1996 Volvo 850 Service Brakes, Hydraulic:antilock/traction Control/electronic Limited Slip Problems

NHTSA component category: SERVICE BRAKES, HYDRAULIC:ANTILOCK/TRACTION CONTROL/ELECTRONIC LIMITED SLIP · data through 07/12/2026

32Service Brakes, Hydraulic:antilock/traction Control/electronic Limited Slip complaints

16.7%Of all 192 complaints

#1Most-reported category

Source: U.S. NHTSA complaint data. Complaints are unverified reports from vehicle owners — a complaint is not a confirmed defect.

How service brakes, hydraulic:antilock/traction control/electronic limited slip ranks on this vehicle

SERVICE BRAKES, HYDRAULIC:ANTILOCK/TRACTION CONTROL/ELECTRONIC LIMITED SLIP32 · 16.7%

FUEL SYSTEM, GASOLINE:STORAGE:TANK ASSEMBLY20 · 10.4%

SEATS:FRONT ASSEMBLY:SEAT HEATER/COOLER11 · 5.7%

POWER TRAIN:AUTOMATIC TRANSMISSION9 · 4.7%

TIRES9 · 4.7%

Share of the 192 complaints citing each category; one complaint can cite several. Full breakdown on the 1996 Volvo 850 overview page.

What owners report

“CONSUMER STATES THAT WHEN TRYING TO APPLY THE ANTI LOCK BRAKES. BRAKES WILL LOCK UP, CAUSING THE VEHICLE TO HAVE EXTENDED STOPPING DISTANCE. DEALER NOTIFIED.”NHTSA complaint 10029692 — filed 07/21/2003

“INTERMITTENT AND ONGOING PROBLEM WHEN APPLYING BRAKES. THE PEDAL WOULD GO TO THE FLOOR, CAUSING PULSATION, AND EXTENDED STOPPING DISTANCE. VEHICLE BEEN TO THE DEALER…”NHTSA complaint 10021941 — filed 05/30/2003

“I OWN A 1996 VOLVO 850 TURBO. ABS MODULE FAILED TO WORK. THERE ARE SIMILAR PROBLEMS REPORTED BY OTHER OWNERS. THE FAILURE RATE APPEARS TO…”NHTSA complaint 10016585 — filed 04/27/2003

Excerpts are shortened and scrubbed of personal details; they are individual, unverified reports.

Service Brakes, Hydraulic:antilock/traction Control/electronic Limited Slip complaints by year filed

Frequently asked questions

Does the 1996 Volvo 850 have service brakes, hydraulic:antilock/traction control/electronic limited slip problems?

Service Brakes, Hydraulic:antilock/traction Control/electronic Limited Slip is the most-reported problem area on the 1996 Volvo 850: 32 of 192 complaints on file (16.7%). Complaints are unverified owner reports, not confirmed defects.

How many complaints does the 1996 Volvo 850 have in total?

192 complaints were on file with NHTSA as of 07/12/2026. Across all categories, 12 involved a crash, 20 involved a fire, 9 reported injuries, and 2 reported deaths.

What does NHTSA's service brakes, hydraulic:antilock/traction control/electronic limited slip category include?

NHTSA assigns each complaint to standard component categories; this page reports the SERVICE BRAKES, HYDRAULIC:ANTILOCK/TRACTION CONTROL/ELECTRONIC LIMITED SLIP category exactly as NHTSA defines and records it.

About this data — Complaint figures on this page are consumer reports submitted to the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration (NHTSA), a U.S. government agency. NHTSA does not verify individual complaints; a complaint is not proof that a defect exists, and counts reflect what owners chose to report, not confirmed failure rates. Recall information comes from official NHTSA safety recall campaigns; recall repairs are free at authorized dealers. Always check your specific vehicle by VIN at nhtsa.gov/recalls. CarModelProblems.com is an independent site and is not affiliated with NHTSA or any vehicle manufacturer. Data through 07/12/2026.