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SeatsPart report

2004 Volvo V70 Seats Problems

Complaints
8about this part
Share
10%of 84 total for the year
Median mileage
92,700miles
Trend
Not enough dataFewer than 15 complaints, too few for a reliable trend.

NHTSA recorded 8 complaints about the seats of the 2004 Volvo V70, 10% of the 84 complaints for this model year. Where a mileage was given, the median is 92,700 miles. 5 a fire, according to the filers.

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.

“While driving with my 2 year old...I smelled what I thought was my engine overheating, pulled over to take a look and as opened my drivers side door smoke was billowing out of my seat, melting a hole through to the left side of seat bottom, near backrest and seat adjustment buttons. Luckily, after turning the seat heater off the electrical malfunction cooled off. I went to local volve dealership and they said your car is too old to have a valid recall status , nor did they offer to assist in any way.”

NHTSA complaint #11062930, filed 2018-01, 192,000 miles

“I was at our automotive shop and had to give a customer a ride to work. I had the seat warmers on because it was cold outside. About a minute into the drive, I feel a burning sensation on my left outer thigh. I thought nothing of it. The burning sensation got worse, I stated, something's burning me! The customer states she smells something burning, like wires. I pull over, hop out of the car to notice a burn hole in my seat. Luckily, I did not get severely burnt, however, my thigh was sore for about 4 hours. After this happened, I went online to see if there was a recall on the seat. …”

NHTSA complaint #11155247, filed 2018-11, 5 miles

“On sunday, 24 january 2009, the heating element in the driver's seat in our 2004 Volvo V70 somehow shorted and/or otherwise overheated, causing the seat to begin to smolder and smoke and burned small holes in the side of the leather seat cover. After the heating element was turned off, the materials in the seat appear to have been sufficiently fire retardant to keep the seat from a full-scale conflagration. We had been smelling an unexplained odor for a couple of days prior, which we now believe to have been when the overheating started. …”

NHTSA complaint #10302255, filed 2010-01, 74,225 miles

“This complaint pertains to the drivers side seat-heater. When activated, on the lowest of 2 settings, the occupant of the drivers-side front seat experiences a burning-pain sensation in the right-rear area of the thigh, after 60-90 seconds of the seat heater being activated via dash button. The owner of the car worries that: 1.) accidental activation of the drivers-side seat heater, with no occupant in that seat, could result in thermal damage to the leather and padding of the seat, as well as combustion leading to the destruction of the car. …”

NHTSA complaint #10510186, filed 2013-04, 72,000 miles

“The contact owns a 2004 Volvo V70. The contact began to smell a faint burning odor from the vehicle. The contact inspected and noticed that the driver seat was smoking. The contact turned the seat heater off and extinguished the fire. The vehicle was taken to an authorized dealer where she was told that the seat heater was not burnt and that something under the seat must have caused the fire. The current and failure mileages were 105,000.”

NHTSA complaint #10383153, filed 2011-02, 105,000 miles

Related service bulletins

Seats: other model years

YearComplaintsShare of year
2004810%
200211%
200121%
200033%
199911%
199842%

Other parts of the 2004 Volvo V70

Engine cooling
22 complaints
Fuel system
21 complaints
Electrical system
12 complaints
Steering
9 complaints
Engine
6 complaints
Transmission and drivetrain
6 complaints
Air bags
4 complaints
Brakes
4 complaints
Seat belts
4 complaints
Suspension
4 complaints
Exterior lighting
3 complaints
Other or unknown
3 complaints

← All problems reported for the 2004 Volvo V70

About this data. Data from NHTSA (ODI) complaints, recalls, TSBs and investigations, updated Oct 29, 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