2019 Volvo XC60 Owner Complaints

The driver's seatbelt buckle interlock stopped working, although engaged, and the auto's system no longer showed whether the seat belt was buckled up or not. This likely would have resulted in the passive restraint system not functioning if there were an accident. There are on-line comments about this same issue in this same model and year. The buckle was replaced at a cost of over $300 by the dealer and the dealer reported that there was a short or break in one of the wires. The vehicle has 87,000 miles at the present time.

NHTSA ID

11730971

Incident

Apr 9, 2026

While driving at 10 mph on a residential street, I experienced a sudden and dangerous loss of power braking assistance, making the pedal nearly impossible to depress. An expert Volvo technician has confirmed that the brake vacuum pump failed because the exhaust camshaft, which drives the pump, sheared or failed internally. I want to emphasize that this catastrophic mechanical failure occurred at only 45,000 miles. A camshaft is a non-wear item that should last the lifetime of the vehicle; for it to fail at such low mileage and take out the braking system is an unreasonable safety risk. This is a known issue (Internal Ref: TJ 29131) that directly links an engine defect to a primary safety system failure. The vehicle has been properly maintained, and the failed parts are available for inspection."

NHTSA ID

11717388

Incident

Jan 25, 2026

Let me Preface this with, my Make, Model, and year for these problems have been recalled back in 2021, however I was not the owner then and my VIN was not listed as an affected vehicle i guess, nonetheless the problem is exactly the same as experienced by those that were listed on the recalls in the past. Im the 2nd owner of this vehicle and I have owned it for almost 3 years now. In July 2025 after a summer rain in so. cal, I was a couple blocks from home running errands and after being stopped at a light, i began to accelerate and felt like the vehicle was loosing power, I made it home but definitely not able to go the speed limit and once i got home I couldnt shift it into any gear and the vehicle would not turn off. So I had to remove the fuses under the hood, I left them out for a few hours and let the car sit off in my garage during that time. I later came back put the fuses back in and then the car wouldnt turn over. I had it taken to the dealership by AAA and thats when i first learned of the sunroof leak, I contacted Volvo Headquarters and got no help and explained all of the same to the service dept at the dealership working on my car. Long story short the dealership allegedly found water under my interior carpet which obviously damaged modules, I am still paying on that repair. Fast forward to October 2025, same thing all over again only this time the dealership tells me essentially its on the house, however they had my car 3 weeks and did no repairs only got water out of it once again and “brushed off some corrosion”. When I pick it up, it immediately starts funny, i turn the car off and walk right back into the service dep t& raise my concern, to which i was told they had no problem with a hard start up, and we go out to my car & it starts up fine, so i leave 4 days after I got my car back, the check engine light comes on, & immediate warning of reduction of engine power & sure enough thats what it did. today it enters safety mode & wont start

NHTSA ID

11702134

Incident

Nov 29, 2025

My 2019 Volvo XC60 with approximately 65,000 miles, experienced a sudden failure of the electric power steering rack. The vehicle became unable to steer and unsafe to drive. The dealership confirmed that the entire steering rack must be replaced at a cost of nearly $7,000. I was told by an independent second opinion that this kind of steering rack failure is highly unusual at this mileage and may indicate a premature component failure. This is a serious safety risk for drivers. I filed a claim with Volvo’s Goodwill program on October 15, 2025, and after five weeks of no communication from Volvo Corporate (despite endless attempts to reach them on my behalf), the only information I have received is a secondary text from my service rep that Volvo is offering a small portion of coverage — with no explanation or written decision. The lack of transparency, combined with the unusual nature of the failure, raises concern that this could be part of a wider pattern of steering failures on similar Volvo vehicles.

NHTSA ID

11699397

Incident

Oct 13, 2025

On 9/1/25 while driving 25 mph in the neighborhood the car started shifting very hard. Upon getting back in the driveway and put in park all dashboard light came on. Car would not leave park, parking brake would not work. Windows would not roll down, dash would not turn on, car would not turn off. Got it to the dealership and the told me it was a software update that needed to be done.

NHTSA ID

11684876

Incident

Sep 1, 2025

I am submitting this report to formally document a significant safety issue involving the Driver Display Module (DIM) on my Volvo XC60. Prior to reaching 45,000 miles, the DIM began to intermittently glitch, displaying only a barcode-like screen. This eventually progressed to complete failure of the unit with complete lack of digital driver display without analog back-up. As a result of this malfunction, all critical vehicle information became inaccessible, including the speedometer, odometer, fuel level, gear selection, and dashboard warning indicators. This failure severely impairs the driver’s ability to safely operate the vehicle, as it removes access to essential operational data necessary for safe driving and decision-making. I reported this issue to Volvo Customer Support, but they were dismissive of the concern and offered no meaningful resolution. In researching the problem, I found multiple similar complaints documented in online automotive forums, suggesting that this is not an isolated incident but rather a recurring defect among Volvo XC60 vehicles. Given the safety-critical nature of the driver display and the fact that this failure occurred in a relatively low-mileage vehicle, I believe this issue warrants investigation by NHTSA. The frequency of these failures and the serious risk they pose to driver awareness and vehicle control support the need for a safety recall. Thank you for your attention to this matter.

NHTSA ID

11659715

Incident

Feb 17, 2025

Three incidents have occurred in three months. Unintended Acceleration Incident #1. While turning right after a full stop on an uphill incline, the vehicle accelerated so quickly that the steering wheel couldn't be return to the neutral position before hitting a roadside signpost approximately 25 ft away. The impact was severe enough to cause the right front headlight to be broken, the right front wheel well liner to be ripped out, the right A-pillar to be dented, and the right mirror to be ripped off. No physical injuries occurred. Unintended Acceleration Incident #2, six weeks later. While on the same incline as incident #1, after removing my foot from the accelerator, the vehicle continued to accelerate, even during braking. Total time was approximately 2 sec. There was no damage to the vehicle, and no physical injury. I checked, and the floor mat was locked in place. Both incidents were reported to Volvo, and permission was given to extract data from the vehicle. The data was extracted at a Volvo service center. Unexpected Acceleration Incident #3 (after data extraction, before Volvo report). While turning right and into a parking space in front of a sidewalk and coming to a stop on an uphill incline, the vehicle quickly moved forward approximately 2 ft after my foot was removed from the brake. I was able to brake again to regain control and put the car in park. Unexpected Acceleration Incident #4 (after data extraction, before Volvo report). While traveling on an uphill incline, after removing my foot from the accelerator, the engine remained at a high enough RPM to sustain forward motion. Even after full-stop braking, the vehicle would move forward on its own, on an uphill incline, without depressing the accelerator. After incident #4, Volvo reported that they concluded that the vehicle was operating as designed at the time of their inspection and during a test drive, that no fault codes were found, and that no unintended acceleration was observed.

NHTSA ID

11645394

Incident

Nov 27, 2024

Liftgate failure in freezing weather causing liftgate arms to separate

NHTSA ID

11634064

Incident

Dec 23, 2024

Passenger front seat belt no longer latches. Inserting latch plate into buckle and it does not latch.

NHTSA ID

11632234

Incident

Dec 19, 2024

Any switch on the right side of the steering wheel - Up/down/Left/Right/Center switches not functioning or intermittently functioning. It is available for inspection upon request As the buttons are not warning, any signs or anything which comes on the center display cannot be removed or moved The vehicle or component has not been inspected but the technical journal (REF NO: TJ 32033.5.0) for the same was issued - [XXX] There are other forums who have brought the same issue as well [XXX] INFORMATION REDACTED PURSUANT TO THE FREEDOM OF INFORMATION ACT (FOIA), 5 U.S.C. 552(B)(6)

NHTSA ID

11631210

Incident

Sep 11, 2023

The contact owns a 2019 Volvo XC60. The contact stated while the vehicle was parked, the front passenger's seat belt retractor did not function as intended. The vehicle was taken to the dealer where it was diagnosed with a failed front passenger's seat belt retractor. The contact was informed that the front passenger's seat belt needed to be replaced. The vehicle was not repaired. The manufacturer was made aware of the failure and a case was filed. The failure mileage was unknown.

NHTSA ID

11611668

Incident

Aug 29, 2024

The moon roof leaks and drains into the area of the electronic gateway. This causes the car to become inoperable, slowing it to a crawl, once in park it will not get out of park, and sometimes results in not being able to turn off the engine. Many error codes become displayed ranging from no parking brake available, ESB not responding, check engine light, and others. According to user forums, this issue has been around since 2017 for many of the models and Volvo will do nothing to repair it or acknowledge it. I have paid $2250 so far and the vehicle is still unusable.

NHTSA ID

11592078

Incident

May 28, 2024

The parking collision sensors occasionally stop working during the parking process going from active to fully inactive at the same time. While driving through the city the coward collision has ghost activations where the car believes an object is right in front when there is nothing there. The emergency braking activated once with nothing in front on the highway at speeds over 55 mph and applied full breaking force. Since then the sensors have been turned off

NHTSA ID

11589339

Incident

Mar 20, 2024

The right side module buttons on steering wheel stops working

NHTSA ID

11583803

Incident

Apr 1, 2024

The speedometer stopped working - no numbers were visible on my dash. It was unsafe as I was not aware what speed I was traveling. This happened on December 24, 2023 and has not happened again after that nor was it reproduced or confirmed by a dealer or service center. The vehicle has not been inspected by anyone. There were no warning lamps/messages/or anything.

NHTSA ID

11565234

Incident

Dec 24, 2023

The rear passenger door on this 4 year old car will not open from inside, nor outside. This is a huge safety issue, as any emergency egress from that point will not be possible. I can imagine the outcome if we were in an accident and needed to try to exit via that door. I chatted with Volvo and they simply recommended opening a case with their 800 number. I've seen forums with many other people having this same problem with Volvos for many years.

NHTSA ID

11555887

Incident

Nov 13, 2023

Water intrusion via a faulty sunroof seal and drain system. Water drains into the vehicle and collects under the flooring carpets and is not detectable. Water then disables and shorts out electrical components and computer modules eventually rendering the vehicle completely inoperable … including airbags, suspension system and electronic engine components. All control is lost. System also displays a number of random and often times confusing and erroneous error message to display console. This is an extremely dangerous problem, and extremely expensive to remedy, and appears to be related to a significant design flaw. According to internet reports, this is a known issue. Dealer is the one who diagnosed the problem. Given this problem affects electronics - there is a threat of fire.

NHTSA ID

11555338

Incident

Nov 11, 2023

The drainage system from the roof of the vehicle is faulty and causes water to collect in the space between the carpet in the interior of the vehicle and the floor of the vehicle. Key electrical components are located beneath the front passenger seat of the vehicle. When the water collected, it caused key systems, such as collision warning and other systems to malfunction. When we took the vehicle to the dealership, several other vehicles had to be towed in due to more severe electrical failure as a result of the drainage malfunction.

NHTSA ID

11546744

Incident

Sep 26, 2023

At approximately 55,000 miles I started to experience intermittent heavy vibration at Highway speeds. According to the Volvo technical journal this is a known issue called the Ghost Shaker. There we no warning lamps or car messages that displayed while the shaking occurred. Typically, the car would shake when above 45 MPH, especially on interstate. While the Ghost Shaker is happening, it was very hard to control the vehicle and the only way to cease the shaking is to pull over and come to a complete stop. Sometimes this was not very safe, especially when you were on an interstate with limited shoulder space. This appears to be a known issue of Volvo, but since I was out of warranty, I had to cover the cost for the repair. I took my XC60 into an Independent Repair shop and a new Volvo Brand brake booster was installed. This appears to have rectified the situation and the shaking has stopped.

NHTSA ID

11533995

Incident

Dec 3, 2022

Since owning my Volvo XC60 I have had to change my brakes and rotors 3 times. I first purchased my car in January 2020 and the model is a 2019. The brake issues that have occurred have been the brake pedal shaking excessively as well as concern that the car would not brake due to the brakes wearing down very quickly. This has also affected the brake safety that Volvo pride themselves on. Additionally I was asked to pay $600 for a recall that the dealership told me needed to be done for my safety and admitted that Volvo should be picking up the tab for this.

NHTSA ID

11525188

Incident

Apr 4, 2023

The polyurethane foam inside the tire came unstuck, resulting in severe shaking in the car above 40 miles an hour. The tire came on a new 2019 Volvo XC 60 that’s a dealer would not replace the cost of the tire

NHTSA ID

11511306

Incident

Mar 10, 2023

The contact owns a 2019 Volvo XC60. The contact stated that the front headlights failed to properly illuminate when engaged. The vehicle was diagnosed by an independent mechanic and the contact was informed that the headlight assemblies needed to be replaced. The vehicle was not repaired. The manufacturer was contacted, and the contact was informed that the vehicle was out of warranty. No further assistance was offered. The approximate failure mileage was 45,000.

NHTSA ID

11501268

Incident

Nov 18, 2019

Mileage

45,000 mi

For the last 18 months, when getting on or while driving on the interstate at speeds of 55 - 70 mph, the steering wheel vibrates and a vibration is felt throughout the vehicle. When braking a pulsation is felt in the brake pedal and the car shudders as it slows. I have taken it to the dealer and they cannot duplicate the issue. I've seen that other Volvo XC-60 have had similar issues with brakes/rotors.

NHTSA ID

11486442

Incident

Sep 5, 2022

The entire vehicle shakes and vibrates violently at 50 mph and over.

NHTSA ID

11459539

Incident

Nov 1, 2021

Driving down the interstate in rush hour at 30 mph, the entire entertainment system as well as the dashboard went black and went through a system restart. The dashboard, including spedometer and related controls were black and unusable for approximately 10 seconds. Approximately 3 minutes later, the system reboot again and all visual aids were unusable for 10 seconds or so.

NHTSA ID

11454795

Incident

Feb 24, 2022