Which parts fail
Components named in complaints (battery, alternator, wiring, ignition, instrument cluster, infotainment).
Mileage when the problem started
Owner reports
Selected complaints filed with NHTSA by 2001 Volvo S60 owners, lightly cleaned up (personal details are redacted by NHTSA).
1. The vehicle caught fire while driving. The radiator cooling fan stayed on after parking, The vehicle the night before. The vehicle had to be jump started the next morning. yes the vehicle is available for inspection. 2. bodily injury and property damage could have been caused by the fire. 3. Yes. independent service center. Automotive Body and Tire Center. (Skokie IL) 4. Yes. Fire was put out by prospect heights fire department. Police report #PHP23-004049 5. No warning lamps prior to the fire. Symptom of problem was the radiator cooling fan staying on after vehicle was turned off, which caused the battery to discharge.
My wife drove the 2001 Volvo S60 and noticed a noxious burning smell and immediately drove it home. She thought it was something extremely wrong with the heater. I drove the car 3 days later and after 3 minutes noticed the burning smell as well. I turned off the heater, and the smell continued. I saw some smoke to my left side and noticed the seat had a hole that was melting and burning. I turned off the heated seat and ensured the seat did not burn further.
In October 2007, I inquired of fields Volvo of waukesha wisconsin, about a malfunctioning temperature gage. The gage would often display a faulty reading, showing that the car was overheating when in fact it was not. When I bought my car in for an inspection of the matter, jason fischer service advisor, informed me that I needed an electronics bo ( see attached receipt). He assured me that was the problem, so I agreed to allow him to replace it and was charged $537.15 for the procedure. However, a year later in July 2008, the problem resurfaced. Eventually, the cooling fan malfunctioned and would not shut off. This problem also caused the battery to drain. I took my car to auto werks import centre in milwaukee, wisconsin, who through research of the problem, found that there was a recall issued for the cooling fan in November 2004. …
I bought this used 2001 Volvo S60 with 54K on it. Found out that has this problem of computer shutting down with no warnings and there's only power to radio and the A/C fan...no signals no instrument panel and nothing worked. There was all these messages saying brake failure, emission control failure and SRS failure message. Engine ran as long as it was on, once turned off would not start again. The car computer resets by itself in about 10-15 minutes. Took it to Volvo dealer two times explaining the details. They did a software upgrade, cleared the codes and reset the computer. Both times, the car worked for a while but happened again. Two days ago happened in the freeway and I almost had a crash (no signals and also couldn't open windows to hand signal). …
I have a 2001 Volvo S60 t5. In October 2004 I was driving down the street when I had a sudden loss of power and the vehicle went from going 45 MPH to 5 MPH, I was able to pull over and shut off the vehicle. I waited a fee minutes and started the vehicle without any problems and was able to drive home. This happened a second time the next day and I called Volvo and they told me to bring the car in. As I was driving to the dealership I was approximately 1/2 mile away and it happened a third time. This time the problem did not correct itself and I had to have the vehicle towed. I was told that my electronic throttle body needed to be replaced and because I was past 50K it was not covered by the warranty. I had purchased an extended warranty to 74K however they stated that this part was not covered by the extended warranty either. I paid over $1000.00 to have the part replaced. …
The entire instrument panel went dead and the turn signals would not function. Only the headlights were working. Messages came up saying that there was an SRS airbag issue and that there was a brake failure. All of the messages were false and the instrument cluster went dead. This is a concern since the messages are incorrect according to what the dealer told me and have seen several people with the same issue. I think that Volvo should replace all of the dims and cems for every car that exhibits this problem the first time for vehicles under 125,000 miles. This should not happen and is a very big safety issue. This is not the first time that the cluster has gone dead. Also each time it has been raining and the dealer has said that there are no shorts in the system. Something is wrong and they are replacing every part without fixing the issue.
On vacation, driving 50 MPH on four-lane hwy 17 in south carolina when the car suddenly and without warning lost power and came to a complete stop in the highway. It would not restart. As traffic rushed by, my wife and I had to push the car off the road. After about 5 minutes of trying to restart, the car finally started and acted normally. We were within 20 miles of our destination, so we started out again only to stall about a quarter mile later. We coasted off the road and had the car towed 20 miles to the nearest Volvo dealer. Dealer replaced the throttle control module. Car had 45K miles on it, but was 3 months out of warranty so we had to pay entire $850 bill. Despite our repeated requests, neither the s.c. Dealer nor our local dealer in m.o. Would help us with the cost.
Intermittent problem. 2001 Volvo S60 t5. Vehicle will fail to shift gears when accelerating. Usually occurs when proceeding from a stop, usually when turning. Took vehicle to the dealer, princeton Volvo, and although their mechanic experienced the problem, they indicated that they did not know what could cause the problem. Now I learn that Volvo has had numerous reported similar problems, usually involving the electronic throttle control modulator. It should also be noted that the aforesaid dealer attempted to remedy the problem by making a software change, but this only made the problem worse.
While driving at approx 40 MPH, I heard a popping noise and a message came on in the dash stating "reduced emission service". I was able to drive at a maximum of 10 MPH for 5 miles to my nearest Volvo dealership. My mileage was just about 69,000 miles. The technician diagnosed it as an electronic throttle module failure and replaced the etm. The car handled properly after the repair, which was covered under the 7 year/70,000 mile extended emissions warranty. The old part was returned to Volvo cars north America.
I have an SRS airbag warning light stays on and will not go away. The electrical wiring for the headlights are faulty, I tried everything to fix them nothing works. I used an inline fuse with the headlight wiring because the bulbs the continue to blowout. The Volvo forum suggested the inline fuse to fix the issue, but it did not. One headlight remains on the driver side and the passenger side comes on and off when it wants to and it also displays dipped bulb failure or beam failure.
Electrical complaints in other S60 years
Frequently asked questions
How common are electrical problems on the 2001 Volvo S60?
NHTSA has 31 complaints about the electrical system of the 2001 Volvo S60, 14% of the model year's 223 complaints. The component named most often is ignition › module (1 mentions).
Is there a recall for 2001 Volvo S60 electrical problems?
No. NHTSA lists no electrical system recall for the 2001 Volvo S60, though it has 8 recalls for other components. If the problem is widespread, a repair may still be covered by an extended warranty or a manufacturer service bulletin — ask a dealer.
At what mileage do 2001 Volvo S60 electrical problems start?
Half of the complaints with a recorded mileage happened before about 55,000 miles, and 17% before 25,000 miles.
Is it dangerous?
Owners linked 0 crashes, 2 fires and 0 injuries to electrical system problems on this model year. If you notice symptoms, have the car checked before driving further.
Source: U.S. National Highway Traffic Safety Administration (NHTSA) — owner complaints through October 20, 2026, recalls and defect investigations; fuel economy from the EPA. Complaints are unverified reports and are not proof of a defect. How we rate model years.