U.S. public vehicle records

Volvo DL recalls by model year

Explore the records behind recurring owner reports.

Key facts

12 owner complaints analyzed

2 distinct recall campaigns

Not available median reported failure mileage

Scope: 1981 to 1990 model years. Data updated: 2026-10-01 (October 1, 2026). 0 complaints include usable failure mileage. View data status.

Compare model years

Recalls by model year

All campaigns in the snapshot affecting each model year, including recalls announced years later.

From yearThrough year

Recall campaigns

Shared campaigns appear once in each affected model year.

1981

1982

1983

1984

1985

1986

1990

1981: 1; 1982: 1; 1983: 0; 1984: 0; 1985: 0; 1986: 0; 1990: 0

First model yearSecond model year

Year-by-year records

Volvo DL model-year comparison
Model year	Complaints	Recalls	Change in recalls
1981	1	1	Not available
1982	1	1	0
1983	3	0	-1
1984	3	0	0
1985	1	0	0
1986	1	0	0
1990	2	0	Not available

Recall history

2 distinct campaigns affect this selection. Announcement dates below are different from vehicle model years. A campaign may cover multiple years.

81V131000 · Electrical System:Ignition

Reported: 1981-10-23 (October 23, 1981) · Model years: 1981

DUE TO INSUFFICIENT GROUNDING OF THE INTERNAL IGNITION DISTRIBUTOR PARTS, THE IGNITION COULD MISFIRE. THIS COULD ADVERSELY AFFECT VEHICLE DRIVEABILITY AND LONGEVITY OF THE DISTRIBUTOR COMPONENTS.

Remedy: ALL AFFECTED VEHICLES WILL BE FITTED WITH MODIFIED IGNITION COMPONENTS. THIS INCLUDES A NEW DISTRIBUTOR HAVING IMPROVED GROUNDING. ALL VEHICLES WILL BE FITTED WITH A CAPACITOR TO REDUCE THE HIGH VOLTAGE PEAKS. THIS WILL BE DONE AT NO CHARGE TO OWNER.

NHTSA campaign record ↗

82V134000 · Electrical System:Ignition:Module

Reported: 1982-12-28 (December 28, 1982) · Model years: 1982

INCREASED RESISTANCE IN THE SYSTEM WIRING CONNECTORS DUE TO THE POSSIBLE PRESENCE OF LACQUER, PLASTIC RESIDUE ON THE PINS AND IMPERFECT PIN DIAMETERS, MAY CAUSE IGNITION MISFIRING AND, IN EXTREME CASES, INTERMITTENT STALLING.

Remedy: DEALER WILL INSPECT AND INSERT CONTACT PIN SLEEVES DESIGNED TO SCRAPE ANY LACQUER OR UNWANTED RESIDUE AWAY. THIS WILL PRODUCE HIGHER CONTACT PRESSURE WITHIN THE CONNECTOR AND IMPROVE THE ELECTRICAL CONNECTION.

NHTSA campaign record ↗

Explore the data

Vehicle analysis explorer

Inspect model-year patterns, reported mileage, monthly activity and the evidence behind each signal.

Data completeness

12 unique complaints in this selection. Analysis snapshot: 2026-10-01.

0.0%Usable mileage0 / 12 records

91.7%Valid incident date11 / 12 records

100.0%Valid filing date12 / 12 records

91.7%Ordered incident and filing dates11 / 12 records

Missing, zero and invalid mileage is excluded. Dates after the snapshot are excluded. Examples are limited selections, not a representative sample.

Problems by model year

Model-wide comparison of the eight most reported components across the model. Cells show counts and shares within each model year. Open a cell for source examples.

From model yearThrough model year

Component complaint heatmap
Component	1981	1982	1983	1984	1985	1986	1990
Electrical System:Wiring:Front Underhood	00.0% No examples available for this selection.	00.0% No examples available for this selection.	133.3% ODI 528275 ENGINE WIRING HARNESS FAILED. INSULATION CRUMBLED OFF OF WIRES CAUSING WIRES TO SHORT OUT. EFFECTS INCLUDED STARTER ENGAGING AT ROAD SPEED CAUSING PART FAILURE, VEHICLE WOULD CEASE RUNNING AT ROAD SPEEDS AND FAIL TO RESTART. Look up ODI 528275 at NHTSA ↗	266.7% ODI 721521 NO SUMMARY LISTED FOR ABOVE VEHICLE. *AK Look up ODI 721521 at NHTSA ↗	00.0% No examples available for this selection.	00.0% No examples available for this selection.	00.0% No examples available for this selection.
Vehicle Speed Control	00.0% No examples available for this selection.	1100.0% ODI 973950 TURNED ON IGNITION, SHIFTED FROM PARK TO REVERSE WITH FOOT ON BRAKE; VEHICLE SUDDENLY LURCHED BACKWARDS,VERY HIGH SPEED; GAS PEDAL SEEMED TO HAVE STUCK;ACCIDENT Look up ODI 973950 at NHTSA ↗	133.3% ODI 807332 PARKED CAR WENT BACK TO START THE CAR AND IT ACCELERATED OUT OF CONTROL, NO ONE WAS INJURED. *AK Look up ODI 807332 at NHTSA ↗	00.0% No examples available for this selection.	00.0% No examples available for this selection.	00.0% No examples available for this selection.	00.0% No examples available for this selection.
Electrical System:Ignition:Module	00.0% No examples available for this selection.	00.0% No examples available for this selection.	00.0% No examples available for this selection.	00.0% No examples available for this selection.	1100.0% ODI 487610 ENGINE STALLED, UNABLE TO RESTART BECAUSE OF COMPUTER PROBLEM. *DSH Look up ODI 487610 at NHTSA ↗	00.0% No examples available for this selection.	00.0% No examples available for this selection.
Engine And Engine Cooling:Engine	00.0% No examples available for this selection.	00.0% No examples available for this selection.	00.0% No examples available for this selection.	00.0% No examples available for this selection.	00.0% No examples available for this selection.	00.0% No examples available for this selection.	150.0% ODI 10133048 MY CAR WOULD STALL IN TRAFFIC, STALL WHILE IDLING AT STOP LIGHTS, VARIOUS THINGS WERE REPLACED IN THE LAST YEAR, INCLUDING THE SPEED SENSOR, AND IT STILL IS DOING IT. IT LOSES POWER AT TIMES WHILE MAINTAINING 60 MPH, SHIMMIES AND SHAKES AT IDLE WHEN STOPPED IN TRAFFIC, IT SOMETIMES "HICCIPS", APPEARS TO STOP THEN ACCELERATES AGAIN WHILE DRIVING ON THE HIGHWAY. *NM Look up ODI 10133048 at NHTSA ↗
Equipment	00.0% No examples available for this selection.	00.0% No examples available for this selection.	00.0% No examples available for this selection.	133.3% ODI 10028604 DEAR NHTSA, MY COMPLAINT IS DIRECTED TOWARDS ALL MODERN AUTOMOBILE HEADLIGHTS, AND IS TWO-FOLD. THE FIRST PART OF MY COMPLAINT INVOLVES NON-SEALED BEAM HEADLAMPS. SINCE ABOUT 1984, AUTOS HAVE BEEN PERMITTED TO USE THIS TYPE OF HEAD LAMP, AND IT IS BECOMING MORE AND MORE EVIDENT THAT THE PLASTIC USED FOR THE LENSES OF THESE HEADLAMPS DETERIORATES, EVENTUALLY MAKING THE LENS MORE AND MORE OPAQUE. (I'VE NOTICED THIS ESPECIALLY ON VOLVO'S AND CHRYSLER MINIVANS MADE IN THE LATE 1980'S.) THE FORMERLY USED SEALED BEAM HEADLAMPS WERE MADE OF GL… Look up ODI 10028604 at NHTSA ↗	00.0% No examples available for this selection.	00.0% No examples available for this selection.	00.0% No examples available for this selection.
Equipment:Appliance:Air Conditioner	00.0% No examples available for this selection.	00.0% No examples available for this selection.	00.0% No examples available for this selection.	00.0% No examples available for this selection.	00.0% No examples available for this selection.	1100.0% ODI 515384 AIR CONDITIONER COMPRESSOR FAILED. Look up ODI 515384 at NHTSA ↗	00.0% No examples available for this selection.
Exterior Lighting:Headlights:Concealment Devices	00.0% No examples available for this selection.	00.0% No examples available for this selection.	00.0% No examples available for this selection.	133.3% ODI 10028604 DEAR NHTSA, MY COMPLAINT IS DIRECTED TOWARDS ALL MODERN AUTOMOBILE HEADLIGHTS, AND IS TWO-FOLD. THE FIRST PART OF MY COMPLAINT INVOLVES NON-SEALED BEAM HEADLAMPS. SINCE ABOUT 1984, AUTOS HAVE BEEN PERMITTED TO USE THIS TYPE OF HEAD LAMP, AND IT IS BECOMING MORE AND MORE EVIDENT THAT THE PLASTIC USED FOR THE LENSES OF THESE HEADLAMPS DETERIORATES, EVENTUALLY MAKING THE LENS MORE AND MORE OPAQUE. (I'VE NOTICED THIS ESPECIALLY ON VOLVO'S AND CHRYSLER MINIVANS MADE IN THE LATE 1980'S.) THE FORMERLY USED SEALED BEAM HEADLAMPS WERE MADE OF GL… Look up ODI 10028604 at NHTSA ↗	00.0% No examples available for this selection.	00.0% No examples available for this selection.	00.0% No examples available for this selection.
Power Train:Automatic Transmission	00.0% No examples available for this selection.	00.0% No examples available for this selection.	00.0% No examples available for this selection.	00.0% No examples available for this selection.	00.0% No examples available for this selection.	00.0% No examples available for this selection.	150.0% ODI 10133048 MY CAR WOULD STALL IN TRAFFIC, STALL WHILE IDLING AT STOP LIGHTS, VARIOUS THINGS WERE REPLACED IN THE LAST YEAR, INCLUDING THE SPEED SENSOR, AND IT STILL IS DOING IT. IT LOSES POWER AT TIMES WHILE MAINTAINING 60 MPH, SHIMMIES AND SHAKES AT IDLE WHEN STOPPED IN TRAFFIC, IT SOMETIMES "HICCIPS", APPEARS TO STOP THEN ACCELERATES AGAIN WHILE DRIVING ON THE HIGHWAY. *NM Look up ODI 10133048 at NHTSA ↗

Darker cells indicate a larger share of submitted complaints. Components overlap. This measures complaint composition, not failure probability.

Failure mileage by component

Median and middle 50% of usable owner-reported mileages. Ranges require at least five records.

Component failure mileage distribution
Component	Mileage range (25th–75th percentile)	Median	Usable records	Examples
No usable records for this analysis.

Complaint and recall timeline

Explore monthly filing activity alongside recall announcements. Up to ten years of monthly history is available.

ComponentPeriod

Solid line: filed complaints. Dashed amber lines: recall announcement dates for this vehicle selection; markers include all recall components. The latest month is partial. Temporal proximity does not establish causation.

Monthly counts, recall campaigns and complaint examples

Monthly complaint and recall timeline
Month	Campaigns announced	Examples
2024-11	None	No examples available for this selection.
2024-12	None	No examples available for this selection.
2025-01	None	No examples available for this selection.
2025-02	None	No examples available for this selection.
2025-03	None	No examples available for this selection.
2025-04	None	No examples available for this selection.
2025-05	None	No examples available for this selection.
2025-06	None	No examples available for this selection.
2025-07	None	No examples available for this selection.
2025-08	None	No examples available for this selection.
2025-09	None	No examples available for this selection.
2025-10	None	No examples available for this selection.
2025-11	None	No examples available for this selection.
2025-12	None	No examples available for this selection.
2026-01	None	No examples available for this selection.
2026-02	None	No examples available for this selection.
2026-03	None	No examples available for this selection.
2026-04	None	No examples available for this selection.
2026-05	None	No examples available for this selection.
2026-06	None	No examples available for this selection.
2026-07	None	No examples available for this selection.
2026-08	None	No examples available for this selection.
2026-09	None	No examples available for this selection.
2026-10 (partial)	None	No examples available for this selection.

Emerging complaint spikes

Complete months in the latest six months with at least 10 complaints, at least twice the preceding 12-month average, and at least three square-root deviations above that average.

This is a descriptive screening rule, not a statistical defect finding. Publicity and reporting changes can increase submissions.

No complete months meet the spike thresholds for this selection.

Equal-age model-year comparison

Model-wide cumulative reports during the first three or five calendar years, starting with the model year (age 0). Only fully elapsed windows are compared.

Observation windowFirst model yearSecond model year

1986: 0 complaints · 1990: 0 complaints

Equal observation windows
Model year	Through age 0	Through age 1	Through age 2
1986	0	0	0
1990	0	0	0

Date coverage across each selected cohort

Date basis for all complaints in selected model years
Year	Incident dates used	Filing date fallbacks	Excluded dates
1986	1	0	0
1990	2	0	0

Incident date is preferred when valid and no later than filing; otherwise filing date is used. Model year approximates age. Equal observation time does not adjust for sales, distance driven or reporting delays. One complaint linked to multiple model years can appear in each cohort.

Components reported together

Each cell counts unique complaints naming both components. Open a nonzero cell for examples.

Component co-occurrence matrix
Component	Electrical System:Wiring:Front Underhood	Vehicle Speed Control	Electrical System:Ignition:Module	Engine And Engine Cooling:Engine	Equipment	Equipment:Appliance:Air Conditioner	Exterior Lighting:Headlights:Concealment Devices	Power Train:Automatic Transmission
Electrical System:Wiring:Front Underhood	—	0	0	0	0	0	0	0
Vehicle Speed Control	0	—	0	0	0	0	0	0
Electrical System:Ignition:Module	0	0	—	0	0	0	0	0
Engine And Engine Cooling:Engine	0	0	0	—	0	0	0	1 ODI 10133048 MY CAR WOULD STALL IN TRAFFIC, STALL WHILE IDLING AT STOP LIGHTS, VARIOUS THINGS WERE REPLACED IN THE LAST YEAR, INCLUDING THE SPEED SENSOR, AND IT STILL IS DOING IT. IT LOSES POWER AT TIMES WHILE MAINTAINING 60 MPH, SHIMMIES AND SHAKES AT IDLE WHEN STOPPED IN TRAFFIC, IT SOMETIMES "HICCIPS", APPEARS TO STOP THEN ACCELERATES AGAIN WHILE DRIVING ON THE HIGHWAY. *NM Look up ODI 10133048 at NHTSA ↗
Equipment	0	0	0	0	—	0	1 ODI 10028604 DEAR NHTSA, MY COMPLAINT IS DIRECTED TOWARDS ALL MODERN AUTOMOBILE HEADLIGHTS, AND IS TWO-FOLD. THE FIRST PART OF MY COMPLAINT INVOLVES NON-SEALED BEAM HEADLAMPS. SINCE ABOUT 1984, AUTOS HAVE BEEN PERMITTED TO USE THIS TYPE OF HEAD LAMP, AND IT IS BECOMING MORE AND MORE EVIDENT THAT THE PLASTIC USED FOR THE LENSES OF THESE HEADLAMPS DETERIORATES, EVENTUALLY MAKING THE LENS MORE AND MORE OPAQUE. (I'VE NOTICED THIS ESPECIALLY ON VOLVO'S AND CHRYSLER MINIVANS MADE IN THE LATE 1980'S.) THE FORMERLY USED SEALED BEAM HEADLAMPS WERE MADE OF GL… Look up ODI 10028604 at NHTSA ↗	0
Equipment:Appliance:Air Conditioner	0	0	0	0	0	—	0	0
Exterior Lighting:Headlights:Concealment Devices	0	0	0	0	1 ODI 10028604 DEAR NHTSA, MY COMPLAINT IS DIRECTED TOWARDS ALL MODERN AUTOMOBILE HEADLIGHTS, AND IS TWO-FOLD. THE FIRST PART OF MY COMPLAINT INVOLVES NON-SEALED BEAM HEADLAMPS. SINCE ABOUT 1984, AUTOS HAVE BEEN PERMITTED TO USE THIS TYPE OF HEAD LAMP, AND IT IS BECOMING MORE AND MORE EVIDENT THAT THE PLASTIC USED FOR THE LENSES OF THESE HEADLAMPS DETERIORATES, EVENTUALLY MAKING THE LENS MORE AND MORE OPAQUE. (I'VE NOTICED THIS ESPECIALLY ON VOLVO'S AND CHRYSLER MINIVANS MADE IN THE LATE 1980'S.) THE FORMERLY USED SEALED BEAM HEADLAMPS WERE MADE OF GL… Look up ODI 10028604 at NHTSA ↗	0	—	0
Power Train:Automatic Transmission	0	0	0	1 ODI 10133048 MY CAR WOULD STALL IN TRAFFIC, STALL WHILE IDLING AT STOP LIGHTS, VARIOUS THINGS WERE REPLACED IN THE LAST YEAR, INCLUDING THE SPEED SENSOR, AND IT STILL IS DOING IT. IT LOSES POWER AT TIMES WHILE MAINTAINING 60 MPH, SHIMMIES AND SHAKES AT IDLE WHEN STOPPED IN TRAFFIC, IT SOMETIMES "HICCIPS", APPEARS TO STOP THEN ACCELERATES AGAIN WHILE DRIVING ON THE HIGHWAY. *NM Look up ODI 10133048 at NHTSA ↗	0	0	0	—

Co-reporting does not establish that one component caused another concern.

Recurring narrative patterns

Specific keyword mentions beyond broad component labels. Matching includes negations and comparisons and does not confirm a diagnosis.

Search patterns

3 patterns with matching reports.

Stalling or loss of power

2 mentions · 16.7% of complaints

Median mileage: Unavailable (0 usable records).

ODI 487610

ENGINE STALLED, UNABLE TO RESTART BECAUSE OF COMPUTER PROBLEM. *DSH

Look up ODI 487610 at NHTSA ↗

ODI 10133048

MY CAR WOULD STALL IN TRAFFIC, STALL WHILE IDLING AT STOP LIGHTS, VARIOUS THINGS WERE REPLACED IN THE LAST YEAR, INCLUDING THE SPEED SENSOR, AND IT STILL IS DOING IT. IT LOSES POWER AT TIMES WHILE MAINTAINING 60 MPH, SHIMMIES AND SHAKES AT IDLE WHEN STOPPED IN TRAFFIC, IT SOMETIMES "HICCIPS", APPEARS TO STOP THEN ACCELERATES AGAIN WHILE DRIVING ON THE HIGHWAY. *NM

Look up ODI 10133048 at NHTSA ↗

Matching rule

\b(stall\w*|loss of power|lost power|engine shut\w* off)\b

Hard or delayed shifting

1 mentions · 8.3% of complaints

Median mileage: Unavailable (0 usable records).

ODI 973950

TURNED ON IGNITION, SHIFTED FROM PARK TO REVERSE WITH FOOT ON BRAKE; VEHICLE SUDDENLY LURCHED BACKWARDS,VERY HIGH SPEED; GAS PEDAL SEEMED TO HAVE STUCK;ACCIDENT

Look up ODI 973950 at NHTSA ↗

Matching rule

Steering assistance concerns

1 mentions · 8.3% of complaints

Median mileage: Unavailable (0 usable records).

ODI 738978

STEERING WHEEL LOCK ENGAGED WHILE DRIVING. *AK

Look up ODI 738978 at NHTSA ↗

Matching rule

\b(power steer\w*|steering assist\w*|steering lock\w*|steering wheel lock\w*)\b