
What 1997 Volvo 854 owners say
Most recent owner complaints, unedited.
Tracs and ABS warning lights.
Failure of the anti-lock brake system computer. This seems to be a regular occurrence on the volvo 850. I feel this is a major safety related issue, and a recall investigation should be looked into.
My vehicle is a 1997 volvo 850r, I'm the second owner of the vehicle. The volvo is a soild car but the 850 series have a defect with the ABS/tracs module, this sets a code on your obdii and it clears when you restart the car. The issue at hand is that it's a safety issue because the control module sees a fault and deactivates the ABS/tracs control module and you no longer have an ABS on the vehicle and it's very dangerous if it's raining, snowing or a sudden stop on the freeway. The wheels will lock giving you a greater chance to cause an accident. So far I've been lucky, I spoke to the volvo dealer directly to see if they can change this unit under the volvo vip warranty and I was told that it was not covered and the new unit cost around $600.00 without labor. I feel that volvo should be held responsible in changing this ABS/tracs control module, lot's of volvo 850's and s70 owners have changed this part with vehicles in the 40,000 to 60,000 mile range. The cause it's a hair line fracture on the circuit board that sets the fault, too me that sounds like a manufacturers defect and bad qa control. I hope that this complanit will not just get pushed aside and hold volvo liable for this since it's a safety issue. The reason why I bought a volvo is beacuse safety is their #1 product.
The battery has recharged/replaced multiple times, due to the the electrical system malfunctioning.
The vehicle would not start at 3000 miles after purchase because the battery was dead. The problem continued every 5000 miles until the dealer discovered that the cause was electrical problem.
The belt that drives the power steering and alternator periodically slips when wet. This occurs repeatedly at low speeds when going through even small puddles. A kit was added to repair the problem at about 10k miles. The dealer claims the persistent loss of power with the kit is normal. When this occurs it becomes very difficult to steer the car for a few seconds until the belt stops slipping. It also is unexpected to find the car difficult to steer in the middle of a turn and could cause loss of control.
Compare the 1997 Volvo 854
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Questions about the 1997 Volvo 854
Is the 1997 Volvo 854 reliable?
Owners have filed 7 complaints about the 1997 Volvo 854, close to a typical 854 model year.
What is the most common problem with the 1997 Volvo 854?
Electrical system, with 4 complaints. Next is brakes (3).
How many recalls does the 1997 Volvo 854 have?
2 recalls, covering seats and vehicle speed control.
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