1997 Volvo 850: recalls and complaints

NHTSA lists 3 recall campaigns for the 1997 Volvo 850. The newest campaign is 04V368000. NHTSA received the report on 30 Jul 2004. The NHTSA record gives the component Fuel System, Gasoline / Storage. NHTSA has 107 complaints on file for this model year. 3 NHTSA investigations name this model year.

The NHTSA recall file shows no do-not-drive advisory and no park-outside advisory on these campaigns.

This page cannot show if a recall applies to one vehicle. The NHTSA VIN lookup shows the unrepaired recalls of one vehicle.

Remedy of the newest campaign, 04V368000, in the NHTSA record

Volvo will inspect the fuel tank and replace it if any evidence of fuel seepage or leakage is found. All vehicles will receive new reinforcement bushings at the heat shield attachment points to prevent future leaks. This recall will be conducted as a safety recall in the hot weather states of alabama, arkansas, arizona, california, florida, georgia, hawaii, louisiana, mississippi, nevada, new mexico, north carolina, oklahoma, south carolina, tennessee, texas, and utah, and as a service recall in the other 33 states and the district of columbia. The recall began on september 24, 2004. Owners may contact volvo at 1-800-458-1552.

NHTSA VIN lookup

Complaint information entered into NHTSA’s Office of Defects Investigation vehicle owner's complaint database is used with other data sources to identify safety issues that warrant investigation and to determine if a safety-related defect trend exists.
NHTSA publishes these words. Source: NHTSA Datasets and APIs, section Complaints, read on 1 Oct 2026. Complaint file through 30 Sep 2026. Recall file through 30 Sep 2026.

Since the last update

No tracked figure of this page changed in a data update. What the log tracks

All updates to the register

Recall campaigns

3 campaigns, newest first. 430,588 units in total.

04V368000Received 30 Jul 2004. 226,000 units.
Fuel System, Gasoline / Storage
Defect, in the NHTSA record
On certain passenger vehicles, after prolonged exposure to heat, the fuel tank may seep or leak fuel at the points where the heat shield is attached.
Consequence, in the NHTSA record
Fuel leakage, in the presence of an ignition source, could result in a fire.
Remedy, in the NHTSA record
Volvo will inspect the fuel tank and replace it if any evidence of fuel seepage or leakage is found. All vehicles will receive new reinforcement bushings at the heat shield attachment points to prevent future leaks. This recall will be conducted as a safety recall in the hot weather states of alabama, arkansas, arizona, california, florida, georgia, hawaii, louisiana, mississippi, nevada, new mexico, north carolina, oklahoma, south carolina, tennessee, texas, and utah, and as a service recall in the other 33 states and the district of columbia. The recall began on september 24, 2004. Owners may contact volvo at 1-800-458-1552.
Report filed by VOLVO CARS OF N.A. LLC.. Manufacturer campaign number 139. Owner notification date in the NHTSA record: 24 Sep 2004.
02V314000Received 19 Nov 2002. 65,000 units.
Seats / Front Assembly / Seat Heater/Cooler
Defect, in the NHTSA record
On some sedans and station wagons equipped with seat heaters, it is possible that excessive compression of the seat cushion could cause damage to the electrical wiring of the seat heater.
Consequence, in the NHTSA record
If this occurs, the damage could result in a short circuit that could cause a fire.
Remedy, in the NHTSA record
Dealers will disconnect the existing wires and install a new electronic thermostat and cable harness. Owner notification began on february 19, 2003. Owners who take their vehicles to an authorized dealer on an agreed upon service date and do not receive the free remedy within a reasonable time should contact volvo at 1-800-458-1552.
Report filed by VOLVO CARS OF NA, INC.. Manufacturer campaign number 112. Owner notification date in the NHTSA record: 19 Feb 2003.
99V235000Received 30 Aug 1999. 139,588 units.
Exterior Lighting / Headlights / Switch
Defect, in the NHTSA record
Vehicle description: passenger vehicles. Operation of the headlight switch, over an extended period of time, can result in inconsistent operation of the switch.
Consequence, in the NHTSA record
Driver's could experience a loss of visibility, increasing the risk of a crash.
Remedy, in the NHTSA record
Dealers will replace the headlight switch.
Report filed by VOLVO CARS OF NA, INC.. Manufacturer campaign number 94. Owner notification date in the NHTSA record: 15 Sep 1999.

The campaign number opens the NHTSA record. Each quotation is the text of the NHTSA recall file.

Recall campaign: One recall in the NHTSA recall file, with one campaign number. A campaign can name many makes, models and model years.

Units: The number of vehicles or products that a recall can include. The manufacturer or the firm reports the number to the agency.

Complaints by component

107 complaints, 142 component mentions.

A complaint can name more than one component. Each component that a complaint names is one component mention. The figure per 1,000 component mentions shows how many of each 1,000 mentions name the component.

1997 Volvo 850
All 1997 vehicles

1997 Volvo 850: complaints by component, per 1,000 component mentions
Component	1997 850	All 1997 vehicles	850, all years	Mentions
Service Brakes, Hydraulic	183.1	100.8	132.5	26
Electrical System	112.7	81.7	99.7	16
Seats	77.5	13.3	50.5	11
Tires	63.4	53.9	61.5	9
Visibility	56.3	55.8	45.1	8
Service Brakes, Air	56.3	4.6	24.6	8
Seat Belts	49.3	25.3	41	7
Exterior Lighting	42.3	25.4	20.5	6
Steering	42.3	69.9	34.2	6
Engine and Engine Cooling	42.3	128.6	75.1	6

The table shows the 10 components with the most mentions, of 24.

Complaints that report a crash: 7
Complaints that report a fire: 7
Injuries in the complaints: 2
Deaths in the complaints: 0
Date of the newest complaint: 24 Sep 2016

These figures are the entries of the persons who sent the complaints.

Complaint: A report about a possible safety problem that a person sends to NHTSA. This site shows the number of complaints and not their text.

Complaints about the 1997 Volvo 850, by the year NHTSA received them. The largest year is 2003, with 21 complaints.

Investigations

NHTSA investigations that name the 1997 Volvo 850
Number	Type	Subject	Component	Opened	Closed	Campaign
EA02019	Engineering analysis	SEAT FIRES	Electrical System	22 Aug 2002	18 Dec 2002	02V314000
PE02029	Preliminary evaluation	PASSENGER COMPARTMENT FIRES	Electrical System	7 Mar 2002	22 Aug 2002
PE99040	Preliminary evaluation	INADVERTENT SIDE AIR BAG DEPLOYMENT	Air Bags / Side/Window	7 Jun 1999	27 Oct 1999

Investigation: A study of a possible safety defect by the NHTSA Office of Defects Investigation. An investigation with no closing date in the NHTSA file is open.

Other model years

The number under each year is the number of recall campaigns.

19930
19942
19952
19962
19973
19990
20000

A year without a link has fewer than 2 campaigns and fewer than 25 complaints. It has no page.

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Official channels

NHTSA VIN lookupNHTSA shows the unrepaired recalls of one vehicle from its VIN or its license plate.
NHTSA: report a safety problemThe NHTSA form for a complaint about a vehicle, a tire, a child seat or equipment.
NHTSA page of the 1997 Volvo 850The recalls, the complaints and the investigations that NHTSA shows for this model year.

Cite this page

Recall Register. 1997 Volvo 850: recalls and complaints. https://recallregister.com/vehicle/volvo/850/1997/. Source: NHTSA Office of Defects Investigation, recall, complaint and investigation files. Data through 30 Sep 2026.

Sources

Source: NHTSA Office of Defects Investigation
Licence: US government work, public domain
Recall file through: 30 Sep 2026
Complaint file through: 30 Sep 2026
First complaint in the file: 1 Jan 1995
Manufacturer in the recall file: VOLVO CARS OF N.A. LLC.

The NHTSA record is the authority. A complaint count is the number of different complaint numbers for the make, the model and the model year. How the register is made. Report an error.

Questions

How many units are in the recall campaigns for the 1997 Volvo 850?: 430,588 units in 3 campaigns. A campaign can name other models and model years, and its units include them.
How many recall campaigns does the Volvo 850 have for all model years?: NHTSA lists 5 recall campaigns for the Volvo 850, model years 1993 to 2000. 3 of them name the 1997 model year.
Which component do the complaints about the 1997 Volvo 850 name most often?: Service Brakes, Hydraulic: 26 of 142 component mentions, or 183.1 per 1,000. For all 1997 vehicles the figure is 100.8 per 1,000.
Is an NHTSA investigation of the 1997 Volvo 850 open?: No. Each of the 3 investigations that name this model year has a closing date in the NHTSA file.