2012 Volvo S60

On June 2, 2023 I went to start my car and the engine would not turn over. The dashboard displayed a number of warning lights and messages (DSTC Service Required, SRS Airbag Service Urgent, Transmission Service Required, Coolant System Service Required). When the tow truck driver arrived later that day, they tried to jumpstart my car but reported the battery was completely dead. I had the car taken to a local shop that specialized in Volvo cars. A few days later the shop called to tell me that not only was the battery dead, but my car key was no longer responding, and that the Engine Control Module "exploded." None of the mechanics at the shop had seen such a thing before. The shop also told me that they could not figure out what had been draining the battery. I was advised to reach out to the dealership. I did and happened to meet with the general manager and a lead technician who happened to be on site. I was told that while rare, the Engine Control Module can "explode." I was willing to drop the matter until I started seeing "Low Battery" warnings in early Sept. of 2023. I was finally able to get the car into the dealership on 1/2/24. After talking with the mechanic, he suggested that the satellite radio in my car was continuously draining my battery and to resolve the problem all they would need to do is download new software. A few hours later the mechanic confirmed that my car needed an RDAR upgrade to stop the battery drainage. I do not understand how the dealership could sell me the car without checking to make sure the software had been upgraded in the first place. RDAR failure is not something that pops up as a recall or major safety concern. If the car had lost power while in motion, there could have been serious consequences.

My wife and I were driving to BWI airport for a 10:30am flight from Virginia Beach in the Express Lane on I-95N going 75mph when all of a sudden at 8:30am the engine seized and I got a message telling me I would experience "Reduced Engine Performance" as my car puttered to a stop with white smoke pouring out of the exhaust. Prior to this message I had no warnings or messages on my dashboard. I got out of my car to check my oil and it was completely evaporated, so I called AAA. While we are 1 hour into waiting (it is now 9:30am) on the narrow shoulder of two Express Lanes for a tow truck to take our car to a shop at 11:40am and for a Lyft driver to figure out how to get to us, two VDOT employees told us we had to move our car by 11am otherwise the state police will tow us. I managed to call a local tow company who finally arrived by 10:55am, so we had been stranded in an Express Lane watching cars fly by at 85mph for almost 2 and a half hours before we were able to move. After the first shop took a look and told me the engine was damaged and that they couldn't replace it, I had it towed to a Volvo dealership. 5 days and a $375 diagnostic later, they find that the turbocharger has an internal oil leak and that this and the catalytic converter would have to be replaced for $6k. Aside from now being carless 4 hours from the dealership and missing my wife's birthday celebration without refund, I now have a $6,375 bill that I had no way of preventing due to a manufacturing design flaw in 2012 Volvo S60 T5. I SHOULD have been warned of a low oil situation so I could have at least pulled over and properly tended to it. I SHOULD NOT have to be liable for a Volvo design flaw that may involve faulty piston rings that has apparently affected countless others. This incident put both my wife and I in danger on an Express Lane on a very busy highway. Volvo needs to be accountable for this design flaw.

When I first bought this Volvo there was condensation in both of the headlights then took it for a test drive and I really liked it and when I got back the dealer said if I was to buy it he would take care of both headlights so I assumed that he did but I bought it and left and was driving and then a code came on in the car saying low beam out I was like oh [XXX] so took it back to them they had me go buy $120 light bulb and that wasn't the problem they did some working and testing and said that it was the low beam ballast so I bought 1 for the drivers side and that fixed that problem but then not even a week later the same light came on saying low beam out, took it back and they said that it was the same thing on opposite side on passenger side so they said order the part and we'll fix it I did that took it back to them and they said it was fixed not even a day later and the light was back on swing low beam out I'm thinking that there is an issue that has to deal with some kind of recall with these lights cause there is no way that they should break that easy or quick so please get back to me and let me know thank you INFORMATION Redacted PURSUANT TO THE FREEDOM OF INFORMATION ACT (FOIA), 5 U.S.C. 552(B)(6).

TL* THE CONTACT OWNS A 2012 VOLVO S60. THE CONTACT STATED THAT WHILE MAKING A LEFT OR RIGHT TURN, THE LOW OIL LEVEL WARNING LIGHT FLASHED ON THEIR INSTRUMENT PANEL AND DISAPPEARED. THE CONTACT ADDED A QUART OF OIL AND APPROXIMATELY THREE WEEKS LATER WHILE HIS WIFE WAS DRIVING, SHE BECAME AWARE OF A KNOCKING SOUND COMING FROM THE VEHICLE. THE CONTACT CHECKED THE VEHICLE AND CONFIRMED THE KNOCKING SOUND. THE CONTACT CHECKED THE DIPSTICK AND NOTICED THAT IT WAS DRY. THE CONTACT HAD NOT CONTACTED A DEALER OR A CERTIFIED MECHANIC. THE MANUFACTURER WAS MADE AWARE OF THE FAILURE AND REFERRED THE CONTACT THE LOCAL DEALER FOR ASSISTANCE. THE VEHICLE WAS NOT REPAIRED. THE APPROXIMATE FAILURE MILEAGE WAS 103,000.

MY CAR DOESN'T NOTIFY ME THAT THE ENGINE OIL IS LOW. LAST YEAR, I DROVE ALL THE WAY TO MISSISSIPPI WITHOUT IT WARNING THAT THE OIL WAS LO WITH BARELY ANY OIL ON THE DIP STICK. WE STOPPED TO CHECK IT WHEN WE GOT GAS AND THAT IS HOW WE KNEW. IT HAS BEEN LOW SEVERAL TIMES THIS YEAR WITHOUT NOTIFYING ME. I HAVE TO CONSTANTLY CHECK THE OIL TO ENSURE THERE IS ENOUGH IN THERE. IT DOES NOT HAVE AN OIL LEAK AS THERE IS NO OIL ON THE CONCRETE. I HAVE CHECKED WITH THE VOLVO DEALERSHIP AND WAS TOLD THERE WAS NO RECALL FOR MY CAR IN REFERENCE TO LOW OIL BUT THERE SHOULD BE. I COULD HAVE BLOWN MY ENGINE

THE SENSUS/NAVIGATION SYSTEM IS PLAGUED WITH BUGS. FREQUENTLY MY BLUETOOTH FAILS TO CONNECT, AUDIO RANDOMLY STOPS WORKING FOR ALL SATNAV/RADIO FUNCTIONS, SOMETIMES THE SCREEN FAILS TO LOAD UP AT ALL. ALL SEEMS TO HAPPEN COMPLETELY RANDOMLY. SOME DAYS RADIO FUNCTIONS GREAT BUT SOME DAYS I CAN NOT LISTEN TO ANY AUDIO AT ALL. SOME DAYS MY PHONE CONNECTS TO BLUETOOTH WITHOUT ME EVEN TRYING TO CONNECT, AND SOME DAYS THE SATNAV RADIO DOES NOT CONNECT AT ALL. I HAVE EVEN GONE AS FAR AS TO RESET ALL NETWORK SETTINGS ON MY IPHONE AND REMOVE THE IPHONE FROM THE RECENT DEVICE LIST; STILL THE PHONE WILL NOT CONNECT TO THE CAR. THE ONLY THING I HAVE EVER SEEN 'FIX' THIS PROBLEM IS TO STOP THE CAR, GET OUT OF THE VEHICLE, WALK MORE THAN 20FT AWAY FROM THE CAR, LOCK THE CAR, AND WAIT A FEW MINUTES; UNLOCK, ENTER AND START VEHICLE; AND SUDDENLY IT WORKS AGAIN.

CAR DID NOT INDICATE LOW OIL PRESSURE AT ANY TIME. ENGINE SEIZED AND STALLED ON FREEWAY CREATING DRIVING HAZZARD. CAR WAS IN MOTION AT APPROX. 65 MPL, STARTED SHAKING AS IF A TIRE HAD BLOWN. CAR STARTED TO SMELL LIKE BUNED OIL, STALLED AND WOULD NOT RESTART. THE ONLY ALERT THAT CAME ON WAS THE LOW BATTERY ICON AFTER THE MOTOR SEIZED.

TL* THE CONTACT OWNS A 2012 VOLVO S60. WHILE DRIVING 5 MPH, THE VEHICLE STALLED WITHOUT WARNING. THE VEHICLE WAS TOWED TO THE DEALER WHERE IT WAS DIAGNOSED THAT THE STARTER NEEDED TO BE REPLACED. THE STARTER WAS REPLACED, BUT THE FAILURE RECURRED WHILE STILL AT THE DEALER. THE CONTACT STATED THAT THE VIN WAS NOT INCLUDED IN NHTSA CAMPAIGN NUMBER: 13V592000 (ENGINE AND ENGINE COOLING). THE MANUFACTURER WAS NOTIFIED OF THE FAILURE. THE FAILURE MILEAGE WAS 49,740.