2019 Volvo XC60 Recalls & Complaints

Incident: August 4, 2026 · Filed: October 14, 2026

Complaint is regarding the known A/C evaporator failure in my 2019 Volvo XC60 Inscription with approximately 60,000 miles and Volvo’s subsequent denial of goodwill assistance. Disappointing Volvo denied assistance on the grounds that we had “not been loyal enough” despite having purchased 2 new vehicles from them. Both were extensively serviced at Volvo before we moved several hours away from the nearest Volvo dealership, my vehicle remained fully maintained and exceptionally low mileage. Volvo issued Technical Journal TJ 35912.1.0 addressing A/C evaporator repairs including instructions for an additional resistor/in-line jumper cable during replacement. I notified Volvo of the A/C problems during peak of summer, when I was moving across [XXX] with animals. The service department was rude and offered no meaningful solution—not even a reasonable path to getting my vehicle repaired or ensuring I had access to a safe, usable vehicle. My vehicle’s interior has reached temperatures exceeding 120°F. Children, elderly and animals cannot ride in the car. The NHTSA warns that vehicle interiors can heat up by approximately 20°F in just 10 minutes, and the CDC recognizes extreme heat exposure as a potentially life-threatening risk. denying assistance because we supposedly have not been loyal enough—despite purchasing two new fully loaded vehicles and maintaining our vehicle properly—is unacceptable customer service and falls far short of the expectations associated with a premium automotive brand. We planned to purchase another xc60 within a year, how can we? Volvos quality, reliability, and responsible customer support is no where to be found. A costly component failure at approximately 60,000 miles, combined with the lack of assistance during extreme heat and a denial based on our alleged lack of loyalty, has seriously undermined my confidence in the brand. I am asking Volvo to take responsibility for addressing this situation and provide a fair resolution. INFORMATION REDACTED PURSUANT TO THE FREEDOM OF INFORMATION ACT (FOIA), 5 U.S.C. 552(B)(6)

Incident: June 4, 2026 · Filed: August 21, 2026

I was involved in a serious motor vehicle collision involving my Volvo. The collision was essentially a head-on impact that occurred following a medical emergency. The vehicle sustained significant damage in the collision and is essentially totaled. During the crash, all of the vehicle's airbags DID NOT deploy with the exception of the right curtain airbag. I am concerned that the airbags did not deploy during this severe collision and may have failed to function as designed. As a result of the collision, I sustained significant injuries, including a broken tibia (which required surgery) and four fractured vertebrae in my back. I am reporting this incident to Volvo because I am concerned about the performance and deployment of the vehicle's supplemental restraint system, specifically the failure of all of the airbags, including the steering wheel air bag, to deploy during what was essentially a head-on collision. I would like Volvo to investigate the vehicle, including the airbag system, sensors, control module, crash data, and the reason the airbags did not deploy. I would also like the findings of the investigation documented and provided to me.

Incident: August 15, 2026 · Filed: August 17, 2026

Our Nest Protect woke us at 06:30 am saying it was detecting smoke in the garage. Upon entering the garage it was obvious that the cabin of the car was filled with white smoke. Disconnected car from charger port. Attended to drive car out of garage to protect the house, but opening the door just let smoke billow out. Closed the door and called 911. Fire truck arrived - the winched the car out of the garage to protect the house. Using their thermal imaging camera determined the hybrid battery was the hotspot, not any of the charging connections. They ran water into back seat where that battery is located for over two hours to keep it from pop further thermal runaway. Clearly an internal EV battery short. Fire fighters had a sensor and detected residual HCN (hydrogen cyanide gas) and I had to be treated at the ER as a precaution as I inhaled a large amount of smoke when I opened the car door initially.

Incident: April 9, 2026 · Filed: April 13, 2026

The driver's seatbelt buckle interlock stopped working, although engaged, and the auto's system no longer showed whether the seat belt was buckled up or not. This likely would have resulted in the passive restraint system not functioning if there were an accident. There are on-line comments about this same issue in this same model and year. The buckle was replaced at a cost of over $300 by the dealer and the dealer reported that there was a short or break in one of the wires. The vehicle has 87,000 miles at the present time.

Incident: January 25, 2026 · Filed: February 11, 2026

While driving at 10 mph on a residential street, I experienced a sudden and dangerous loss of power braking assistance, making the pedal nearly impossible to depress. An expert Volvo technician has confirmed that the brake vacuum pump failed because the exhaust camshaft, which drives the pump, sheared or failed internally. I want to emphasize that this catastrophic mechanical failure occurred at only 45,000 miles. A camshaft is a non-wear item that should last the lifetime of the vehicle; for it to fail at such low mileage and take out the braking system is an unreasonable safety risk. This is a known issue (Internal Ref: TJ 29131) that directly links an engine defect to a primary safety system failure. The vehicle has been properly maintained, and the failed parts are available for inspection."

Incident: November 29, 2025 · Filed: November 30, 2025

Let me Preface this with, my Make, Model, and year for these problems have been recalled back in 2021, however I was not the owner then and my VIN was not listed as an affected vehicle i guess, nonetheless the problem is exactly the same as experienced by those that were listed on the recalls in the past. Im the 2nd owner of this vehicle and I have owned it for almost 3 years now. In July 2025 after a summer rain in so. cal, I was a couple blocks from home running errands and after being stopped at a light, i began to accelerate and felt like the vehicle was loosing power, I made it home but definitely not able to go the speed limit and once i got home I couldnt shift it into any gear and the vehicle would not turn off. So I had to remove the fuses under the hood, I left them out for a few hours and let the car sit off in my garage during that time. I later came back put the fuses back in and then the car wouldnt turn over. I had it taken to the dealership by AAA and thats when i first learned of the sunroof leak, I contacted Volvo Headquarters and got no help and explained all of the same to the service dept at the dealership working on my car. Long story short the dealership allegedly found water under my interior carpet which obviously damaged modules, I am still paying on that repair. Fast forward to October 2025, same thing all over again only this time the dealership tells me essentially its on the house, however they had my car 3 weeks and did no repairs only got water out of it once again and “brushed off some corrosion”. When I pick it up, it immediately starts funny, i turn the car off and walk right back into the service dep t& raise my concern, to which i was told they had no problem with a hard start up, and we go out to my car & it starts up fine, so i leave 4 days after I got my car back, the check engine light comes on, & immediate warning of reduction of engine power & sure enough thats what it did. today it enters safety mode & wont start

Incident: October 13, 2025 · Filed: November 14, 2025

My 2019 Volvo XC60 with approximately 65,000 miles, experienced a sudden failure of the electric power steering rack. The vehicle became unable to steer and unsafe to drive. The dealership confirmed that the entire steering rack must be replaced at a cost of nearly $7,000. I was told by an independent second opinion that this kind of steering rack failure is highly unusual at this mileage and may indicate a premature component failure. This is a serious safety risk for drivers. I filed a claim with Volvo’s Goodwill program on October 15, 2025, and after five weeks of no communication from Volvo Corporate (despite endless attempts to reach them on my behalf), the only information I have received is a secondary text from my service rep that Volvo is offering a small portion of coverage — with no explanation or written decision. The lack of transparency, combined with the unusual nature of the failure, raises concern that this could be part of a wider pattern of steering failures on similar Volvo vehicles.

Incident: September 1, 2025 · Filed: September 3, 2025

On 9/1/25 while driving 25 mph in the neighborhood the car started shifting very hard. Upon getting back in the driveway and put in park all dashboard light came on. Car would not leave park, parking brake would not work. Windows would not roll down, dash would not turn on, car would not turn off. Got it to the dealership and the told me it was a software update that needed to be done.

Incident: February 17, 2025 · Filed: May 8, 2025

I am submitting this report to formally document a significant safety issue involving the Driver Display Module (DIM) on my Volvo XC60. Prior to reaching 45,000 miles, the DIM began to intermittently glitch, displaying only a barcode-like screen. This eventually progressed to complete failure of the unit with complete lack of digital driver display without analog back-up. As a result of this malfunction, all critical vehicle information became inaccessible, including the speedometer, odometer, fuel level, gear selection, and dashboard warning indicators. This failure severely impairs the driver’s ability to safely operate the vehicle, as it removes access to essential operational data necessary for safe driving and decision-making. I reported this issue to Volvo Customer Support, but they were dismissive of the concern and offered no meaningful resolution. In researching the problem, I found multiple similar complaints documented in online automotive forums, suggesting that this is not an isolated incident but rather a recurring defect among Volvo XC60 vehicles. Given the safety-critical nature of the driver display and the fact that this failure occurred in a relatively low-mileage vehicle, I believe this issue warrants investigation by NHTSA. The frequency of these failures and the serious risk they pose to driver awareness and vehicle control support the need for a safety recall. Thank you for your attention to this matter.

Incident: November 27, 2024 · Filed: February 27, 2025

Three incidents have occurred in three months. Unintended Acceleration Incident #1. While turning right after a full stop on an uphill incline, the vehicle accelerated so quickly that the steering wheel couldn't be return to the neutral position before hitting a roadside signpost approximately 25 ft away. The impact was severe enough to cause the right front headlight to be broken, the right front wheel well liner to be ripped out, the right A-pillar to be dented, and the right mirror to be ripped off. No physical injuries occurred. Unintended Acceleration Incident #2, six weeks later. While on the same incline as incident #1, after removing my foot from the accelerator, the vehicle continued to accelerate, even during braking. Total time was approximately 2 sec. There was no damage to the vehicle, and no physical injury. I checked, and the floor mat was locked in place. Both incidents were reported to Volvo, and permission was given to extract data from the vehicle. The data was extracted at a Volvo service center. Unexpected Acceleration Incident #3 (after data extraction, before Volvo report). While turning right and into a parking space in front of a sidewalk and coming to a stop on an uphill incline, the vehicle quickly moved forward approximately 2 ft after my foot was removed from the brake. I was able to brake again to regain control and put the car in park. Unexpected Acceleration Incident #4 (after data extraction, before Volvo report). While traveling on an uphill incline, after removing my foot from the accelerator, the engine remained at a high enough RPM to sustain forward motion. Even after full-stop braking, the vehicle would move forward on its own, on an uphill incline, without depressing the accelerator. After incident #4, Volvo reported that they concluded that the vehicle was operating as designed at the time of their inspection and during a test drive, that no fault codes were found, and that no unintended acceleration was observed.