2021 Volvo XC60 Owner Complaints

Today my Sensus in the center console as well as instrument panel that shows the map between the gauges went black and switched my drive mode out of ECO, shutting off my cruise cintrol and turned off my Bluetooth phone call. Rebooted 3 times before becoming stable. This is unsafe and very dangerous. They just did a software update while it was in the dealership recently fixing an unrelated issue for a month. Now I have to try and get a video as they always try to claim they can't duplicate issues... I always have to take videos and recordings now...

2/17/2022

Today, my Sensus in the center console, as well as my instrument panel that shows the map between the gauges, went black and switched my drive mode out of ECO, shutting off my adaptive cruise control. Rebooted 2 times before becoming stable. I have a video, but your system doesn't allow me to upload the file type

2/23/2022

This is in regards to Pilot Assist. My husband and I purchased this vehicle in May of 2021. We have encountered several incidents (while using Pilot Assist). The car has directed us to different lanes, steered us to guardrails and other cars and has failed to break when cars have been stopped in front of us. We have taken the car in to our local Volvo dealership multiple times and they have still not corrected the issues. The first time we took the car in to the dealership, we were told (by the mechanic) it’s not a good system and it will never operate correctly. They have checked the sensors and hooked the car up to the computer and said it’s not sending off any codes, therefore there is nothing they can do. They have also test driven the car. The latest test drive, the mechanic left notes saying the car did start to drift in to the other lane but was corrected by the driver. However, he claims this is normal operation.

8/17/2021

I leased the vehicle in December, 2020. Periodically while the tailgate is open and I am underneath it, the tailgate has closed on me and hit me in the back. In February, 2021, the struts on the tailgate were replaced at Patrick Volvo, Fort Myers, Florida, after I received a recall letter from Volvo. On September 9, 2021 at approximately 11:00 a.m. (CST) I was under the opened tailgate and it closed three times in a row and hit me in the back. Each time that it hit me, it reversed direction and went back into the open position. I was not injured but my back was sore for the rest of the day. I brought the SUV into Patrick Volvo, Shaumburg, Illinois. The service representative (SR) explained to me that there is a sensor under the rear bumper that will open and close the tailgate if you waive your foot under one specific location. Which is approximately two feet from the left edge of the bumper. The SR explained to me that I must have accidentally waived my foot under the bumper and the sensor caused the tailgate to close. He further advised that it could not be deactivated. On September 18, 2021, at approximately 10:00 a.m. I was sitting in the cargo area putting on my golf shoes. The tailgate started to close. I ran as fast I could and avoided getting hurt or injured. My feet were not capable of engaging the sensor as they were in front of the bumper. I have advised Volvo Customer Service and Patrick Volvo of this new safety concern. Patrick Volvo has stated to me that they have never had this problem on any of their SUVS. They also do not know what is causing it. They are waiting for a loaner SUV to come back to their dealership and then I will bring the vehicle in, so they can attempt to solve this safety issue. In the meantime, I have to be very cautious when the tailgate is open. My fear is not only that it will hit me, but more so that it will not reverse direction and close on me.

9/21/2021

The contact owned a 2021 Volvo XC60. The contact stated that while driving approximately 25 mph, the vehicle suddenly began to accelerate and the brakes failed to stop. The vehicle crashed into a nearby fence causing the vehicle to flip. The air bags did deploy. The contact received injuries to their right shoulder and left knee. Medical attention was needed. A police report was filed. The vehicle was towed and had not been deemed totaled as of yet however, damage to the vehicle would be considered unrepairable. The dealer was informed of the incident however they were unable to assist. The manufacturer was not made aware of the failure. The approximate failure mileage was unknown.

9/21/2021

I brought the car to the Volvo dealer for my 20,000 miles service. They told me that the rear rotors and pads are worn and need to be replaced. The front brakes are fine. I think that this is a design flaw. No one expects the rear brakes to wear first, and certainly not after only 20,000 miles!

9/19/2022

I purchased a brand new Volvo XC60 T6 on 7/18/2021. On 8/14/2021 I was driving on the far left lane on the 280S freeway and wanted to merge one lane to the right and as I was merging the steering wheel went stiff and caused me to lose control of the car. I almost get into a big accident with a Tesla. Then I heard a sound and notice on the dash display "Power Steering service urgent drive to a workshop" sign. The steering wheel continue being stiff and I experienced pain in my left arm due to the steering wheel incident. I immediately called the dealership where I purchased the car from and unfortunately the service department is closed on weekends. I managed to drive slowly and drove back home with very limited control on the steering wheel. I used Volvo On Call and had the car towed to be brought back to the dealership. It was a quite traumatic incident that make me feel not confident to drive the car anymore. Is there any recall that I am not aware of for this car model? I emailed Volvo customer care regarding this issue on 8/15/2021.

8/15/2021

I purchased a brand new Volvo XC60 T5 AWD Inscription 7/04/2021. On 9/22/2021 I was driving in the middle lane on interstate 20 located in DFW TX and entering a curve when suddenly and without warning the steering wheel went stiff (as if I had NO power steering). I almost got into an accident, had I not been an experienced driver. A warning then displayed in the driver's information center "Power Steering Service Urgent, Drive To Workshop". The steering wheel continued to function as if I had no power steering until I arrived at work. I immediately called the dealership where I purchased the my SUV and they got me scheduled with a loaner. It was a traumatic incident that caused me great deal of concern since my SUV in brand new. Apparently Volvo put out an advisory notice that the sub-battery attached to the power steering pump is having issues and the dealership replaced it. I have not had a similar experience since...

11/10/2021

On June 30, 2022 our Volvo XC60 was driven at high speed on I-80 in western NE at dusk in heavy truck traffic before a holiday weekend. With semi’s on 3 sides, and NO WARNING, the vehicle LOST COMPLETE POWER. Driver fought the rapidly slowing car out of the left lane and limped onto right shoulder dodging semi’s. Scary. Only a turtle 🐢 icon appeared on the dash. Online owner’s manual was not avail. There was no response to pressing On call or SOS buttons. Using a phone, the Volvo website said the turtle meant “Reduced Engine Performance” told us nothing new. Stuck in nowhere land without any help, turned the engine off, waited 10 min. Restarted the engine which then appeared in normal op. Turtle had disappeared. Cautiously eased back onto I-80. 20 minutes later, now in WY, the power FAILED AGAIN. This time a yellow engine icon showed on the dash. Using hazard flashers, driver again moved to right shoulder and turned off the car. Again no response from call buttons. A call to Dealership in IL said it was closed and the dealer Showroom in CO said to drop off the vehicle that night. Restarted and tried again in the dark. Near Cheyenne, Volvo lost power 3RD TIME. An Engine outline icon appeared. No help…made it to Ft Collins. We flew back home leaving a disabled Volvo at Ft Collins dealer whose service rep said the “car was unsafe“ and not having a definitive cause after they ran diagnostics, asked if we wanted to “file a case with the company”, and ordered a replacement fuel pump in hope it solves the problem. We immediately asked the case be filed and again 3 days later. By soliciting help from an IL Volvo dealership owner, we learn the case was Not filed (Never happened), and only Maybe? the fuel pump is bad. We are now 11 days without a car which will need to be transported somehow back to us. Meanwhile we are 970 miles away, doubting this car’s safe operation, and without confidence in the quality of technical service at Fort Collins dealer.

7/11/2022

I’ve taken the vehicle back to dealership several times and they say nothing is wrong with it. The steering wheel vibrates at high speeds or when backing into parking spaces. Loud noise when backing into parking spaces, possibly brakes or steering. Engines unusually loud when starting up. Windshield just spilt all the way across when car was sitting for 5 days in august, not from rocks on road. Vehicle has unusually low mileage of 16-18 mpg city & hyw driving. Brakes are noisy- I thought they were crack when I purchased last year. These happened on multiple dates of which your system doesn’t allow me to add.

10/23/2022

On June 30, 2022 our Volvo XC60 was driven at high speed on I-80 in western NE at dusk in heavy truck traffic before a holiday weekend. With semi’s on 3 sides, and NO WARNING, the vehicle LOST COMPLETE POWER. Driver fought the rapidly slowing car out of the left lane and limped onto right shoulder dodging semi’s. Scary. Only a turtle 🐢 icon appeared on the dash. Online owner’s manual was not avail. There was no response to pressing On call or SOS buttons. Using a phone, the Volvo website said the turtle meant “Reduced Engine Performance” told us nothing new. Stuck in nowhere land without any help, turned the engine off, waited 10 min. Restarted the engine which then appeared in normal op. Turtle had disappeared. Cautiously eased back onto I-80. 20 minutes later, now in WY, the power FAILED AGAIN. This time a yellow engine icon showed on the dash. Using hazard flashers, driver again moved to right shoulder and turned off the car. Again no response from call buttons. A call to Dealership in IL said it was closed and the dealer Showroom in CO said to drop off the vehicle that night. Restarted and tried again in the dark. Near Cheyenne, Volvo lost power 3RD TIME. An Engine outline icon appeared. No help…made it to Ft Collins. We flew back home leaving a disabled Volvo at Ft Collins dealer whose service rep said the “car was unsafe“ and not having a definitive cause after they ran diagnostics, asked if we wanted to “file a case with the company”, and ordered a replacement fuel pump in hope it solves the problem. We immediately asked the case be filed and again 3 days later. By soliciting help from an IL Volvo dealership owner, we learn the case was Not filed (Never happened), and only Maybe? the fuel pump is bad. We are now 11 days without a car which will need to be transported somehow back to us. Meanwhile we are 970 miles away, doubting this car’s safe operation, and without confidence in the quality of technical service at Fort Collins dealer.

7/11/2022

While driving, lost power very suddenly. A turtle comes across the dash. My vehicle wouldn’t start for roughly 20 minutes. After the 20 minutes, it starts up, but the check engine light is on. Nervous that my car isn’t safe to drive, I contact corporate Volvo, since there is NO information in the manual for what this means- they told me to contact my local. So I call them and they state it’s safe to drive and they could get me into the schedule 3 weeks out…. Then, I get to my appointment and they then tell me my brakes and rotators are completely shot at 42,000 miles.

6/28/2023

The BLIS warning light has been malfunctioning and only displaying intermittently for several weeks. We were traveling from Florida to Massachusetts when we discovered the problem. We made arrangements for the car to be serviced, but the dealer informed us they did not observe the issue during their test drive and suggested we check the manual to read about BLIS limitations. We did that, but none of the situations applies in our case. The dealer did inform us that they downloaded and reinstalled the appropriate software, however the problem has not been resolved. The passenger side indicator works about 40% of the time and the driver side indicator works about 50% of the time. (I did two manual counts of this while traveling to come up with the stats.) We have another appointment scheduled and will request the mechanic or the service rep take a ride with us in the passenger seat so he or she can observe the problem. There were no messages or warnings that the function was not working properly. The first indication there was an issue came when we actually observed the problem when we were passing a trailer truck on the highway. Although we are able to drive without this feature, it is a problem and could cause and accident.

8/25/2022

The BLIS warning light has been malfunctioning and only displaying intermittently for several weeks. We were traveling from Florida to Massachusetts when we discovered the problem. We made arrangements for the car to be serviced twice, but they informed us they did not observe the issue during their test drive the first time. The second time they indicated that although the signal only activates intermittently, it is designed to function intermittently. We were informed that it will only activate if our car is going the same speed as the car we are passing or the car that is passing us. They subsequently advised the indicator will not activate if there is a 9 mph difference between the passing vehicle and the car being passed. We previously understood the indicator would be a signal or warning that it is not safe to return to the lane of the cars we are passing or move to the lane of the cars that are passing us. I have videos detailing what we perceive as the problem.

9/16/2022

This is in regards to Pilot Assist. My husband and I purchased this vehicle in May of 2021. We have encountered several incidents (while using Pilot Assist). The car has directed us to different lanes, steered us to guardrails and other cars and has failed to break when cars have been stopped in front of us. We have taken the car in to our local Volvo dealership multiple times and they have still not corrected the issues. The first time we took the car in to the dealership, we were told (by the mechanic) it’s not a good system and it will never operate correctly. They have checked the sensors and hooked the car up to the computer and said it’s not sending off any codes, therefore there is nothing they can do. They have also test driven the car. The latest test drive, the mechanic left notes saying the car did start to drift in to the other lane but was corrected by the driver. However, he claims this is normal operation.

8/17/2021

Today my Sensus in the center console as well as instrument panel that shows the map between the gauges went black and switched my drive mode out of ECO, shutting off my cruise cintrol and turned off my Bluetooth phone call. Rebooted 3 times before becoming stable. This is unsafe and very dangerous. They just did a software update while it was in the dealership recently fixing an unrelated issue for a month. Now I have to try and get a video as they always try to claim they can't duplicate issues... I always have to take videos and recordings now...

2/17/2022

On two occasions the automatic breaking/city safety engaged on my Volvo XC60 2021 vehicle. In both incidences there was no need for this to happen. First incident (o/a June 25, 2021) occurred while changing lanes. There was traffic but said traffic was a safe distance in front of me. I was startled by the immediate hard stop breaking and safety belts tightening around me. No accident occurred. Only traffic behind me needing to break to avoid rear ending me. Even though shaken I continued on my way and put it behind me. Second incident (Jul 7,2021) occurred in the I95 tunnel heading to Baltimore. There was no vehicle directly in front of me. Only a vehicle vehicle at least 6 car lengths or more ahead. There was a tractor trailer beside me and vehicles behind me. Again the automatic breaking/city safety engaged. The vehicle came to a hard stop. I was shaken and even more frightened by what happened. No accident occurred. However, the vehicles behind me had to immediately break. I can’t express enough how horrifying these incidents were, especially in the I95 tunnel. I called the Volvo dealership where I bought the vehicle and took it in for service the next day. They ran diagnostics on the vehicle. No codes were shown during testing. I am afraid to drive this vehicle. I was told the automatic breaking/city safety cannot be turned off. I don’t want to sound over dramatic but I fear for my life, my family and others. I don’t want this vehicle. I want a vehicle that I have control over. This safety system has failed!! This system puts my life and others in danger!! The only explanation I received from dealer was that this system works on a camera and radar. I was nonchalantly told a glare from a vehicle or road sign could cause this. This all is alarming to me. What is my recourse?!?! I am aware there were problems with the automatic breaking in Volvos in 2019 & 2020. This was said to have been resolved through recalls. Im worried and afraid of Volvo XC60 2021!

7/12/2021

The car started to move and accelerate with brake pressed. Accident prevention system did not activate itself. It did not display any warnings as it typically do during parking and being close to other cars. The car caused an accident with mild injuries to the driver of the other car, but could have hit a pedestrian or go to the intersection and involved with an accident with a car moving perpendicularly at a higher speed. I am waiting for an investigator from Volvo and Travelers Insurance. Prior to the accident the electronic display of the car started to malfunction. I have a video of the whole accident , but it is in mp4 format and thus i could not upload it. The dashboard camera's microphone picked some electromagnetic interference that increased as we got closer to the accident. Description of the accident: We pulled to a red light behind another car. After not moving for a few seconds, the car started to move on its own, accelerating and hitting the car in the front, continuing to move forward. I was able to put the shifter into the park, stopping it. The road conditions were good. Roads were dry. The sky were cloudy overhead. The vehicle is not drivable ( radiator leak ). The car behaved usually before the accident, except for some reason, for the first time, all the displays dimmed significantly ( it was hard to see anything, and I could not increase brightness ). The screens went back to normal brightness right before the accident. Also, the dashboard camera that recorded the incident, for some reason, picked up audio evidence of electromagnetic interference which was increasing as we were getting closer to the intersection.

4/22/2022

The car started to move and accelerate with brake pressed. Accident prevention system did not activate itself. It did not display any warnings as it typically do during parking and being close to other cars. The car caused an accident with mild injuries to the driver of the other car, but could have hit a pedestrian or go to the intersection and involved with an accident with a car moving perpendicularly at a higher speed. I am waiting for an investigator from Volvo and Travelers Insurance. Prior to the accident the electronic display of the car started to malfunction. I have a video of the whole accident , but it is in mp4 format and thus i could not upload it. The dashboard camera's microphone picked some electromagnetic interference that increased as we got closer to the accident. Description of the accident: We pulled to a red light behind another car. After not moving for a few seconds, the car started to move on its own, accelerating and hitting the car in the front, continuing to move forward. I was able to put the shifter into the park, stopping it. The road conditions were good. Roads were dry. The sky were cloudy overhead. The vehicle is not drivable ( radiator leak ). The car behaved usually before the accident, except for some reason, for the first time, all the displays dimmed significantly ( it was hard to see anything, and I could not increase brightness ). The screens went back to normal brightness right before the accident. Also, the dashboard camera that recorded the incident, for some reason, picked up audio evidence of electromagnetic interference which was increasing as we were getting closer to the intersection.

4/22/2022

My car continued to move even with the brake pedal pressed, and collision avoidance systems did not turn on. This is very unsafe - a car that doesn’t respond when the driver brakes puts everyone else on the road in danger. The first time this happened was on Sep. 6, 2022. I was driving on the highway when the car in front of me stopped abruptly. I started to brake. The distance between our cars was large enough that I should have been able to stop safely, but my car continued to move. I was unable to stop the vehicle and crashed into the car in front of me. At the time, I thought it was my fault. Although there was damage to my car, luckily no one was injured. (This was resolved, and my car was repaired, with help from Shelter Insurance.) On June 13, 2023, I was pulling up to a red light behind another vehicle. I stepped on the brakes and my car jolted to a stop (I had to push the pedal down very hard to get my car to start slowing down). Then my car began to move again, even though I had not released the brake pedal. It was moving at about 1-2 mph. My car got so close to the car in front of us that the parking sensors began to beep. We would have run into the stationary vehicle if I hadn’t put my car in Neutral. When the light switched to green I put my car in Drive again. At the next intersection the brakes were back to normal, and my car was driving as before. I had my car towed to the local Volvo dealership. After an inspection, I was told they hadn’t found anything wrong. I left my car at the dealership for further investigation, and was given a loaner. I don’t know if there is a connection, but both times this happened, I had been driving on the highway at high speeds (70 mph) for a few hours before trying to brake.

6/15/2023

This is in regards to Pilot Assist. My husband and I purchased this vehicle in May of 2021. We have encountered several incidents (while using Pilot Assist). The car has directed us to different lanes, steered us to guardrails and other cars and has failed to break when cars have been stopped in front of us. We have taken the car in to our local Volvo dealership multiple times and they have still not corrected the issues. The first time we took the car in to the dealership, we were told (by the mechanic) it’s not a good system and it will never operate correctly. They have checked the sensors and hooked the car up to the computer and said it’s not sending off any codes, therefore there is nothing they can do. They have also test driven the car. The latest test drive, the mechanic left notes saying the car did start to drift in to the other lane but was corrected by the driver. However, he claims this is normal operation.

8/17/2021

The contact owned a 2021 Volvo XC60. The contact stated that while driving approximately 25 mph, the vehicle suddenly began to accelerate and the brakes failed to stop. The vehicle crashed into a nearby fence causing the vehicle to flip. The air bags did deploy. The contact received injuries to their right shoulder and left knee. Medical attention was needed. A police report was filed. The vehicle was towed and had not been deemed totaled as of yet however, damage to the vehicle would be considered unrepairable. The dealer was informed of the incident however they were unable to assist. The manufacturer was not made aware of the failure. The approximate failure mileage was unknown.

9/21/2021

Side impact curtain air bags only deployed on right side (side of impact), causing head concussion from hitting driverside window on left side. Vehicle has been towed for repair, but may still be available for inspection for a short time. Fire department stated airbags tried but failed deployment. Contacted dealer. Dealer said contact Volvo North America. Volvo has yet to connect me to the right person or department.

7/22/2022

Hi, I bought this XC60 in SEP/2020 which is 2021type. In 2020 winter, after snowing The car's left(driver' window) doesn't work. I have searched the problem of wiper through on-line. I found the recall and then wrote on the manufacturer's online site & regular exam oil change Volvo service. But, I didn't get the right answer. They just this is not a recall SUV. When rainy days I can't see anything both of the wipers don't work and shows a warning of not working. It's too dangerous. I always bring a driver in order to open the window wiper cap. I have fixed it over 10 times. Today my wife drive this vehicle on a rainy day She was frustrated and fall into a dangerous situation. Both wipes don't work. Please review and fix it.

9/6/2022

Without warning, car loses BLIS, electric windows and seats fail to work, ventilation system is inoperable. Supposedly fixed by dealer, but same issues have arisen within 60 days of repair.

9/27/2022

The contact owns a 2021 Volvo XC60 equipped with Continental Tires, Tire Line: Cross Contact, Tire Size: 255/45/R20, DOT: (N/A). The contact stated while driving approximately 65 MPH, the rear passenger’s side tire had a blowout. The vehicle was taken to an independent mechanic where it was confirmed that there was a sidewall blowout. The tires were not replaced. The tires were the original tires. The manufacturer was notified of the failure. The approximate failure mileage was 17,000.

10/30/2023

The passenger side rear door locked and could not be open from either the inside or the outside. The dealer concluded that the door lock failed in the locked position. It gained entry to the door panel with the door shut, removed the old lock, opened the door, installed a new lock assembly and reassembled the door. Because the car was slightly out of warranty, we had to pay for the repair. Until this was done, we felt very unsafe. In the event of an accident or emergency, the passenger on that side of the car would not be able to exit the car. There was no warning prior to this happening. It just stopped working.

12/16/2024

Rear Center Seat seatbelt buckle does not latch.

12/28/2024

My car was backed into July 4, 2024, unoccupied and had damage done to the hood and front light and bumper. The person who hit the car had insurance and I took it to a local collison company for the repairs In November 2024. (Insured would not return calls to insurance company so it took this long for repairs) I began taking it to Volvo OC in December because the sensors were constantly lighting up and beeping constantly with no one around me. I took it to Volvo many times from December to August 2025. They would have my car for a week or two and think they fixed it and it was not fixed. After Volvo sent me a note saying that Corporate was not going to pay to do anything and they were done with trying to fix the car I took it back to my collison company. When Volvo last had it they told me that the wiring harness was not the correct part number and that the collision company installed the wrong one. I called them back and they explained that they had to call Volvo Mission Viejo and gave them the VIN number and they installed what was sent. I took it back to the collision company and they called and ordered another harness and they received the exact same harness. They installed that one and the sensors still do not work correctly. They then called Volvo Mission Viego again and they were told there was a cable that was needed if a car was in an accident and 2 sensors needed to be attached to the cable and the other sensors to the harness. So they did that. And still the same issue. At that time Volvo told me that the sensors in my car were not the correct sensors and that they were not the sensors that came with the car. The collision company said they removed the sensors from the harness but attached the exact same sensors during the repair. So both Volvo and the collision company have left me hanging and this is a safety issue. If I am looking one way for traffic and the beeping goes off it is startling to think someone is coming from the other

9/8/2025

My car was backed into July 4, 2024, unoccupied and had damage done to the hood and front light and bumper. The person who hit the car had insurance and I took it to a local collison company for the repairs In November 2024. (Insured would not return calls to insurance company so it took this long for repairs) I began taking it to Volvo OC in December because the sensors were constantly lighting up and beeping constantly with no one around me. I took it to Volvo many times from December to August 2025. They would have my car for a week or two and think they fixed it and it was not fixed. After Volvo sent me a note saying that Corporate was not going to pay to do anything and they were done with trying to fix the car I took it back to my collison company. When Volvo last had it they told me that the wiring harness was not the correct part number and that the collision company installed the wrong one. I called them back and they explained that they had to call Volvo Mission Viejo and gave them the VIN number and they installed what was sent. I took it back to the collision company and they called and ordered another harness and they received the exact same harness. They installed that one and the sensors still do not work correctly. They then called Volvo Mission Viego again and they were told there was a cable that was needed if a car was in an accident and 2 sensors needed to be attached to the cable and the other sensors to the harness. So they did that. And still the same issue. At that time Volvo told me that the sensors in my car were not the correct sensors and that they were not the sensors that came with the car. The collision company said they removed the sensors from the harness but attached the exact same sensors during the repair. So both Volvo and the collision company have left me hanging and this is a safety issue. If I am looking one way for traffic and the beeping goes off it is startling to think someone is coming from the other

9/8/2025

Serpentine belt failure at 70K miles. Was driving back home when I felt the traction misbehaving and the check engine light came on. Was able to get home safely and brought the car to the garage the next open day. During inspection, serpentine belt was found missing 1 rib and was caught in splash fan. Had to pay almost $1000 to replace it as insurance had run out a couple months prior. Volvo tech said it was almost surely a defect in the belt as these last typically ~150k miles and they had seen other such recent cases of early failure. I was not happy having to pay to replace a defective part which moreover was about to catastrophically fail, destroying my engine/traction and potentially hurting me. Thankfully the check engine light, which was apparently unrelated (oxygen sensor which needed to be replaced for another $1000) brought me to the garage before the accident happened.

12/16/2025