Volvo years to avoid

For every Volvo model, the model years with more than twice that model's typical number of owner complaints, and the years with the fewest. Based on 10,421 owner complaints.

The worst Volvo model years

Years to avoid from the last 20 model years, with the most owner complaints. The last column shows how far each year is above a typical year of the same Volvo model.

Car	Complaints	vs typical year	Main problem
2016 Volvo XC90	197	4.8x	Engine
2012 Volvo S60	121	4.8x	Engine

Volvo models: years to avoid and best years

Amber: more than twice the typical complaints for that model. Green: the years with the fewest complaints among years with enough cars on the road.

Model	Years to avoid	Best years
XC90	2003 2004 2005 2016 2017	2008 2020 2022
S60	2001 2002 2003 2004 2012 2013	2017 2020 2022
S80	2001 2004
V70	2001 2002 2004
XC60	None stand out	2014 2017 2020
S40	2001 2005 2006
XC70	2001 2004	2013 2015 2016
V70XC	2001
XC40	None stand out
C70	None stand out	2006 2009 2013
VNL	None stand out	2006 2012 2015

Questions about the Volvo years to avoid

What Volvo years should you avoid?

The Volvo model years with the most owner complaints, each well above a typical year of the same model, are the 2016 XC90 (4.8 times typical, mostly engine) and the 2012 S60 (4.8 times typical, mostly engine).

What is the most common problem with Volvo vehicles?

Across all models, most Volvo owner complaints are about electrical, engine and fuel system.

VIN decoder

See the problems and recalls for an exact car