I've had my 2001 V70XC for three years and have had no confidence in its reliability from day one. I bought it at 45,000 and it has 80,000 miles on it and the electrical is making me crazy.
Problems:
1. Power seats jitter and dance around and occasionally recline all the way down while driving.
2. Instrument cluster goes dead.
3. Heater occasionally goes dead.
4. Tranny will slip during acceleration. (very wet road conditions)(its not wheel spin)
5. Transmission Service Required message comes and goes. (can be reset but comes back in a few days)
6. SRS Air Bag service warning on constantly.
All these things tend to heal themselves and normality resumes for awhile before the next gremlin attacks.
The dealer hasn't been helpful short of wanting to "try" and replace sensors.
All 8 of my prior Volvo's I've had over the past 25 years I could drive with confidence.
I'm not ready to give up on it just yet so any input would be welcomed.
Thanks