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What 5 owners told NHTSA about the 2011 Volvo S80

These are the actual owner complaints behind this car’s reliability verdict, filed with the federal government, unedited. They’re unverified reports, not confirmed defects: read them as leads for your pre-purchase inspection, not a diagnosis.

All (5)Crash / fire / injury (2)Electrical system (2)Transmission & drivetrain (2)Airbags (1)Engine (1)Seats (1)

1 of 5 complaints match · Engine · clear filters

Mar 10, 2021Transmission & drivetrainEngine

TL* THE CONTACT OWNS A 2011 VOLVO S80. THE CONTACT STATED WHILE DRIVING AT LOW SPEEDS, THE STABILIZATION WARNING LIGHT ILLUMINATED AND STARTED FLASHING. THE STEERING WHEEL FAILED TO MOVE AND VEHICLE LOSS POWER. THE CHARGING WARNING LIGHT WAS ILLUMINATED. THE VEHICLE WAS TOWED AN INDEPENDENT MECHANIC AND THE CONTACT WAS INFORMED THAT THE ALTERNATOR AND BATTERY NEEDED TO BE REPLACED. THE VEHICLE WAS REPAIRED HOWEVER, THE FAILURE RECURRED. THE CONTACT CALLED PEDERSEN VOLVO CARS (4455 S MASON ST, FORT COLLINS, CO 80525, (970)223-8500) HOWEVER, THE VEHICLE WAS NOT DIAGNOSED NOR REPAIRED. THE MANUFACTURER WAS NOT NOTIFIED OF THE FAILURE. THE APPROXIMATE FAILURE MILEAGE WAS 25,000. THE CONSUMER STATED SHORTLY AFTER PURCHASING THE VEHICLE THE "CHARGING SYSTEM FAILURE" WARNING LIGHT WOULD INTERMITTENTLY ILLUMINATE WHILE DRIVING. THE VEHICLE HAD AN INCIDENT IN WHICH IT WOULD NOT POWER ON. THE BATTERY WAS REPLACED. THE CHARGING FAILURE LIGHT CONTINUED FLASH. THE ALTERNATOR WAS REPLACED, BUT THE FAILURE PERSISTED. THE CONSUMER THEN EXPERIENCED A TOTAL SYSTEM FAILURE WILE DRIVING. IT WAS DETERMINED THE BATTERY WAS DEFECTIVE. THE BATTERY WAS REPLACED, BUT THE WARNING LIGHTS RETURNED. IT WAS DETERMINE VIA SERVICE BULLETIN FROM 2015 THE BATTERY AND ALTERNATOR LOST COMMUNICATION. THE FAILURE WAS DUE TO THE ANTI TAMPER UNIT. THE MANUFACTURER WAS CONTACTED, BUT DID NOT OFFER ANY ASSISTANCE. HOWEVER, THE DEALER OFFERED A 15% DISCOUNT.

NHTSA ODI 11400219

Working with the data? Download all 5 complaints as CSV · fetched from NHTSA July 27, 2026

How to use these: a complaint is one owner’s report, filed voluntarily and published unverified. Patterns matter more than any single story. If several owners describe the same failure at similar mileage, put that system at the top of your pre-purchase inspection list. Back to the full 2011 Volvo S80 verdict →