Used Volvo V70 Estate 2007 - 2016 reliability
Category: Estate car
The Volvo V70 offers all the practicality you'd expect from one of the company's estates, but rivals are better to drive.
What should I look for in a used Volvo V70 estate?
Turbochargers have also been known to fail. Blue smoke from the exhaust pipe on start-up and a shortage of engine power are signs that you should walk away, because it can cost more than £1000 to fix.
The indicator stalk on the V70 has a button marked 'Read'. Pressing and holding it will display any faults that the car's on-board computer is aware of. A readout of '0 messages' is good news, although it's not a substitute for a thorough inspection.
What are the most common problems with a used Volvo V70 estate?
Potential engine fire
Volvo is presently in the process of recalling around 70,000 cars in the UK fitted with a 2.0-litre diesel engine, over potential engine fires. There isn't a fix at the moment, so owners are being told to pay attention to any unusual smells coming into the interior, if the engine warning light illuminates, or if the engine hesitates under acceleration. Read our news story on this for further information or contact Volvo directly on 01628 854 210.
Parking brake may release
On some examples built between 24 February 2011 and 2 February 2015 that have a manual gearbox and start/stop technology fitted, the parking brake may release without warning. This happens with the engine on and when the gearlever is moved, so it shouldn't occur when the car is left unattended. Any Volvo dealer will be able to let you know if your car is affected and apply the updated software required to prevent this from happening if required.
Fuel gauge may show incorrect level
A software update is currently being sought to correct an issue with the fuel gauge showing the wrong level on vehicles constructed between 24 April 2014 and 11 December 2015. The current advice if your car is affected is to keep at the level above a third of a tank to ensure you don't run out of fuel until a fix can be implemented.
Cracked fuel hose
The fuel hose used in some models has been found to be crack up from the inside, which could lead to a fuel leak if not fixed. This applies to cars built between 11 April 2015 and 30 March 2016, and a Volvo dealer will be able to tell you if your car is affected or not.
Power steering
A possible software issue on V70s built between 17 April 2015 and 18 February 2016 could cause electrical problems and the power steering system to stop working. There have also been other issues with examples made between 1 January 2007 and 31 December 2009 with the auxiliary drive belt that powers the power steering pump. It can fail and affect the power steering system.
Coolant leak
It has been identified that there could be a coolant leak during the warm-up process of some V70s built between 27 May 2010 and 17 April 2015 that could result in an engine fire in extreme circumstances. Check with a Volvo dealer to make sure your car isn't affected by this.
Is a used Volvo V70 estate reliable?
For models five years or older, Volvo as a brand finished in 20th place out of 28 manufacturers included in our latest Reliability Survey, which isn't a particularly great result.
If you would like to see the full reliability list, head to the What Car? Reliability Survey pages for more information.
