2022 Volvo XC40 Owner Complaints

Backup camera not working: Repeated get no backup camera image - just see a black screen with message "Camera unavailable" or "Camera temporarily unavailable". This happens more often than the camera works. Seems to be related to OTA software update - had no camera problems for a most of the year and then after an OTA the camera issues began.

1/3/2025

When I tried to back up my car, the backup camera on the screen keeps displaying temporarily unavailable warning on the screen. This happens 5 out of 10 times...

5/16/2025

Problem with rearview backup camera when in dark the camera shows red that when backing up in the dark the tail lights are so bright that all as could be seen is red you cannot see any objects that are behind the vehicle

1/14/2022

Right (passenger side) rear window failed at highway speeds. Window shattered spreading small pieces of glass throughout car interior. No projectiles found in the debris, and no other vehicles were around when window shattered.

8/5/2022

When backing the vehicle out of a parking space on Wednesday, December 21, 2022, the vehicle lurched and moved very slowly. The center HUD displayed the message, "Slow Down. The Vehicle will reduce speed. Propulsion system failure." The vehicle was towed to the Volvo certified dealer in Roanoke VA. The technician "reset" the error code and released the vehicle to me. The dealership could not tell me if the vehicle was safe to drive. I called the dealership multiple times, and they stated the problem was being investigated by Volvo corporate. Still, no one can tell me if and the conditions the vehicle will begin its automatic deceleration protocol. I have a second report now from the dealership that the error must occur twice for them to investigate it more thoroughly. I feel fortunate that this occurred in a parking lot, and not while travelling at any speed in heavy traffic. Volvo online forums have been reporting this error since at least August 2022. https://www.xc40forum.com/threads/propulsion-system-failure.5150/ This is the second response from the dealership after I called today for progress: "–based on your DTC codes it appears you are referencing TJ-36309, CMA BEV IHFA Internal Processor Failure. At this time the concern has only occurred 1 time and has not returned after following the TJ. A software fix is still under development to prevent misdetection of these DTCs, as you stated. This TJ was only released last month, VCUSA is working towards a solution. However, if the codes return it signals further fault tracing is needed and we will have to evaluate the situation if it happens." This does not sound safe, and I thank you all for reading.

12/29/2022

In the past 3 months, my 2022 Volvo XC40 has experienced four complete power failures, each requiring a tow. 1️⃣ The first incident occurred while waiting at a left-turn lane; the car stalled and would not restart. 2️⃣ The second incident happened at a car wash where the vehicle died mid-process and could not be restarted. 3️⃣ The third incident was the most dangerous—while driving at 50–60 mph on a single-lane road, the car suddenly lost all power. I was fortunate to find a safe spot to pull over. 4️⃣ The fourth incident occurred on July 4th while I was visiting a town 2.5 hours from home. After stopping for gas, the car wouldn’t restart and had to be towed to a local Volvo dealership. These repeated failures create a serious safety risk, especially for drivers like myself who use highways regularly. Sudden loss of power at high speeds could result in a collision or leave occupants stranded in dangerous situations.

7/4/2025

I was driving Westbound on a 2-lane tree-lined county road at around 9:00 AM with the sun behind me. Without any other vehicles, pedestrians or objects, the car came to a sudden hard-brake stop with the seatbelt clenching around me. I was alarmed by this "phantom braking" experience. I have an appointment with my local Volvo dealer, though I don't expect a resolution. Instead, I will request this so-called safety feature be disabled. I am extremely concerned if this would have happened on a busier street or highway.

2/3/2022

I am on my third Volvo in ten years, a 2022 XC40 that I purchased in new from the dealer. It's actually my second Volvo XC40. However I have had serious safety issues with the current model as it has repeatedly engaged the anti collision braking nearly causing an accident on one of the 8-9 times this has happened. It was taken in to two different dealers multiple times for repeat errors with the anti collision system. Each time the system has activated - 8-9 times - the road conditions are perfectly fine and there are no cars or obstructions in the road. On a recent incident in 2023 my kids were thrown forward and all of our luggage ended up dispersed throughout the car. It was a hard brake from about 40 mph down to nearly zero before I could get control of the vehicle. The only warning was a message and red colors on the dashboard at the same time as the braking. If a car had been following me we would certainly have been hit from behind. It has been a terrifying experience with each inaccurate activation of the anti collision feature, but Volvo services in contact with Volvo engineers can't fix it. And they won't provide me with any details or access the computer to substantiate my claims. I contacted my salesperson out of desperation and he agreed that this wasn't normal. He submitted a request for a trade assist but it was denied by Volvo. I feel compelled to let other owners know as it is a very serious safety flaw that is being ignored by Volvo.

2/7/2024

The contact owns a 2022 Volvo XC40. The contact stated while dropping off her niece at school, the vehicle was at a complete stop with the brake pedal depressed; however, the vehicle accelerated unintendedly and drove over the pavement. The brake pedal was depressed but failed to respond. The vehicle crashed into the wall of the school and crashed into the school fence. The curtain air bags were deployed; however, the front driver's side air bag failed to deploy. The contact sustained pain in the right shoulder. The contact received medical assistance the following day. A police report was filed. The vehicle was towed to a tow lot. The manufacturer was notified of the failure and referred the contact to a Volvo Collision Center. The Volvo Collision Center took the vehicle to their location and informed the contact that they were awaiting a Volvo engineer to diagnose the vehicle. The vehicle was not diagnosed nor repaired. The failure mileage was approximately 7,000.

2/22/2023

The contact owns a 2022 Volvo XC40. The contact stated the vehicle was in park, with no accelerator pedal or brake pedal being depressed when it experienced an unintended acceleration. As a result, the vehicle crashed into a pole where it came to a stop. The air bags did not deploy. A police report was not filed. No warning lights were illuminated on the vehicle. The contact mentioned the auto braking did not engage along with the other equipped safety features. The vehicle was restarted and driven to the owner's residence where it remains. The vehicle was not diagnosed or repaired. The local dealer and manufacturer were notified of the failure, and a case was opened with the manufacturer. The failure mileage was 33,710.

1/2/2024

The rear backup camera consistently fails to provide a view while in reverse. The camera either blinks between a view and black screen, or will completely fail and say the camera is unavailable.

11/6/2023

I am on my third Volvo in ten years, a 2022 XC40 that I purchased in new from the dealer. It's actually my second Volvo XC40. However I have had serious safety issues with the current model as it has repeatedly engaged the anti collision braking nearly causing an accident on one of the 8-9 times this has happened. It was taken in to two different dealers multiple times for repeat errors with the anti collision system. Each time the system has activated - 8-9 times - the road conditions are perfectly fine and there are no cars or obstructions in the road. On a recent incident in 2023 my kids were thrown forward and all of our luggage ended up dispersed throughout the car. It was a hard brake from about 40 mph down to nearly zero before I could get control of the vehicle. The only warning was a message and red colors on the dashboard at the same time as the braking. If a car had been following me we would certainly have been hit from behind. It has been a terrifying experience with each inaccurate activation of the anti collision feature, but Volvo services in contact with Volvo engineers can't fix it. And they won't provide me with any details or access the computer to substantiate my claims. I contacted my salesperson out of desperation and he agreed that this wasn't normal. He submitted a request for a trade assist but it was denied by Volvo. I feel compelled to let other owners know as it is a very serious safety flaw that is being ignored by Volvo.

2/7/2024

The contact was test driving a 2022 Volvo XC40 equipped with Pirelli tires. Tire Line: Pirelli, Tire Size:2255/40R20, DOT: Not available. The contact stated while driving at 3 MPH and making a turn in her driveway, the vehicle bumped the curve and the driver-side rear tire blew out. The contact stated it was the original tire. The dealer was notified of the failure. The manufacturer was notified of the failure and advised the contact that they will follow up on the failure. The tire was replaced. The vehicle failure mileage and the tire failure mileages were unknown. The VIN was not available.

9/24/2021

The contact leased a 2022 Volvo XC40. The contact stated that while using the backup camera at night, the brightness of the taillights would obstruct his vision while reversing. The manufacturer was notified of the failure and provided him with a case number. The contact also notified the dealer of the failure and an inspection was performed. The inspection determined no fault with the camera system. The manufacturer then sent him an email that also informed him that there were no defects with the camera. The vehicle was not repaired. The failure mileage was 1,500.

1/4/2022

The contact owns a 2022 Volvo XC40. The contact stated that material used to manufacture the rear lift gate parcel shelf in the vehicle would fracture when touched, causing small fiberglass shards to become stuck in the skin. The cause of the failure was not yet determined. The manufacturer and local dealer were both notified of the failure but no assistance was provided. The failure mileage was 300.

3/31/2022

Blind Spot monitoring indicates a vehicle is in the blind spot area when no other vehicle is actually present. It has also failed to warn that a vehicle is actually in the blind spot when one was. On some occasions it just starts blinking erratically. I believe this is happening primarily on the driver side but I an not sure that it is not an issue on the passenger side as well. The date provided below of the incident represents the most recent time this event has happened but note it has happened multiple times. The photo provided shows the warning indicator lit but no vehicle in the area. I have additional phots if you would like them please just let me know.

6/28/2022

See accompanying letter.Cracked panoramic sun roof, with no evidence convincing stone damage, people with similar issues , involving same model.

10/15/2022

When backing the vehicle out of a parking space on Wednesday, December 21, 2022, the vehicle lurched and moved very slowly. The center HUD displayed the message, "Slow Down. The Vehicle will reduce speed. Propulsion system failure." The vehicle was towed to the Volvo certified dealer in Roanoke VA. The technician "reset" the error code and released the vehicle to me. The dealership could not tell me if the vehicle was safe to drive. I called the dealership multiple times, and they stated the problem was being investigated by Volvo corporate. Still, no one can tell me if and the conditions the vehicle will begin its automatic deceleration protocol. I have a second report now from the dealership that the error must occur twice for them to investigate it more thoroughly. I feel fortunate that this occurred in a parking lot, and not while travelling at any speed in heavy traffic. Volvo online forums have been reporting this error since at least August 2022. https://www.xc40forum.com/threads/propulsion-system-failure.5150/ This is the second response from the dealership after I called today for progress: "–based on your DTC codes it appears you are referencing TJ-36309, CMA BEV IHFA Internal Processor Failure. At this time the concern has only occurred 1 time and has not returned after following the TJ. A software fix is still under development to prevent misdetection of these DTCs, as you stated. This TJ was only released last month, VCUSA is working towards a solution. However, if the codes return it signals further fault tracing is needed and we will have to evaluate the situation if it happens." This does not sound safe, and I thank you all for reading.

12/29/2022

The contact owns a 2022 Volvo XC40. The contact stated while dropping off her niece at school, the vehicle was at a complete stop with the brake pedal depressed; however, the vehicle accelerated unintendedly and drove over the pavement. The brake pedal was depressed but failed to respond. The vehicle crashed into the wall of the school and crashed into the school fence. The curtain air bags were deployed; however, the front driver's side air bag failed to deploy. The contact sustained pain in the right shoulder. The contact received medical assistance the following day. A police report was filed. The vehicle was towed to a tow lot. The manufacturer was notified of the failure and referred the contact to a Volvo Collision Center. The Volvo Collision Center took the vehicle to their location and informed the contact that they were awaiting a Volvo engineer to diagnose the vehicle. The vehicle was not diagnosed nor repaired. The failure mileage was approximately 7,000.

2/22/2023

The contact owns a 2022 Volvo XC40. The contact stated while dropping off her niece at school, the vehicle was at a complete stop with the brake pedal depressed; however, the vehicle accelerated unintendedly and drove over the pavement. The brake pedal was depressed but failed to respond. The vehicle crashed into the wall of the school and crashed into the school fence. The curtain air bags were deployed; however, the front driver's side air bag failed to deploy. The contact sustained pain in the right shoulder. The contact received medical assistance the following day. A police report was filed. The vehicle was towed to a tow lot. The manufacturer was notified of the failure and referred the contact to a Volvo Collision Center. The Volvo Collision Center took the vehicle to their location and informed the contact that they were awaiting a Volvo engineer to diagnose the vehicle. The vehicle was not diagnosed nor repaired. The failure mileage was approximately 7,000.

2/22/2023

Vehicle started shaking uncontrollably and was unable to accelerate. I was to get it to buck and jerk and coast to my house out of a dangerous intersection. Error stated Propulsion System Failure. Shutting off the car and restarting the error code stayed. However, the next morning, the error code disappeared. Volvo was unable to replicate issue but did see a software update. What scares me about this propulsion thing though is if happens on my commute without any warning.... and just an over the air software update to cause huge safety issues.

10/20/2023

The rear backup camera consistently fails to provide a view while in reverse. The camera either blinks between a view and black screen, or will completely fail and say the camera is unavailable.

11/6/2023

Both front strut upper bearings failed with less than 30k miles. Continued noise coming from front end diagnosed as failed left strut, causing left upper bearing and strut to be replaced. Polestar 2, which uses the same assembly and Volvo have issues technical journals. Polestar is issuing an upgraded part, though it appears Volvo is not. Owner forums comment on this issue and it is well known with Volvo. A solution for the front suspension should be implemented under a recall as failure of these parts is premature and seems to represent a manufacturing defect.

3/19/2024

The front driver or passenger doors do not open 100% of the time when pulling on the handle. This behavior happens after the car has been unlocked. It happens when pulling at an angle that is slightly up and quick in motion. If you pull directly out, away from the car body, and slower it will open up without issue. I was able to reproduce the behavior at the dealership and was informed that Volvo doors don't open when you do that quick of a motion. Based off that response I do not believe the dealership inspected the door mechanism but instead left it as an accepted issue with the car. I fear if there were a situation when I needed to get into the car immediately it may require multiple pulls on the door handle to work properly.

7/1/2025

The front driver or passenger doors do not open 100% of the time when pulling on the handle. This behavior happens after the car has been unlocked. It happens when pulling at an angle that is slightly up and quick in motion. If you pull directly out, away from the car body, and slower it will open up without issue. I was able to reproduce the behavior at the dealership and was informed that Volvo doors don't open when you do that quick of a motion. Based off that response I do not believe the dealership inspected the door mechanism but instead left it as an accepted issue with the car. I fear if there were a situation when I needed to get into the car immediately it may require multiple pulls on the door handle to work properly.

7/1/2025

In the past 3 months, my 2022 Volvo XC40 has experienced four complete power failures, each requiring a tow. 1️⃣ The first incident occurred while waiting at a left-turn lane; the car stalled and would not restart. 2️⃣ The second incident happened at a car wash where the vehicle died mid-process and could not be restarted. 3️⃣ The third incident was the most dangerous—while driving at 50–60 mph on a single-lane road, the car suddenly lost all power. I was fortunate to find a safe spot to pull over. 4️⃣ The fourth incident occurred on July 4th while I was visiting a town 2.5 hours from home. After stopping for gas, the car wouldn’t restart and had to be towed to a local Volvo dealership. These repeated failures create a serious safety risk, especially for drivers like myself who use highways regularly. Sudden loss of power at high speeds could result in a collision or leave occupants stranded in dangerous situations.

7/4/2025

In the past 3 months, my 2022 Volvo XC40 has experienced four complete power failures, each requiring a tow. 1️⃣ The first incident occurred while waiting at a left-turn lane; the car stalled and would not restart. 2️⃣ The second incident happened at a car wash where the vehicle died mid-process and could not be restarted. 3️⃣ The third incident was the most dangerous—while driving at 50–60 mph on a single-lane road, the car suddenly lost all power. I was fortunate to find a safe spot to pull over. 4️⃣ The fourth incident occurred on July 4th while I was visiting a town 2.5 hours from home. After stopping for gas, the car wouldn’t restart and had to be towed to a local Volvo dealership. These repeated failures create a serious safety risk, especially for drivers like myself who use highways regularly. Sudden loss of power at high speeds could result in a collision or leave occupants stranded in dangerous situations.

7/4/2025

While driving the power steering fails. This is after the dealer had installed a software fix for this problem

8/31/2025