2022 VOLVO C40BEV Complaints

Multiple recurring electronic, keyless entry, and drivability defects on my 2022 Volvo C40 Recharge, VIN [XXX]. The vehicle was purchased used through Vroom and financed by UACC. Serious problems existed prior to the factory warranty expiration in April 2026. Volvo San Francisco was made aware of the issues on multiple occasions but claimed they “could not replicate” the problems, apparently to avoid liability for what is clearly a lemon vehicle. A software update was performed but did not resolve or improve the issues. The defects include: noticeable delay in throttle response when pressing the gas pedal (making acceleration unpredictable); the infotainment and driver information center screen going completely black while the vehicle is in motion; failure of the backup camera system; and sudden, unexpected jerking of the vehicle for no apparent reason. Additionally, the key fob and Volvo Cars app frequently become completely unresponsive. The app will show the current vehicle status (for example, “Locked” with battery/range info) but unlock and remote commands do not work. On XXX, the situation escalated severely. The car was locked and would not respond to the key fob buttons or the Volvo app. I had to use the manual detachable key blade from the fob to unlock the driver’s door. Once inside, placing the full key fob on the backup reader produced no response at all. The center screen remained completely black, there was no power-up of the systems, and the vehicle would not start. The car is now in a completely unresponsive state. These problems affect the keyless entry system, key fob detection module (likely related to the TCAM or similar electronics), infotainment and power management systems, electronic throttle control, and overall vehicle communications. The vehicle is readily available for inspection and testing. The issues have been consistently reproduced over time. These defects substantially impair the use, value, and safety INFORMATION REDACTED PURSUANT TO THE FREEDOM OF INFORMATION ACT (FOIA), 5 U.S

The car’s infotainment system repeatedly freezes and force restarts which causes the HVAC system to stop working and the windshield defroster to stop cleaning fog and frost leading to poor visibility.

Intermittent rear backup camera displayed camera unavailable instead of live video footage of what's behind the car. Inspection available upon request. Reduced visibility to rear of vehicle may lead to unsafe vehicle reverse. Problem hard to reproduce at dealer or independent service center as issue is intermittent and inconsistent. The component has not been inspected by manufacturer, police, or anyone else. The center console will display backup camera is unavailable. Issue remains unresolved since multiple updates. Car is on latest version 4.2.13

On multiple occasions, the vehicle’s infotainment system has malfunctioned, and when this occurs, the turn signals stop working entirely. This failure has happened while the vehicle was in active use, including during a long trip, leaving us without functioning turn signals for an extended period. This creates a serious and immediate safety hazard for both the occupants of the vehicle and other drivers. After seeking advice, we were instructed to reboot the infotainment system. Once rebooted, the turn signals began working again. However, several weeks later, the same failure occurred again while driving. The turn signals stopped functioning without warning, forcing us to pull over and restart the infotainment system in order to restore basic signaling functionality. This issue appears to be recurring and directly affects a critical safety system of the vehicle.

The rear camera has never worked properly. When I put the car in reverse, sometimes it doesn’t show an image. This happens most days. This has been over a minute in duration, though sometimes shorter. This has happened hundreds of times. It also sometimes will display a still image when moving, which of course is very dangerous as it gives a sense of safety and being clear when anything could move into the rear area without me knowing. I have done the recall, which was an ineffective software update. I am on software 3.7, which has the latest, and it didn’t work. Volvo offers no fix other than to reset the computer over and over. This doesn’t fix it. It is a hardware issue in which the computer isn’t capable of running all its functions. The only fix is hardware, and Volvo will need to be forced to do that. Many people complain of this issue. It is rampant in all the online communities.

I drive in the standard one pedal driving mode which allows for the car to brake and come to a complete stop using the regen system by simply releasing the accelerator. The issue is that I had come to a stop behind another car at traffic lights with my foot of the accelerator. In one pedal driving there is no need to hold the brake pedal as the car should so this itself. After a few seconds of being stationary the car, without me touching the accelerator, left forward and started to drive on itself. I was able to stop this by applying the brake before I hit the car in front. The car should not have done this.

This vehicle is an electric vehicle and driven primarily in one pedal drive. When stopped, without any input to the accelerator, it will sometimes start moving forward. This has happened at least fifty times in the 2.5 years I have owned this vehicle. I have been fortunate enough to not strike another car (or pedestrian) at a stop light when the car will suddenly start moving forward, but there have been a few close calls. I see in Volvo support forums that this is a known problem and I hope the there can be an investigation. Have brought this with the manufacturer to no avail.

Message popped up “cameras temporarily unavailable” and backup and surround view cameras aren’t working. A quick google search and it seems to be a very common software problem

The backup camera on this model has serious reliability issues. It freezes while backing up, and frequently displays a "camera temporarily unavailable" message. Volvo attempted to improve the reliability with a software update this year, but it did very little. The fact that it displays the temporarily unavailable message reveals that Volvo clearly knows about the problem, and they think displaying this message is acceptable. The dealer service manager admits the problem is with the software, and has been discussed at length on internet forums. This car has terrible rear visibility, and a functioning backup camera is absolutely required for safe operation.

I exclusively use one pedal drive (OPD) for my 2022 Volvo C40 EV. I have a log of about a dozen incidents in 2.5yrs where OPD has malfunctioned. Sometimes failing at speed, other times lurching quickly forward after stopping. I have contacted Volvo and they installed a flight data recorder. I can provide a description of all my events upon request. I'll detail just the most dangerous incident here: [XXX] ~[XXX] 30mph westbound on [XXX], Catonsville, MD. A car in front of me was stopping to make the same left turn I needed onto Harlem Ln. To prepare for the stop & turn I removed my foot from the accelerator pedal. Regen braking & deceleration began but then deceleration went to zero, or perhaps the car even sped up. I hit the brake pedal hard to avoid a collision. My wife said, "Why did you speed up?" Of course I didn't speed up, OPD malfunctioned.  Attempted to reproduce 27NOV at same location w/o the car in front. Could not reproduce. (I never charge my EV to 100% SoC) INFORMATION REDACTED PURSUANT TO THE FREEDOM OF INFORMATION ACT (FOIA), 5 U.S.C. 552(B)(6)