Our Nest Protect woke us at 06:30 am saying it was detecting smoke in the garage. Upon entering the garage it was obvious that the cabin of the car was filled with white smoke. Disconnected car from charger port. Attended to drive car out of garage to protect the house, but opening the door just let smoke billow out. Closed the door and called 911. Fire truck arrived - the winched the car out of the garage to protect the house. Using their thermal imaging camera determined the hybrid battery was the hotspot, not any of the charging connections. They ran water into back seat where that battery is located for over two hours to keep it from pop further thermal runaway. Clearly an internal EV battery short. Fire fighters had a sensor and detected residual HCN (hydrogen cyanide gas) and I had to be treated at the ER as a precaution as I inhaled a large amount of smoke when I opened the car door initially.
NHTSA complaint #11757528 — an unverified report by a vehicle owner.
My 2021 Volvo XC60 experienced a fuel system failure at approximately 53,500 miles. Prior to the failure, the vehicle displayed multiple warning messages and entered reduced-power (limp mode), including the turtle symbol on the instrument cluster. The vehicle unexpectedly would not start despite multiple attempts. The failure occurred while I was at a physical therapy appointment approximately 25 minutes from my home. After approximately 10 minutes, the vehicle started and was able to be driven. Because of the warning messages, limp mode, and failure-to-start condition, the vehicle was taken to a Volvo dealership for diagnosis. The Volvo dealership diagnosed the vehicle with ECM fault code P008A00 (Low Fuel Pressure). According to the repair invoice, testing confirmed that fuel pressure was intermittently low, and the dealership determined that the in-tank fuel pump was faulty. The fuel pump was replaced to correct the condition. This failure created a safety concern because the vehicle became unexpectedly inoperable and would not start when needed. Had the failure occurred in a remote location, during extreme weather conditions, at night, or in an emergency situation, it could have left the vehicle occupants stranded without reliable transportation. The inability to start the vehicle occurred without warning and could have resulted in a more serious safety risk under different circumstances. The issue was reproduced and confirmed by an authorized Volvo dealership, which inspected the vehicle, diagnosed the fault, and replaced the fuel pump. Repair records are available for inspection upon request. The failure occurred at approximately 53,500 miles, which is relatively low mileage for a major fuel system component. Because fuel pump failures can render a vehicle unexpectedly inoperable, I am submitting this complaint for review and investigation.
NHTSA complaint #11741045 — an unverified report by a vehicle owner.
The rear axle electric motor casing cracked with significant oil leaking requiring replacement, taking 15 hours of labor. Part numbers were 36003926-7 and 36009926-1. The mechanic at Hunter Volvo Cars in [XXX] relayed that he had just performed the same repair for the same problem the week before, in the same dealership. This raises my concern of a system problem rather than a one-off problem. This is the PHEV version of the Volvo C60 (the T8 model). With a range in EV mode of 35-40 miles, 95% of driving is performed in EV mode. It is unclear If the electric motor attached to the rear axle that was added to the standard Volvo C60 engine for the front axle is engineered for that amount of use and torque. This failure could lead to sudden failure of the electric motor. The car is owned and registered under my wife's name. INFORMATION REDACTED PURSUANT TO THE FREEDOM OF INFORMATION ACT (FOIA), 5 U.S.C. 552(B)(6)
NHTSA complaint #11723662 — an unverified report by a vehicle owner.
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.
When arriving at the high school parking lot to pick our grandson up from band practice, we experienced Sudden Unintended Acceleration of our vehicle as we attempted to pull into a parking spot. This resulted in a collision with another vehicle that had backed into the parking space in front of us. That driver was inside her vehicle and claimed injuries. As you can imagine we were pulling into the space at a very slow rate of speed when all of a sudden the car lunged forward at a high rate of speed, jumped two parking lot cement barriers and slammed into the rear of her vehicle. The car is equipped with all the latest collision avoidance equipment, but did not stop before hitting the other vehicle ... and no automatic warning sounds went off that I am aware of. A police report was filed and a tow truck had to be called to tow the vehicle. The vehicle had less than 5,ooo miles on it and had only been owned by us for 4 months (it was new when we purchased it). The accident happened on August 27, 2025 and we did not get our vehicle back from the body shop until Monday, November 17. Not only was our safety at risk, but the other driver and several students in the parking lot at the time. This incident could have been so much worse, or could have ended in a fatality. Volvo did an inspection of the vehicle, but the results were inconclusive and our insurance company paid the claim. As soon as we got our vehicle back we took it to our local Volvo service manager to have him check it over. He has indicated the car is safe to drive ... but I am very nervous about driving the vehicle now. The cost to repair the vehicle was $14,145. I was not distracted at the time of the accident and I am certain that I did not hit the accelerator pedal. NOTE: I never received a copy of the accident report, but I believe our insurance company has a copy.
NHTSA complaint #11700555 — an unverified report by a vehicle owner.
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.
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.
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.
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 complaint #11645394 — an unverified report by a vehicle owner.
Driving as normal through a major intersection and the car began to jerk and stutter when trying to accelerate. there was no warning or symptom prior to this issue, but upon it happening, the turtle warning light appeared and had the display had an engine system message saying "reduced performance". I was able to pull over. Then turned the car off and back on, which then allowed me to pull in to the nearest parking lot. The warning light remained on. The car was towed to the nearest Volvo dealership. They confirmed the issue was a failure of the fuel pump. They replaced the fuel pump. Luckily I had passed the intersection and the cars around me were still accelerating from a lower speed, so this did not cause an accident.
NHTSA complaint #11630286 — an unverified report by a vehicle owner.
I was backing into my garage in reverse gear when there was a sudden power surge and the car accelerated rapidly backwards (without me pushing the gas pedal), which led to a crash that caused substantial damage to the car. The car was out of my control, with it accelerating without reason, so something failed on the car. I do not know what component failed, only that there was a sudden and rapid acceleration in reverse. There are no warning lights and the car was taken for an estimate and damages exceed $10,000.
NHTSA complaint #11573057 — an unverified report by a vehicle owner.
Feb. 1, 2024: A short drive on electric during below zero weather, a car wash & a couple 100ft drive into a parking lot. Pulling into a parking space, foot on the brake pedal, ICE roared on accelerating the car over a curb, down an embankment & into a 3ft snow drift before I could stop it by pressing the brake pedal with both feet. We stopped 6in from a power pole. If forward crash avoidance system worked, didn't register in the EEPROM per the service tech! Feb. 17, 2024, during below zero weather, no electric charge, operating on ICE over about 2mi, Pulled into a parking space, foot on the brake pedal, ICE surged accelerating the car up over a 6" high curb onto sidewalk. Stopped car by depressing the brake pedal with both feet. Car stopped 2in before hitting a brick building. It didn't seem the forward crash avoidance system functioned to stop us. As a 35-year electronic design and repair professional, I have attempted to merge the two situations to try to find similarities. Two things: unexpected ICE engine acceleration surge & forward collision sensor not kicking on brakes. Per Volvo tech, Feb. 1, no register in EEPROM of forward crash avoidance or ICE issues. Second visit Feb. 22 to service will probably yield same. Obviously, this is not normal operation. We have been in two near collisions caused by the car doing things not designed to do.
NHTSA complaint #11572618 — an unverified report by a vehicle owner.
While driving, lost power very suddenly. A turtle comes across the dash. My vehicle wouldn’t start for roughly 20 minutes. After the 20 minutes, it starts up, but the check engine light is on. Nervous that my car isn’t safe to drive, I contact corporate Volvo, since there is NO information in the manual for what this means- they told me to contact my local. So I call them and they state it’s safe to drive and they could get me into the schedule 3 weeks out…. Then, I get to my appointment and they then tell me my brakes and rotators are completely shot at 42,000 miles.
NHTSA complaint #11529485 — an unverified report by a vehicle owner.
Now on TWO occasions found car completely without power after sitting unused for 2 or 3 days. On both occasions car plugged into Level 2 charger overnight (this is a plug in hybrid model). Required jump start after having to use emergency key to get inside. After jumpstart, received numerous propulsion system errors as well as on first incident, errors saying SOS communication system disabled. Dealer replaced TCAM battery with fresh one stating that computer tries to do updates and drains battery, and dealer lot has occasional dead cars with similar issue. On second incident, car moved into “turtle” limp home mode with critical 12V charging messages. In both instances, car was in a conditioned garage around 48 degrees. Hybrid battery was 100% charged in both cases. Concerned there is a batter drain due to TCAM or main software systems. This is more than inconvenience - this could be a real danger to have a car that may not start reliably after sitting for 48 hours, such as an airport or other setting where getting help is difficult. Limp home mode is driving hazard. There are multiple instances of this on Volvo websites that seems to impact multiple T8 models with a plug in hybrid power train and Google AAOS infotainment/car system architecture. Please help!
NHTSA complaint #11511471 — an unverified report by a vehicle owner.
I purchased the car in April 2022. Did not have any issues until February 2023. Initially, the engine light came on with a turtle icon in the dash screen. I was driving and the car would not go over 45 mph. on a busy street . The car was hesitating badly and also said something about the propulsion? Volvo Ontario towed it from my business and supposedly fixed it. Fast forward the following week, engine light came. Back to dealer, who said the software at that time was not available and it was a recall. A few days later they said they were disconnecting the engine light until new update was available. Back to dealer with update now installed, supposedly this would fix all the engine issues. A few days later, 3/7 I got into car and started it . This mesage came on, "Slow down, the vehicle will reduce speed. Propulsion system failure", Followed by ,"Propulsion System Service Required" with yellow engine light on. Backed out of the driveway and the car started vibrating and shaking violently. Currently waiting on Volvo for next steps. I am so dissapointed with this car and it is a huge concern for safety. I purchased this car because of their reputation for safety.
NHTSA complaint #11510620 — an unverified report by a vehicle owner.
While switching lanes the vehicle became unresponsive to throttle input, momentarily leaving me floundering in the new lane unable to accelerate, with cars quickly approaching. This was then followed by a jolt of power after pumping the gas pedal and then normal acceleration behavior. There were no dashboard warnings or sounds to indicate any driver assistance systems were activated. This has occurred once before (at ~1000 miles) but has not been inspected by the dealer. In both cases the incidents were preceded by slowing down for traffic before switching lanes.
NHTSA complaint #11502289 — an unverified report by a vehicle owner.
I have a 1 month old 2023 XC60 T8 phev recharge extended range with 1250 miles on it. I was driving without any issues for the past 1 months. I got a turtle icon with the check engine light on constant when I started driving today. The car had pulled back while driving and there was substantial diminished power, and could be dangerous in the wrong circumstances. I called Volvo and they explained not to drive the car and towed the car to the nearby Volvo dealership. Waiting on diagnosis 2 days now. I've now noticed other vehicles of the same type are having the same issues. This does not seem to be normal for a cars operation to have random diminished power. Website showing this to be a problem with these models from different years without any definitive resolution: https://www.swedespeed.com/threads/2022-xc90-recharge-extended-range-turtle-icon-check-engine-light.657482/
NHTSA complaint #11500244 — an unverified report by a vehicle owner.
The headlights malfunctioned two weeks after I purchased the vehicle. The center control panel electronics that controls heating and cooling, the phone, etc failed suddenly and without warning while I was on the highway. There have been multiple problems with this vehicle since I purchased it on September 19. It has been in the shop for about 15 days. A propulsion system warning appeared without warning while I was driving the car. The battery drained for unknown reasons while plugged in to charge. This is not a safe car. It is controlled by an electronics system and software that are not reliable, leaving me at risk of being in an accident or stranded somewhere. I have read that some of these vehicles go into "turtle mode" and won't go over about 5mph after the propulsion system warning has appeared. I do not want to be driving this on a highway and lose all acceleration. I do not want to stop at a rest stop at night and have my car not start. There is clearly something quite wrong with the operating software and electronics that this vehicle depends upon. It is quite apparent that Volvo's nascent software development team has adopted the "move fast and break things" philosophy espoused by many software companies. The key distinction here is that when my computer software crashes, I am sitting at my desk chair. With an automobile, the crash could very well happen at 65 mph or with me stuck in some remote location. The idea that Volvo would roll out a product so miserably deficient of basic capabilities is mendacious.
NHTSA complaint #11495523 — an unverified report by a vehicle owner.
Four times in the last five days as I was braking for a red light or braking as I entered a drive thru, the engine surged and revved to between 3000 RPM and 4000 RPM. I had to use all my power to brake the car and I then put it into Neutral, or shut off the car. Within a few seconds or upon restarting the RPMs were back to normal. I DID NOT push on the accelerator by mistake. The car only has 300 miles so I took it to the dealer. The engine had no codes and they had me drive around with the Service Manager but all was fine. On my way home the same surging, increased engine revs happened again. Luckily I’d read a lot about “unintended acceleration “ so I knew enough to just brake firmly and place the transmission in neutral.
NHTSA complaint #11489778 — an unverified report by a vehicle owner.