2025 Volvo XC40 Owner Complaints

I live in [XXX], where summer temperatures are extremely high. This week, afternoon temperatures have been reaching nearly 100°F (38°C). My vehicle is a mild-hybrid Volvo XC40, and there is no option to permanently disable the automatic start-stop function (or at least every time I start the car). This week, while driving home from work at around 4:00 PM, I stopped at a traffic light and the engine shut off automatically. As a result, the air conditioning immediately reduced its cooling performance, making the cabin noticeably less comfortable in the extreme heat. I instinctively pressed the accelerator to turn the engine back on and I nearly collided with the vehicle in front of me. In my opinion, this creates a genuine safety concern. Volvo should provide drivers with the ability to disable the automatic start-stop feature through a software setting. While the system is intended to reduce emissions and improve fuel economy, drivers should be able to decide when those benefits are appropriate and when safety, comfort, or local driving conditions make continuous engine operation the better choice. A permanent on/off setting would allow owners to use the feature when desired while avoiding situations where the automatic engine shutdown negatively impacts driving safety or cabin comfort. INFORMATION REDACTED PURSUANT TO THE FREEDOM OF INFORMATION ACT (FOIA), 5 U.S.C. 552(B)(6)

NHTSA ID

11753925

Incident

Jul 29, 2026

Mild hybrid vehicle that was purchased 4/20/2026. Volvo service states incident on 06/10/2026 was caused by vehicle running overnight in enclosed garage. Volvo also states that cause was due to item inserted into drivers seatbelt buckle. No warnings posted regarding this would cause the vehicle to turn on once car was parked and driver door shut and run continuously throughout the night in an enclosed garage. Volvo claims every time the driver door is opened, it shuts the engine off. This is not true! And this situation proves that. Vehicle still currently at dealers to be repaired so unsure if components are available for inspection. Components damaged are: Midvoltage battery, midvoltage Converter module, starter generator module, 12v battery. The vehicle became extremely hot and would have caught on fire had our smoke/co detector not gone off. CO was detected in house and garage. Volvo refusing to take any accountability for this situation and refusing to provide me the documentation for the findings of my vehicle.

NHTSA ID

11751346

Incident

Jun 10, 2026

I believe this is a major (and known) software issue, but the car has on several occasions, when stationary, entered a state where all of its controls are unresponsive and the engine cannot be turned off. *Nothing* related to the operation of the car works, including the electronic handbrake, gear selector OR the stop/start button. This is an exceptionally dangerous fault, as the car engine cannot be turned off, and the "handbrake" cannot be engaged. Getting out of the car and locking/unlocking it with the remote does not initally clear the problem. Sometimes it resolves by itself after several minutes. We think that maybe pushing and holding the stop/start button sometimes helps, but it is not clear that this is the case. Rebooting the software system onces the car has "woken up" again has not fixed the problem. Volvo dealers are apparently aware of the issue, but a massive software update by Volvo has not resolved it in any way -- if anything it is worse. Frankly, Volvo should not be permitted to sell cars to the public until this is completely resolved, and cars are recalled for a *real* (as opposed to supposed) fix. I thought you should know. (The date given below for "when this incident occurred" is simply the most recent occurrence.)

NHTSA ID

11743215

Incident

Jun 5, 2026

The car starts vibrations on at 70 mph through 80 mph. I have brought it to the dealer who stated they felt it and declared that it is normal for severe vibrations to occur at only these speeds. Volvo refused to acknowledge or treat the issue. This issue has been reported and Volvo issued a Technical Journal 36752.2.0 which directs the technicians to acknowledge the vibrations but will provide no solution. This is a safety issue if your car vibrates at highway speed. How has Volvo been allowed to sell these cars without warnings?

NHTSA ID

11736610

Incident

May 8, 2026

I was pulling out of a parking space, and the car opposite me in the next row was pulling out at the same time. We backed into each other, damaging both cars. The ADAS failed to activate the rear camera, automatic emergency braking, parking collision warning, and rear cross traffic warning. There were no injuries, so we didn't call the police; we exchanged insurance info. The other driver was also driving a Volvo, and the ADAS also failed in his car. The first thing we said to each other was, "What happened to all the Volvo safety alerts!" I called Volvo to report the incident, and we set up an appointment for an inspection. A few days later, the ADAS failed again when I was backing out of a space. A car drove behind my car as I was backing out and my car banged into the side of the other car. I could not believe that every warning system failed again and I reported it to Volvo. They conducted the inspection and reported no issues with the car. I requested a copy of the inspection, and they said they can't send it since it's proprietary information. I disputed that argument since it is my car and my safety at risk. The same day, I was notified of the urgent 2026 Volvo recall due to a rear-view camera failure that could cause a collision. This is the second recall, a 2025 recall for the same issue.

NHTSA ID

11732047

Incident

Dec 13, 2025

Despite multiple repair attempts by Volvo Cars Sugar Land — including software reloads, module reprogramming, and the completion of Recall R10333 — the vehicle continues to experience failures that directly compromise my safety and the safety of my wife. I no longer feel safe operating this vehicle. My XC40 has undergone five documented repair visits, including: • Electrical system failures • Infotainment instability • Parking sensor and camera malfunctions • Multiple software reloads and module reprogramming • Recall R10333 “Total Upgrade” On March 11th, while driving at approximately 60 mph on the highway, the IHU screen froze, went completely black, and all audible safety indicators inside the cabin were lost, including: • Turn signal click • Hazard flasher sound • Parking sensor tones • Multimedia audio This condition lasted for nearly 10 minutes, during which I had no ability to safely signal lane changes or rely on audible warnings. I was forced to continue driving until I could safely pull over. After parking, shutting the vehicle off, and waiting several minutes, the IHU restored itself. This incident occurred five days after the most recent repair attempt and represents a serious safety hazard and a complete loss of trust in the vehicle’s reliability.

NHTSA ID

11724948

Incident

Mar 11, 2026

The contact leased a 2025 Volvo XC40. The contact stated that upon shifting to reverse(R), the rearview camera displayed a narrow view of the roadway, limiting peripheral visibility. The vehicle was taken to the dealer; however, the failure could not be corrected. The contact later received notification of NHTSA Campaign Number: 25V908000 (Back Over Prevention) and personally completed the software update, as per the manufacturer's instructions; however, the failure persisted. The dealer was notified of the failure, and a service appointment was scheduled. The vehicle was not repaired. The manufacturer was notified of the failure and informed the contact that the vehicle was operating as designed. The failure mileage was approximately 50.

NHTSA ID

11724037

Incident

Nov 7, 2025

Mileage

50 mi

back-up camera delays coming on when car put in reverse. Have had the car for over a year and taken to dealer for repair, with no result. Volvo model XC40 not listed on nhtsa site for recall #25V908 (Mfg R10333).

NHTSA ID

11722843

Incident

Nov 1, 2025

My car randomly has a battery charging fault. An alert stating “stop safely 12V battery critical charging fault” will just pop up while driving and then put the vehicle in turtle mode. This is an intermittent fault and is likely a false indication. This could cause an accident because it causes the car to slow down. This could happen on a highway.

NHTSA ID

11713785

Incident

Jan 27, 2026

Two Issues: 1. "Check Engine Light" comes on for no reason. This has happened six times (I have video recordings and maintenance reports from the dealership.) In the last maintenance report, Volvo technicians acknowledged the issue and stated that "AS OF NOW NO SOLUTION FOR THIS TO BE FIXED, VOLVO WILL BE LOOKING INTO THIS FOR FURTHER NOTICE." They also told me to just ignore the light if it comes on again. So, if there is a real and dangerous engine malfunction, there is no way to be alerted. 2. The entire sound system goes off while driving. This has happened few times. When this issue occurs, there will be no sound of alerts (turn signals, collision warnings, parking warnings, air conditioning, Google Maps, radio, etc.) The sales associates and manager told me this happens to their vehicles as well, and told me to reboot the screen whenever it happens. In one incident, I had to pull over in a shopping center parking lot to reboot the screen. No permanent solutions to this issue as well.

NHTSA ID

11699484

Incident

Aug 27, 2025

360 degree Camera not available. 360 Degree Camera is malfunctioning sporadically. It will completely disappear and a message on the infotainment display will not “Camera Temporarily Unavailable. We have reset the unit as per manufacture specification and it doesn’t solve the issue. We can sometime lock the doors, leave it overnight and it will set-reset and grin the camera back on line. This has now napped twice in the space of 500 miles from new. There are multiple owners report regarding this defect. Volvo has not heat solved the issue from happening thru software or hardware updates.

NHTSA ID

11681358

Incident

Aug 17, 2025