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Electrical systemPart report

2003 Volvo S80 Electrical system Problems

Complaints
4about this part
Share
15%of 26 total for the year
Median mileage
144,077miles
Trend
Not enough dataFewer than 15 complaints, too few for a reliable trend.

NHTSA recorded 4 complaints about the electrical system of the 2003 Volvo S80, 15% of the 26 complaints for this model year. Where a mileage was given, the median is 144,077 miles. 1 a fire, according to the filers. 1 recall campaign on record is filed under a similar system.

Fewer than 15 complaints name this part, so treat the figures as a rough indication only.

Example complaints

Selected from NHTSA records; personal details are removed. They are consumer reports, not findings.

“Takata recall the dashboard lights are not working at all. I just bought the car 2 months ago. Without the dashboard lights not working, it is very dangerous. I can not see how many MPH I am going, and can't tell how much gas I have. Also at night, it is completely black in the dashboard and is very dangerous. This happens day and night. It happened as soon as I drove it off the lot. I called the dealer, and they did not want to take care of it. I purchased the car at michele motors, located on rt.88, brick, nj.”

NHTSA complaint #10820957, filed 2016-01, 144,077 miles

“After purchasing a Volvo S80 in april 2003 from Volvo north scottsdale, my wife (who drives the car) began experiencing a fuel injection problem. Each time the car was routinely serviced at Volvo north scottsdale, she complained of the problem, but the dealer failed to repair it. After tiring of the deteriorating service quality at Volvo north scottsdale, my wife began having the car serviced at powell Volvo, to whom she continued to complain of the fuel injection problem. That dealer also failed to repair the problem. …”

NHTSA complaint #10206798, filed 2007-10, 35,990 miles

“Driver information module (dim) originally started dropping out and returning multiple times during a trip, now it is going out completely after roughly 15 miles, no cluster gauges or dash lights. Will come back on after cool down time of roughly 2-3 hours. No speedometer, tach, gas or temp gauges. Signal lights work, but no dash indicators.”

NHTSA complaint #10495014, filed 2013-01, 152,000 miles

“The contact owned a 2003 Volvo S80. While parked, the battery compartment caught fire without warning. The fire department extinguished the fire and filed a report. There were no injuries. The vehicle was not diagnosed. The manufacturer was not notified of the failure. The failure mileage was unknown. The vehicle was destroyed.”

NHTSA complaint #10915723, filed 2016-10

Related recalls

Related service bulletins

Electrical system: other model years

YearComplaintsShare of year
2016117%
2011240%
2010311%
2009213%
2008519%
2007417%
2006325%
2005427%
2004510%
2003415%
2002410%
20013924%
20005417%
19993518%

Other parts of the 2003 Volvo S80

Fuel system
8 complaintsBrakes
4 complaintsAir bags
3 complaintsExterior lighting
3 complaintsTransmission and drivetrain
2 complaintsElectronic stability control
1 complaintsEngine cooling
1 complaintsOther or unknown
1 complaintsSteering
1 complaintsSuspension
1 complaintsVehicle speed control
1 complaints

← All problems reported for the 2003 Volvo S80

About this data. Data from NHTSA (ODI) complaints, recalls, TSBs and investigations, updated Oct 28, 2026. Complaints are unverified consumer reports and may be duplicated or inaccurate.

To check a specific vehicle for open recalls, use its VIN at nhtsa.gov/recalls. Methodology