2002 Volvo S60 Problems, Complaints & Recalls

Source: NHTSA · Updated Jun 22, 2022 · 186 owner complaints analyzed

Compared with other S60 years
Far more complaints than other years 3rd of 26 for complaints
NHTSA crash rating
Not rated

Owners have filed 186 complaints with NHTSA about the 2002 Volvo S60. That ranks 3rd out of 26 S60 model years for complaints. The most reported problem area is fuel system, gasoline (40 complaints, 22%), typically at around 103,500 miles. Complaints mention 4 crashes, 3 fires, 7 injuries. There are 8 safety recalls covering this model year. NHTSA has opened 2 defect investigations involving it.

Volvo S60
Volvo S60 (3rd generation). Representative photo; appearance varies by model year. Photo: Benespit, CC BY-SA 4.0, via Wikimedia Commons.

Complaints are unverified owner reports and are not adjusted for sales volume.

Compare with another car

Most common 2002 Volvo S60 problems

Complaints grouped by the part of the car owners reported, with the median mileage when the problem happened.

Fuel System, Gasoline40 · ~103,500 mi
Electrical System36 · ~85,000 mi
Fuel/propulsion System25 · ~135,000 mi
Vehicle Speed Control20 · ~89,563 mi
Tires19 · ~9,800 mi
Power Train15 · ~57,500 mi
Air Bags12 · ~140,000 mi
Engine and Engine Cooling12 · ~102,000 mi
Unknown or Other9 · ~89,126 mi
Seats6 · ~140,000 mi
Problem areaComplaintsShareMedian milesOwners mention mostTypical repair cost
Fuel System, Gasoline4022%103,500——
Electrical System3619%85,000——
Fuel/propulsion System2513%135,000——
Vehicle Speed Control2011%89,563——
Tires1910%9,800——
Power Train158%57,500——
Air Bags126%140,000——
Engine and Engine Cooling126%102,000——
Unknown or Other95%89,126——
Seats63%140,000——
Structure63%105,063——
Suspension63%42,000——
Engine53%124,500——
Exterior Lighting53%152,011——
Fuel System, Other53%69,000——
Seat Belts42%79,175——
Wheels42%30,000——
Electronic Stability Control (esc)32%139,567——
Equipment21%190,500——
Service Brakes21%229,000——
Traction Control System21%175,567——
Child Seat11%———
Electronic Stability Control11%———
Steering11%77,000——
Visibility11%68,000——
Visibility/wiper11%———

One complaint can list several problem areas, so shares can add up to more than 100%.

Complaints by year received

Peak: 2011, with 19 complaints
2002: 2200222003: 14142004: 122004122005: 12122006: 9200692007: 11112008: 142008142009: 11112010: 112010112011: 19192012: 182012182013: 992014: 112014112015: 11112016: 5201652017: 882018: 4201842021: 112022: 420224

n = 186 complaints · Source: NHTSA

2002 Volvo S60 recalls (8)

Tap a recall to see the problem, the risk and the fix.

Air bags:frontal:driver side:inflator moduleSep 30, 2021 · NHTSA campaign 21V766000 · 259,383 vehicles

Problem: Volvo Car USA, LLC (Volvo Car) is recalling certain 2001-2006 S80 and 2001-2009 S60 vehicles. The driver's air bag inflator may explode during deployment, due to propellant degradation occurring after long-term exposure to high absolute humidity, high temperatures, and high temperature cycling.

Risk: An inflator explosion may result in sharp metal fragments striking the driver or other occupants, resulting in serious injury or death.

Fix: Dealers will replace the driver's air bag, free of charge. Owner notification letters were mailed November 29, 2021. Owners may contact Volvo Car customer service at 1-800-458-1552. Volvo's number for this recall is R10125.

Air bags:frontal:driver side:inflator moduleNov 4, 2020 · NHTSA campaign 20V681000 · 54,124 vehicles

Problem: Volvo Car USA LLC (Volvo Car) is recalling certain 2001-2003 S80 and S60 vehicles sold or ever registered in Alabama, Arkansas, Florida, Georgia, Hawaii, Louisiana, Mississippi, North Carolina, Oklahoma, South Carolina, Tennessee, Texas, Puerto Rico, American Samoa, Guam, the Northern Mariana Islands (Saipan), and the U.S. Virgin Islands. The driver side frontal air bag inflator may rupture, sending metal fragments into the passage compartment, when the driver side air bag is deployed.

Risk: Metal fragments can strike vehicle occupants increasing the risk of serious injury or death.

Fix: Volvo Car will notify owners, and dealers will replace the driver side air bag module, free of charge. The recall began April 20, 2021. Owners may contact Volvo Car customer service at 1-800-458-1552. Volvo Car's number for this recall is R10058.

Equipment:electrical:navigational system(global positioning system)Nov 8, 2010 · NHTSA campaign 10V566000 · 416 vehicles

Problem: Volvo is recalling certain vehicles equipped with garmin 760 portable global positioning system (gps) units because the batteries on those units may overheat.

Risk: An overheated battery could lead to a fire.

Fix: Volvo advises owners to please stop using the garmin portable gps device immediately, and visit the garmin website to determine if their unit is affected. The unit's battery will be replaced with a new battery and a spacer will be inserted on top of the battery next to the pcb. This service will be performed free of charge. The safety recall began on november 18, 2010. Owners may contact garmin at 866-957-1981 or visit garmin's website at www.garmin.com/nuvibatterypcbrecall.

Fuel system, gasoline:delivery:fuel pumpDec 18, 2009 · NHTSA campaign 09V483000 · 158,733 vehicles

Problem: Volvo is recalling certain model year 2001-2005 s80, model year 2001-2004 v70, s60, xc70 and model year 2003-2005 xc90 vehicles sold in or registered in the states of alabama, arizona, arkansas, california, florida, georgia, hawaii, kentucky, louisiana, mississippi, nevada, new mexico, north carolina, oklahoma, south carolina, tennessee, texas, utah, virginia and the u.s. Territories. When exposed to certain environmental conditions (hot climate and temperature cycling) over time and in combination with varying fuel quality, the fuel pump can develop cracks in the fuel pump flange.

Risk: If the condition occurs vehicle owners may notice fuel smell and/or fuel leak which, in the presence of an ignition source, could result in a fire.

Fix: Dealers will inspect the fuel pump installed in the vehicle, and if necessary replace the fuel pump with a part of a modified design. This service will be performed free of charge. The safety recall began on january 15, 2010. Owners may contact volvo at 1-800-458-1552.

Fuel system, gasoline:delivery:fuel pumpApr 5, 2007 · NHTSA campaign 07V152000 · 2,310 vehicles

Problem: On certain vehicles originally sold in or currently registered in the states of arizona and nevada, due to the combination of fuel quality and climate conditions, the fuel pump may, in certain cases, experience a reduced functionality. The most common symptoms would be fuel odor.

Risk: Fuel leakage in the presence of an ignition source could result in a fire.

Fix: Dealers will replace the fuel pump free of charge. The recall began on july 10, 2007. Owners may contact volvo at 1-800-458-1552.

Vehicle speed controlNov 15, 2006 · NHTSA campaign 06V441000 · 170,099 vehicles

Problem: On certain passenger vehicles, a combination of throttle positioning sensor irregularities, a dirty throttle housing, and/or inefficient software calibration may cause a warning lamp to light and the subsequent onset of limp home modes.

Risk: This resulted in a high number of vehicles going into the limp home mode without need.

Fix: Dealers will install the current software upgrade onto the involved vehicles. The recall began on december 29, 2006. Owners may contact volvo at 1-800-458-1552.

Equipment:other:labelsAug 21, 2003 · NHTSA campaign 03V305000 · 3,499 vehicles

Problem: Certain passenger vehicles fail to comply with the requirements of federal motor vehicle safety standard no. 110, "tire selection and rims." the tire pressure label is incorrect. These vehicles did not have the "max load vehicle capacity weight" information on the label.

Risk: This does not meet the requirements of the standard.

Fix: Owners will be provided with a corrected label. If the owner so desires, a dealer can install the label for them. Owner notification began on december 8, 2003. Owners should contact volvo at 1-800-458-1552.

Equipment:other:labelsAug 1, 2003 · NHTSA campaign 03V284000 · 220,407 vehicles

Problem: Certain passenger cars fail to comply with the requirements of federal motor vehicle safety standard no. 225, "child restraint anchorage systems." the second isofix guide was not installed in these vehicles and, in certain cases, the owner's manual isofix information is incorrect.

Risk: This does not meet the requirements of the standard.

Fix: Owners will receive a letter/package consisting of the second isofix guide with installation instructions, and in certain cases, the corrected owner's manual may be provided. If the owner wants to take their vehicle to a volvo dealer for installation of the guide, it will be performed at no charge to the owner. Owner notification began on december 19, 2003. Owners should contact volvo at 1-800-458-1552.

To see whether a specific car still has an open recall, enter its VIN on NHTSA's official recall lookup. You can also decode a VIN here.

NHTSA defect investigations

  • Throttle control malfunction (EA05021) — opened Dec 6, 2005, closed Dec 12, 2006, led to recall 06V441000.
  • Throttle control malfunction (PE05041) — opened Jul 26, 2005, closed Dec 7, 2005.

Recent owner reports

Short excerpts of the latest complaints filed with NHTSA, with personal details removed. Full reports can be searched on NHTSA.gov.

Message board throttle body position sensor controls the speed of the car is having issues having a problem accelerating

Vehicle Speed Control · received Jun 22, 2022 · NHTSA complaint 11470510

InJanuary 3, 2021, I received a recall for the front driver airbag but replacement parts were not available. OnApril 19, 2021I received a letter the parts were available were and for me to contact a Volvo dealer to replace the front driver's airbag.free of charge. I called Volvo Cars to let me know…

Air Bags · received Jun 15, 2022 · NHTSA complaint 11469425

2002 volvo s60. Consumer writes in regards to nhtsa safety recall 21v-766. The consumer stated there were no volvo dealerships within a reasonable distance to perform the repair. The consumer requested to have the necessary parts sent to a local automotive shop.

Air Bags · received Mar 28, 2022 · NHTSA complaint 11458708

The contact owns a 2002 Volvo S60. The contact received a recall notification for NHTSA Campaign Number: 21V766000 (Air bags) however, the part to do the recall repair was not yet available. The contact stated that the manufacturer had exceeded a reasonable amount of time for the recall repair. The…

Air Bags · received Feb 2, 2022 · NHTSA complaint 11449962

Air bag throw shards of metal but volvo say i shouldn't drive it but won't give loaner car, they won't help us at all with the situation

Air Bags · received Feb 26, 2021 · NHTSA complaint 11398126

Other Volvo S60 years

← 2001 S60 · 2003 S60 →

See all Volvo S60 problems by year, every Volvo model, or the Volvo VIN decoder.

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Frequently asked questions

What are the most common problems with the 2002 Volvo S60?

Owners most often report fuel system, gasoline, electrical system, fuel/propulsion system problems. The top one, fuel system, gasoline, accounts for 40 complaints.

Was there a recall on the 2002 Volvo S60?

Yes, 8 safety recalls. Enter your VIN at NHTSA.gov to check whether the repairs were done on your car.

Was the 2002 Volvo S60 a good year?

Complaint data can't fully answer that, because counts aren't adjusted for sales. Compared with other S60 model years, the 2002 has far more complaints than most years. Always get a pre-purchase inspection and check the VIN for open recalls.