10.0

really awful
Crashes / Fires:
0 / 3
Injuries / Deaths:
0 / 0
Average Mileage:
24,000 miles

About These NHTSA Complaints:

The NHTSA is the US gov't agency tasked with vehicle safety. Complaints can be spread across multiple & redundant categories, & are not organized by problem. See the Back button — blue bar at the very top of the page — to explore more.

Get notified about new defects, investigations, recalls & lawsuits for the 1995 Volvo 850:

Unsubscribe any time. We don't sell/share your email.

problem #4

Nov 062005

850 6-cyl

  • Automatic transmission
  • 96,000 miles
My wife & daughter smelled smoke while driving on a neighborhood street. It seemed to be coming from under the driver's seat. They stopped the car right away and got out. As my wife opened the door to the back seat to get her purse, she saw flames coming from under the driver's seat. They ran to the nearest house to call 911. While on the phone with 911, less than a minute after getting out of the car, my wife saw the entire inside of the car become engulfed in flames. The fire department was on the scene within 3 minutes, but it was too late. The entire inside of the car was burned beyond recognition. What had been leather seats were now metal frames, the dashboard had evaporated, and the car was totaled. Although our insurance company covered the loss of the car, we have had to spend several thousand dollars to replace burnt possessions (like a cell phone and a pda) and pay for car rental. The fire department indicated that the seat heater was the likely cause of the fire, but Volvo has not admitted any product failure. When we bought a Volvo because of its reputation for safety ("Volvo for life"), we certainly didn't expect it to burn up!

- Los Altos, CA, USA

problem #3

Jul 012003

850 5-cyl

  • Automatic transmission
  • miles
Consumer's heated seat caught on fire. The seats fabric contained the fire.

- Princeton Junction, NJ, USA

problem #2

Oct 152002

850

  • Automatic transmission
  • miles
Consumer states while driving 30 mph the drivers seat started getting hot. The seat heater burned through the seat. The dealer was notified.

- Gurnee, IL, USA

problem #1

Nov 011995

850

  • miles
Seat warmer failed.

- San Pedro, CA, USA