1999 Volvo S80 T6 from North America - Comments

I own a 99 S80 T6. I purchased it a few years ago at 45000 miles under the Volvo Certified used car program. Thankfully, the program included an extended warranty, which I used extensively until it expired earlier this year.

The list of repairs I have had to do on this car is extensive, including (but not limited to) major turbo work, front suspension, O2 sensor, computer, and a complete transmission replacement at 70,000 miles.

All were covered under the extended warranty - don't buy a used s80 without it. Actually, don't buy a used s80 - period!

I have now started hearing the dreaded brake pedal hissing noise, indicating that the brake booster unit wants to be replaced. You won't believe how much they want to fix that little problem.

The word is out on the low build quality of the s80, and a laughably low resale value reflects this. So I guess I'm stuck with this car and its ongoing repairs until either the cost or the aggravation becomes too much for me.

Owning the s80 has been a tremendously disappointing experience. It has completely soured me on Volvo, a company I once admired for the quality and durability of their products.

Does anyone know whether the problems with the 1999 Volvo S80 are worldwide? I've heard they have been problematic in the USA. I'm in NZ and just bought a 1999 model, it was originally from Singapore. A reply would be great if anyone knows. Thanks.

I just spent $3000 in 2 months to fix my 99 Volvo S80. Now, another problem again. The steering wheel makes a screeching noise when turned to the right and the left. I really hate to spend more on this car. Wish someone can give me some suggestion.

I have owned my 2000 Volvo S80 T6 for a little over 2 years. I now have 85,000 miles on it. I purchased it off of an Executive Lease at Volvo of Louisville (KY) at around 60,000 miles. To be honest I was quite naïve about purchasing a Volvo. My previous car was a BMW 525i which when I sold had 160,000 miles. I had owned the BMW for 10 years. I was under the assumptions that since there are so many old Volvo’s on the road that they must be great cars. Obviously any company that is committed to safety is committed to high mechanical standards as well. Right?

Unfortunately my lack of research prior to my purchase has cost me about $2,500 per year in maintenance on this car and numerous trips to the dealer and other local Volvo repair shops. I have had the ABS module replaced ($900) due to numerous inaccurate warning messages displaying on the dash, the cooling fan replaced (which later was recalled by the manufacturer – but not after I was left stranded on the side of the road waiting for a tow truck), the steering module replaced to correct the turn signals not working, the throttle module replaced ($850) to correct a problem with the car stalling at anytime for any reason. The car would completely stall even at highway speeds. If there was ever a reason to recall a vehicle, the poor design and quality control of the Volvo S80 throttle module is a potential death trap. On several occasions I would have my children in the car and the car would just turn off while I am on the highway. Without the use of power steering or brakes I have attempted to cross 3 to 4 lanes of traffic in order to get over to the emergency lane and restart the vehicle. I have also had about $800 worth of maintenance done on the front suspension. And what is it about the light bulbs? I have replaced both front headlights, 1 fog lamp, and both brake lights.

On my last trip to the mechanic I was told that I have a broken motor mount, an oil leak (which was obvious by looking at my garage floor), a transmission leak, and something leaking from the rear axle. I just asked the mechanic if the axle would fall off if I don’t have the rear leak fixed. He said “No”. I told him that is unfortunate because I want love it to fall off and a truck hit me from behind.

You better believe I will be doing my homework prior to my next purchase.

I purchased my second Volvo early this year after wrecking my 99 Volvo V70. So I decided to cross over to a sedan version of my V70 and bought a 02 Volvo S80. A big mistake that was first night I drove it home it cut off and dragged home. I took it back to the dealership and had all of the spark plugs, ignition coils, and complete mechanical review. My sales representative assured me this would not happen again. Two months later I was back in for O2 sensor replacement. A month after that visit I was back in for Transmission, Front Strut, Gear Selector Module, and O2 replacement. Then just a few weeks ago my Volvo went into the shop and has not been back out, this time it is the Turbo and Catalytic Converters. I know once this car is out I am going to take a big loss and get rid of this nightmare car. Making a grand total of 35 days in service, $6000.00 in mechanical service, and a rental bill of almost $759.00 as of tomorrow.

I have a 1996 Volvo 850 GLT and a 1998 V70. I have been extremely pleased with the 850 and consider buying another Volvo. I came across a 1999 S80 T6 with 57000 miles and reasonably priced. I was going to take a look at it, but decided to look for information on the car. I am glad I saw this web page. I do not even have to look at the car. Thanks.

I just traded in my S80 T6 after 154,000 of the most painful miles I've ever experienced with any car I've ever owned. This is clearly one of the least reliable cars ever built in the history of the automobile. I paid over $34,000 in repairs outside of the new car warranty! I almost bought the darned thing twice. It's criminal that Volvo elected to leave their mistakes in the garages of the people who bought their flagship car. By the way, I bought a Mazda and I haven't been back to the dealer to have it repaired after 9,000 miles. What a treat!

I had a bad feeling about this car after having it a couple of years. Most of my problems were rattles and the drivers seat would wriggle back and forth. Also the computer crashed and they had to download software to it from SWEDEN haha. Fortunately the problems were fixed under warranty. I bought a 2002 subaru wrx wagon and then consigned the volvo at the local dealer and had to only cough up $500 in the end to get out of my lease. I am really glad I got out of it when I did. I sincerely hope the current owners of my old volvo are not having the sorts of problems described on this website.

I purchased a 2000 S80 T6 in Aug 04. I thought I was getting a great deal. It only had 30,000 miles on it and I paid $16,500 for it. Turns out I made a horrible mistake. 2 months after I bought it, it was in the shop having both front struts replaced. Then a week later I noticed a pretty massive oil leak that I could not quite pinpoint the location of. Back to the dealership I went. The oil vent box was leaking and so was the return lines from the turbos. Should have been covered under warranty, or so I thought. Turns out since I bought the car from an Acura dealership I was screwed. I bought the extended warranty through Acura Care. I found out the hard way that since Acura's do not come from the factory with turbos, their warranty does not cover repair of them. Volvo wanted $1200 to fix it. My next problem came in the form of a power steering leak. Just my luck, it didn't appear until 4 days after my warranty expired. My car now needs a new steering rack. Who knows how much that will cost. A couple months ago 2 coil packs went bad back to back. Then yesterday it started running really funny. It will not idle. When it should be at idle it drops to 400 rpm's then jumps to 1000 rpm's then falls again. Everytime it falls it tries to die. 1 out of 3 times it will die. It also dies at the worst times, like turning through an intersection with my wife and children in the car. I don't know what to do with this thing now. The worst part is I still owe $11,000 on it. If anybody has a clue about the latest problem I am having please e-mail me at juicebox80@sbcglobal.net. Thank you.

Really glad I did some research and found this page. Sounds like a great deal, and I love Volvo's. Really sucks this is a lemon.

I really hate people who read a few reviews and then slate the whole range! The Volvo S80 is a very good car and this includes reliability. However - people only generally moan on these sites. Also think - in the UK, the S80 is a premium car and the general cliental for this particular model would never look at a site like this! Let alone comment on it! It may be different in the USA as it may have a different target audience. I have heard far more good about this car than bad. ALL cars have the potential to go wrong (READ BMW and MERCEDES SITES!!!) - but the S80 make a fantastic value for money buy. Try one and if you like it, buy it!!! Please remember if we all took what we read as granted - FORD, etc will be out of business!!! Go with your gut instinct.

2000 s80- Thank god I have some auto knowledge or I would be shelling out major bux for this car- which I already have until I got wise/concerned about the cost factor and what exactly makes these cars tick. I am stuck with this car so research pays off.

Not a car enthusiast car (if you like to work on them). Think of car as one big PC that has glitchy OS and have fun rebooting. Seriously-THINK REBOOT.

Pull the fuses and let it sit for a half hour when the dummy lights come on. Make sure you follow the schematic inside fuse box under hood. This may alleviate some headache no guarantee.

I find the car runs a bit better every time I reboot.

My opinion- do not buy!! For the money, a loaded Camry would be the choice. Probably could get two!!!

<<Also think - in the UK, the S80 is a premium car and the general cliental for this particular model would never look at a site like this! Let alone comment on it! It may be different in the USA as it may have a different target audience. >>

People who own Ferrari's, Rolls Royce's, and other exotics post on this site, so what makes you think the driver of a garden variety Volvo is so above it? Please.

I strongly suspect anyone who is trying to censor the facts about a certain model knows it has problems and doesn't want potential owners to know.

And that means you are probably a Volvo dealer.

In the past 24 months I've spent over $7,000 on routine maint on a 2000 S80... this car does not even have 70,000 miles on it. Book value is about $6,500. and now the power steering has failed. This is the worst car/expense experience I've ever encountered. Growing up on the 1980s it was not uncommon to hear people speak proudly of their Volvo's w 100-150-200K miles... it's clear to me Volvo quality and service no longer merit the premium associated w the brand.

I will never buy another Volvo.

- Drew2595@gmail.com.

TO '08:54'

Hi, I am not a Volvo dealer. I am a proud Volvo owner (a fault free Volvo owner) and have been for a long time. OK, the average Volvo S80 owner in the UK is above 40 and probably closer to 60 - can you really see these writing a review on here???