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 1998 Volvo S70 owners, lightly cleaned up (personal details are redacted by NHTSA).
I purchased this car used December 16 2016 knowing it needed a lot of work. I have since gotten all the repairs done on jan 4th 2017. I now need to get the car emission tested after driving 200 miles the readiness monitors are still not set and have since repaired the check engine light and still can not get an emissions test.
At time of fire, dash board indicator lights were on for light out and that car was in low gear, but car was not being driven in low gear. Additionally, air conditioner was on. No iindicator lights were on to indicate any other problems such as engine was overheated or low in any fluids. I attempted to shift through low gears to remove low gear indicator light, but that did not do anything. I put car in park and turned off the engine. When I turned engine back on, at first the low gear indicator light did not come back on, but within ashort distance the low gear indicator light came back on even though car was being driven in normal drive gear and no feeling that car was actually in a low gear.
98 Volvo S70; experiencing a loss of power and stalling; I've had two mechanics look at my vehicle and no one can pin point the problem. I went to my local dealership, dick dyer Volvo on August 2nd and they can not look at my car until August 19th. As a mother of a young child, it is frightening to pull out into heavy traffic. I emailed corporate Volvo on 8/3/05 and haven't received a response. This had been a recurring problem since feb 05; about every 1-2 weeks my car will stall when I begin to slow down at a light.
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.
When the vehicle was being driven, the ABS light illuminated. The vehicle has had this problem more than three times in the last three weeks. There was a technical service bulletin concerning this problem. The warning lights indicated a problem with the ABS and the 4 tracking system. The consumer suggested that this might not have been valid due to a possible defect in the electrical module.
Engine stalled leaving me stranded in an intersection in rush hour traffic. Engine would not restart. Police officer had to push me off the street because car would not restart. Dealer still has not identified the problem.
Shortly after purchase car started "bucking/ would feel a lunging forward while driving at high speeds or while idling at stop signs. Complained to dealer was told "they know about the problem" - it is a software problem I was not informed of this prior to purchase. Said Volvo is aware of the problem and their working on it. It is my understanding a computer chip is defective and it is firing fuel into the injectors randomly. I asked if this is dangerous, could this cause a fire, etc. And was told no. I have taken the car in twice and had this problem documented and they have done nothing. It has not improved, only become more frequent. The car surges when at stop signs, it feels like another car has bumped into me. This also occurs when driving at high speeds. I purchase this car "new" and was not advised of this problem. If I had known this I would not have bought car. …
Electrical problems since shortly after purchase of vehicle, to dealer 25 times. Dashboard light would come on, indicating that headlights were not working when in fact they were. Dealer stated vehicle had a bulb and socket problem, taillight bulb failed, signal lights flash very fast, side signals sockets and bulbs shorted, 4 running light contacts melted, front headlight shorted, left front headlight inoperable, and bulb indicator illuminated. Door locks inoperable, windows would not go up, master window control switch faulty, and speakers distorted. Seat belt plastic part cracked. Transmission sticks on lowe gear, happened twice. Gas light comes on even when tank is full. Washer fluid inidcator illuminated, washer jets inoperable, wiper blads replaced, right side mirror did not adjust all the way out. Front and rear brake pads worn, rotors replaced, brakes cause screeching noises. …
Over maximum "30" second period, vehicle bucked, then interior lights came on and began blinking, then throttle stuck in "full" position, then brakes failed completely while black smoke emerged from under hood and wheel wells, then flames visible from from grill over hood of car, then vehicle finally brought to stop using emergency brakes at which time flames were two-three feet high from grill and wheel well(s) area of car - exited immediately - car total loss ..... Have since been made aware of "another" '98 S70 fire with very similar sequence of failure events and result - Volvo contacted and claims evidence of animal nest under hood (assistance denied) - cinncinati insurance (my carrier) hired & conducted professional/independent fire investigation with results pending ...... …
1. 12/23/97: car died in slow freeway traffic; restarted after 5 minutes, but "check engine light" stayed on. Diagnosed as problem with air mass sensor, which was replaced. 2. 11/11/98: right rear door lock failed; motor replaced. 3. Each of front headlight bulbs burned out with less than 15K in mileage. 4. 1/13/99: rt and lt outer tail lights burned out; bulbs were replaced. 5. 3/3/99: right turn signal began flashing too quickly; both rt and lt turn signal sockets were replaced. 6. 4/28/99: tailights again failed, sockets and bulbs were replaced; 7. 4/29/99: left turn signal flashing too quickly (even though socket had been previously replaced on 3/3/99 to deal with anticipated corrusion problem). My wife and I have have had more service problems with this car than in 25 years of owning all of our other cars combined.
Electrical complaints in other S70 years
Frequently asked questions
How common are electrical problems on the 1998 Volvo S70?
NHTSA has 31 complaints about the electrical system of the 1998 Volvo S70, 14% of the model year's 215 complaints. The component named most often is 12v/24v/48v battery (11 mentions).
Is there a recall for 1998 Volvo S70 electrical problems?
No. NHTSA lists no electrical system 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 electrical problems start?
Half of the complaints with a recorded mileage happened before about 117,000 miles, and 11% before 25,000 miles.
Is it dangerous?
Owners linked 0 crashes, 1 fire 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.