2003 Volvo S60 Problems, Complaints & Recalls
- Compared with other S60 years
- Far more complaints than other years 5th of 26 for complaints
- Safety recalls
- 6 recalls: check your VIN
- NHTSA crash rating
- Not rated
Owners have filed 120 complaints with NHTSA about the 2003 Volvo S60. That ranks 5th out of 26 S60 model years for complaints. The most reported problem area is electrical system (54 complaints, 45%), typically at around 120,000 miles. Complaints mention 1 crash, 1 fire. There are 6 safety recalls covering this model year.
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- 120owner complaints
- 6safety recalls
- 0NHTSA investigations
- 1complaints mentioning a crash
Complaints are unverified owner reports and are not adjusted for sales volume.
Most common 2003 Volvo S60 problems
Complaints grouped by the part of the car owners reported, with the median mileage when the problem happened.
| Problem area | Complaints | Share | Median miles | Owners mention most | Typical repair cost |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Electrical System problems | 54 | 45% | 120,000 | “instrument panel” (24%) | $2,100 |
| Vehicle Speed Control | 18 | 15% | 40,000 | — | — |
| Engine and Engine Cooling | 16 | 13% | 52,500 | — | — |
| Exterior Lighting | 9 | 8% | 129,091 | — | — |
| Air Bags | 8 | 7% | 123,000 | — | — |
| Structure | 7 | 6% | 55,000 | — | — |
| Fuel/propulsion System | 6 | 5% | 120,000 | — | — |
| Engine | 5 | 4% | 100,000 | — | — |
| Fuel System, Gasoline | 5 | 4% | 86,000 | — | — |
| Power Train | 5 | 4% | 9,000 | — | — |
| Equipment | 4 | 3% | 41,255 | — | — |
| Tires | 4 | 3% | 3,000 | — | — |
| Fuel System, Other | 3 | 3% | 47,565 | — | — |
| Latches/locks/linkages | 3 | 3% | 79,695 | — | — |
| Steering | 3 | 3% | 143,600 | — | — |
| Unknown or Other | 3 | 3% | 94,000 | — | — |
| Child Seat | 2 | 2% | — | — | — |
| Electronic Stability Control (esc) | 2 | 2% | 130,260 | — | — |
| Seat Belts | 2 | 2% | 10,505 | — | — |
| Seats | 2 | 2% | 100,249 | — | — |
| Parking Brake | 1 | 1% | 100,500 | — | — |
| Service Brakes | 1 | 1% | 48,672 | — | — |
| Service Brakes, Air | 1 | 1% | 95,000 | — | — |
| Service Brakes, Hydraulic | 1 | 1% | 89,000 | — | — |
| Suspension | 1 | 1% | 126,000 | — | — |
| Wheels | 1 | 1% | 3,000 | — | — |
One complaint can list several problem areas, so shares can add up to more than 100%.
Complaints by year received
2003 Volvo S60 recalls (6)
Tap a recall to see the problem, the risk and the fix.
Air bags:frontal:driver side:inflator module
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 module
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)
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 pump
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.
Engine and engine cooling
Problem: On certain passenger vehicles, the fuel pressure sensor located on the left end of the fuel rail may, at times, transmit incorrect signal regarding the fuel pressure to the engine control module. If the signal is outside of the pre-programmed allowable limits, a diagnostic trouble code may be set and the check engine light will come on. The soldered joints on the circuit board of the fuel pressure sensor may crack due to temperature changes and excessive vibrations.
Risk: Misfire may occur during driving that, in turn, will reduce the engine torque and in the worst case scenario, the engine may stall without warning. In certain traffic situations this could cause an unsafe situation and possibly a crash.
Fix: Dealers will replace the fuel pressure sensor free of charge. The recall began on june 29, 2007. Owners may contact volvo at 1-800-458-1552.
Equipment:other:labels
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.
Recent owner reports
Short excerpts of the latest complaints filed with NHTSA, with personal details removed. Full reports can be searched on NHTSA.gov.
The problem is when the weather turns cold my car a Volvo 2003 S 60 turn signals do not operate, or if they do turn on sometimes the turn signals won't stop flashing until you turn the ignition off. The head lights also will not turn on at any setting during this time. When the weather turns warm…
Tl* the contact own a 2003 volvo s60. The contact stated that the front struts were coming through the strut mounts. The contact stated that the vehicle shook violently while driving. The check engine warning light and another unknown warning light were illuminated. The contact stated that the…
The steering has become less responsive and i experience steering wheel play, replacing fluid has not resolved this issue. *tr
Instrument panel/cluster goes out while driving which means you can't read any of the guages or warnings lights other than if check engine light is on. This imposes a safety risks to me and other traffic on the road. It does this erratically, going out completely and coming back on in time. No fuse…
Vechile leaking gas and had strong gas smell.
Other Volvo S60 years
| Year | Complaints | Recalls |
|---|---|---|
| 2025 S60 | 0 | 2 |
| 2024 S60 | 22 | 3 |
| 2023 S60 | 3 | 6 |
| 2022 S60 | 15 | 4 |
| 2021 S60 | 8 | 3 |
| 2020 S60 | 11 | 4 |
| 2019 S60 | 25 | 4 |
| 2018 S60 | 4 | 1 |
| 2017 S60 | 17 | 5 |
| 2016 S60 | 25 | 4 |
| 2015 S60 | 58 | 2 |
| 2014 S60 | 25 | 3 |
| 2013 S60 | 87 | 4 |
| 2012 S60 | 121 | 8 |
| 2011 S60 | 5 | 6 |
| 2009 S60 | 7 | 3 |
| 2008 S60 | 10 | 2 |
| 2007 S60 | 21 | 2 |
| 2006 S60 | 31 | 3 |
| 2005 S60 | 44 | 3 |
| 2004 S60 | 198 | 5 |
| 2003 | 120 | 6 |
| 2002 S60 | 186 | 8 |
| 2001 S60 | 223 | 8 |
| 2000 S60 | 1 | 0 |
| 1999 S60 | 0 | 0 |
See all Volvo S60 problems by year, every Volvo model, or the Volvo VIN decoder.
Similar Volvo models
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Frequently asked questions
What are the most common problems with the 2003 Volvo S60?
Owners most often report electrical system, vehicle speed control, engine and engine cooling problems. The top one, electrical system, accounts for 54 complaints.
Was there a recall on the 2003 Volvo S60?
Yes, 6 safety recalls. Enter your VIN at NHTSA.gov to check whether the repairs were done on your car.
Was the 2003 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 2003 has far more complaints than most years. Always get a pre-purchase inspection and check the VIN for open recalls.