Which parts fail
Components named in complaints (service brakes, ABS, rotors and pads, parking brake).
Mileage when the problem started
Owner reports
Selected complaints filed with NHTSA by 1998 Volvo S70 owners, lightly cleaned up (personal details are redacted by NHTSA).
I took my car to the sears auto center at 1178 el camino real in san bruno, california (sears store #6909) on September 2, 2018 for front brakes. Sears returned the car to me on 9/2/18 (a copy of my "final invoice" is enclosed). I subsequently learned that the dust boot for the right front brake caliper is missing. I returned to sears on September 10 and told the manager in charge, mr. Holloway, that I had learned - from another mechanic who had been doing other front end work - that the dust boot was missing and that this is one of the component parts of the brake caliper system (designed to keep debris and moisture out of the brake caliper). Sears re-inspected my vehicle on September 10 and confirmed that the dust boot is missing. I was told that the department manager (mr. Julio estrada) would need to address the situation. …
At about 10,000 miles the brakes would slip and rumble when braking down a hill. I took the car in to complain and they told me that they couldn't find anything wrong with it. I started avoiding hills. Every time I brought the car in for service I complained about this problem and was assured that nothing was wrong. Now I am at 28300 and I took the car in for my 30,000 maintence, not at the dealer but another certified Volvo shop. I tell them about the problem. I am told that the rotor is bad. Well I had this same problem at under 10,000. Miles.
Dt: the vehicle was losing power, it shuts down. Usually it will start back. Can cut across traffic, and it will just stall. Took it to the dealer many times, and they could not duplicate the problem. They put different parts on it to narrow down the problem. There is no power steering after it stalls. Back in January the turbo went it out and they replaced it. The vehicle was still skipping. This started happening around January 15, 2005. The ABS control module was replaced.
My wife's 1998 Volvo S70 had 74,000 miles when her ABS and tracs warning light came on. After taking it into the Volvo dealership it was assessed that the ABS/tracs is not working because of a failure of the ABS/tracs control module. After some research I found a large number of people having the same issue when their same model car reached anywhere between 50 and 100 thousand miles. This is a serious safety concern and Volvo should recall and replace the part.
ABS module fails on most all 850 and s/v70 series cars 97-00. The ABS system as well as the traction control system will not work when the unit is failing. It is an intermittant problem that gets worse over time (sometimes the fail indicator is on sometimes not). Volvo is well aware of the problem and a replacemet is around 500.00 not including diagnostics and labor to install. To my knowledge their is no recall (from a company that prides itself on safety).
I have a 1998 Volvo S70 t5. The anti-lock brake controller board is malfunctioning causing the anti-lock brake "red" indicator light to come on at various "random" times while driving the car. When this happens, the brake pedal depresses on its own and many noises are heard around the area of the front left tire and the anti-lock brakes stop working while the light is on. This happens very frequently (at least once every time I drive the car).
ABS light coming on and off intermediately, told by technician that ABS module is bad and needs to be replaced at a cost of $600 plus. The problem is since this is intermittent that when the unit "test" itself when your braking if it notices that they aren't working many times the brake pedal goes to the floor, which could be very dangerous. When I spoke to Volvo north American they said yes this is a common problem, but will not fix it.
ABS brake unit failed at 60K miles; all service was done at dealer. Dozens and dozens of owners have reported this to NHTSA for exact same make and model. Nhts seems powerless to take on this issue. How many deaths will it take to get some action? Volvo dealers and Ford know well the problem -- just count the cash they are making on the replacements, and then multiply by 10 because most are not willing to pay $1,000 for a $200 part.
The ABS light was coming on intermittently. After consulting the web I learned this was a common problem in the 98 S70's. Volvo is aware of the problem! While driving with the condition I noticed if the ABS pump cycled and the lights come on you lose braking unless you pump the brakes. Extremely dangerous condition for a many drivers. I'm a law enforcement officer and my training helped me avoid the accident.
Failure of ABS controller module. My research over the internet and numerous Volvo certified technicians indicate this failure is problematic with the teves 20 ABS module. An internet forum page dealing with the Volvo 850/S70 models is littered with inquiries into this problem. One Volvo technician I corresponded with indicated he had replaced "hundreds" of these modules over the last several years.
Brake complaints in other S70 years
Frequently asked questions
How common are brake problems on the 1998 Volvo S70?
NHTSA has 76 complaints about the brakes of the 1998 Volvo S70, 35% of the model year's 215 complaints. The component named most often is antilock/traction control/electronic limited slip (31 mentions).
Is there a recall for 1998 Volvo S70 brake problems?
No. NHTSA lists no brakes recall for the 1998 Volvo S70, though it has 4 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 1998 Volvo S70 brake problems start?
Half of the complaints with a recorded mileage happened before about 78,000 miles, and 9% before 25,000 miles.
Is it dangerous?
Owners linked 1 crash, 0 fires and 0 injuries to brakes 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.