Volvo XC60 engine problems

ENGINE

Engine blew up while my daughter was driving due to excessive oil consumption. Issue known by Volvo but we bought the car in 2023 and the 8year warranty recall was just about to expire and we knew nothing about it. Very dangerous

NHTSA complaint #11751199 — an unverified report by a vehicle owner.

ENGINE AND ENGINE COOLING

The contact owns a 2016 Volvo XC60. The contact stated that while driving at 30 MPH, the low oil warning light illuminated. The contact pulled into a gas station, exited the vehicle, raised the hood of the vehicle, and added engine oil to the engine. The contact stated that while buckling the seat belt, the air bag warning light illuminated. A dealer was contacted. The vehicle was taken to an independent mechanic to be diagnosed; however, the vehicle was not repaired. The contact stated that the failure had occurred on several occasions. The contact associated the failure with Technical Service Bulletin: TJ 35526 (Engine Oil Consumption Test); however, the vehicle was not included. The manufacturer was notified of the failure, but no assistance was provided, and the contact was informed that the TSB had expired. The approximate failure mileage was 62,800.

NHTSA complaint #11747694 — an unverified report by a vehicle owner.

ENGINE

Reporting a manufacturing defect in a 2022 Volvo XC60. The vehicle developed a metallic ticking noise in the timing area, audible at idle. Symptoms strictly match Volvo Technical Journal 36551.9.1 (NHTSA ID: MC-11015995-0001) regarding faulty camshaft seals. The noise disappeared when the oil filler cap was loosened, exactly as described in the TJ. An authorized Volvo dealer confirmed the defect and replaced the camshaft seals per Volvo’s protocol (Work Act No. ЗН-0131107). This repair completely resolved the issue, proving it was a manufacturing fault. The manufacturer refused warranty coverage citing 'salvage title' status, without proving any causal link between the title and this specific engine defect. Failure of timing components poses a significant safety risk, including sudden engine stall or oil leaks during operation. The owner was forced to pay out-of-pocket for the repair of a recognized factory defect. Supporting documents and video evidence are available upon request.

NHTSA complaint #11729583 — an unverified report by a vehicle owner.

ENGINE

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.

ENGINE

Component/System that failed: The engine (T5 Drive-E) experienced sudden loss of propulsion and entered reduced engine performance mode. The vehicle is currently available for inspection and was towed to an authorized Volvo dealer following the incident. How safety was put at risk: On July 3, 2025, while driving approximately 75 mph on a crowded interstate highway in rural Ohio with cruise control engaged, the vehicle suddenly and without warning lost propulsion. Traffic included semi-trucks and other vehicles, with limited shoulder availability. The sudden loss of acceleration at highway speed created an immediate risk of rear-end collision and left the vehicle unsafe to operate. Confirmation or reproduction: Prior to the failure, in July 2024 at approximately 92,000 miles, I reported abnormal oil consumption to an authorized Volvo dealer and raised a known Volvo service advisory related to oil consumption in the T5 Drive-E engine. The dealer acknowledged the advisory but refused testing, stating the vehicle did not meet Volvo’s internal threshold. After the failure, a service agent acknowledged that this issue is known to occur in this model at approximately this mileage. Inspections: The vehicle was serviced at an authorized Volvo dealer in Bethesda, Maryland just days prior to the incident. Following the failure, the vehicle was towed to an authorized Volvo dealer in Columbus, Ohio. Volvo Cars USA has not repaired the vehicle and denied a goodwill request. Warnings or symptoms prior to failure: There were no warning lamps or messages prior to the loss of propulsion. The engine warning light and a “Reduced Engine Performance” message appeared only after power was lost.

NHTSA complaint #11708737 — an unverified report by a vehicle owner.

ENGINE

The USB ports under the center console malfunction frequently. The main, top engine mount disintegrated and needed to be replaced under 50,000 miles. The rear seat seatbelts come loose and sag easily. They do not retract automatically. The rubber stripping, where the door jamb is, comes off. The handles to the air vent break off very easily, rendering the vents inoperable. **The software for the vehicle malfunctions constantly, displaying the incorrect readings for fuel economy, the gas gauge, and more. It is possibly affecting the catalytic converters and O2 sensors. **The vehicle turns itself on, in battery mode. **The blind spot indicators to not light up sometimes and do not make any noise indications of nearby cars.

NHTSA complaint #11707518 — an unverified report by a vehicle owner.

ENGINE

Oil consumption has become a major issue and I am putting oil in every 1000 miles! I bought the vehicle certified pre owned in October 2023 and the oil light was consistently coming on early. However, it has since gotten much worse and is constantly burning through oil.

NHTSA complaint #11706759 — an unverified report by a vehicle owner.

ENGINE

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 complaint #11702134 — an unverified report by a vehicle owner.

ENGINE

The component that failed was the oil consumption. I noticed it seemed to be using more oil than should be normal. It didn't seem to do it overnight. It seemed gradual, but over a short period of time, bc I haven't had the car that long. It wasn't super alarming but I was keeping an eye on it and would add more in here and there, as I like to keep it full. One morning, driving my son to school, I started hearing an odd sound, I don't know how to describe it, wasn't loud but different. I tried to turn around bc was on a main road, and when I did, I heard a loud bang and pop and I had to pull over to a safe spot bc on a main highway. I hv not driven since getting brought to my home. 06

NHTSA complaint #11695319 — an unverified report by a vehicle owner.

ENGINE

While driving on crowded I40 near Statesville NC, the engine started to stutter and moments later quit entirely. Fortunately we were able to move to the shoulder with only a few seconds to spare. This was very dangerous as we had to move through the right lane in front of speeding semi trucks. The only warning light received was that there was an engine problem, that the car would go into “safe” mode. This was mere seconds before entirely disabling the engine. Had we come to a halt on the highway there would have been a serious accident and injury to ourselves and most likely others. We contacted Volvo, a tow was dispatched and the car was winched on to a flat bed trailer and we were transported to a dealer in Hickory. Later it was confirmed that the Integrated Starter General (ISG) had failed and that power had been interrupted to the hybrid battery. There is a serious problem here and I suspect may impact other “mild hybrid” systems that install integrated alternator/starter motor systems between the engine and transmission.

NHTSA complaint #11694242 — an unverified report by a vehicle owner.

ENGINE

The vehicle shakes and engine abruptly shuts off even after a new tune up

NHTSA complaint #11684302 — an unverified report by a vehicle owner.

ENGINE

The contact owns a 2014 Volvo XC60. The contact stated that the vehicle was consuming an excessive amount of engine oil. The AWD system light was illuminated, and the message “AWD Disabled” was displayed. The maintenance light was illuminated. Additionally, there was an abnormal knocking sound coming from the front passenger’s side of the vehicle. The vehicle was taken to the local dealer, where the dipstick and gasket were replaced, but the failure recurred. The dealer provided the contact with the cost for the diagnostic test and the repair. The vehicle was not repaired. The manufacturer was contacted by email and mail, but no additional assistance was provided. The failure mileage was approximately 90,000.

NHTSA complaint #11683932 — an unverified report by a vehicle owner.

ENGINE

02/15/2025 I received a letter for oil consumption recall that was dated on 02/03/2023. Appointment was made same day I received the letter on 02/15/2023 and appointment couldnt be set sooner then 02/23/2023 which is the date the Oil consumption was done at Volvo of Bellevue. They changed the oil and sealed it and had me drive it 1000 miles, they said I didn't have an oil consumption problem and I disagreed because I told them I have to put in oil all the time. They said it has exceeded the 8yr or 100K miles of the extended warranty of the vehicle which ever comes first. I argued it had less then 100K miles when I got the letter on 02/15/2023 and the appointment couldnt be set til 02/23/2025 and Volvo of Bellevue said not to worry about it and they would take care of the recall. But after they had me pay for the oil change they said it exceeded the 100K miles and 8 yrs age of the vehicle. I argued the letter was sent to me after the vehicle was 8 years old and the avg miles of 12K was over 100K miles and I argued this was a known problem with Volvo but they kept on selling these vehicles knowing these vehicles have oil consumption problems. They refused to fix the car unless I paid them Thousands and thousands and thousands of dollars. I trusted what they told me that there was no oil consumption and in less then 7K miles later my engine smoked from their oil change and there was no oil in the vehicle as the engine had consumed all the oil and my car sat in my driveway for 22 months and I replaced many parts and still car wouldn't run. I took it back to Bellevue Volvo on 07/23/2025 to see what was wrong with the vehicle and they said the pistons were bent.

NHTSA complaint #11676798 — an unverified report by a vehicle owner.

ENGINE

In April 2025, the engine on our 2024 Volvo XC60 B5 Plus AWD failed suddenly with only 7,000 miles on the vehicle. The vehicle is leased and under full factory warranty. Volvo’s dealership confirmed the engine requires a full OEM replacement. However, our insurer, State Farm, is refusing to authorize a new OEM engine and is instead forcing the installation of a salvaged engine from a wrecked vehicle. This creates significant safety risks: • The salvaged engine’s crash history and internal integrity are unknown and cannot be verified. • It bypasses Volvo’s safety testing and voids the factory warranty, removing manufacturer oversight for future issues. • The use of non-OEM parts violates the lease and risks improper compatibility or undetected damage, affecting vehicle safety and reliability. The original dealership admitted they never performed a full internal inspection of the failed engine, relying only on spark plug checks and a borescope scan. State Farm denied coverage for a $1,299 tear-down at another Volvo dealer that would have confirmed the root cause. Instead, State Farm arranged a “second opinion” at the same original dealership without notifying us and presented this repeat review as independent confirmation. We have now been without a safe, functioning vehicle for over 80 days. State Farm’s insistence on using salvaged parts instead of OEM components not only violates our lease terms but undermines manufacturer safety standards and exposes us, and potentially other consumers, to heightened safety risks if this practice is systemic. No warning lamps appeared prior to the engine failure. This refusal to restore the vehicle to OEM condition represents a serious safety concern that should be reviewed.

NHTSA complaint #11675772 — an unverified report by a vehicle owner.

ENGINE

Vechile is consuming oil rapidly, Warning light comes on says that the vehicle is unsafe to drive. We had an oil consumption test at the Franklin TN Volvo dealership and it failed. There is also a quality bulletin issued by Volvo and extended warranty to 100K miles or 8 years, we fall outside the years. The warning lights started coming on around 78K miles. This is a know vechile manufacturing defect and feels unsafe to drive and expensive maintain and repair (10K) estimate from dealer.

NHTSA complaint #11664921 — an unverified report by a vehicle owner.

ENGINE

My engine always continues to break down even after changing engine twice.

NHTSA complaint #11658730 — an unverified report by a vehicle owner.

ENGINE

Purchased a used 2016 Volvo XC60 from a BMW dealership. A month after purchase, oil light came on - so we added oil. Not long after, it came on again. Finally took the car to a Volvo dealership and they confirmed we have the "oil consumption" issue. There was a class action lawsuit against Volvo and they extended the warranty for this issue for 8 years or 100k miles. Unfortunately, we purchased the car at 8 years, 6 months. We had no idea this issue existed. Volvo says they will do nothing about it. This is a known defect and they should fix it! If you google this you will find people reporting it all over. Some people have reported that their engines have caught fire while driving. This is very dangerous! Volvo should be made to fix this problem.

NHTSA complaint #11644206 — an unverified report by a vehicle owner.

ENGINE

Engin shut off while driving and would not start again. Fortunately, this happened in a parking lot. If this happened on a highway, there could have been a bad outcome. When the car shut off the steering became very heavy. Dealer says it was a result of skipped timing. Timing belt did not break and has about 10,000 miles on it. Dealer provided no reason as to why this happened. No warning signs and no warning lights before this happened.

NHTSA complaint #11637046 — an unverified report by a vehicle owner.

ENGINE AND ENGINE COOLING

The contact owns a 2015 Volvo XC60. The contact stated that every three weeks an oil change was performed on the vehicle. The contact stated that low oil level or oil empty messages were displayed. The vehicle was taken to the dealer who confirmed that the vehicle was consuming 15-quarts of engine oil every 6,000 miles driven. The dealer determined that oil was leaking into the pistons. The dealer stated that the pistons and piston rings needed to be replaced. The contact learned of an extended warranty coverage under NHTSA ID Number: 10234800 (Equipment). The vehicle had not been repaired. The manufacturer was made aware of the failure. The manufacturer confirmed that the vehicle was not covered under NHTSA ID Number: 10234800 (Equipment) extended warranty coverage due to the vehicle exceeding the mileage limitations. The approximate failure mileage was 111,000.

NHTSA complaint #11628991 — an unverified report by a vehicle owner.

ENGINE

The contact owns a 2021 Volvo XC60. The contact stated while driving at an undisclosed speed, the vehicle inadvertently lost motive power. The contact pulled over to the shoulder, and the vehicle continuously turned on and off independently. The check engine warning light was illuminated. The vehicle was towed to the dealer, who determined that the auxiliary battery power was low and that the vehicle needed a software update. The vehicle was repaired. The manufacturer was notified of the failure, and a case was opened. The failure mileage was 18,000.

NHTSA complaint #11626461 — an unverified report by a vehicle owner.