2015 Volvo S60 Engine Problems

On 4/6/2026 At about 2:30 p.m. my son [XXX] stated that he started the car and was in the process of driving out of the parking lot when he saw smoke coming thru the vents in the car. My son [XXX] stated that he got out the car and opened the hood and the car was on fire. [XXX] stated that he called the fire department and they came and put out the fire. INFORMATION REDACTED PURSUANT TO THE FREEDOM OF INFORMATION ACT (FOIA), 5 U.S.C. 552(B)(6)

NHTSA ID

11734068

Incident

Apr 6, 2026

The contact owns a 2015 Volvo S60. The contact stated that the vehicle was experiencing excessive oil consumption. The contact stated that the vehicle had consumed 3 quarts of oil after driving 2,100 miles. Additionally, the contact stated that the low oil pressure warning light only illuminated after the vehicle had consumed over 3 quarts of oil. The dealer was notified of the failure; however, the vehicle was not diagnosed or repaired. The manufacturer was notified of the failure and informed the contact that an unknown related extended warranty would not be extended to repair the vehicle. The failure mileage was approximately 90,900.

NHTSA ID

11704171

Incident

Dec 10, 2025

Mileage

90,900 mi

The contact owns a 2015 Volvo S60. The contact stated that while operating the vehicle, the check engine warning light remained illuminated, and had flashed off and on while driving at highway speeds. The contact stated that the vehicle also stalled on several occasions. The vehicle was taken to the local dealer who diagnosed the vehicle and determined that the engine cylinders were faulty, and the engine needed to be replaced. The vehicle was not repaired. The manufacturer and local dealer were notified of the failure, but no assistance was offered. The failure mileage was 117,000.

NHTSA ID

11663339

Incident

Jan 15, 2025

Mileage

117,000 mi

Requesting reimbursement from Volvo Cars USA for a known defect in the engine’s piston rings. This defect has resulted in excessive oil consumption and necessitated costly repairs. Volvo reached a legal settlement in May 2023 regarding this defect—which affects the piston rings, pistons, and/or piston heads in certain 2013–2016 models. I never received a recall notice or any communication from the company informing me of the issue and the extension of warranty for my car. Had I received a letter before the expiration of the 8-year extended warranty, I would have had the opportunity to have the oil consumption test performed and the piston ring repair completed, all at no cost to me per Volvo quality notice P10207. Vehicle: •Year/Model: 2015.5 Volvo S60, VIN [XXX] •Current Mileage: 92,850 •Purchase: Purchased new in 2015 from Volvo of Princeton, NJ (Princeton Volvo) and delivered at the factory in Gothenburg, Sweden May 2023 then shipped to Princeton Volvo in July 2023. •Maintenance History: The vehicle has been consistently serviced at either the Princeton Volvo dealership or at a local AAA-approved repair center. Defect Timeline (for details and costs incurred see full letter attached) 1.[XXX] (47,044 miles): “low oil” light came on. 2.April 2019–November 2024: oil additions needed each 750 to 1,000 miles. 3.September 01, 2023: Replaced oil trap. 4.January 8, 2024 (83,582 miles): Stage 1 oil consumption test. 5. January 29, 2024: Failed stage 2 of oil consumption test. Needed piston ring repair. 6.January – June 2024: Volvo Princeton and Volvo USA refused to cover full costs of repair. 7. November 2024: Piston rings replaced. Total Costs Incurred to Date: $1,431.68 Total Costs Incurred and Anticipated Costs: $2,065.68 I respectfully request full reimbursement from Volvo Cars USA for expenses incurred and anticipated due to this issue, totaling $2,065.68. Thank you for your attention to this matter. INFORMATION REDACTED PURSUANT TO THE FREEDOM OF INFORMATION ACT (FOIA), 5 U.S.C. 552(B)(6)

NHTSA ID

11628340

Incident

Apr 16, 2019

Alternator belt shredded and got underneath the timing belt causing the engine timing to go off and severe engine damage that I will now have to total the car or spend $13-15K to replace. The car stalled after leaving a stop sign so I wasn't going fast. I spoke to my local mechanic and he had another Volvo S60 T5 in his shop with the same issue showing up but that owner was lucky enough to not have the engine destroyed in the process. From what he is saying is that every other car has some kind of timing belt protection that the Volvo S60 is missing. In searching the Internet this is a very common issue that occurs. I registered a complaint with Volvo today.

NHTSA ID

11580623

Incident

Mar 23, 2024

Was on the highway driving back from my aunts house and there were no signs anything was wrong with my car. No alerts on the dash besides low pressure tire which I filled up. As I was almost home, an alert randomly came up with “no oil pressure” along with a check engine light flashing and the car started shaking (misfiring). The car flashed a message that said something about reduced engine performance. As my car was shaking fervently, it was slowing down and failed to accelerate, causing cars behind me to almost crash. No oil pressure can also cause fires and put my life at risk. I had much time left to get my oil changed and yet I had oil message lights come on. I believe this is a problem with the piston rings that are defective & there was just recently a class action suit of them. I have had to continually fill up oil, and now I suddenly have an engine that does not work and threatened the safety of myself and others on the road. Volvo diagnosed the issue as being valve broken, piston ring damage, along with other engine components. I now need an entire new engine.

NHTSA ID

11564518

Incident

Dec 22, 2023

I have been getting a low oil level sign in my car after 5 months of doing an oil change. This is not the first time this has happened. It is suspected this may be a oil consumption issue and not an oil leak as there is no visible sign of oil leak. The oil consumption problem has been confirmed by an independent mechanic.

NHTSA ID

11547908

Incident

Sep 30, 2023

I bought the car as a CPO on 9/25/19 32,860 mi. On 8/19/20 at 50,052 the engine failed. The oscillating dampener rubber separated causing serpentine belt to break, which in turn got caught in timing belt which caused that to break which then caused bent valves and valves to break. The failure was sudden. Had I been on the interstate I’d be severely injured or dead. I was told that I needed a new engine but they could not find one. I was told they would completely re-build my engine. In the end they replaced the cylinder head and starter under warranty. I was never told they didn’t re-build the engine and also used “ good parts” from the old engine. In the following months I had the car in the Volvo shop (Hendricks Volvo Charleston, SC). At 50,277 miles the check engine light showed a problem with the Cam shaft position sensor on 9/3/20. They claim to have driven the car 100 miles and cleared the code w/no repairs. On 3/18/21 w/ 64,485 miles, I took the car into the dealer because it was running and idling rough. They found no codes and they aligned the car. “Couldn’t duplicate”. The right rear door never shut properly and I was repeatedly told it was fine. Re-call on latches. Seat belts on rt rear passenger constantly was stuck. This is where my granddaughter’s car seat was placed. I’ll have to skip some. At 110,024 miles on 11/28/22 the car continued to have bad gas mileage and heavy oil use. I was told that the EGR leak detection pump was faulty and was replaced. At 113,706 miles on 1/19/2023 the cam VVT Solenoid was changed. Cause of poor gas mileage stated. On 3/29/23 at 116,790 miles replaced brakes and had aligned. Service tech noticed oil under the car underside while up on racks. Said it would be fine until next service. On 7/3/23 the engine failed again on the road and was towed to the dealer. Apparently a fuel injector failed causing gas to spray into the engine causing it to lose compression. I’ve never been given a clear answer. Records of services done.

NHTSA ID

11539045

Incident

Aug 3, 2023

The contact owns a 2015 Volvo S60. The contact stated that the vehicle was previously repaired under an unknown recall for the catalytic converter and the check engine warning light illuminated. The contact was told that the catalytic converter had failed due to an oil leak. The contact was informed that the catalytic converter needed to be replaced. The vehicle was not repaired. The manufacturer was made aware of the failure and informed the contact that the vehicle had exceeded the mileage. There was no additional assistance provided. The approximate failure mileage was 165,000. The dealer stated the vehicle is outside of the warranty perimeters by mileage.

NHTSA ID

11521534

Incident

May 11, 2022

Mileage

165,000 mi

I have a 2015 Volvo S60 T5 that I purchased 08 -2021 from Volvo that is consuming oil. I have had the oil changed (out of pocket) 3 times within 10,000 miles because the low oil light was on and I had purchased a extended warranty and wanted to play it safe. Never once did any Volvo service staff mention that this model car had a issue with oil consumption. After researching this cars history I came across a bulletin on the NHTSA webpage that Volvo has known about the issue on or around 11-02-2020. Webpage ( https://static.nhtsa.gov/odi/tsbs/2020/MC-10184147-9999.pdf) I received a letter from Volvo about Excessive oil consumption dated February 3, 2023 and I contacted their customer service department. I was told that my car original delivery date was Sept 2014 and that the car is now out of warranty and I would have to pay for anything related to the oil consumption issue. I when to my extended warranty that I purchased with the car ($5000 for 4 years). Within the language of the service contract under "EXCLUSIONS" #17 reads "The correction of oil consumption" It seems to me the Volvo purposely withheld this information from Volvo owners and only sent out a letter to most owners after the factory warranty expired. In my case my car was 5 months out of warranty and they were a wear of the issue in 2020 and failed to notify millions of Volvo owners. *All service records are available but contain personal information for this complaint. Thank you for your time in this matter and this letter may be forwarded to the appropriate department for review.

NHTSA ID

11514710

Incident

Mar 27, 2023

Excessive Oil Consumption resulting in piston damage/failure! This vehicle has burned oil since I bought it used at about 80,000 miles. I checked the carfax prior to purchasing it and it had been maintained routinely. I have to add a liter of oil every couple of weeks. This is with regular in town driving. I have reported the issue numerous times to the Volvo dealer when I bring it in for regular maintenance and repairs. I have been told by the Volvo service advisor to just add oil. It was a known issue. Sometimes I have warning lights telling me it has low oil. I also check the oil level to know to add oil. I always check my oil level before any trip. I always keep oil in my car because of this issue. Otherwise, I have had to stop and buy oil once on a trip. Since it told me to add oil on my way back. However, one serious safety issue was having to pull off on a desert highway to add oil. The car was giving me a red warning triangle that I had never seen before. My child had to shine a light for me to see so I could add oil. She was VERY AFRAID. Although Volvo sent a letter acknowledging this vehicle problem, I have been told that I do not qualify for any warranty. I was told by Volvo service that I have a misfire/loss in power and over $5000 in repairs in Feb 2023. I have already paid for some related repairs when my check engine light came on last year. My check engine light is currently on. In the last year alone (prior to Feb 2023), I have spent over $5000 in repairs. I would have traded it in, but I kept being told how great of a car it was by the service advisor. I am sick! I do not want to continue wasting money on a car that I no longer feel safe in. I am afraid to drive it out of town.

NHTSA ID

11512670

Incident

Feb 17, 2023

Oil consumption problem. Vehicle has gone in multiple times. No leak found. Volvo is just over consuming oil. It needs a full quart every 500-1000 miles or less. Low Oil light comes on within 500-1000 miles. Have to add an entire quart to reset the light. There is no manual dipstick. This doesn't seem safe. Volvo knows of the problem. They are not taking accountability. There is a class action suit.

NHTSA ID

11507314

Incident

Jun 1, 2021

The engines in these car are built with improper piston rings and the looses compression in the cylinders. This happens at 40k-140k. Volvo admitted to this issue but will not do anything about it.

NHTSA ID

11496160

Incident

Sep 9, 2022

The contact owns a 2015 Volvo S60. The contact stated while driving at an undisclosed speed, the contact noticed a warning light and message stating to pull over. The contact stated that the check engine warning light was illuminated. The contact pulled the vehicle over to the side of the road and called the manufacturer about the error message. The manufacturer informed the contact to add engine oil to the vehicle. The contact added engine oil to the vehicle to drive to her destination. The following day the contact took the vehicle to the local dealer for an oil change however, the failure recurred several times. The contact took the vehicle back to the local dealer who inspected the vehicle and performed an oil consumption test and diagnosed the failure as an oil filter housing leak. The vehicle was not repaired. The manufacturer was made aware of the failure. The failure mileage was approximately 76,000.

NHTSA ID

11435779

Incident

Jun 2, 2020

Mileage

76,000 mi

TL* THE CONTACT OWNS A 2015 VOLVO S60. THE CONTACT STATED THAT THE VEHICLE FAILED TO START-UP. THE VEHICLE WAS TOWED TO LAFONTAINE VOLVO CARS OF FARMINGTON HILLS (24730 HAGGERTY RD, FARMINGTON HILLS, MI 48335, (248)579-1300) TO BE DIAGNOSED. THE CONTACT WAS INFORMED THAT THE ALTERNATOR AND BATTERY NEEDED TO BE REPLACED. THE VEHICLE WAS TAKEN TO AN INDEPENDENT MECHANIC TO BE REPAIRED. SEVERAL DAYS LATER AFTER THE VEHICLE WAS REPAIRED, WHILE DRIVING 80 MPH, THE VEHICLE DECELERATED TO 30 MPH WITHOUT WARNING. THE VEHICLE WAS TAKEN BACK TO THE INDEPENDENT MECHANIC TO BE DIAGNOSED. THE CONTACT WAS INFORMED OF MISFIRES ON TWO CYLINDERS DUE TO OIL CONSUMPTION. THE VEHICLE WAS REPAIRED. THE MANUFACTURER WAS MADE AWARE OF THE FAILURE. THE FAILURE MILEAGE WAS 123,000.

NHTSA ID

11416101

Incident

Apr 28, 2021

Mileage

123,000 mi

MY CAR WAS EXCESSIVELY BURNING OIL. IT REQUIRED MULTIPLE OIL CHANGES AND I WASN'T NOTIFIED OF THE LOW OIL UNTIL THE OIL WAS NEARLY EMPTY. VOLVO PERFORMED TESTS TO CONFIRM I HAD AN OIL CONSUMPTION ISSUE THAT COST OVER $500. THE INITIAL REPAIR WAS TO REPLACE THE PISTON RINGS. NOW THEY'VE TOLD ME THE PISTONS ARE SCORED FROM THE LACK OF OIL/CONSUMPTION AND I REQUIRE A NEW ENGINE. THE LACK OF NOTIFICATIONS OF LOW OIL AND THE DAMAGE TO MY ENGINE POSE A SAFETY RISK. I KNOW THIS ISSUE IS OCCURRING ACROSS A WIDE RANGE OF VOLVOS.

NHTSA ID

11398063

Incident

Jan 1, 2021

Mileage

80,000 mi

MY S60 2015.5 ABRUPTLY CUT OFF WHEN AT A STANDSTILL "STATIONARY" IN TRAFFIC AND ON THE HIGHWAY TRAFFIC THE WARNING SYSTEM SOUND CAME ON, AS IF CLOSE TO AN OBJECT, THEN THE SCREEN FLASHED ON THEN OFF ONE TIME. WITHIN MINUTES OF A COMPLETE STOP, THE CAR CUTS OFF COMPLETELY. THE SCREEN DISPLAYED "TURN ON ENGINE." MY CAR HAD TO BE PLACED IN PARK BEFORE THE ENGINE WOULD START. THIS HAD OCCURRED AT LEAST THREE TIMES IN 2019. I WAS WONDERING IF ANYONE HAD THIS EXPERIENCE. THE ISSUE WAS UNABLE TO BE DUPICATED AND NO FAULT CODE.

NHTSA ID

11375957

Incident

Aug 1, 2019

Mileage

54,000 mi

LOUD SPORADIC NOISE COMING FROM GAS HOLE.*DT CONSUMER STATED VEHICLE CANNOT ACCEPT GAS.*JB

NHTSA ID

11362969

Incident

Jan 1, 2019

Mileage

80,000 mi

DRIVING VEHICLE AT NORMAL SPEED (45MPH) WHEN ENGINE SHUT OFF ENTIRELY. VEHICLE FLASHED BRAKE CONTROLLER FAILURE AND WAS ABLE TO BE COASTED TO A STOP ON A SIDE STREET. POWER STEERING HAD FAILED AT THE TIME AS WELL. THE VEHICLE WAS UNABLE TO BE RESTARTED. VEHICLE HAD 46370 MILES AT THE TIME OF THE INCIDENT AND HAD ITS PREVIOUS OIL CHANGE AROUND 45000 MILES. AFTER REPLACING A BATTERY AND STARTER, IT BEGAN MAKING ROD KNOCK. THE VEHICLE WAS TOWED TO THE DEALER, WHERE THEY SAID IT NEEDED A NEW ENGINE, AND WAS 2 QUARTS LOW ON OIL. HTTPS://WWW.YOUTUBE.COM/WATCH?V=HCTL6_SZ0CS. *TR

NHTSA ID

11323408

Incident

Mar 26, 2020

Mileage

46,370 mi

STARTED EXPERIENCING HIGH OIL USAGE WITH NO VISIBLE LEAKS, ABOUT 1 QUART IN 500 MILES. IT SEEMS FROM RESEARCH AND SOME VOLVO SERVICE BULLETINS THIS IS REOCCURRING ISSUE. VOLVO WILL ONLY DOES SOME REPAIRS AS A GOOD WILL BASIS EVEN THROUGH THIS IS A SERIAL DEFECT. SERVICE THE 36K WAS BY THE DEALER AND ALL OTHER SERVICE PER MANUFACTURE RECOMMENDATIONS AND VEHICLE SCHEDULED SERVICE PROTOCOLS.

NHTSA ID

11308034

Incident

Dec 1, 2019

WHILE DRIVING, COMPUTER SCREENS ALL WENT BLACK AND ENGINE SHUT DOWN. IF IT HAD HAPPENED 1 MILE PRIOR, WOULD HAVE BEEN GOING 50-55 ON A CURVY TWO LANE ROAD AND WOULD HAVE RESULTED IN SERIOUS INJURY OR DEATH. TOWED TO DEALER AWAITING RESULTS.

NHTSA ID

11301338

Incident

Jan 22, 2020

Mileage

115,000 mi

THE ENGINE COMPARTMENT WAS DESTROYED BY A FIRE. THE CAR WAS PARKED AND UNOCCUPIED WHEN A DOORMAN NOTICED THE PROBLEM AND CALLED THE FIRE DEPARTMENT. SFFD EXTINGUISHED THE FIRE.

NHTSA ID

11219476

Incident

Jun 11, 2019

Mileage

50,000 mi

TL* THE CONTACT OWNS A 2015 VOLVO S60. WHILE THE VEHICLE WAS STOPPED AT A TRAFFIC LIGHT, IT STALLED WITHOUT WARNING. THE CONTACT WAS UNABLE TO RESTART THE VEHICLE. THE VEHICLE WAS TOWED TO SUBARU OF MELBOURNE (LOCATED AT 4340 W NEW HAVEN AVE, WEST MELBOURNE, FL 32904, (321) 768-8020) TO BE DIAGNOSED. THE CONTACT WAS INFORMED THAT THE STARTER NEEDED TO BE REPLACED. THE VEHICLE WAS REPAIRED, BUT THE FAILURE RECURRED. THE MANUFACTURER WAS NOT CONTACTED. THE APPROXIMATE FAILURE MILEAGE WAS 49,999.

NHTSA ID

11153995

Incident

Oct 5, 2018

Mileage

49,999 mi

BY DEFAULT, THE AUTO STOP/START FUNCTION IS ENGAGED EVERY TIME YOU START THE 2015.5 VOVO S60. THE CAR HAS ABOUT 1,800 MILES AND WAS PICKED UP AT THE END OF AUGUST, 2015, LEASED AS NEW. MY WIFE WAS STOPPED AT A TRAFFIC LIGHT, ON A RELATIVELY FLAT ROAD. THE CAR TURNED OFF THE ENGINE USING THE AUTO-STOP/START. WHEN SHE TOOK HER FOOT OFF THE BRAKE AND PUT IT ON THE ACCELERATOR, THE CAR TURNED OFF COMPLETELY. THE DASH TURNED OFF. SHE HAD TO PUT ON HER HAZARD WARNING LIGHTS, PUT THE CAR INTO PARK AND PRESS THE STOP/START BUTTON TO START THE CAR. SHE THEN WAS ABLE TO PUT IT BACK INTO DRIVE AND CONTINUE. THIS IS NOT HOW THIS IS SUPPOSED TO FUNCTION. THIS REPRESENTS A VERY SERIOUS PROBLEM THAT COULD RESULT IN SOMEONE GETTING REAR-ENDED OR NOT BEING ABLE TO ACCELERATE FROM A STOP IN AN EMERGENCY SITUATION--IMAGINE IF AN AMBULANCE, FIRETRUCK OR POLICE CAR WAS COMING THROUGH AND YOU HAD TO MOVE THROUGH AN INTERSECTION OR TO THE SIDE OF THE ROAD BUT THE CAR DIED?

NHTSA ID

10789878

Incident

Nov 10, 2015

Mileage

1,800 mi