2004 Volvo S60 Problems: Engine (194 Complaints)
The most-reported problem on the 2004 Volvo S60 is Engine (35% of 194 owner reports). There are 6 safety recalls. Check the VIN and inspect Engine — this is the NHTSA file, not a score.
What problems show up on the 2004 Volvo S60?
68 of 194 filings named Engine (35% of the file). That is what owners wrote, not a shop diagnosis of the vehicle in the driveway.
Second is Fuel system (45 reports).
There are 6 official safety recalls on this year. They were filed about Steering, Brakes, Fuel system, and Airbags. Check the VIN at nhtsa.gov — a campaign on this page can still be open on a specific truck.
The 2003 has 117 reports on file; this year has 194. Older years collect more reports just by being on the road longer. If you need a fairer comparison, use the equal-time view.
What owners reported
- Crashes 12
- Fires 12
- Injuries 8
- Deaths 0
Complaint counts reflect self-selected reports and are not normalised for production sales volume. We publish no reliability scores, superlatives, or vehicle rankings.
Which systems owners named
Share of owner complaints filed against each vehicle system. These shares are not adjusted for how many vehicles were sold.
“Unclassified NHTSA leftover” is not a car part. It is a filing bucket and always sits last.
View component data as a table
| System / Component | Complaints | Share of Reports | Safety Reports (Crashes / Fires) |
|---|---|---|---|
| Engine (ENGINE) | 68 | 35.1% | 2 crashes · 1 fires |
| Fuel system (FUEL SYSTEM) | 45 | 23.2% | 1 crashes · 0 fires |
| Electrical (ELECTRICAL SYSTEM) | 15 | 7.7% | 0 crashes · 4 fires |
| Transmission / driveline (POWER TRAIN) | 10 | 5.2% | 0 crashes · 0 fires |
| Cruise / speed control (VEHICLE SPEED CONTROL) | 8 | 4.1% | 2 crashes · 0 fires |
| Steering (STEERING) | 7 | 3.6% | 0 crashes · 0 fires |
| Tires (TIRES) | 7 | 3.6% | 0 crashes · 0 fires |
| Lights (EXTERIOR LIGHTING) | 5 | 2.6% | 0 crashes · 0 fires |
| Brakes (SERVICE BRAKES) | 4 | 2.1% | 3 crashes · 0 fires |
| Unclassified NHTSA leftover | 71 | 36.6% | 7 crashes · 7 fires |
Complaint counts reflect self-selected reports and are not normalised for production sales volume. We publish no reliability scores, superlatives, or vehicle rankings.
When reports and recalls showed up
When owners filed reports, and when recall campaigns showed up.
- Campaign 09V483000 was reported 1,178 days after the first earlier complaint mapped to its component.
- Campaign 10V566000 was reported 2,594 days after the first earlier complaint mapped to its component.
- Campaign 21V766000 was reported 5,308 days after the first earlier complaint mapped to its component.
View timeline records as a table
| Date | Record type | Count | Record identifier |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2003-Q4 | Owner reports | 1 | |
| 2004-Q1 | Owner reports | 2 | |
| 2004-Q3 | Owner reports | 2 | |
| 2004-Q4 | Owner reports | 2 | |
| 2005-Q2 | Owner reports | 1 | |
| 2005-Q3 | Owner reports | 1 | |
| 2006-Q1 | Owner reports | 3 | |
| 2006-Q2 | Owner reports | 3 | |
| 2006-Q3 | Owner reports | 1 | |
| 2006-Q4 | Owner reports | 2 | |
| 2007-Q1 | Owner reports | 4 | |
| 2007-Q2 | Owner reports | 1 | |
| 2007-Q3 | Owner reports | 5 | |
| 2007-Q4 | Owner reports | 2 | |
| 2008-Q1 | Owner reports | 7 | |
| 2008-Q2 | Owner reports | 3 | |
| 2008-Q3 | Owner reports | 6 | |
| 2008-Q4 | Owner reports | 4 | |
| 2009-Q1 | Owner reports | 5 | |
| 2009-Q2 | Owner reports | 3 | |
| 2009-Q3 | Owner reports | 2 | |
| 2009-Q4 | Owner reports | 5 | |
| 2010-Q1 | Owner reports | 2 | |
| 2010-Q2 | Owner reports | 8 | |
| 2010-Q3 | Owner reports | 13 | |
| 2010-Q4 | Owner reports | 8 | |
| 2011-Q1 | Owner reports | 13 | |
| 2011-Q2 | Owner reports | 4 | |
| 2011-Q3 | Owner reports | 7 | |
| 2011-Q4 | Owner reports | 3 | |
| 2012-Q1 | Owner reports | 5 | |
| 2012-Q2 | Owner reports | 5 | |
| 2012-Q3 | Owner reports | 1 | |
| 2012-Q4 | Owner reports | 4 | |
| 2013-Q1 | Owner reports | 4 | |
| 2013-Q2 | Owner reports | 5 | |
| 2013-Q3 | Owner reports | 4 | |
| 2014-Q1 | Owner reports | 2 | |
| 2014-Q2 | Owner reports | 2 | |
| 2014-Q3 | Owner reports | 3 | |
| 2014-Q4 | Owner reports | 6 | |
| 2015-Q1 | Owner reports | 5 | |
| 2015-Q2 | Owner reports | 1 | |
| 2015-Q3 | Owner reports | 2 | |
| 2015-Q4 | Owner reports | 2 | |
| 2016-Q1 | Owner reports | 1 | |
| 2016-Q2 | Owner reports | 1 | |
| 2016-Q3 | Owner reports | 1 | |
| 2016-Q4 | Owner reports | 1 | |
| 2017-Q2 | Owner reports | 1 | |
| 2017-Q3 | Owner reports | 3 | |
| 2017-Q4 | Owner reports | 2 | |
| 2018-Q1 | Owner reports | 1 | |
| 2018-Q4 | Owner reports | 1 | |
| 2020-Q1 | Owner reports | 1 | |
| 2020-Q4 | Owner reports | 1 | |
| 2021-Q1 | Owner reports | 1 | |
| 2021-Q2 | Owner reports | 1 | |
| 2021-Q4 | Owner reports | 2 | |
| 2022-Q4 | Owner reports | 1 | |
| 2024-Q3 | Owner reports | 1 | |
| Recall campaign | 1 | 04V029000 | |
| Recall campaign | 1 | 07E023000 | |
| Recall campaign | 1 | 07V226000 | |
| Recall campaign | 1 | 09V483000 | |
| Recall campaign | 1 | 10V566000 | |
| Recall campaign | 1 | 21V766000 |
Safety Recalls (6)
Official campaigns. Each one says what could go wrong and what the dealer was told to fix.
In short, these campaigns were filed about Steering, Brakes, Fuel system, and Airbags.
-
Recall campaign 04V029000
Steering
- Report date
- Component:
- Steering (STEERING)
- Consequence:
- THIS DRIVING CONDITION COULD EVENTUALLY LEAD TO SEPARATION BETWEEN THE FRONT CONTROL ARM AND THE SPINDLE, WHICH COULD RESULT IN A CRASH.
- Remedy:
- DEALERS WILL INSTALL A NEW TYPE OF NUT. OWNER NOTIFICATION BEGAN ON FEBRUARY 16, 2004. OWNERS SHOULD CONTACT VOLVO CARS AT 1-800-458-1552.
-
Recall campaign 07E023000
Brakes
- Report date
- Component:
- Brakes (SERVICE BRAKES)
- Consequence:
- LOSS OF BRAKE FLUID CAN RESULT IN POOR BRAKING PERFORMANCE, POSSIBLY RESULTING IN A VEHICLE CRASH.
- Remedy:
- CARDONE WILL NOTIFY OWNERS AND OFFER TO REPURCHASE ANY DEFECTIVE MASTER CYLINDERS. THE RECALL BEGAN DURING APRIL 2007. OWNERS CAN CONTACT CARDONE AT 1-800-777-4780.
-
Recall campaign 07V226000
Safety recall 07V226000
- Report date
- Component:
- Not available in the source record
- Consequence:
- MISFIRE MAY OCCUR DURING DRIVING THAT, IN TURN, WILL REDUCE THE ENGINE TORQUE AND IN THE WORST CASE SCENARIO, THE ENGINE MAY STALL WITHOUT WARNING. IN CERTAIN TRAFFIC SITUATIONS THIS COULD CAUSE AN UNSAFE SITUATION AND POSSIBLY A CRASH.
- Remedy:
- DEALERS WILL REPLACE THE FUEL PRESSURE SENSOR FREE OF CHARGE. THE RECALL BEGAN ON JUNE 29, 2007. OWNERS MAY CONTACT VOLVO AT 1-800-458-1552.
-
Recall campaign 09V483000
Fuel system
- Report date
- Component:
- Fuel system (FUEL SYSTEM)
- Consequence:
- IF THE CONDITION OCCURS VEHICLE OWNERS MAY NOTICE FUEL SMELL AND/OR FUEL LEAK WHICH, IN THE PRESENCE OF AN IGNITION SOURCE, COULD RESULT IN A FIRE.
- Remedy:
- DEALERS WILL INSPECT THE FUEL PUMP INSTALLED IN THE VEHICLE, AND IF NECESSARY REPLACE THE FUEL PUMP WITH A PART OF A MODIFIED DESIGN. THIS SERVICE WILL BE PERFORMED FREE OF CHARGE. THE SAFETY RECALL BEGAN ON JANUARY 15, 2010. OWNERS MAY CONTACT VOLVO AT 1-800-458-1552.
-
Recall campaign 10V566000
Safety recall 10V566000
- Report date
- Component:
- Unclassified NHTSA leftover
- Consequence:
- AN OVERHEATED BATTERY COULD LEAD TO A FIRE.
- Remedy:
- VOLVO ADVISES OWNERS TO PLEASE STOP USING THE GARMIN PORTABLE GPS DEVICE IMMEDIATELY, AND VISIT THE GARMIN WEBSITE TO DETERMINE IF THEIR UNIT IS AFFECTED. THE UNIT'S BATTERY WILL BE REPLACED WITH A NEW BATTERY AND A SPACER WILL BE INSERTED ON TOP OF THE BATTERY NEXT TO THE PCB. THIS SERVICE WILL BE PERFORMED FREE OF CHARGE. THE SAFETY RECALL BEGAN ON NOVEMBER 18, 2010. OWNERS MAY CONTACT GARMIN AT 866-957-1981 OR VISIT GARMIN'S WEBSITE AT WWW.GARMIN.COM/NUVIBATTERYPCBRECALL.
-
Recall campaign 21V766000
Airbags
- Report date
- Component:
- Airbags (AIR BAGS)
- Consequence:
- An inflator explosion may result in sharp metal fragments striking the driver or other occupants, resulting in serious injury or death.
- Remedy:
- Dealers will replace the driver's air bag, free of charge. Owner notification letters were mailed November 29, 2021. Owners may contact Volvo Car customer service at 1-800-458-1552. Volvo's number for this recall is R10125.
Complaint counts reflect self-selected reports and are not normalised for production sales volume. We publish no reliability scores, superlatives, or vehicle rankings.
What owners actually wrote
Short excerpts from the public NHTSA file. Look for the same symptom repeating.
Frequently asked questions
What are the most common problems on the 2004 Volvo S60?
Owners named Engine most often — 68 of 194 reports (35%). That is the NHTSA file, not a diagnosis of every vehicle.
Are there recalls for the 2004 Volvo S60?
NHTSA lists 6 safety recall campaigns. They were filed about Steering, Brakes, Fuel system, and Airbags. Check the VIN at nhtsa.gov; a campaign on this page can still be open on a specific vehicle.
What should I inspect before buying a 2004 Volvo S60?
Look up the VIN for open recalls. Have a shop check for oil consumption, coolant leaks, rough idle and unusual engine noise. Then skim owner filings for the same symptom and take that list to a mechanic.
Does a high complaint count mean I should skip this year?
No. Counts are reports people chose to file and they are not adjusted for sales volume. YearTell does not publish scores or a list of years to skip. Inspect the vehicle.
Estimated Ownership Cost
EPA fuel economy ratings and annual operating cost estimates
Adjacent Model Years
Immediate preceding and succeeding model year records
Complaint counts reflect self-selected reports and are not normalised for production sales volume. We publish no reliability scores, superlatives, or vehicle rankings.
Methodology & Data Integrity
Source: NHTSA ODI / recalls, snapshot 2026-09-07. YearTell is not a government agency.