Problem Reports

Volvo S60

Report: Exterior Light Bulbs May Burn Out Prematurely

Volvo S60 Problem

63 Reports

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Model Years Affected: 2001, 2002, 2003, 2004, 2005, 2006

Average Mileage: 105,750 mi (38,000 mi - 205,000 mi)

It is not uncommon for the exterior light bulbs to burn out prematurely. No repair option has been reported other than replacing the failed bulb.

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hydrocuda, 2001 Volvo S60, 125,000 mi

Rookie
bulbs are always burning up

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tnbuchs, 2002 Volvo S60, 205,000 mi

Rookie
Headlights burn out in 6 mopnths...

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Visitor, 2003 Volvo S60, 169,752 mi

Headlights last 6 months at best

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Visitor, 2001 Volvo S60

same issue here. very frustrating.

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Visitor, 2001 Volvo S60, 112,000 mi

Taillights burn out frequently. This is a major inconvenience since my nearest Volvo retailer is 45 miles away and the bulbs can be pricey.

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papafrankk, 2001 Volvo S60, 65,000 mi

Rookie
headlights keep burning out r then l every 6mon.

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Visitor, 2004 Volvo S60, 90,000 mi

This has been happening for years!

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Visitor, 2004 Volvo S60, 61,000 mi

left handside buld is burnt out

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Visitor, 2003 Volvo S60, 125,000 mi

Bulbs are going out every 5-6 months. Replacement won't come on now. This is very annoying.

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Visitor, 2002 Volvo S60, 105,000 mi

Sometimes showed position light bulb out.

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Visitor, 2001 Volvo S60, 144,000 mi

This seems to just be a Volvo thing....I have had many and all do this. I have started buying the bulb grease you can get at automotive parts stores and buying one of each type of bulb, which I recommend that any Volvo owner do. It is just one of those things and no one can ever explain it.....feh!

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susansmart, 2002 Volvo S60, 98,000 mi

Rookie
mostly left side but I've replaced a lot of bulbs!

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Visitor, 2002 Volvo S60, 100,000 mi

Bulbs burnout prematurely

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Visitor, 2001 Volvo S60, 137,000 mi

Tail light and turn signal bulbs burn out almost as fast as I change them. ONLY fix I know of is constant replacement. SUCKS!

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Visitor, 2002 Volvo S60, 70,000 mi

I replace a bulb about once every couple of months. Recently the hard plastic part at the end of the bulb wire broke apart as it had dry-rotted.

Recent repair of headlight included a fuse and replacement of the plastic part I described. I paid one hour labor at Stuttgart in Addison.

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Visitor, 2001 Volvo S60, 116,300 mi

Multiple rear lights failed, nearly simultaneously. I replaced all rear lights and have not have the issue since. Just waiting for the front ones to go.

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Visitor, 2001 Volvo S60

over the 10 years I've owned this S-60 I've had to replace many bulbs including headlamps, brake lights, back up lights and some more than once. Also, if bulb on one side is replaced the other side must also be replaced as it will go out within a short period of time after the first one.

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Visitor, 2003 Volvo S60, 120,000 mi

Front and rear continuous bulb failures

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Visitor, 2002 Volvo S60, 100,000 mi

My low beam lights burn out almost every 6 months. I just replace as needed

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Visitor, 2005 Volvo S60, 56,600 mi

Me too. 2005 S60. Here are my guesses: (1) the bulb does not really "burn out" but rather the contacts to the bulb loose their contact either intermittantly or permanently. Changing them or disconnect/reconnect fixes them for a while. (2) there is some bulb on the circuit that fits into the socket but is not the right wattage for the bulb burned out auto-detect circuit, and so it fries that bulb or another bulb on the circuit, or (3) bulb is relying on a ground connection that occasionally fails, making the bulb appear to be burn out but it is not. You can see if the bulb is burnt out by looking closely at the filament, or by moving it to another socket that takes the same bulb. For example, the tail light bulbs on 2005 S60 are so easy to access from the trunk side panels, and those fixtures just clip right out, so you can easily swap those bulbs around to test them. (Headlight fixtures are not as easy to access unless you are a small child or a contortionist!)

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Volvo S60

Report: Exterior Light Bulbs May Burn Out Prematurely

Volvo S60 Problem