Selling a junk Volvo S80
Any S80 sells for scrap or parts, running or not. Below: what owners report most often for each model year, the recalls on file, and which of those change the offer. Enter your ZIP for a buyer near you.
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What owners report about the Volvo S80
NHTSA has 1,321 owner complaints on file for the Volvo S80, model years 1999 to 2016, the 244th-most of the 423 models in our data. The most-reported components are speed control (228, 17%), electrical system (166, 13%), engine and cooling (148, 11%). 65 complaints involved a crash, 30 a fire, and 20 say the vehicle had to be towed. The median mileage when the problem was reported is 75,000 miles. The 2000 model year has the most complaints (442). Data as of 2026-10-12.
The guides below explain how each kind of fault changes what a buyer pays.
Volvo S80 by model year
| Year | Complaints | Most reported | Crash | Fire | Recalls | Median miles |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1999 | 288 | Speed control | 7 | 8 | 5 | 78,000 |
| 2000 | 442 | Speed control | 21 | 11 | 5 | 80,000 |
| 2001 | 218 | Speed control | 10 | 2 | 8 | 64,281 |
| 2002 | 59 | Fuel system | 1 | 3 | 5 | 100,000 |
| 2003 | 30 | Fuel system | 1 | 1 | 6 | — |
| 2004 | 63 | Fuel system | 6 | 0 | 5 | 100,000 |
| 2005 | 26 | Fuel system | 2 | 4 | 6 | — |
| 2006 | 22 | Speed control | 1 | 0 | 4 | — |
| 2007 | 32 | Body and structure | 0 | 0 | 5 | — |
| 2008 | 38 | Fuel system | 9 | 0 | 7 | 59,185 |
| 2009 | 20 | Wheels | 0 | 0 | 5 | — |
| 2010 | 36 | Visibility and wipers | 1 | 0 | 5 | — |
| 2011 | 8 | Air bags | 2 | 1 | 4 | — |
| 2012 | 11 | Other | 3 | 0 | 3 | — |
| 2013 | 8 | Body and structure | 0 | 0 | 3 | — |
| 2014 | 1 | Transmission and drivetrain | 0 | 0 | 1 | — |
| 2015 | 12 | Engine | 1 | 0 | 2 | — |
| 2016 | 7 | Engine | 0 | 0 | 2 | — |
Complaints are owner reports to NHTSA, not confirmed defects. Median miles is the odometer reading owners gave when they reported a problem, shown only where 20 or more reports include it.
Volvo S80 recalls
NHTSA lists 28 recall campaigns across these model years, most often for electrical system (6), engine and cooling (5), equipment (3). Recall repairs are free at a franchised dealer. Before you sell, check your VIN at nhtsa.gov/recalls; a buyer who plans to resell the car will.
- 2001 model year, air bags (campaign 21V766000, Sep 2021): Volvo Car USA, LLC (Volvo Car) is recalling certain 2001-2006 S80 and 2001-2009 S60 vehicles. The driver's air bag inflator may explode during deployment, due to propellant degradation occurring after long-term exposure …
- 2001 model year, air bags (campaign 20V681000, Nov 2020): Volvo Car USA LLC (Volvo Car) is recalling certain 2001-2003 S80 and S60 vehicles sold or ever registered in Alabama, Arkansas, Florida, Georgia, Hawaii, Louisiana, Mississippi, North Carolina, Oklahoma, South Carolina, …
- 2007 model year, seat belts (campaign 20V378000, Jun 2020): Volvo Cars of N.A., LLC (Volvo) is recalling certain 2008-2016 V70 and XC70, 2007-2016 S80, 2011-2018 S60 and V60, 2016-2018 S60 Cross Country, 2014-2020 S60L, 2009-2015 S80L, 2009-2016 XC60 and 2015-2018 V60 Cross Count…
- 2016 model year, electrical system (campaign 15V555000, Sep 2015): Volvo Cars of North America, LLC. (Volvo) is recalling certain model year 2016 Volvo S60, V60, V60CC, XC60, XC70, and S80 vehicles manufactured April 8, 2015 to August 19, 2015. In certain driving conditions when using t…
- 2015 model year, electrical system (campaign 13V377000, Aug 2013): Volvo is recalling certain model year 2014 S60, S80, XC60 and XC70 vehicles equipped with keyless ignition. In the affected vehicles, the Central Electronic Module (CEM) will not perform as intended. As a result, the fro…
What a Volvo S80 is worth as a junk car
Buyers price a junk S80 on four things: its weight at today's scrap steel price (the floor), the parts still on it that can be resold, whether it starts and drives, and how far they have to tow it. None of those come from a complaint database, so use this page to describe the car accurately and our junk car value guide to work out a ceiling for the metal. Then get more than one offer.
Guides for selling this car
How to sell a car that doesn't run 
How much is my junk car worth? 
How junkyards price cars 
Catalytic converters and junk cars 
How to prepare your car for the junkyard 
Junk car scams and how to avoid them Other Volvo models
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Questions people ask
- What is a junk Volvo S80 worth?
- What a yard can recover: the car's weight at the current scrap steel price, plus parts it can resell (the catalytic converter, engine, transmission and wheels if they're good), minus towing and processing. The same S80 gets different offers from different buyers, so compare at least two. Our value guide shows the public benchmark.
- Will a junkyard buy a Volvo S80 that doesn't run?
- Yes. Junkyards and junk car buyers take cars that don't start, and most arrange the tow. Tell them honestly whether it starts, whether the engine and transmission are still in it, and whether the catalytic converter is on; those are what change the price.
- Should I fix an open recall before selling a Volvo S80?
- Recall repairs are free at a franchised dealer for as long as the car exists. If the car is going for scrap, the repair won't change the scrap price. If a buyer might resell it or pull parts, a completed recall can help. Check your VIN at NHTSA's recall lookup first.
- Where do these Volvo S80 numbers come from?
- From the complaint and recall data NHTSA publishes for every make and model, counted by model year on 2026-10-12. A complaint is an owner's report, not a confirmed defect, and the count rises with how many of the model were sold.