2012 Volvo S60

121 complaints on file, page 1 of 7.

1. Filed Jun 23, 2026Failure Feb 16, 2026Woodbridge, VAService brakes, Unknown or other, Vehicle speed controlCrash1 injured

   Brakes , and vacuum booster, speed control I experienced a sudden acceleration phenomenon and reached speeds of 100+ mph I manipulated the brakes and the gas in order to safe my life I eventually got my speeds down but it was too late I was ejected from the vehicle and nearly died my brakes scrubbed and I pressed my brakes as hard as I could and my car continued to acceleration. The police has the vehicle and there were no warnings signs . I had just bought the vehicle and was on my way home from the dealership never made it home

   NHTSA complaint 11746049
2. Filed Jun 7, 2026Failure May 16, 2026Kent, WAAir bags, Unknown or other

   The driver's side seat airbag system failed. Specifically, diagnostic trouble code SRS-B002011 was retrieved, indicating a circuit short to ground in the left side airbag deployment control system. The technician found a broken clip on the airbag connector housing, causing an intermittent connection failure between the connector and the seat airbag itself. The airbag cannot be relied upon to deploy in a crash. The vehicle is available for inspection upon request. I purchased this vehicle on May 10, 2026, and drove it as my primary means of transportation. During that time, the driver's side seat airbag was non-functional due to a circuit short to ground and a broken connector housing. Had I been involved in a collision during that period, the driver's side airbag may not have deployed, significantly increasing the risk of serious injury or death. I was not informed of this defect at the time of purchase and had no knowledge that the airbag system was compromised. I drove the vehicle believing it to be equipped with functioning safety systems. The defect was confirmed by Volvo Cars Tacoma (O'Brien Auto Group), a franchised manufacturer-certified Volvo dealership in Tacoma. Technician #2101608 performed a comprehensive inspection using Volvo's proprietary VIDA diagnostic system dated May 16–30, 2026. The inspection retrieved diagnostic trouble code SRS-B002011 confirming a circuit short to ground in the left side airbag deployment control system, and physically identified a broken clip on the airbag connector housing. The technician documented: "There is likely an intermittent failure at the connection between the airbag connector and the seat airbag itself. Need to start with replacement of airbag and repin connector." The check engine light illuminated within days of my purchase. This prompted me to bring the vehicle to Volvo Cars Tacoma on May 16, 2026 — six days after purchase. I personally did not observe an SRS warning light.

   NHTSA complaint 11742523
3. Filed Apr 22, 2026Failure Apr 18, 2026Marietta, GAEngine

   I experienced an engine issue that I believe is related to excessive oil consumption and the lack of an oil pressure light warning. The car was driven out of town when a noise was heard coming from the engine. A visual inspection of the engine revealed smoke coming from the engine department when the oil cap was removed. The dipstick was checked and showed no visible oil on the stick. Later in that evening, 3 additional quarts of oil were added to the engine but the addition of oil did not remedy the noise from the engine. The final result was that the car was towed to a Volvo dealership in Florida for repair. I checked the status of the recalls (oil comsumption and no oil pressure light) and the status is closed. From what I can tell, this issue appears to be directly related to previous recalls for the vehicle.

   NHTSA complaint 11732954
4. Filed Feb 22, 2025Failure Jan 15, 2025San Diego, CAEngine

   Engine has failed and is unrepairable. The car has been maintained well according to the manufacturer’s guidelines with regular oil changes. It has only 94,875 miles. The mechanic said that there is probably a piston gasket failure leading to oil leak into the engine. This appears to have been reported with this year/model vehicles. I would like Volvo to take ownership of poor manufacturing and fix the problem to my satisfaction.

   NHTSA complaint 11644323
5. Filed Aug 14, 2024Failure Jun 10, 2024Basking Ridge, NJWarnings, Rearview system braking

   At temperatures around 90* and higher the rear camera flickers and is unusable. This happens without any warning and when vehicle attempting to reverse.

   NHTSA complaint 11608588
6. Filed Jul 7, 2024Failure Sep 1, 2023Edmonton, ALEngine

   Discovered that my engine is burning oil. There was no warning from my vehicle or from Volvo (during regular maintenance) that this was happening. It was just sudden that the check engine light went on and I checked the oil and found that it was basically empty. Volvo confirmed that the engine is burning oil and that this model and make was discovered to have this engine issue. Volvo did not offer a solution other than to buy a new vehicle to replace this one. In my research online, this problem is common for this model and make 2012 S60 T5, may other have reported the same issue and it seems that there is a recall for this problem but my vehicle (VIN) does not report this to be a problem for my car. I’m not sure what to do.

   NHTSA complaint 11599825
7. Filed May 21, 2024Failure Feb 1, 202380,000 milesJersey City, NJEngine

   The contact owns a 2012 Volvo S60. The contact stated that upon starting the vehicle, an unknown belt fractured, and the vehicle failed to start. There were no warning lights illuminated. The contact called the local dealer, who informed the contact about diagnostic testing, but the vehicle was not diagnosed or repaired. The manufacturer was contacted, but no assistance was provided. The failure mileage was approximately 80,000.

   NHTSA complaint 11589833
8. Filed Feb 28, 2024Failure Feb 28, 2024Alexandria, VAWindshield

   While driving or parked water is dripping down my window shield. This obstructs my view and distracts me from driving. It further distracts my driving if I have to wipe away the water which usually leads to smearing which causes further obstruction to my field of vision.

   NHTSA complaint 11574442
9. Filed Feb 21, 2024Failure Feb 1, 2024OAK Lawn, ILWindshield

   original windshield never replaced unglueing to the point where you can push the glass and have it move and minor seepage of water

   NHTSA complaint 11573156
10. Filed Feb 7, 2024Failure Feb 2, 2024137,000 milesKernersville, NCEngine and engine cooling

    The contact owns a 2012 Volvo S60. The contact stated that while driving at an undisclosed speed, she smelled a burning odor in the interior of the vehicle, after which the vehicle inadvertently lost motive power. The contact was able to coast to the shoulder of the roadway, where the vehicle failed to restart. After a visual inspection of the engine compartment, the contact became aware that the engine was without oil; however, the low oil warning light was not illuminated. The check engine warning light was illuminated. The vehicle was not taken to the dealer nor an independent mechanic. The vehicle was not repaired. After investigating the failure, the contact related the failure to NHTSA Campaign Number: 13V592000 (Engine and Engine Cooling) but the VIN was not included. The manufacturer was not notified of the failure. The failure mileage was approximately 137,000.

    NHTSA complaint 11570537
11. Filed Jan 10, 2024Failure Jun 6, 2023Richmond, CAElectrical system, Engine

    On June 2, 2023 I went to start my car and the engine would not turn over. The dashboard displayed a number of warning lights and messages (DSTC Service Required, SRS Airbag Service Urgent, Transmission Service Required, Coolant System Service Required). When the tow truck driver arrived later that day, they tried to jumpstart my car but reported the battery was completely dead. I had the car taken to a local shop that specialized in Volvo cars. A few days later the shop called to tell me that not only was the battery dead, but my car key was no longer responding, and that the Engine Control Module "exploded." None of the mechanics at the shop had seen such a thing before. The shop also told me that they could not figure out what had been draining the battery. I was advised to reach out to the dealership. I did and happened to meet with the general manager and a lead technician who happened to be on site. I was told that while rare, the Engine Control Module can "explode." I was willing to drop the matter until I started seeing "Low Battery" warnings in early Sept. of 2023. I was finally able to get the car into the dealership on 1/2/24. After talking with the mechanic, he suggested that the satellite radio in my car was continuously draining my battery and to resolve the problem all they would need to do is download new software. A few hours later the mechanic confirmed that my car needed an RDAR upgrade to stop the battery drainage. I do not understand how the dealership could sell me the car without checking to make sure the software had been upgraded in the first place. RDAR failure is not something that pops up as a recall or major safety concern. If the car had lost power while in motion, there could have been serious consequences.

    NHTSA complaint 11564522
12. Filed Dec 19, 2023Failure Oct 2, 2023Elizabeth CTY, NCEngine

    Surpintine belt shredded due to faulty belt tensioner. Shreds of belt wedged between crankshaft timing sprocket on engine causing engine to jump timing while driving down highway and vehicle lost all power and very hard to steer due to all valves in motor bent because of poor design. Definitely a safety concern. Volvo is aware but does nothing. 11,000 dollars to replace engine.

    NHTSA complaint 11560890
13. Filed Dec 5, 2023Failure Nov 20, 202362,000 milesBuena park, CAEngine

    The contact owns a 2012 Volvo S60. The contact stated while driving approximately 40 MPH, the vehicle lost motive power and stalled. The vehicle was later towed to the local dealer who diagnosed the vehicle and determined that the drive belt had failed, causing damage to the timing cover and other drive belts. The vehicle was not yet repaired. The manufacturer was notified of the failure, but no assistance was offered. The failure mileage was 62,000.

    NHTSA complaint 11558481
14. Filed Oct 6, 2023Failure Jun 1, 2023houston, TXEngine, Unknown or other

    I bought used s60 and sent car to auto shop due to engine seize . I was told The engine needed to be replaced. I has replacement done. Car ran good and I was pleased. Months later, the vehicle made a clicking noise when I arrived home. When I checked the oil the following morning, there was no oil in car. I was never given a low oil level indication or warning. Now car is making crazy tapping sounds. i

    NHTSA complaint 11548673
15. Filed Sep 11, 2023Failure Jul 20, 2023Colorado Springs, COExterior lighting

    These headlight assemblies commonly develop significant water ingress problems as they age. Owners report issues in wet climates even when these cars were relatively new, resulting in bulb ignition problems as water finds it way into the ballasts, resulting in high-voltage shorting. The water in the headlight housings also "fogs" up the forward lens, resulting in a poor distribution of light out the front, both poor for the driver and dazzling for oncoming traffic. The headlights can work fine for weeks or months, and then a wet week comes along and 1 or both headlights fail to operate or work but poorly and blind oncoming traffic. If caught after dark in the rain the headlights often fail to function. If this could be solved with new headlight assemblies for a reasonable price, I would not consider this a major safety issue, unfortunately, they are difficult to source, astronomically priced (~$1100 per assembly), and replacing them doesn't seem to fix this problem for many owners of these cars. The way these assemblies are vented from the factory seems to be problematic for water ingress and the position of the ballasts ensures that any significant water ingress causes the ballast to short internally. I believe that the atmospheric vent on these must be positioned in such a way that they suck water in as they cool if its raining. The all-halogen assemblies for these cars work better, likely because there's no ballast for the water to leak into and more heat from the bulb to quickly evaporate the water out of the same assembly design. The poorly designed housing is "saved" by the simpler electronics and thermal output of the bulbs. Unfortunately, different factory programming is required to run the all-halogen assemblies. A recall should be issued to replace all of these gimmicky (and distracting) "steerable" xenon headlights with the halogen versions, with the reprogramming effort included in the recall.

    NHTSA complaint 11543976
16. Filed Aug 9, 2023Failure Aug 9, 2023150,000 milesDallas, TXLatches/locks/linkages, Seat belts

    The contact owns a 2012 Volvo S60. The contact stated that while driving approximately 10 MPH, the driver’s side rear door opened unintendedly without the driver touching the door handle. The contact pulled over to the side of the road and inspected the vehicle. Additionally, the contact stated that on several occasions when the seat belt tongue was inserted inside the buckle, the seat belt failed to latch properly. The contact stated that the latch plate latched securely after several attempts. The vehicle was not diagnosed or repaired. The manufacturer was notified of the failure. The failure mileage was 150,000.

    NHTSA complaint 11537428
17. Filed Jun 12, 2023Failure Jun 12, 2023Allenstown, NHSteering

    I have experienced the steering in my car to become looser over time. I have found the culprit to be a plastic tension cap on the steering rack itself. The cap appears to have stripped and backed out completely and is now resting against the subframe. There is no warning of this happening and very hard to pinpoint the cause. The effect is that there is about 10 degrees of play in the steering wheel. It appears that it only affects the left wheel as that one is loose and the right wheel is tight. I will be taking it to the dealer to see if there is a replacement or an upgraded version of this cap but feel this should be addressed further as this could happen without warning.

    NHTSA complaint 11526710
18. Filed Feb 11, 2023Failure Jun 15, 2014Blaine, WASeat belts

    Our seat belts have been problematic because the passenger side is sticky and has to be moved around before it will disengage. When I took it to a dealer they said it was fine and just needed a little lubrication. Lubrication did not help the problem

    NHTSA complaint 11506751
19. Filed Sep 7, 2022Failure Aug 14, 2022Wayne, NJSteering1 injured

    The steering wheel trim peeled and created a razor sharp surface at the bottom which sliced through my finger and caused pain and bleeding. It is difficult to avoid touching the sharp part of the steering wheel especially at highway speeds. This startled me while driving and distracted me while I attempted to stop the bleeding. Volvo has agreed to replace the trim but will charge for labor if I choose to go into a dealer.

    NHTSA complaint 11483292
20. Filed Jul 29, 2022Failure Jul 29, 2022Coram, NYSeat belts

    The drivers seat belt to lock in place or unlock gets stuck ! Makes it very difficult to ge try out of my vehicle daily. This is a major concern if i am ever in an emergency and cannot get out of my seat

    NHTSA complaint 11476537