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2021 Volvo XC60 Driver assistance Problems

Owner-reported complaints naming the driver-assistance system, filed with NHTSA

Data refreshed

Driver assistance reportsComplaints are reports submitted to NHTSA by owners and drivers. NHTSA does not verify most reports before publishing them, and a complaint does not establish that a defect exists. Volume is influenced by how many of a vehicle were sold, how long it has been on the road, and how much attention an issue has received.
13
Latest Jul 1, 2026
Share of all reportsThis category as a share of every owner report on file for this model year. One report can name more than one component, so the categories overlap.
30%
of 44 total
Crash or fire reportedReports in this category whose submitter recorded that a crash or a fire occurred. The reporter's own answer on the NHTSA form, not a verified finding.
1
Injuries or deaths reportedTotals the submitters entered on their own reports in this category. Not verified by NHTSA and not a casualty statistic.
1

What this page shows

Reports naming forward-collision avoidance, lane keeping, back-over prevention, cruise control and related electronic driver-assistance systems. Every record below is an owner-reported complaint about the 2021 Volvo XC60 submitted to NHTSA — not a confirmed defect, not a recall and not a manufacturer bulletin. 13 reports on file name it.

Complaints are reports submitted by owners and drivers to NHTSA. They are not verified and do not establish that a defect exists.

Owner reports naming driver-assistance

Shown in the owner’s own words, exactly as filed

Driver assistanceInterior & seats
Filed Jul 1, 2026

The entire right ride of the car just stopped working. Back right door became permanently locked and could not open from outside or inside. When hitting lock/unlock buttons on key fob i) front passenger door would not lock/unlock and ii) right side mirror would not fold in/out. Blind spot monitor and TPMS said they needed service. Left side of car was fine and worked. Car would start normally. I checked all relevant fuses and none were blown. Then all of a sudden it all started working again. My fear is that in the heat of summer what if all doors became locked somehow and i did not have the key fob with the manual key? I have 2 children

NHTSA ID
11747588
Incident
Jun 30, 2026
Driver assistanceSteering
Filed Apr 16, 2026

Multiple times, with the Pilot Assist system engaged, the vehicle has pulled me out of my intended travel lane when on a curve, near an on / off ramp, and generally tends to drift from the left to right of the intended lane of travel on straight sections of road. It will drift to the rumble strip and sometimes into the next lane with both hands firmly on the wheel. I find myself fighting the system at these times. When it gets confused, with corners or merges, and on / off ramps, it will abruptly change lanes which is very dangerous. Twice it almost caused an accident. I have had it looked at many times now by Gengras Volvo in East Hartford where I bought the car. I was provided a loaner each time but the car has been in their shop for close to a month over these visits. It happend on one test drive with their repair tech driving the car, so the issue has been verified and recorded by Gengras. Multiple components of the system have been changed out and Volvo has downloaded and reviewed the telemetry twice. Volvo's stance is that the system is functioning correctly, and in times if inclement weather it may not work as intended. Most of my incidents happened on dry roads. Upon researching this on the internet, there are many other owners of Volvos of my year and others complaining of the exact same issues and behavior of the car. I feel it may be a design flaw but in my opinion the system is not safe to use. Volvo went to a completely different system soon after 2021. This was a very expensive option to purchase on the vehicle. We have a similar system in our Acura that works flawlessly on the same roads in any weather condition. I bought this vehicle certified by Volvo with roughly 15K miles for my son to drive when he had just gotten his license as Volvo has an incredible reputation for safely. I do not feel safe with him driving this vehicle as was intended. Latest diagnosis attached, Remainder available from Gengras Volvo, East Hartford CT.

NHTSA ID
11731535
Incident
Mar 23, 2026
Driver assistanceElectrical
Filed Sep 8, 2025

My car was backed into July 4, 2024, unoccupied and had damage done to the hood and front light and bumper. The person who hit the car had insurance and I took it to a local collison company for the repairs In November 2024. (Insured would not return calls to insurance company so it took this long for repairs) I began taking it to Volvo OC in December because the sensors were constantly lighting up and beeping constantly with no one around me. I took it to Volvo many times from December to August 2025. They would have my car for a week or two and think they fixed it and it was not fixed. After Volvo sent me a note saying that Corporate was not going to pay to do anything and they were done with trying to fix the car I took it back to my collison company. When Volvo last had it they told me that the wiring harness was not the correct part number and that the collision company installed the wrong one. I called them back and they explained that they had to call Volvo Mission Viejo and gave them the VIN number and they installed what was sent. I took it back to the collision company and they called and ordered another harness and they received the exact same harness. They installed that one and the sensors still do not work correctly. They then called Volvo Mission Viego again and they were told there was a cable that was needed if a car was in an accident and 2 sensors needed to be attached to the cable and the other sensors to the harness. So they did that. And still the same issue. At that time Volvo told me that the sensors in my car were not the correct sensors and that they were not the sensors that came with the car. The collision company said they removed the sensors from the harness but attached the exact same sensors during the repair. So both Volvo and the collision company have left me hanging and this is a safety issue. If I am looking one way for traffic and the beeping goes off it is startling to think someone is coming from the other

NHTSA ID
11685673
Incident
Dec 2, 2024
BrakesDriver assistanceElectrical
Filed Jun 15, 2023

My car continued to move even with the brake pedal pressed, and collision avoidance systems did not turn on. This is very unsafe - a car that doesn’t respond when the driver brakes puts everyone else on the road in danger. The first time this happened was on Sep. 6, 2022. I was driving on the highway when the car in front of me stopped abruptly. I started to brake. The distance between our cars was large enough that I should have been able to stop safely, but my car continued to move. I was unable to stop the vehicle and crashed into the car in front of me. At the time, I thought it was my fault. Although there was damage to my car, luckily no one was injured. (This was resolved, and my car was repaired, with help from Shelter Insurance.) On June 13, 2023, I was pulling up to a red light behind another vehicle. I stepped on the brakes and my car jolted to a stop (I had to push the pedal down very hard to get my car to start slowing down). Then my car began to move again, even though I had not released the brake pedal. It was moving at about 1-2 mph. My car got so close to the car in front of us that the parking sensors began to beep. We would have run into the stationary vehicle if I hadn’t put my car in Neutral. When the light switched to green I put my car in Drive again. At the next intersection the brakes were back to normal, and my car was driving as before. I had my car towed to the local Volvo dealership. After an inspection, I was told they hadn’t found anything wrong. I left my car at the dealership for further investigation, and was given a loaner. I don’t know if there is a connection, but both times this happened, I had been driving on the highway at high speeds (70 mph) for a few hours before trying to brake.

NHTSA ID
11527193
Incident
Jun 13, 2023
Driver assistanceElectrical
Filed Jan 3, 2023

1.What component or system failed or malfunctioned, and is it available for inspection upon request? Blind spot sensor repeatedly malfunctioning. Vehicle generates "service required" message, and it appears that blind spot monitors fail to illuminate. Child safety locks also deactivate without driver input. Vehicle is currently available for inspection. 2. Has the problem been reproduced or confirmed by a dealer or independent service center? Dealer has updated the software multiple times but has not attempted to assess the hardware. 3. Has the vehicle or component been inspected by the manufacturer, police, insurance representatives or others? No. 4. Were there any warning lamps, messages or other symptoms of the problem prior to the failure, and when did they first appear? Drivers side door buttons periodically do not illuminate and do not operate windows or locks. Vehicle cannot be locked at times, or only passenger side doors can be locked. Key fob and manufacturer app only work to lock the vehicle sometimes. Issues began approximately July 2022 and have repeated intermittently. Issues seem to be occurring more frequently and for longer. Issues have been particularly frequent and long lasting in the last week; vehicle last serviced at the dealer approximately 12/22/2022.

NHTSA ID
11499902
Incident
Jan 2, 2023
Driver assistanceElectricalInterior & seats
Filed Sep 27, 2022

Without warning, car loses BLIS, electric windows and seats fail to work, ventilation system is inoperable. Supposedly fixed by dealer, but same issues have arisen within 60 days of repair.

NHTSA ID
11486621
Incident
Jun 28, 2022
Driver assistance
Filed Sep 16, 2022

The BLIS warning light has been malfunctioning and only displaying intermittently for several weeks. We were traveling from Florida to Massachusetts when we discovered the problem. We made arrangements for the car to be serviced twice, but they informed us they did not observe the issue during their test drive the first time. The second time they indicated that although the signal only activates intermittently, it is designed to function intermittently. We were informed that it will only activate if our car is going the same speed as the car we are passing or the car that is passing us. They subsequently advised the indicator will not activate if there is a 9 mph difference between the passing vehicle and the car being passed. We previously understood the indicator would be a signal or warning that it is not safe to return to the lane of the cars we are passing or move to the lane of the cars that are passing us. I have videos detailing what we perceive as the problem.

NHTSA ID
11484780
Incident
Sep 14, 2022
Driver assistance
Filed Aug 25, 2022

The BLIS warning light has been malfunctioning and only displaying intermittently for several weeks. We were traveling from Florida to Massachusetts when we discovered the problem. We made arrangements for the car to be serviced, but the dealer informed us they did not observe the issue during their test drive and suggested we check the manual to read about BLIS limitations. We did that, but none of the situations applies in our case. The dealer did inform us that they downloaded and reinstalled the appropriate software, however the problem has not been resolved. The passenger side indicator works about 40% of the time and the driver side indicator works about 50% of the time. (I did two manual counts of this while traveling to come up with the stats.) We have another appointment scheduled and will request the mechanic or the service rep take a ride with us in the passenger seat so he or she can observe the problem. There were no messages or warnings that the function was not working properly. The first indication there was an issue came when we actually observed the problem when we were passing a trailer truck on the highway. Although we are able to drive without this feature, it is a problem and could cause and accident.

NHTSA ID
11481259
Incident
Aug 1, 2022
Driver assistanceElectrical
Filed Apr 22, 2022
Crash reported1 injury reported

The car started to move and accelerate with brake pressed. Accident prevention system did not activate itself. It did not display any warnings as it typically do during parking and being close to other cars. The car caused an accident with mild injuries to the driver of the other car, but could have hit a pedestrian or go to the intersection and involved with an accident with a car moving perpendicularly at a higher speed. I am waiting for an investigator from Volvo and Travelers Insurance. Prior to the accident the electronic display of the car started to malfunction. I have a video of the whole accident , but it is in mp4 format and thus i could not upload it. The dashboard camera's microphone picked some electromagnetic interference that increased as we got closer to the accident. Description of the accident: We pulled to a red light behind another car. After not moving for a few seconds, the car started to move on its own, accelerating and hitting the car in the front, continuing to move forward. I was able to put the shifter into the park, stopping it. The road conditions were good. Roads were dry. The sky were cloudy overhead. The vehicle is not drivable ( radiator leak ). The car behaved usually before the accident, except for some reason, for the first time, all the displays dimmed significantly ( it was hard to see anything, and I could not increase brightness ). The screens went back to normal brightness right before the accident. Also, the dashboard camera that recorded the incident, for some reason, picked up audio evidence of electromagnetic interference which was increasing as we were getting closer to the intersection.

NHTSA ID
11461792
Incident
Apr 18, 2022
Driver assistanceElectrical
Filed Feb 23, 2022

Today, my Sensus in the center console, as well as my instrument panel that shows the map between the gauges, went black and switched my drive mode out of ECO, shutting off my adaptive cruise control. Rebooted 2 times before becoming stable. I have a video, but your system doesn't allow me to upload the file type

NHTSA ID
11453722
Incident
Feb 23, 2022
Driver assistanceElectrical
Filed Feb 17, 2022

Today my Sensus in the center console as well as instrument panel that shows the map between the gauges went black and switched my drive mode out of ECO, shutting off my cruise cintrol and turned off my Bluetooth phone call. Rebooted 3 times before becoming stable. This is unsafe and very dangerous. They just did a software update while it was in the dealership recently fixing an unrelated issue for a month. Now I have to try and get a video as they always try to claim they can't duplicate issues... I always have to take videos and recordings now...

NHTSA ID
11452548
Incident
Feb 17, 2022
Driver assistance
Filed Aug 17, 2021

This is in regards to Pilot Assist. My husband and I purchased this vehicle in May of 2021. We have encountered several incidents (while using Pilot Assist). The car has directed us to different lanes, steered us to guardrails and other cars and has failed to break when cars have been stopped in front of us. We have taken the car in to our local Volvo dealership multiple times and they have still not corrected the issues. The first time we took the car in to the dealership, we were told (by the mechanic) it’s not a good system and it will never operate correctly. They have checked the sensors and hooked the car up to the computer and said it’s not sending off any codes, therefore there is nothing they can do. They have also test driven the car. The latest test drive, the mechanic left notes saying the car did start to drift in to the other lane but was corrected by the driver. However, he claims this is normal operation.

NHTSA ID
11429521
Incident
Jul 5, 2021
Driver assistance
Filed Jul 12, 2021

On two occasions the automatic breaking/city safety engaged on my Volvo XC60 2021 vehicle. In both incidences there was no need for this to happen. First incident (o/a June 25, 2021) occurred while changing lanes. There was traffic but said traffic was a safe distance in front of me. I was startled by the immediate hard stop breaking and safety belts tightening around me. No accident occurred. Only traffic behind me needing to break to avoid rear ending me. Even though shaken I continued on my way and put it behind me. Second incident (Jul 7,2021) occurred in the I95 tunnel heading to Baltimore. There was no vehicle directly in front of me. Only a vehicle vehicle at least 6 car lengths or more ahead. There was a tractor trailer beside me and vehicles behind me. Again the automatic breaking/city safety engaged. The vehicle came to a hard stop. I was shaken and even more frightened by what happened. No accident occurred. However, the vehicles behind me had to immediately break. I can’t express enough how horrifying these incidents were, especially in the I95 tunnel. I called the Volvo dealership where I bought the vehicle and took it in for service the next day. They ran diagnostics on the vehicle. No codes were shown during testing. I am afraid to drive this vehicle. I was told the automatic breaking/city safety cannot be turned off. I don’t want to sound over dramatic but I fear for my life, my family and others. I don’t want this vehicle. I want a vehicle that I have control over. This safety system has failed!! This system puts my life and others in danger!! The only explanation I received from dealer was that this system works on a camera and radar. I was nonchalantly told a glare from a vehicle or road sign could cause this. This all is alarming to me. What is my recourse?!?! I am aware there were problems with the automatic breaking in Volvos in 2019 & 2020. This was said to have been resolved through recalls. Im worried and afraid of Volvo XC60 2021!

NHTSA ID
11424387
Incident
Jun 25, 2021

Higher-selling and older vehicles accumulate more reports. Counts are not failure rates and are not directly comparable between vehicles that sold in very different numbers.

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