62 of the
948 complaints filed about the Volvo XC60
are about the braking system —
7% of everything owners reported.
The worst model year for it is 2021.
My car is a 2024 Volvo XC60 PHEV. I was exiting a parking garage on the evening of April 24, 2026, going very slowly as I tried to get into a line of cars, when the brakes suddenly lost pressure. The brake pedal did nothing; I had no control over the car, which lurched forward, hitting the car in front of me. Then my car did the same thing again, and hit the next car again. I strongly suspect mechanical failure, namely that the transition from regenerative to friction braking failed. Exactly the same thing happened with the first XC60 PHEV that I had. In the summer of 2023, that acted as above on two different occasions. I turned that car into the dealer and in its place got the 2024.
NHTSA complaint #11733936 — an unverified report by a vehicle owner.
After 5 times of phantom breaking at high speed I took the car to Betten Volvo. The did a system update to try to correct. The car has now 3 times in 2 weeks again triggered the break at highway speed. I have another appointment scheduled April 21, 2026. Having the brake applied for no reason at this speed is extremely jarring and dangerous.
NHTSA complaint #11730370 — an unverified report by a vehicle owner.
Occasionally, when I put the car in reverse, the brakes do not activate. The pedal feels stiff and hard to push. But then if I let off the brake pedal, and reapply the brakes, the problem goes away. This puts me and my passengers at risk of an accident. I have not shown the problem to a dealer yet as the problem is intermittent. I have not seen any warning signs about this problem. I have owned the car for about 6 months, since September of 2025 and have seen the problem about 8 or 10 times.
NHTSA complaint #11726529 — an unverified report by a vehicle owner.
At the end of a downhill cloverleaf coming coming on and off a highway, the car slowed to a crawl but would not stop. It was going slowly as if "creeping" like when in B mode but was not in B mode. The brakes would not stop it. I was able to shift gears from Drive to N to P but no response, car continued to creep forward until it gently bumped into the back of an 18 wheeler. There was no collision alarm at the time. I turned the car on and off, and powering down seemed to re set the issue, but the collision alarm went off like 10 minutes later when there was nothing to set it off (seemed like it was just delayed). No error code came up, nothing. I submitted my claim to Volvo, esp since there are similar recalls so I thought it was a known thing, but apparently not reported on my exact make and model (there were not very many made). I did not know there was damage to my vehicle, and the truck driver and myself did not even get out, he didn't feel me, and I assumed the bumper just bumped him so no police report. This was an intermittant failure and after I re booted the vehicle I slowly drove home after brakes seemed to be working after power on/off. I did not know that it was my HOOD that bumped the truck. I did not know there was damage until I got home. If this car's make and model were NOT included in the recall, they should be. TERRIFYING. And volvo did not acknowledge or reassure. requested documentation on what they inspected, and did not receive.
NHTSA complaint #11726185 — an unverified report by a vehicle owner.
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 complaint #11717388 — an unverified report by a vehicle owner.
My car periodically shuts down while on highway and once a week is completely dead and requires a jump or a tow. I have brought this to the dealerships attention for over 18 months and they continue to tell me that the problem is fixed. The car shut down and was completely dead again this week. No one from NA Volvo has ever called me back when I report the problem or has responded to countless inquiries.
NHTSA complaint #11710328 — an unverified report by a vehicle owner.
SERVICE BRAKES, HYDRAULIC:FOUNDATION COMPONENTS:DISC:PADS
The contact owns a 2025 Volvo XC60. The contact stated that while depressing the brake pedal, there was an abnormal grinding sound coming from the rear driver’s side wheel. A dealer was contacted. The vehicle was taken to a dealer, where it was diagnosed, and determined that the rear driver’s side brake pads needed to be replaced. The driver’s and passenger’s side brakes were replaced, and the vehicle was repaired. The manufacturer was not notified of the failure. The approximate failure mileage was 129,000.
NHTSA complaint #11709716 — an unverified report by a vehicle owner.
Brakes sometimes do not engage when parked and putting the car into drive or reverse gears. The car performs automatic brake checks when the car is parked. Sometimes, if I happen to press the brake pedal as one of these checks is starting, the brake pedal doesn’t press down all the way. I can still start the car though and put it into drive or reverse while pressing the brake pedal until it stops, though the pedal only depresses partway. Once the car is in drive or reverse, it rolls 1-2 feet, with my foot still pressing the brake pedal, before the brake actually engages. This has happened twice in the past 3 weeks. I am using the latest Volvo car software.
NHTSA complaint #11700070 — an unverified report by a vehicle owner.
Driving the car at under 20 mph making a left turn into my cul-de-sac which has an upward slope. Car system thought it would crash into the tree straight ahead and started emergency braking making loud noise and then the steering wheels locked. Ended up hitting the parked car in front of neighbors house due to brake and steering malfunction. Heard from other Volvo owners that this has been a problem. Even backing out of garage where there is no object behind the car the car emergency braking system engages causing whiplash. No longer feel safe driving this car.
NHTSA complaint #11694759 — an unverified report by a vehicle owner.
Rotor seems to have worn out much quicker than expected. When I break, I can feel certain vibration / bumps. When breaking while going down on a hill, front break also has made screeching noise. Steering feels stiff at times. generally, I have always been topping up gas more than the advertised mileage performance / EPA
NHTSA complaint #11684241 — an unverified report by a vehicle owner.
Yesterday, while driving on highway, I received a tire pressure warning for all four tires. I filled all tires to the recommended 35psi. The warning went away. Today, after I parked my vehicle, I saw a “parking brake service required” message on my dash. The “park” indicator on my dash started flashing. Now, I’m worried about a brake failure. I only mentioned the tire pressure warning bc I’ve never had multiple error messages like this before.
NHTSA complaint #11672120 — an unverified report by a vehicle owner.
Vehicle with 34,000 miles has started to have surging of rotors when applying brakes at 33,000. Vehicle has had brake disc kit replaced due to warping at 13,058 miles. Vehicle had brake disc kits and front and rear brake rotors replaced due to high spots for pad engagement at 22,996 miles. The vehicle has a continuous problem with brake/rotor system!
NHTSA complaint #11633493 — an unverified report by a vehicle owner.
Around 10/26/2024 I purchased a 2021 Volvo XC60 from Carvana. Carvana sells vehicles with a 100 day limited warranty. The manufacturer warranty was expired at this time. Carvana states they do an inspection of the vehicle prior to delivery. When I received the vehicle, I noticed the steering wheel would vibrate hard when I came to a stop. I took the Volvo to the local Volvo dealership to perform a full multi-point inspection. They found that the brake pads were at 1-2 MM with warped rotors on the front wheels. The back wheels had 3 MM brake pads. I called Carvana on 11/22/2024 to discuss the brake issue and inquired about the 100 day warranty to cover the brake repair because I was sold a very unsafe vehicle. I was told their warranty would not cover the cost to repair the brakes. I asked for the inspection report they did prior to delivering the Volvo. They will not release the inspection report to me. So I asked for the details of the inspection on the brakes. They told me their inspection showed front wheels with 6m on both and the rotors were at 29 (LF) and 28.02 (RF). They told me the rear wheels had 6M on brake pads for both wheels and the rotors were 11 (LR) ad 11.92 (RR). They could not tell me the date of the inspection. I trust the Volvo Dealership to provide accurate information on their inspection. This is not a safe vehicle and should have the brakes replaced AND Carvana should pay for this cost. At this point, Carvana is selling very dangerous and unsafe vehicles and declining to provide inspection reports. I ask for your help with contacting Carvana and absolutely requiring them to repair and replace the brakes on the vehicle they sold me.
NHTSA complaint #11626930 — an unverified report by a vehicle owner.
When I had to slow down or suddenly stop because there were other cars in front of me, I. stepped on the break, but it did not stop; maybe it slowed down a little, but the acceleration seemed to accelerate faster. I could hear the acceleration sound. I had to push the gear to stop. The car finally stopped. But I almost hit the front car. Similar occurrences happened when I came to a stop signal, which could have involved me in a serious accident, even fatal. I still drive the car because I have only one car. Most of the time, it works normally, but the problem occurs occasionally. I am scared, thinking it will happen again.
NHTSA complaint #11618357 — an unverified report by a vehicle owner.
While slowing down and just about to make a turn into a private residence off of a highway, multiple indicator lights illuminated and audio warning "dinging" occurred for approximately 3 seconds. As I had already been slowly applying the brakes and starting to slightly turn the wheel towards the driveway when those warnings briefly came up, the moment the lights and sounds stopped, vehicle then maintained speed (while still on the brakes) and locked steering position it was at simultaneously. Having no control at that point, it continued until crashing into a wooden fence. Once at a complete stop, cabin lights and "dinging" activated as it acknowledged the impact. And although it was only going about 15 mph, seemingly to only have damage to the front passenger side bumper/headlight area, it would not shift into any gear or turn off. Not to mention that the front passenger side airbag(s), or any of them, deploy- seriously raised even more concerns as the main reason I purchased a Volvo was for their well known status of safety standards. Had this obvious electrical malfunction happened moments before at higher speed/steering straight ahead, it would've resulted in very serious injuries to myself and others while it speed through 2 intersections at a highway ramp just down the hill. Was towed to a local collision repair & auto body shop until Progressive Insurance took it to their damage assessor where it was declared a total loss. I've owned it for almost 3 years and always had weird inconsistent electrical "quirks"- nothing ever of serious concern though. Has spent a total of 4-5 months in the past 3 years at different Volvo dealerships and mechanics but no one could ever explain why different warnings would be displayed randomly for days-weeks, off/on for no apparent diagnostic reason, 12V power socket was the same way... Please investigate the electrical components that directly affect the operational use and control! Extremely common & dangerous issue with these!
NHTSA complaint #11595428 — an unverified report by a vehicle owner.
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 complaint #11592078 — an unverified report by a vehicle owner.
6/8/23: Vehicle in shop for 30K warranty service. Front brake pads flagged yellow for wear. Recommendation they be addressed next visit at 40K miles. By 35K, Brake pedal was vibrating and steering wheel shaking upon moderate braking. Made appt. With local dealer which required over a month wait. 1/5/24: Dealer confirmed problem. Despite their own Technical Service Bulletin [XXX], dated [XXX], which recommended warranty replacement of brake pads, the service writer, Joe Barber at Volvo of St. Louis, 7700 Manchester Rd. refused to follow the manufacturer's recommendations. Instead, he quoted me a complete front brake job, to include rotors and pads for $920. I declined. With over 50 years of driving experience, not once have I owned a vehicle with brake/rotor failure with so few actual miles driven (mostly highway). Dealer claims this is normal for Volvo cars. Supposedly, one of the safest cars made for many years. I filed a written complaint with the Service Mgr. when he sent me a customer satisfaction survey. No response. Also filed a complaint with Volvo North America in Mahwah, NJ. They also quickly denied any responsibility, claiming normal wear and tear. Unable to upload documentation from my phone, but can do so by PC scan if allowed. Please advise. INFORMATION REDACTED PURSUANT TO THE FREEDOM OF INFORMATION ACT (FOIA), 5 U.S.C. 552(B)(6)
NHTSA complaint #11564361 — an unverified report by a vehicle owner.
The automatic breaking system was deployed while backing up in a parking lot. There were no obstacles, either stationary or moving, that should have triggered the braking. We have had several other times when the brake "felt odd" during reverse. It becomes very stiff and hard to depress but still works.
NHTSA complaint #11540371 — an unverified report by a vehicle owner.
Twice within two weeks the car was shifted into reverse and the brake became unresponsive. The car started moving backward, but the brake was not depressible. On one occasion, the car was shifted into drive, which then allowed the brake to be fully depressed. On the other occasion, the brake was pushed repeatedly until the car finally allowed it to be fully depressed after a few seconds of rolling backward.
NHTSA complaint #11534680 — an unverified report by a vehicle owner.
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 complaint #11533995 — an unverified report by a vehicle owner.