2012 Volvo S60 Problems

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.

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.

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.

My wife and I were driving to BWI airport for a 10:30am flight from Virginia Beach in the Express Lane on I-95N going 75mph when all of a sudden at 8:30am the engine seized and I got a message telling me I would experience "Reduced Engine Performance" as my car puttered to a stop with white smoke pouring out of the exhaust. Prior to this message I had no warnings or messages on my dashboard. I got out of my car to check my oil and it was completely evaporated, so I called AAA. While we are 1 hour into waiting (it is now 9:30am) on the narrow shoulder of two Express Lanes for a tow truck to take our car to a shop at 11:40am and for a Lyft driver to figure out how to get to us, two VDOT employees told us we had to move our car by 11am otherwise the state police will tow us. I managed to call a local tow company who finally arrived by 10:55am, so we had been stranded in an Express Lane watching cars fly by at 85mph for almost 2 and a half hours before we were able to move. After the first shop took a look and told me the engine was damaged and that they couldn't replace it, I had it towed to a Volvo dealership. 5 days and a $375 diagnostic later, they find that the turbocharger has an internal oil leak and that this and the catalytic converter would have to be replaced for $6k. Aside from now being carless 4 hours from the dealership and missing my wife's birthday celebration without refund, I now have a $6,375 bill that I had no way of preventing due to a manufacturing design flaw in 2012 Volvo S60 T5. I SHOULD have been warned of a low oil situation so I could have at least pulled over and properly tended to it. I SHOULD NOT have to be liable for a Volvo design flaw that may involve faulty piston rings that has apparently affected countless others. This incident put both my wife and I in danger on an Express Lane on a very busy highway. Volvo needs to be accountable for this design flaw.

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

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

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.

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

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.

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.

My wife and I were driving to BWI airport for a 10:30am flight from Virginia Beach in the Express Lane on I-95N going 75mph when all of a sudden at 8:30am the engine seized and I got a message telling me I would experience "Reduced Engine Performance" as my car puttered to a stop with white smoke pouring out of the exhaust. Prior to this message I had no warnings or messages on my dashboard. I got out of my car to check my oil and it was completely evaporated, so I called AAA. While we are 1 hour into waiting (it is now 9:30am) on the narrow shoulder of two Express Lanes for a tow truck to take our car to a shop at 11:40am and for a Lyft driver to figure out how to get to us, two VDOT employees told us we had to move our car by 11am otherwise the state police will tow us. I managed to call a local tow company who finally arrived by 10:55am, so we had been stranded in an Express Lane watching cars fly by at 85mph for almost 2 and a half hours before we were able to move. After the first shop took a look and told me the engine was damaged and that they couldn't replace it, I had it towed to a Volvo dealership. 5 days and a $375 diagnostic later, they find that the turbocharger has an internal oil leak and that this and the catalytic converter would have to be replaced for $6k. Aside from now being carless 4 hours from the dealership and missing my wife's birthday celebration without refund, I now have a $6,375 bill that I had no way of preventing due to a manufacturing design flaw in 2012 Volvo S60 T5. I SHOULD have been warned of a low oil situation so I could have at least pulled over and properly tended to it. I SHOULD NOT have to be liable for a Volvo design flaw that may involve faulty piston rings that has apparently affected countless others. This incident put both my wife and I in danger on an Express Lane on a very busy highway. Volvo needs to be accountable for this design flaw.

TL* THE CONTACT OWNS A 2012 VOLVO S60. THE CONTACT STATED THAT WHILE DRIVING AT VARIOUS SPEEDS, THE VEHICLE LOSS MOTIVE POWER AND STALLED WITHOUT WARNING. THE VEHICLE WAS RESTARTED AND OPERATED AS DESIGNED. THE VEHICLE WAS TAKEN TO THE VOLVO STORE LOCATED AT 1051 WEST WEBSTER AVE, WINTER PARK, FL 32789, BUT WAS NOT DIAGNOSED NOR REPAIRED. THE NHTSA CAMPAIGN NUMBER: 11V303000 (FUEL SYSTEM, GASOLINE) WAS REFERENCED HOWEVER, THE VIN WAS NOT INCLUDED. THE MANUFACTURER WAS NOT NOTIFIED OF THE FAILURE. THE FAILURE MILEAGE WAS 79,000.

RECALL NOTICE ON 11/2019 TO REPLACE ALL DOORS DUE TO A SAFETY ISSUE (RECALL #: R89978: DOOR LATCHES). RECENTLY ON 12/1/2019, 12/23/2019 AND 1/5/2020 I NOTICED THAT MY REAR RIGHT DOOR SLIGHTLY OPENED WHILE CITY DRIVING IN SUBURBAN NEIGHBORHOOD (LOTS OF STOPS) AND THE DOOR SIGNAL DID NOT INDICATE. THEY DID NOT FULLY OPEN BUT THE LATCH SEEMS TO HAVE AN ISSUE. HAVE BEEN REACHING OUT TO SERVICE AND VOLVO DOES NOT HAVE THE PARTS NEEDED.

SIGNIFICANT ISSUES WITH EXTERIOR BODY PAINT, COMPLAINED TO VOLVO AND SHOWED IT TO DEALER AS PER THEIR ADVISE, DEALER AGREED THAT THIS SHOULD NOT BE THERE WITH LIMITED MILES AND MAINLY LOCAL DRIVING WITH THIS CAR. SCRATCHES ALL OVER THE BODY AND THIS WAS THERE WITH IN 4 YEARS OF CAR AND I HAVE TRIED DETAILING THE CAR MULTIPLE TIMES WITH NO HELP TO REMOVE SCRATCHES. WHILE AT DEALERSHIP, RAN IN TO DEALER EMPLOYEE AND ANOTHER CUSTOMER WITH SIMILAR ISSUE FOR 2012 VOLVO S60. VOLVO REFUSES TO ADDRESS THIS ISSUE SAYING IT'S OUTSIDE WARRANTY. DEALERSHIP TOOK PICTURES AND AGREED THAT THIS IS DUE TO SOME UNDERLYING PAINT ISSUES, THEY WOULDN'T PUT IT IN WRITING AND LET VOLVO MANAGE THE COMPLAINT. NEED SOME HELP TO ADDRESS THIS ISSUE AS IT IS MORE WIDESPREAD THAN VOLVO ADMITS. I JUST NEED PAINT REPLACEMENT AND NOT EXPECTING ANY FINANCIAL COMPENSATION. ATTACHING PICTURES AND CAN PROVIDE MORE IF NECESSARY (REFLECTION DUE TO LIGHT, PLEASE ZOOM IN AND YOU WILL SEE THE 2 INCHES LONG STREAKS AND WHITE SPECKLES ALL OVER). COMPLAINT NUMBER WITH VOLVO USA -ID#200417-000663

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.

LIGHT ON THE INSTRUMENT PANEL INDICATES I NEED TO SERVICE MY AIRBAG IMMEDIATELY. THE AIRBAG HAS NEVER BEEN DEPLOYED. VOLVO SERVICE SAYS I NEED TO PAY TO REPLACE IT WHEN ITS NEVER BEEN USED.

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

AS I APPROACHED A RED LIGHT I BEGAN TO SLOW DOWN AND MY CAR STARTED TO SHAKE AND THEN IT TURNED OFF I WAS UNABLE TO TURN ON MY HAZARDS TO WARN OTHER DRIVERS OR PULL OVER TO THE SIDE, AFTER A COUPLE SECONDS THE LIGHTS CAME BACK ON AND I PUT THE CAR IN P AND STARTED IT AGAIN. IT HAPPENED AGAIN LATER ON THE SAME DAY.

MY VEHICLE WAS PARKED IN A GROCERY STORE LOT. I ENTERED THE VEHICLE TO BACK IT OUT OF ITS PARKING SPOT. IT WAS NEXT TO A FULL SIZED VAN WHICH HAD CARPET CLEANING EQUIPMENT MOUNTED INSIDE. I STARTED THE CAR AND PLACED IT IN REVERSE AS IT BEGAN TO ACCELERATE ON ITS OWN. I TRIED TO SLOW THE VEHICLE WITH THE BRAKE WHICH FAILED. I COLLIDED WITH A BLOCK WALL IN THE REAR OF THE CAR AND ATTEMPTED TO GET IT OUT OF GEAR, WITH THE SOLID JARRING FROM THE REAR THE CAR WENT INTO DRIVE AND CONTINUED TO ACCELERATE TO FULL SPEED, WHILE I WAS ATTEMPTING TO BRAKE. THE VOLVO HIT THE VAN WHICH IT HAD BEEN PARKED NEXT TO IN THE REAR LEFT BUMPER AND DROVE IT APPROXIMATELY 20 FEET THROUGH A PLANTER AND INTO A PARKING SPOT ON THE OTHER SIDE OF THE PLANTER. THIS CAR (VOLVO) IS EQUIPPED WITH A COLLISION WARNING SYSTEM THAT WAS SUPPOSED TO HAVE AUTO BRAKED AND DID NOT. ADDITIONALLY THE AIR BAGS DID NOT DEPLOY. I TOOK THE CAR TO VOLVO AND HAD THEM ATTEMPT TO PULL CODES FROM THE VEHICLES INFORMATION SYSTEM. THEY REPORTED THAT NO CODES WERE PRESENT AND ATTEMPTED TO EXPLAIN AWAY THE INCIDENT AS DRIVER ERROR. THE CAR WAS TOTALED IN THE PROCESS. I AM CERTAIN THAT THERE WAS NO DRIVER ERROR AND THAT WHAT HAPPENED WAS A SUDDEN UNEXPLAINED ACCELERATION. OTHER SOMEWHAT SIMILAR INCIDENTS ARE REPORTED ON THE INTERNET. THE CAR HAS BEEN RETAINED IN MY POSSESSION UNTIL MAR 9TH 2017. IN THE EVENT IT SHOULD BE EVALUATED I HAVE IT AVAILABLE.

ON APRIL 12, 2016 I TOOK MY VOLVO S-60 LEASED BRAND NEW FROM VOLVO AND THE PURCHASED AT THE END OF THE LEASE AS A CERTIFIED PRE-OWNED CAR IN FOR AN OIL CHANGE AND A CHECK OIL LIGHT. VOLVO HAD A RECALL ON OIL PRESSURE CENSORS (THIS HAD CAUSED OTHER CAR ENGINES TO SEIZE SOMETHING THAT THE NTSB HAS REPORTED ON). THE VOLVO AUTHORIZED DEALER, HERB GORDON, CLAIMED TO HAVE MADE THIS REPAIR. HOWEVER ON JUNE 21, 2016, THE ENGINE SEIZED IN THE MIDDLE OF A BUSY ROAD. THE VOLVO AUTHORIZED DEALER DETERMINED IT NEEDED A NEW ENGINE, AT THE TIME, I ASKED ABOUT SIMPLY APPLYING THE COST TO REPLACE THE ENGINE (ABOUT $12,000) TO GETTING ME INTO A NEW CAR. VOLVO REFUSED AND WENT AHEAD WITH AN ENGINE REPLACEMENT (THEY HAD MY CAR FROM JUNE 21, 2016 TO AUGUST 1, 2016. THE CAR BROKE DOWN AGAIN ON AUGUST 15, 2016 WHILE MY FAMILY AND I WERE ON THE ROAD FOR A VACATION. WHEN WE RETURNED FROM VACATION THE CAR WAS GIVEN BACK TO US BUT THE PROBLEM NOW IS THAT THE CAR'S VALUE HAS SIGNIFICANTLY DIMINISHED BECAUSE OF THE ENGINE REPLACEMENT, THE BLUEBOOK VALUE OF THE CAR IS ON AVERAGE $13,789 BUT THE HIGHEST WE CAN GET FOR IT IS $8,000 BECAUSE OF THE DAMAGE DONE TO IT BY VOLVO. WE HAVE TRIED TO GET VOLVO TO WORK WITH US BY MAKING UP THAT DIFFERENCE AS A TRADE IN ON A CAR THEY HAVE IN STOCK. WE HAVE BEEN MET WITH NOTHING BUT HOSTILITY AND ABUSE. IN FACT EARLIER TODAY WE WERE TOLD BY A CUSTOMER SERVICE REPRESENTATIVE AT VOLVO TO SHUT UP AND THEN HE HUNG UP ON US,

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.

TL* THE CONTACT OWNS A 2012 VOLVO S60. THE CONTACT RECEIVED NOTIFICATION OF NHTSA CAMPAIGN NUMBER:19V849000 (LATCHES/LOCKS/LINKAGES) HOWEVER, THE PART NEEDED FOR THE REPAIR WAS NOT AVAILABLE. THE CONTACT STATED THAT THE MANUFACTURER EXCEEDED A REASONABLE AMOUNT OF TIME FOR THE RECALL REPAIR. (CAPITAL VOLVO OF ALBANY 347 NEW KARNER RD, ALBANY, NY 12205 (518) 389-6500) WAS CONTACTED AND CONFIRMED THE REMEDY PART WAS NOT AVAILABLE. THE MANUFACTURER WAS MADE AWARE OF THE ISSUE AND CONFIRMED PARTS NOT AVAILABLE. THE CONTACT HAD NOT EXPERIENCED A FAILURE. PARTS DISTRIBUTION DISCONNECT.

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.

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

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.

When I first bought this Volvo there was condensation in both of the headlights then took it for a test drive and I really liked it and when I got back the dealer said if I was to buy it he would take care of both headlights so I assumed that he did but I bought it and left and was driving and then a code came on in the car saying low beam out I was like oh [XXX] so took it back to them they had me go buy $120 light bulb and that wasn't the problem they did some working and testing and said that it was the low beam ballast so I bought 1 for the drivers side and that fixed that problem but then not even a week later the same light came on saying low beam out, took it back and they said that it was the same thing on opposite side on passenger side so they said order the part and we'll fix it I did that took it back to them and they said it was fixed not even a day later and the light was back on swing low beam out I'm thinking that there is an issue that has to deal with some kind of recall with these lights cause there is no way that they should break that easy or quick so please get back to me and let me know thank you INFORMATION Redacted PURSUANT TO THE FREEDOM OF INFORMATION ACT (FOIA), 5 U.S.C. 552(B)(6).

THE ACTIVE CRUISE CONTROL STOPS FOR NO REASON. THIS PROBLEM IS INTERMITTENT. ON A NUMBER OF OCCASIONS (~20 TIMES SINCE I PICKED UP THE CAR), THE CAR SLOWS DOWN AS THE TRAFFICS SLOWS DOWN. THE CAR IS ALMOST AT A STOP (5-10 MPH) AND THE EMERGENCY BRAKES COMES ON, THE CARS BRAKES HARD & STOPS AND THE PARKING BRAKE TURNS ON. THE ALERT "CRUISE CONTROL UNAVAILABLE" SHOW IN THE DISPLAY. THEREAFTER THE CRUISE WILL NOT ENGAGE. AFTER I SHUT OFF THE CAR AND RESTART IT, THE CRUISE AGAIN WORKS AGAIN. IN ADDITION TO NOT PERFORMING AS ADVERTISED, THIS REPRESENTS A SAFETY HAZARD. *TR

TL* THE CONTACT OWNS A 2012 VOLVO S60. THE CONTACT STATED THAT THE AIR CONDITIONER UNIT EMITTED AN ABNORMAL CHEMICAL SMELL THAT CAME THROUGH THE VENTS. THE CONTACT MENTIONED THAT THE FAILURE OCCURRED DAILY. THE VEHICLE WAS TAKEN TO A DEALER WHERE IT WAS STATED THAT MOLD WAS BUILT UP ON THE EVAPORATOR THAT WAS CONNECTED TO THE AIR CONDITIONER. THE SOFTWARE WAS UPGRADED BUT THE FAILURE RECURRED. THE MANUFACTURER WAS MADE AWARE OF THE FAILURE. THE FAILURE AND CURRENT MILEAGE WAS 41,000. UPDATED 08/19/14*LJ