The 2002 Volvo V70xc has 1 NHTSA recall campaign affecting an estimated 3,242 vehicles. Recall repairs are always free at any authorized dealer. Owners have filed 32 complaints with NHTSA, most often about the power train. Last updated July 5, 2026.
ON CERTAIN SPORT UTILITY VEHICLES, THE REAR LEFT AND RIGHT BRAKE LIGHT RELAYS MAY NOT FUNCTION WHEN THE BRAKE PEDAL IS DEPRESSED OR MAY STAY ON CONTINUOUSLY. THE HIGH POSITIONED BRAKE LIGHT AND ALL OTHER TAIL LIGHTS WILL NOT BE AFFECTED.
Consequence
IF THE BRAKE LIGHTS FAIL TO COME ON, THERE WILL BE NO LOWER BRAKE LIGHTS TO INDICATE TO FOLLOWING VEHICLES THAT THE VEHICLE IS DECELERATING, WHICH COULD RESULT IN A CRASH.
Remedy
DEALERS WILL REPLACE THE BRAKE LIGHT RELAY WITH TWO RELAYS OF A MODIFIED DESIGN. OWNER NOTIFICATION BEGAN ON FEBRUARY 23, 2004. OWNERS SHOULD CONTACT VOLVO AT 1-800-458-1552.
Complaints by component
POWER TRAIN:AUTOMATIC TRANSMISSION
7
FUEL/PROPULSION SYSTEM
4
POWER TRAIN
4
VEHICLE SPEED CONTROL
3
1crashes2injuries
ENGINE AND ENGINE COOLING
2
FUEL SYSTEM, GASOLINE
2
ELECTRICAL SYSTEM
1
EQUIPMENT
1
EXTERIOR LIGHTING:BRAKE LIGHTS
1
EXTERIOR LIGHTING:HEADLIGHTS
1
Total complaints32
What owners report
Verbatim reports filed with NHTSA, lightly edited for readability and with personal
information removed.
“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…”
“The vehicle smelled of gasoline and needed to have the fuel pump repaired, spending 700 dollars out of pocket. *tr”
“Fuel smell and leak from top of fuel tank area of fuel pump. Volvo specialty shop contracted a local dealership and was told repair was covered by this recall. I called same dealership to make appointment for repair and was told it was a 10 yr extended warranty item and not covered. My car has…”
“First, I got a message on the instrument panel saying "srs airbag urgent." a few days later, the panel started to intermittently work. When it doesn't work, I have no working speedometer, fuel gauge, odometer, blinkers (although they still work outside the car), or any other light that would…”
“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…”
“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…”
“Began experiencing what I now realize many, many people with this model/year have experienced with lurching, revving high and jerking forward, and missing in drive (with transmission). Volvo has told many that a software update will fix this problem, but it does not fix the problem...at all. I…”
“Tl* the contact owns a 2002 volvo v70xc. The contact stated that while driving approximately 5 to 15 mph and trying to accelerate, he noticed that the engine would rev, but the vehicle would not accelerate. After pulling into a garage and then trying to reverse, the vehicle would not shift into…”
Defect investigations
InvestigationPE05041 Opened 2005-07-26 · closed 2005-12-07
THROTTLE CONTROL MALFUNCTION
PE05-041 WAS OPENED ON JULY, 26, 2005, BASED ON 136 CONSUMER COMPLAINTS TO ODI ALLEGING THROTTLE CONTROL MALFUNCTIONS IN THE SUBJECT VEHICLES.ODI HAS NOW RECEIVED 591 COMPLAINTS OF ETM FAILURES WHICH ALLEGE SYMPTOMS WITH POTENTIAL SAFETY RELATED CONSEQUENCES.THESE INCLUDE ALLEGATIONS OF ENGINE STALL, VEHICLE SURGING…
Recall, complaint, and investigation records from official NHTSA datasets (FLAT_RCL,
FLAT_CMPL, FLAT_INV), synced weekly. Counts reflect NHTSA records for the 2002 Volvo V70xc as of
July 5, 2026. Complaint narratives are consumer-submitted and unverified. This page
contains ads and affiliate links. Full methodology.