VOLVO Complaints

View complaints related to VOLVO. The complaints found here are submitted by actual consumers with first hand experience. You can submit your own complaint to the NHTSA or call the Hotline, Monday-Friday 8am to 8pm at (888) 327-4236, TTY: (800) 424-9153.

  • 2016 VOLVO S60
    - Montgomery, AL

    At 86K miles can smell oil burning and add 1 quart light comes on. It's said Volvo is aware of a defect with the piston rings causing oil to consume and burn away. They aren't willing to address the issue outside warranty expiration. They did recently indicate how Volvo changed the requirement for using 5W30 oil to claim now Volvo changed there minds. How now only 0W20 full synthetic oil must be used. The label under the hood says use 5W30 only. It appears that Volvo is changing oil types because they know there's an issue with the piston rings and is trying to cover up a defect by doing so.

    Source: NHTSA WEB SITE
  • 2016 VOLVO XC90
    - Las Vegas, NV

    Warning to add a quart of oil. Dealer investigated and found loss of compression in 2/4 cylinders. Dealer indicates that a ring and piston job will have to be done for all cylinders. Dealer also indicated they were aware of such problems with the rings wearing improperly. Therefore car burns oil. We are currently awaiting the extended warranty company to agree to pay for the repairs. The car has < 50000 miles and has received all recommended service at the dealer. I understand this is a problem with these cars. As failure of the cylinders could cause an accident, why is there no recall and if Volvo knew of the problem why did they not warn us.

    Source: NHTSA WEB SITE
  • 2020 VOLVO XC40
    - Dallas, TX

    The electrical system on my car apparently failed, which rendered the car unable to start and drive. Park Place Volvo claims that there is water, that penetrated the seals, from underneath the car. Although there were no visible signs of water, Volvo claims that the rain caused this issue. Volvo has refused to honor a warranty for the alleged defective seals, and sent my car to its collision center.

    Source: NHTSA WEB SITE
  • 2021 VOLVO XC60
    - Bradenton, FL

    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.

    Source: NHTSA WEB SITE
  • 2022 VOLVO XC90
    - Boise, ID

    Propulsion Service Required message one week after we picked up our new car. Three weeks later----check engine light. Soon after another Propulsion Service Required. Each time, our dealership reset the computer. Three months into ownership, on I-84, traveling 75 mph in the far left lane: turtle mode light, loss of power, no propulsion, able to just get off the freeway on the left. Two hour wait for assistance on side of freeway in 98 degree heat. Dealership kept car for 40 days: replaced BDU, AC compressor, IGM. Similar accounts of turtle mode and power failure from other 2022 Volvo owners on speedswede.com. We are not driving our car. Someone is going to get run over by another vehicle if Volvo doesn't address the problem.

    Source: NHTSA WEB SITE
  • 2017 VOLVO XC90
    - Gaithersburg, MD

    The contact owns a 2017 Volvo XC90. The contact stated that while driving at an undisclosed speed, the 12-volt Battery Charging Fault message and battery warning light illuminated. Additionally, the windshield wipers and turn signals were inoperable. The vehicle was taken to the dealer where it was diagnosed with battery failure. The dealer informed the contact that the battery software needed to be updated. The vehicle was not repaired. The manufacturer was not made aware of the failure. The failure mileage was approximately 31,000. The consumer stated the problem was software updates which resolved all the problems, but wants to understand why the software update caused so many issues.

    Source: HOTLINE VEHICLE OWNERS QUESTIONNAIRE
  • 2020 VOLVO S90
    - IRVING, TX

    On 8/22 while driving on a city road in extreme rainy conditions the vehicle in front of me drove through standing water, which created significant spray. As a result the City Safety feature of my Volvo S90 engaged in an extreme fashion. Without any risk of an impending collision the City Safety feature determined the water spray to be an obstacle and fully engaged the brakes (ABS event) to avoid the impending collision including engaging seat-belt pre-tensioning. I was lucky as the drive behind me was paying attention and swerved to avoid rear ending my abruptly stopping vehicle without any intervention from me as the driver. I believe that the issue was caused due to the City Safety system incorrectly detecting the water spray as an impeding crash. This seems to be a system calibration that could have been addressed during development. I wanted to notify NHTSA of this situation so you can be aware and monitor the impact of these driver assist features on overall road safety.

    Source: NHTSA WEB SITE
  • 2019 VOLVO S60
    - Rocklin, CA

    I was driving down our main road and I saw and smelled smoke coming out of the air vents, then a warning light came on my dashboard for my 12V battery I pulled over right away and opened the trunk and saw fire on the left-hand side. I attempted to extinguish the fire myself using soda, I was pulling clothing (2 shirts and napkins) out of the car and burned my hand We towed the car to Volvo and they are claiming it’s not their fault We have only had the car for 4 months And my husband could have died or worse if my child was in the back seat!

    Source: NHTSA WEB SITE
  • 2006 VOLVO S40
    - Quakertown , PA

    Check engine light came on and stays in. Vehicle always sputters to start, acceleration is sometimes slow to respond, has stalled out on a rare occasion usual on hills. I’m afraid someday I might be involved in a crash because of a lack of acceleration.

    Source: NHTSA WEB SITE
  • 2022 VOLVO XC90
    - Antelope, CA

    On August 17th 2022 I received the reduced performance and acceleration reduced sign with an icon of a turtle. Besides getting this light on my dash my evening ended in fear and distress as I received a call from my family that the new car purchased was acting up and all that they were afraid for their life. This occurred to my spouse in the middle of driving home on the freeway (as she had our two kids in the backseat). She had to drive in a very low and dangerous speed on the highway and take the first exit possible as the car started acting up. A strong smell of something burning started to permeate the car coming from under the hood of the engine. My family was beyond terrified of this. The threat and fear for their life was due to the safety failures of this vehicle. The amount of stress and anxiety this suv caused my spouse and underage children is beyond horrific. I was forced to drive across town (in severe distress and panic, as I did not know how this will all end and if my family was ok) and exchange cars with my frightened and petrified family. As I drove the car, I was frightened for my life as I understood the possibility of the car catching on fire (as the burned smell permitted the car). I was not able to drive more than 15mph. This is the third instance of the serious safety and hybrid system malfunction of car itself within the last 90 days post purchase. First time dropped the vehicle at Sacramento Volvo on May 4, 2022 due to check engine came on / acceleration reduced. Second time dropped the vehicle at Sacramento Volvo on Aug 9, 2022, check engine light came on, hybrid propulsion fault is on, vehicle struggles to accelerate. This dangerous safety issues that I have experienced within the short time owning this SUV can have severe consequences on the lives of my family. I opened a case with Volvo USA, so here is the case 220818-000954.

    Source: NHTSA WEB SITE