1994 Volvo 960

Routine

Owners filed 19 complaints about this vehicle with federal regulators, most often about the air bags › frontal. No safety recall has been issued.

What fails
ComponentReportsCrashesFiresInjuries
Air Bags › Frontal3
201
Service Brakes, Hydraulic › Antilock/Traction Control/Electronic Limited Slip2
000
Fuel System, Gasoline › Storage › Tank Assembly2
000
Engine and Engine Cooling › Cooling System › Radiator Assembly2
000
Tires › Tread/Belt1
000
Structure › Body › Door1
000
Steering › Linkages › Arm › Idler and Attachment1
100
Seats › Front Assembly › Seat Heater/Cooler1
010
Power Train › Automatic Transmission1
000
Parking Brake › Conventional1
000

What owners reported

Newest filings
Seats › Front Assembly › Seat Heater/CoolerFire
Filed Aug 30, 2006NC

MY DAUGHTER WAS DRIVING OUR 1994 VOLVO 960 ON AUGUST 12,2006 ON A CONGESTED 4 LANE ROAD. SHE MOVED THE DRIVERS SEAT FORWARD WITH THE ELECTRIC POWERED SWITCH AND NOTICED SMOKE EMERGING FROM THE SEAT. SHE LOOKED MORE CLOSELY AND SAW FLAMES. SHE WAS ABLE TO NAVIGATE ONTO A SIDE STREET AND EXIT THE VEHICLE. MY HUSBAND WHO IS A CERTIFIED BMW/ VOLVO TECHNICIAN, TRACED THE WIRES AND FOUND A SHORT IN THE SEAT HEATER ELEMENT. THE FIRE WAS EXTENSIVE, REQUIRING THE FIRE DEPARTMENT TO EXTINGUISH THE FLAMES WITH FIRE RETARDANT AND WATER. THE SEAT WAS COMPLETELY DESTROYED WITHIN 5 MINUTES AND THE STEERING WHEEL WAS BURNED. SHE COULD HAVE BEEN SERIOUSLY INJURED. *JB

Engine and Engine Cooling › Cooling System › Radiator Assembly
Filed May 22, 2003CA

THE CONSUMER DISCOVERED COOLANT LEAKED FROM THE RADIATOR. *JB

Engine and Engine Cooling › Cooling System
Filed May 19, 2003CA

WHILE DRIVING THE VEHICLE OVERHEATED. *NLM

Power Train › Automatic Transmission
Filed May 19, 2003CA

WHILE DRIVING THE VEHICLES GEARS BECAME STUCK AFTER SHIFTING. *NLM

Fuel System, Gasoline › Storage › Tank Assembly
Filed Dec 7, 2002CA

NO SUMMARY. DT

Fuel System, Gasoline › Storage › Tank Assembly
Filed Sep 3, 2002AZ

WHILE DRIVING FUEL TANK CRACKED AT THE SEAM AND CAR BEGAN LEAKING FUEL.*AK

Tires › Tread/Belt
Filed Mar 20, 2002LA

THE YOKOHAMA TIRE ON THE LEFT FRONT WHEEL EXPERIENCED TREAD SEPARATION WHILE THE CONSUMER WAS TRAVELING, RESULTING IN MAJOR DAMAGE TO THE UNDER CARRIAGE OF THE VEHICLE, THE CONSUMER IS REQUESTING REIMBURSEMENT FOR THE COST OF THE TIRE AND THE DAMAGE TO THE VEHICLE. TIRE SIZE P195/65R15. *YH

Service Brakes, Hydraulic › Antilock/Traction Control/Electronic Limited Slip
Filed Apr 7, 2000VA

AUGUST 1995 CAR WAS RETURNED TO DEALER AS BRAKES WERE NOISY AND BRAKE PEDAL WAS MUSHY. FRONT AND REAR BRAKE PADS WERE REPLACED. VEHICLE MILEAGE - 14349. SEPTEMBER, 1996 THE BRAKE PEDAL WAS AGAIN TRAVELING TOO FAR DOWN ACCOMPANIED BY VIBRATION. REAR BRAKE ROTORS AND PADS WERE REPLACED. MILEAGE - 34875. DECEMBER 1996 WHEN ATTEMPTING TO STOP AT STOPLIGHT IN 45 MPH ZONE ON DRY PAVEMENT THE BRAKE PEDAL WENT TO FLOOR ACCOMPANIED BY LOUD GRINDING AND VIBRATION. CAR TRAVELED THROUGH LIGHT. DEALER COULD NOT DUPLICATE, NO REPAIRS PERFORMED. MILEAGE - 39021. MARCH 1997 BRAKE PEDAL WENT TO FLOOR ACCOMPANIED BY LOUD GRINDING NOISE AND VIBRATION. CAR WENT THROUGH STOPLIGHT. DEALER REPLACED MASTER CYLINDER, BRAKE CALIPER, BRAKE FLUID, BLED THE BRAKE LINES. MILEAGE - 40283. MARCH 1998 BRAKES LOUD, MUSHY WITH VIBRATION AND SHUDDER. DEALER REPLACED REAR DISCS AND PADS. MILEAGE - 47557. JULY 1998 BRAKES VIBRATING. DEALER COULD NOT FIND PROBLEM. MILEAGE - 49297. MAY 1999 BRAKES GRINDING AND VIBRATING. DEALER FOUND NO PROBLEMS, RECOMMENDED REPLACING REAR BRAKE ROTORS. MILEAGE - 57711. JULY 6, 1999 DEALER REPLACED REAR ROTORS AND PADS AS RECOMMENDED. JULY 20, 1999 BRAKE PEDAL TRAVELED TO FLOOR ACCOMPANIED BY LOUD GRINDING AND VIBRATION. CAR TRAVELED THROUGH STOP SIGN IN 25 MPH ZONE. DEALER CLEANED FRONT WHEEL SENSORS. COULD NOT DUPLICATE PROBLEM. MILEAGE - 59675. *AK

Parking Brake › Conventional
Filed Oct 29, 1999FL

THE EMERGENCY BRAKE WARNING LIGHT IS ON AND STAYS ON UNLESS THE BRAKE RELEASE BUTTON IS HELD DOWN. DEALER HAS REPLACED IT TWICE, AND PROBLEM STILL EXISTS. *AK

Electrical System › Horn
Filed Feb 18, 1999NY

WHEN TRYING TO USE THE HORN, IT FAILED TO WORK PROPERLY. ALSO, TRANSMISSION HAD DEVELOPED A CRACK, AND THE OIL LINE TO TRANSMISSION HAD A HOLE IN IT. THIS CAUSED THE OIL TO LEAK. FINALLY, BRAKE LIGHTS WENT OUT. TOOK TO DEALER TO HAVE TRANSMISSION & HORN REPAIRED. *AK

Air Bags
Filed Dec 30, 1998MD

FALSE DEPLOYMENT OF AIR BAG DURING MINOR LOW SPEED COLLISION WHICH CAUSED NO DAMAGE TO EXTERIOR OF VEHICLE, HOWEVER INTERIOR OF VEHICLE DAMAGED BADLY BY VIOLENT DEPLOYMENT OF AIR BAG.

Air Bags › FrontalCrash
Filed Sep 23, 1998VA

VEHICLE WAS STOPPED AT A STOP LIGHT, AIR BAGS DEPLOYED, CAR ROLLED INTO ANOTHER CAR. DEALER CONTACTED, AND IS IN THE PROCESS OF INVESTIGATING PROBLEM. *AK

Electrical System › Wiring › Front UnderhoodFire
Filed Mar 6, 1997CA

ELECTRIC SHORT CAUSED UNDER HOOD ENGINE COMPARTMENT FIRE, WHILE DRIVING SAW SMOKE, VEHICLE STALLED AND THEN CAUGHT ON FIRE. *AK

Service Brakes, Hydraulic › Antilock/Traction Control/Electronic Limited Slip
Filed Jan 24, 1997CA

WAS DRIVING AND APPLIED THE BRAKES AND THEY LOCKED UP, THERE WERE NO BRAKES . *AK

Air Bags › Frontal1 injured
Filed May 24, 1996CA

FALSE DEPLOYMENT OF DRIVERS AIR BAG, RESULTING IN WINDSHIELD BREAKING/INJURY. (ATTORNEY FOR CLIENT) *DSH

Structure › Body › Door
Filed Aug 17, 1995NY

NO WARNING DEVICE TO ALERT DRIVER THAT DOOR IS AJAR. *SD

Air Bags › FrontalCrash
Filed Apr 25, 1995AL

VEHICLE INVOLVED IN FRONTAL COLLISION, IMPACT 12:00 SPEED 12, PASSENGER'S AIR BAG DEPLOYED, PASSENGER DEPLOYED METAL CASING WITH BAG HITTING WINDSHEILD

Steering › Linkages › Arm › Idler and AttachmentCrash
Filed Feb 14, 1995NJ

CRUISE CONTROL ENGAGES WITHOUT ASSISTANCE, CAUSING SUDDEN ACCELERATION, RESULTING IN LOSS OF CONTROL/ACCIDENT. *SKD

Engine and Engine Cooling › Cooling System › Radiator Assembly
Filed Jan 28, 1995CA

RADIATOR PROBLEMS. *SKD

19 of 19 complaints, reproduced as filed.

Across model years

Worst on record: 1996
YearComplaintsRecallsFiresDeathsAssessment
199720000Routine
199660010Routine
199557150Routine
1994 — this page19020Routine
19937000Routine
199221020Routine
19901000Routine

Compare every 960 year →

Reading this record

No unusual pattern of severe incidents in the complaint record.

Complaint counts track how many cars were sold and how long they have been on the road as much as they track quality. A common model from 2013 has had a decade to accumulate reports; a rare one from last year has not. The signal worth weighing is in the severity columns, in whether the same component keeps appearing, and in whether the manufacturer eventually opened a recall for it.

Most recent recall on file: none. Source: NHTSA Office of Defects Investigation.