NHTSA owner reports · September 18, 2026 snapshot.
Engine complaints
61 reportsClear category filterMileage unknown · Apr 22, 2026
Engine
I experienced an engine issue that I believe is related to excessive oil consumption and the lack of an oil pressure light warning. The car was driven out of town when a noise was heard coming from the engine. A visual inspection of the engine revealed smoke coming from the engine department when the oil cap was removed. The dip…
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I experienced an engine issue that I believe is related to excessive oil consumption and the lack of an oil pressure light warning. The car was driven out of town when a noise was heard coming from the engine. A visual inspection of the engine revealed smoke coming from the engine department when the oil cap was removed. The dipstick was checked and showed no visible oil on the stick. Later in that evening, 3 additional quarts of oil were added to the engine but the addition of oil did not remedy the noise from the engine. The final result was that the car was towed to a Volvo dealership in Florida for repair. I checked the status of the recalls (oil comsumption and no oil pressure light) and the status is closed. From what I can tell, this issue appears to be directly related to previous recalls for the vehicle.
NHTSA ODI #11732954
Mileage unknown · Feb 22, 2025
Engine
Engine has failed and is unrepairable. The car has been maintained well according to the manufacturer’s guidelines with regular oil changes. It has only 94,875 miles. The mechanic said that there is probably a piston gasket failure leading to oil leak into the engine. This appears to have been reported with this year/model vehic…
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Engine has failed and is unrepairable. The car has been maintained well according to the manufacturer’s guidelines with regular oil changes. It has only 94,875 miles. The mechanic said that there is probably a piston gasket failure leading to oil leak into the engine. This appears to have been reported with this year/model vehicles. I would like Volvo to take ownership of poor manufacturing and fix the problem to my satisfaction.
NHTSA ODI #11644323
Mileage unknown · Jul 7, 2024
Engine
Discovered that my engine is burning oil. There was no warning from my vehicle or from Volvo (during regular maintenance) that this was happening. It was just sudden that the check engine light went on and I checked the oil and found that it was basically empty. Volvo confirmed that the engine is burning oil and that this model …
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Discovered that my engine is burning oil. There was no warning from my vehicle or from Volvo (during regular maintenance) that this was happening. It was just sudden that the check engine light went on and I checked the oil and found that it was basically empty. Volvo confirmed that the engine is burning oil and that this model and make was discovered to have this engine issue. Volvo did not offer a solution other than to buy a new vehicle to replace this one. In my research online, this problem is common for this model and make 2012 S60 T5, may other have reported the same issue and it seems that there is a recall for this problem but my vehicle (VIN) does not report this to be a problem for my car. I’m not sure what to do.
NHTSA ODI #11599825
80,000 miles · May 21, 2024
Engine
The contact owns a 2012 Volvo S60. The contact stated that upon starting the vehicle, an unknown belt fractured, and the vehicle failed to start. There were no warning lights illuminated. The contact called the local dealer, who informed the contact about diagnostic testing, but the vehicle was not diagnosed or repaired. The man…
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The contact owns a 2012 Volvo S60. The contact stated that upon starting the vehicle, an unknown belt fractured, and the vehicle failed to start. There were no warning lights illuminated. The contact called the local dealer, who informed the contact about diagnostic testing, but the vehicle was not diagnosed or repaired. The manufacturer was contacted, but no assistance was provided. The failure mileage was approximately 80,000.
NHTSA ODI #11589833
Mileage unknown · Jan 10, 2024
Electrical SystemEngine
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 …
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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.
NHTSA ODI #11564522
Mileage unknown · Dec 19, 2023
Engine
Surpintine belt shredded due to faulty belt tensioner. Shreds of belt wedged between crankshaft timing sprocket on engine causing engine to jump timing while driving down highway and vehicle lost all power and very hard to steer due to all valves in motor bent because of poor design. Definitely a safety concern. Volvo is aware …
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Surpintine belt shredded due to faulty belt tensioner. Shreds of belt wedged between crankshaft timing sprocket on engine causing engine to jump timing while driving down highway and vehicle lost all power and very hard to steer due to all valves in motor bent because of poor design. Definitely a safety concern. Volvo is aware but does nothing. 11,000 dollars to replace engine.
NHTSA ODI #11560890
62,000 miles · Dec 5, 2023
Engine
The contact owns a 2012 Volvo S60. The contact stated while driving approximately 40 MPH, the vehicle lost motive power and stalled. The vehicle was later towed to the local dealer who diagnosed the vehicle and determined that the drive belt had failed, causing damage to the timing cover and other drive belts. The vehicle was no…
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The contact owns a 2012 Volvo S60. The contact stated while driving approximately 40 MPH, the vehicle lost motive power and stalled. The vehicle was later towed to the local dealer who diagnosed the vehicle and determined that the drive belt had failed, causing damage to the timing cover and other drive belts. The vehicle was not yet repaired. The manufacturer was notified of the failure, but no assistance was offered. The failure mileage was 62,000.
NHTSA ODI #11558481
Mileage unknown · Oct 6, 2023
EngineUnknown Or Other
I bought used s60 and sent car to auto shop due to engine seize . I was told The engine needed to be replaced. I has replacement done. Car ran good and I was pleased. Months later, the vehicle made a clicking noise when I arrived home. When I checked the oil the following morning, there was no oil in car. I was never given a…
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I bought used s60 and sent car to auto shop due to engine seize . I was told The engine needed to be replaced. I has replacement done. Car ran good and I was pleased. Months later, the vehicle made a clicking noise when I arrived home. When I checked the oil the following morning, there was no oil in car. I was never given a low oil level indication or warning. Now car is making crazy tapping sounds. i
NHTSA ODI #11548673
Mileage unknown · Mar 1, 2022
Engine
On December 1, 2021 I was driving my 2012 Volvo S60 T5, that I purchased 3/2021 with 99,489 miles on it, on the highway and it stalled without warning after almost crashing. There were no warning alerts or check engine light that came on the dashboard and the car had 1,000 miles until the next oil change. After browsing the inte…
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On December 1, 2021 I was driving my 2012 Volvo S60 T5, that I purchased 3/2021 with 99,489 miles on it, on the highway and it stalled without warning after almost crashing. There were no warning alerts or check engine light that came on the dashboard and the car had 1,000 miles until the next oil change. After browsing the internet, we realized that the car had a recall because their vehicles were not warning the driver that there was low oil pressure allowing the driver to continue driving until the engine seized (Recall #R29436; National Highway Traffic Safety Administration campaign #13V592000). The recall was repaired by Prestige Auto on 1/2014. I contacted Volvo of North America who opened up a case and then had the car towed to Portland Volvo in Scarborough, Maine for an appointment on December 14, 2021. On December 15, 2021 Portland Volvo informed us that the vehicle’s engine was beyond repair because of an unfortunate mechanical failure due to lack of lubrication. Later that evening I received an email from Volvo of NA stating that they would cover $750 of the repairs. I emailed back asking to wait for a quote from Portland Volvo on how much it was going to be to repair the vehicle. On December 16, 2021 I was informed by Portland Volvo that she spoke with the district manager and that a used engine costs between $10-14,000. Volvo of North America has now decided to retract their $750 offer to help because the car is now out of warranty but it was due to a manufacturer's defect. I spoke with Prestige Auto (the dealership who fixed the repair) and was told that if the repair was actually fixed then it would have done its due diligence and alerted the driver that there wasn't any oil pressure. I have also read articles on these kinds of issues and it states that a recall is to be repaired until it fixes the issue, and obviously the issue wasn't fixed the first time. I asked for an appeal, was denied and now Volvo wont respond back to emails or calls.
NHTSA ODI #11454757
Mileage unknown · Feb 17, 2022
Electrical SystemEngineFuel/propulsion System
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. Prio…
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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.
NHTSA ODI #11452418
Official recalls
8Jun 30, 2020
Volvo Cars of N.A., LLC (Volvo) is recalling certain 2008-2016 V70 and XC70, 2007-2016 S80, 2011-2018 S60 and V60, 2016-2018 S60 Cross Country, 2014-2020 S60L, 2009-2015 S80L, 2009-2016 XC60 and 2015-2018 V60 Cross Country vehicles. The flexible steel cable that connects the seat belt to the front outboard seating positions may fatigue over time, causing the seat belt to not secure the occupant in the event of a crash.
Consequence & remedy
Consequence: An unsecured occupant has an increased risk of injury in the event of a crash.
Remedy: Volvo will notify owners, and dealers will replace the seat belt anchor cable for both front seats. The recall began December 10, 2020. Owners may contact Volvo customer service at 1-800-458-1552. Volvo's number for this recall is R10029.
Nov 26, 2019
Volvo Car of USA LLC (Volvo) is recalling certain 2011-2017 S60, S60I, V60, S60CC and V60CC vehicles. A component within the door latches may break, making the doors difficult to latch and/or leading the driver or a passenger to believe a door is securely closed when, in fact, it is not.
Consequence & remedy
Consequence: A door that is not securely latched could open while the vehicle is in motion, increasing the risk of injury to a vehicle occupant.
Remedy: Volvo will notify owners, and dealers will replace all four door latches, free of charge. The recall began April 9, 2020. Owners may contact Volvo customer service at 1-800-458-1552. Volvo's number for this recall is R89978.
Nov 22, 2013
Volvo Cars of North America, LLC (Volvo) is recalling certain model year 2011-2012 S60 vehicles manufactured June 22, 2010, through May 14, 2012, and equipped with 5-cylinder B5254T5 (VIN code 62) engines. In the affected vehicles, the vehicle may not alert the driver of a low oil pressure situation.
Consequence & remedy
Consequence: Without being warned of a low oil pressure situation, the driver may continue to drive the vehicle until it stalls, which increases the risk of a crash.
Remedy: Volvo will notify owners, and dealers will update the vehicle's software so that the driver is alerted should there be a low oil pressure situation, free of charge. The recall began on January 10, 2014. Owners may contact Volvo at 1-800-458-1552. Volvo's number for this campaign is R29436.
Mar 14, 2012
VOLVO IS RECALLING CERTAIN MODEL YEAR 2012 S60 AND XC60 PASSENGER VEHICLES. AN INCORRECT MIXTURE OF UNDERBODY COATING AND OVER-APPLICATION CAN RESULT IN RIGID, ICICLE-LIKE AREAS HANGING FROM VEHICLES UNDERCARRIAGE.
Consequence & remedy
Consequence: IF THIS CONDITION EXISTS, THE UNDERBODY COATING MAY PENETRATE THE FUELS LINES AND CAUSE FUEL LEAKAGE, INCREASING THE RISK OF A FIRE.
Remedy: DEALERS WILL INSPECT THE VEHICLE UNDERCARRIAGE, AND IF EXCESSIVE UNDERBODY COATING IS FOUND IN THE FUEL LINE AREA, IT WILL BE REMOVED. IF THE INSPECTION REVEALS THAT THE FUEL LINES ARE DAMAGED, THEY WILL BE REPLACED. THE SAFETY RECALL BEGAN ON APRIL 25, 2012. OWNERS MAY CONTACT VOLVO CUSTOMER CARE CENTER AT 1-800-458-1552.
Feb 28, 2012
VOLVO IS RECALLING CERTAIN MODEL YEAR 2012 S60, XC60, S80 AND XC70 VEHICLES MANUFACTURED FROM MAY 16, 2011, THROUGH OCTOBER 6, 2011. IN THESE VEHICLES, THE WIRE HARNESS UNDER THE FRONT SEATS MAY HAVE NOT BEEN ATTACHED PROPERLY TO THE SEAT FRAME. AS A RESULT, WHEN THE SEATS ARE MOVED TO ADJUST THE SEATING POSITION, THE WIRE HARNESS MAY GET PULLED, CAUSING IT TO DISCONNECT.
Consequence & remedy
Consequence: IN THE EVENT OF CRASH, THE FRONT AND/OR SIDE IMPACT AIR BAGS MAY DEPLOY IMPROPERLY OR NOT AT ALL, INCREASING THE RISK OF INJURY. ALSO, THE LAP BELT PRETENSIONER MAY NOT DEPLOY.
Remedy: VOLVO WILL NOTIFY OWNERS, AND DEALERS WILL INSPECT AND, IF NECESSARY, SECURE THE SEAT WIRE HARNESS. THIS SERVICE WILL BE PERFORMED FREE OF CHARGE. THE SAFETY RECALL BEGAN ON APRIL 12, 2012. OWNERS MAY CONTACT VOLVO CARS AT 1-800-458-1552.
Oct 18, 2011
VOLVO IS RECALLING CERTAIN MODEL YEAR 2006-2012 C70 VEHICLES MANUFACTURED FROM NOVEMBER 15, 2005, THROUGH JULY 31, 2011, AND MODEL YEAR 2011-2012 S60 VEHICLES MANUFACTURED FROM JULY 14, 2010, THROUGH APRIL 16, 2011, THAT WERE EQUIPPED WITH OPTIONAL ACCESSORY SPARE TIRE KIT. THESE VEHICLES FAIL TO COMPLY WITH THE REQUIREMENTS OF FEDERAL MOTOR VEHICLE SAFETY STANDARD NUMBER. 110, "TIRE SELECTION AND RIMS." THESE VEHICLES DO NOT CONTAIN THE CORRECT INFORMATION FOR VEHICLES EQUIPPED WITH THE OPTIONAL ACCESSORY SPARE TIRE AND WHEEL KIT.
Consequence & remedy
Consequence: A MISPRINTED LABEL COULD LEAD TO IMPROPER TIRE INFLATION WHICH COULD RESULT IN A TIRE FAILURE, INCREASING THE RISK OF A CRASH.
Remedy: VOLVO WILL NOTIFY OWNERS AND DEALERS WILL INSPECT THE VEHICLE AND INSTALL THE LABEL AS NECESSARY, FREE OF CHARGE. THE SAFETY RECALL BEGAN ON FEBRUARY 23, 2012. OWNERS MAY CONTACT VOLVO AT 1-201-768-7300.
Jun 6, 2011
VOLVO IS RECALLING CERTAIN MODEL YEAR 2012 S60 PASSENGER CARS MANUFACTURED FROM JANUARY 18, 2011, THROUGH JANUARY 28, 2011. THE MALE PART OF THE FUEL LINE QUICK CONNECTOR END SHAPE WAS PRODUCED WITH DIMENSIONS OUT OF SPECIFICATION, LEADING TO EXCESSIVE ASSEMBLY FORCE ON THE FEMALE CONNECTOR ASSEMBLY AND THE POSSIBILITY THAT THE LOCKING FUNCTION MAY NOT BE ENGAGED.
Consequence & remedy
Consequence: IF A VEHICLE EXHIBITS THIS CONDITION, THE FUEL LINE QUICK CONNECTOR MAY DETACH AND THE ENGINE MAY STALL, INCREASING THE RISK OF A CRASH. THE CUSTOMER MAY ALSO NOTICE A FUEL SMELL AND LEAKAGE. A FUEL LEAK IN THE PRESENCE OF AN IGNITION SOURCE COULD RESULT IN A FIRE.
Remedy: VOLVO DEALERS WILL REPLACE THE FUEL LINES FREE OF CHARGE. THE SAFETY RECALL BEGAN ON JUNE 24, 2011. OWNERS MAY CONTACT VOLVO AT 1-201-768-7300.
Jun 1, 2011
VOLVO IS RECALLING CERTAIN MODEL YEAR 2012 S60 PASSENGER CARS MANUFACTURED FROM NOVEMBER 18, 2010, THROUGH MAY 5, 2011. THE SOFTWARE FOR THE FUEL PUMP UNITS MAY NOT BE COMPATIBLE WITH ALL FUEL PUMPS AND COMPONENTS RESULTING IN INSUFFICIENT FUEL TRANSFER IN THE PUMP UNIT.
Consequence & remedy
Consequence: UNDER CERTAIN DRIVING CONDITIONS, THERE MAY BE ENGINE HESITATION AND POSSIBLE ENGINE STALL EVEN THOUGH THE FUEL GAUGE INDICATES UP TO 1/4 OF THE FUEL IS LEFT IN THE TANK. THIS CONDITION INCREASES THE RISK OF A VEHICLE CRASH.
Remedy: VOLVO WILL NOTIFY OWNERS AND DEALERS WILL UPGRADE THE ENGINE CONTROL MODULE SOFTWARE, FREE OF CHARGE. THE SAFETY RECALL BEGAN ON JULY 1, 2011. OWNERS MAY CONTACT VOLVO AT 1-201-768-7300.
Model-level recall history does not show whether a particular VIN is affected or has received a repair. Check a VIN with NHTSA ↗