Selling a junk Volvo XC70
Any XC70 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 XC70
NHTSA has 515 owner complaints on file for the Volvo XC70, model years 2001 to 2016, the 391st-most of the 423 models in our data. The most-reported components are fuel system (81, 16%), transmission and drivetrain (72, 14%), suspension (46, 9%). 13 complaints involved a crash, 8 a fire, and 6 say the vehicle had to be towed. The median mileage when the problem was reported is 79,500 miles. The 2004 model year has the most complaints (118). Data as of 2026-10-12.
When the top complaint is fuel system, the question for a seller is whether a buyer will resell the car, pull the parts or scrap it. Read our guide to selling a car that doesn't run: it explains which offers assume the part works and how to describe the car so the price holds at pickup.
Volvo XC70 by model year
| Year | Complaints | Most reported | Crash | Fire | Recalls | Median miles |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2001 | 77 | Transmission and drivetrain | 2 | 1 | 5 | 78,900 |
| 2002 | 46 | Transmission and drivetrain | 0 | 1 | 4 | 80,000 |
| 2003 | 28 | Fuel system | 1 | 0 | 5 | 115,105 |
| 2004 | 118 | Fuel system | 2 | 4 | 4 | 90,000 |
| 2005 | 31 | Transmission and drivetrain | 2 | 0 | 3 | 80,000 |
| 2006 | 22 | Suspension | 0 | 0 | 3 | — |
| 2007 | 39 | Electrical system | 0 | 0 | 2 | 82,375 |
| 2008 | 54 | Fuel system | 4 | 1 | 8 | 78,000 |
| 2009 | 20 | Wheels | 0 | 0 | 5 | — |
| 2010 | 17 | Wheels | 0 | 1 | 5 | — |
| 2011 | 18 | Other | 1 | 0 | 3 | — |
| 2012 | 17 | Visibility and wipers | 0 | 0 | 2 | — |
| 2013 | 9 | Visibility and wipers | 1 | 0 | 2 | — |
| 2014 | 3 | Fuel system | 0 | 0 | 2 | — |
| 2015 | 9 | Engine | 0 | 0 | 1 | — |
| 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 XC70 recalls
NHTSA lists 20 recall campaigns across these model years, most often for equipment (5), electrical system (5), air bags (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 21V800000, Oct 2021): Volvo Cars USA, LLC (Volvo Car) is recalling certain 2001-2007 V70 and XC70 vehicles. The driver's air bag inflator may explode during deployment, due to propellant degradation occurring after long-term exposure to high …
- 2008 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…
- 2014 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…
- 2013 model year, tires (campaign 12V415000, Aug 2012): Volvo is recalling certain model year 2013 S80 and XC70 vehicles. A software error within the Central Electronic Module (CEM) will result in the "TPMS Service Required" message appearing after approximately 15 minutes of…
What a Volvo XC70 is worth as a junk car
Buyers price a junk XC70 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
- Volvo XC90 2,121
- Volvo S60 1,651
- Volvo S80 1,321
- Volvo V70 1,177
- Volvo XC60 794
- Volvo S70 781
- Volvo S40 677
- Volvo 850 528
Questions people ask
- What is a junk Volvo XC70 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 XC70 gets different offers from different buyers, so compare at least two. Our value guide shows the public benchmark.
- Will a junkyard buy a Volvo XC70 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 XC70?
- 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 XC70 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.