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 2000 Volvo S80 owners, lightly cleaned up (personal details are redacted by NHTSA).
Dt: the contact stated 2000 Volvo model S80 caught on fire on 8-26-05. The fire originated from under the hood. It completely destroyed the engine. He was not having any problems with the car prior to this. He was driving at 25-50 MPH when the fire broke out. He saw smoke coming from the hood. The fire department was called and extinguished the fire. He was not the original owner he did not know if anything was replaced on the vehicle. The current owner did not report any problems with the car prior to this, such as stallingor surging the fire department and the police police departmentindicated t the fire was an electrical nature, but they were not absolutely sure.
Swapped battery at o'reilly's auto parts. All manufacturer safety protocols followed. After swapping out w/new battery: climate control module not working- SRS airbag 'service urgent' errors. Volvo quoting $2500 to replace ccm, $800 for rebuild-process. Dim is also fried. No heat or A/C- airbag accidental deployment risk. Quick search online shows this is a Volvo issue specific to s60, S80 & xc70 models (all years) filed compliant w/vt state ag- cap 2020-07438 original repair order attached
Tl contact owns a 2000 Volvo S80. While driving at an unknown speed, the contact noticed smoke and pulled the vehicle off the road. He opened the hood and noticed flames. He was unsuccessful at extinguishing the fire and called the fire department, who stated that the cooling fan caused an electrical fire. The contact's mechanic informed him of a recall regarding the cooling fan. The VIN and NHTSA campaign id number were unknown. The failure and current mileages were 78,000.
Tl contact owns a 2000 Volvo S80. When the contact arrived home, she noticed smoke under the hood of the vehicle. Flames were present soon after. The fire department arrived and extinguished the fire. Everything under the hood was melted. A firefighter stated that it appeared to be an electrical fire. A report was filed. There were no injuries. The contact stated that she will call Volvo and file a claim. The failure mileage was 125,300.
Tl contact owns a 2000 Volvo S80. While driving 35 MPH, the contact noticed smoke coming from underneath the hood of the vehicle. The vehicle burst into flames. The insurance agency and Volvo investigators determined that the cause of failure was due to a short in the wire harness. The vehicle was destroyed. The current and failure mileages were 40,000.
At 70mph my car said reduced performance, and within 30 sec. My cruise control failed, the car reduced to 5mph, and there was no acceleration. I was in 5 lanes of rush hour traffic doing 70-80mph. An eighteen wheeler skidded approx. 50 feet in order to avoid hitting me. He then had to block off two lanes of traffic to assist me to the shoulder. My car would only coast. It was a near death experience for me. I'm thankful my children were not with me. After being turned off over night, my husband attempted to drive it to the Volvo dealership. He experienced the same. We were told that it was due to a computer chip malfunction. A chip which controls the throttle, fuel-injection, and cruise control. Wow! The service rep. "we haven't seen anymore problems after replacing the chip". We asked why has this not been recalled. The rep. …
Subject: engine compartment fire, result: total loss, ehicle: 2000, Volvo, S80 2.9, VIN: [redacted]. Shortly before 3:00 pm my wife and I departed bridgeport, connecticut for the trip home to massachusetts. The first 7 or 8 minutes were local stop and go driving (maximum speed 25mph). At this point we entered the merritt parkway (eastbound entrance 48). We joined the right lane traffic flow, which varied between 55 and 60 MPH. Approximately 2 minutes later ? Just before the merritt parkway eastbound entrance 49 or 50 the car engine lost power. I was able to coast the vehicle off the highway to the island between the highway and the on-ramp. It looked like steam was coming out from under the hood near the radiator. I look at the dashboard temperature gauge and was surprised to see it reading normal. …
Another complaint for the Volvo S80 throttle module causing the car to lose all power on the freeway. I was fortunate that each time this occurred, I was in a position to get off the road safely. The situation could have been disastrous, however. I work in nashville where every route to work is undergoing road construction and does not have a shoulder to pull off on. Had the etm failed in one of these locations, I would likely have been hit by other autos unable to avoid me. I had the part replaced for about $850 as Volvo claimed that it was not a problem and refused to fix it. In addition to the faulty etm is the ABS control unit for the airbags and traction control. According to what I've seen on Volvo message boards (volvospy.com, swedespeed.com and brickboard.com), this part also seems to fail as frequently as the etm. …
In July 2005, I noticed the car surging, particularly at highway speeds. It cut off, giving a message of "reduced performance" but no "check engine" message. The "reduced performance" message is not listed in the owner's manual. I was able to drive the car at about 5 MPH to a turnoff point. I cut the car off to consult the owner's manual and it restarted without a problem. I attributed the problem to perhaps faulty gasoline. On oct. 9, the car abruptly cut off on the interstate, giving the same warning message but this time also displaying a "check engine" light. Fortunately I was able to safely coast across two lanes of traffic to the emergency lane. When I took the car in for diagnostics (to an independent dealer), he said that the throttle body was bad and directed me to several web sites that discussed the problem and the class-action lawsuit in california. On oct. …
2000 Volvo S80 t6 on numerous occasions the vehicle would stall, even when driving at highway speeds. On several occasions while driving my children to school on the highway the vehicle stalled forcing me to cross 3-4 lanes of heavy traffic without the use of power steering or power brakes. The electronic throttle module was determined to be defective. This is a known defective part on 1999-2001 Volvo S80's. There are even documented reports that the etm will fail on over 90% of all Volvo S80's within this year range ('99-01). I have spent $900 to have this replaced. The state of california is filing a lawsuit against Volvo over this part. I live in ky; therefore I don't believe that lawsuit will help me. I am asking Volvo for full reimbursement to replace this part. It not only was a faulty design, but also potentially deadly part. …
Electrical complaints in other S80 years
Frequently asked questions
How common are electrical problems on the 2000 Volvo S80?
NHTSA has 54 complaints about the electrical system of the 2000 Volvo S80, 17% of the model year's 318 complaints. The component named most often is ignition (5 mentions).
Is there a recall for 2000 Volvo S80 electrical problems?
No. NHTSA lists no electrical system recall for the 2000 Volvo S80, 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 2000 Volvo S80 electrical problems start?
Half of the complaints with a recorded mileage happened before about 82,000 miles.
Is it dangerous?
Owners linked 0 crashes, 5 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.