2002 Volvo V70XC problems & reliability
27 owner complaints filed with NHTSA for the 2002 Volvo V70XC, alongside 1 safety recall campaign. Last verified Aug 7, 2026. Complaints are unverified reports submitted by owners to the federal Office of Defects Investigation.
Each complaint is counted once (by NHTSA case number), even when it names several vehicles.
1 complaint report injuries (2 injured).
Most reported problems
| Component | Complaints | Share |
|---|---|---|
| Power Train → | 12 | 44% |
| Fuel/propulsion System | 4 | 15% |
| Fuel System, Gasoline | 3 | 11% |
| Vehicle Speed Control | 3 | 11% |
| Engine and Engine Cooling | 2 | 7% |
| Exterior Lighting | 2 | 7% |
| Suspension | 2 | 7% |
| Electrical System | 1 | 4% |
| Equipment | 1 | 4% |
| Visibility | 1 | 4% |
Component groups as classified by NHTSA. A complaint can name more than one component, so shares may sum to more than 100%.
Mileage when problems occurred
Half of the failures with a reported odometer reading occurred by 99,001 miles (middle 50% between 78,000 and 110,891 miles), based on 21 complaints that included mileage.
Complaints by incident year
What owners report
“Tl* the contact owns a 2002 volvo v70xc. While the vehicle was parked, the contact noticed fuel fumes emitting from the vehicle. The failure recurred on numerous occasions. The vehicle was taken to an independent mechanic where it was diagnosed that the flank fractured and both the flank and the fuel pump needed to be…”
Fuel/propulsion System · filed Apr 4, 2016
“1) fuel smell, and harder to start engine. Engine crank w/o problem. Symptoms started around july 4th last year, getting sever and more often. Took my car to local volvo, but they said "no recall for this car" even though multiple exact same symptoms are reported, then took my car to local auto repair garage finally…”
Fuel/propulsion System · filed Jun 16, 2015
“My transmission is jerking between reverse and drive. The car hesitates and then slams forward. I have read all over the internet where other people have had the same problem. *js”
Power Train · filed Feb 24, 2015
Verbatim excerpts from complaints filed with NHTSA. Reports are not independently verified.
Federal defect investigations
- THROTTLE CONTROL MALFUNCTION
Preliminary Evaluation PE05041 · opened Jul 26, 2005 · closed Dec 7, 2005
Technical service bulletins
37 manufacturer communications (TSBs, service campaigns, warranty extensions) are on file with NHTSA for the 2002 Volvo V70XC. The 10 most recent:
This is a Technical Journal: 12V Battery Testing Method
26745.13.14 · Service Bulletin/Repair Instructions · issued Jan 12, 2024
Complimentary upgrade c00009 description.
C00009 · Service Bulletin/Repair Instructions · issued Jul 21, 2023
Rubber cushion
TJ3656330 · Service Bulletin/Repair Instructions · issued Jun 12, 2023
Engine Control Module (EMS) Software (MSW) Information â August 2022; Improvement List (Change Log) - US21+OBD22 (13L VGT, TC) And US17+OBD22 (11L) Emissions
CBR-2201 · Service Bulletin/Repair Instructions · issued Aug 29, 2022
The Deutronic DBL-1200 is an advanced battery maintainer/charger with the flexibility to be updated as products and repair methods evolve.
Special Tools Bu · Service Bulletin/Repair Instructions · issued May 12, 2022
ICUP/Google Built-In Diagnostic Operations
Service Manager · Service Bulletin/Repair Instructions · issued May 6, 2022
VIDA QR Scanner Mobile App
356EN01 · Service Bulletin/Repair Instructions · issued Feb 9, 2022
Shipping and Handling of Volvo Lithium-ion 48V Mild Hybrid Battery to Global Battery Solutions (GBS)
Service Manager · Service Bulletin/Repair Instructions · issued Feb 3, 2022
Battery Charger/maintainer requirement
Service Manager · Service Bulletin/Repair Instructions · issued Jun 23, 2020
Warranty, customer pay and/or internal repairs performed must be verified by a punched time flag on the back of the repair order hard copy. Each repair line must have a separate and identifiable time punch for the…
SMB00-354 · Service Bulletin/Repair Instructions · issued Oct 7, 2016
TSBs are repair guidance manufacturers send to dealers — they are not recalls and repairs are not automatically free. Full documents are available on NHTSA’s site.
Safety recalls
The 2002 Volvo V70XC has 1 NHTSA recall campaign — recall repairs are free at franchised dealers regardless of the vehicle’s age.
Check whether your specific vehicle is affected
Recall campaigns often cover only certain VIN ranges. Enter your VIN on the official NHTSA site to confirm whether your vehicle is included and whether the repair is still open.
Check VIN on NHTSA →Buying a used 2002 Volvo V70XC?
- · Decode the seller’s VIN with our free VIN decoder to confirm the exact year, engine and trim.
- · Check for unrepaired recalls by VIN on NHTSA’s official lookup — recall repairs are free.
- · Owners most often reported problems around 99,001 miles — budget accordingly if the car is approaching that mileage.