2012 Volvo S60 problems, complaints & recalls

2012 Volvo S60 recalls (8)

• Recall 20V378000Jun 30, 2020308,260 vehicles
  SEAT BELTS:FRONT

  Volvo Cars of N.A., LLC (Volvo) is recalling certain 2008-2016 V70 and XC70, 2007-2016 S80, 2011-2018 S60 and V60, 2016-2018 S60 Cross Country, 2014-2020 S60L, 2009-2015 S80L, 2009-2016 XC60 and 2015-2018 V60 Cross Country vehicles. The flexible steel cable that connects the seat belt to the front outboard seating positions may fatigue over time, causing the seat belt to not secure the occupant in the event of a crash.

  Risk: An unsecured occupant has an increased risk of injury in the event of a crash.

  Remedy: Volvo will notify owners, and dealers will replace the seat belt anchor cable for both front seats. The recall began December 10, 2020. Owners may contact Volvo customer service at 1-800-458-1552. Volvo's number for this recall is R10029.

• Recall 19V849000Nov 26, 2019144,937 vehicles
  LATCHES/LOCKS/LINKAGES:DOORS:LATCH

  Volvo Car of USA LLC (Volvo) is recalling certain 2011-2017 S60, S60I, V60, S60CC and V60CC vehicles. A component within the door latches may break, making the doors difficult to latch and/or leading the driver or a passenger to believe a door is securely closed when, in fact, it is not.

  Risk: A door that is not securely latched could open while the vehicle is in motion, increasing the risk of injury to a vehicle occupant.

  Remedy: Volvo will notify owners, and dealers will replace all four door latches, free of charge. The recall began April 9, 2020. Owners may contact Volvo customer service at 1-800-458-1552. Volvo's number for this recall is R89978.

• Recall 13V592000Nov 22, 201330,929 vehicles
  ENGINE AND ENGINE COOLING:ENGINE

  Volvo Cars of North America, LLC (Volvo) is recalling certain model year 2011-2012 S60 vehicles manufactured June 22, 2010, through May 14, 2012, and equipped with 5-cylinder B5254T5 (VIN code 62) engines. In the affected vehicles, the vehicle may not alert the driver of a low oil pressure situation.

  Risk: Without being warned of a low oil pressure situation, the driver may continue to drive the vehicle until it stalls, which increases the risk of a crash.

  Remedy: Volvo will notify owners, and dealers will update the vehicle's software so that the driver is alerted should there be a low oil pressure situation, free of charge. The recall began on January 10, 2014. Owners may contact Volvo at 1-800-458-1552. Volvo's number for this campaign is R29436.

• Recall 12V101000Mar 14, 20122,742 vehicles
  STRUCTURE:BODY

  Volvo is recalling certain model year 2012 s60 and xc60 passenger vehicles. An incorrect mixture of underbody coating and over-application can result in rigid, icicle-like areas hanging from vehicle’s undercarriage.

  Risk: If this condition exists, the underbody coating may penetrate the fuels lines and cause fuel leakage, increasing the risk of a fire.

  Remedy: Dealers will inspect the vehicle undercarriage, and if excessive underbody coating is found in the fuel line area, it will be removed. If the inspection reveals that the fuel lines are damaged, they will be replaced. The safety recall began on april 25, 2012. Owners may contact volvo customer care center at 1-800-458-1552.

• Recall 12V075000Feb 28, 201232,552 vehicles
  ELECTRICAL SYSTEM:WIRING

  Volvo is recalling certain model year 2012 s60, xc60, s80 and xc70 vehicles manufactured from may 16, 2011, through october 6, 2011. In these vehicles, the wire harness under the front seats may have not been attached properly to the seat frame. As a result, when the seats are moved to adjust the seating position, the wire harness may get pulled, causing it to disconnect.

  Risk: In the event of crash, the front and/or side impact air bags may deploy improperly or not at all, increasing the risk of injury. Also, the lap belt pretensioner may not deploy.

  Remedy: Volvo will notify owners, and dealers will inspect and, if necessary, secure the seat wire harness. This service will be performed free of charge. The safety recall began on april 12, 2012. Owners may contact volvo cars at 1-800-458-1552.

• Recall 11V508000Oct 18, 201120,611 vehicles
  EQUIPMENT:OTHER:LABELS

  Volvo is recalling certain model year 2006-2012 c70 vehicles manufactured from november 15, 2005, through july 31, 2011, and model year 2011-2012 s60 vehicles manufactured from july 14, 2010, through april 16, 2011, that were equipped with optional accessory spare tire kit. These vehicles fail to comply with the requirements of federal motor vehicle safety standard number. 110, "tire selection and rims." these vehicles do not contain the correct information for vehicles equipped with the optional accessory spare tire and wheel kit.

  Risk: A misprinted label could lead to improper tire inflation which could result in a tire failure, increasing the risk of a crash.

  Remedy: Volvo will notify owners and dealers will inspect the vehicle and install the label as necessary, free of charge. The safety recall began on february 23, 2012. Owners may contact volvo at 1-201-768-7300.

• Recall 11V311000Jun 6, 2011448 vehicles
  FUEL SYSTEM, GASOLINE:DELIVERY:HOSES, LINES/PIPING, AND FITTINGS

  Volvo is recalling certain model year 2012 s60 passenger cars manufactured from january 18, 2011, through january 28, 2011. The male part of the fuel line quick connector end shape was produced with dimensions out of specification, leading to excessive assembly force on the female connector assembly and the possibility that the locking function may not be engaged.

  Risk: If a vehicle exhibits this condition, the fuel line quick connector may detach and the engine may stall, increasing the risk of a crash. The customer may also notice a fuel smell and leakage. A fuel leak in the presence of an ignition source could result in a fire.

  Remedy: Volvo dealers will replace the fuel lines free of charge. The safety recall began on june 24, 2011. Owners may contact volvo at 1-201-768-7300.

• Recall 11V303000Jun 1, 20118,179 vehicles
  FUEL SYSTEM, GASOLINE:DELIVERY:FUEL PUMP

  Volvo is recalling certain model year 2012 s60 passenger cars manufactured from november 18, 2010, through may 5, 2011. The software for the fuel pump units may not be compatible with all fuel pumps and components resulting in insufficient fuel transfer in the pump unit.

  Risk: Under certain driving conditions, there may be engine hesitation and possible engine stall even though the fuel gauge indicates up to 1/4 of the fuel is left in the tank. This condition increases the risk of a vehicle crash.

  Remedy: Volvo will notify owners and dealers will upgrade the engine control module software, free of charge. The safety recall began on july 1, 2011. Owners may contact volvo at 1-201-768-7300.

Recent 2012 Volvo S60 complaints

Excerpts of the newest owner complaints, lightly cleaned of personal details. Complaints are unverified owner reports.

1. Filed Jun 23, 2026VACrash1 injuredTowedBrakesOther / UnknownAcceleration & Cruise Control

   Brakes , and vacuum booster, speed control I experienced a sudden acceleration phenomenon and reached speeds of 100+ mph I manipulated the brakes and the gas in order to safe my life I eventually got my speeds down but it was too late I was ejected from the vehicle and nearly died my brakes scrubbed and I pressed my brakes as hard as I could and my car continued to acceleration. The police has the vehicle and there were no warnings signs . I had just bought the vehicle and…

   NHTSA complaint #11746049 · source
2. Filed Jun 7, 2026WAAirbagsOther / Unknown

   The driver's side seat airbag system failed. Specifically, diagnostic trouble code SRS-B002011 was retrieved, indicating a circuit short to ground in the left side airbag deployment control system. The technician found a broken clip on the airbag connector housing, causing an intermittent connection failure between the connector and the seat airbag itself. The airbag cannot be relied upon to deploy in a crash. The vehicle is available for inspection upon request. I purchased…

   NHTSA complaint #11742523 · source
3. Filed Apr 22, 2026GAEngine

   I experienced an engine issue that I believe is related to excessive oil consumption and the lack of an oil pressure light warning. The car was driven out of town when a noise was heard coming from the engine. A visual inspection of the engine revealed smoke coming from the engine department when the oil cap was removed. The dipstick was checked and showed no visible oil on the stick. Later in that evening, 3 additional quarts of oil were added to the engine but the addition…

   NHTSA complaint #11732954 · source
4. Filed Feb 22, 2025CAEngine

   Engine has failed and is unrepairable. The car has been maintained well according to the manufacturer’s guidelines with regular oil changes. It has only 94,875 miles. The mechanic said that there is probably a piston gasket failure leading to oil leak into the engine. This appears to have been reported with this year/model vehicles. I would like Volvo to take ownership of poor manufacturing and fix the problem to my satisfaction.

   NHTSA complaint #11644323 · source
5. Filed Aug 14, 2024NJDriver Assistance & Safety Tech

   At temperatures around 90* and higher the rear camera flickers and is unusable. This happens without any warning and when vehicle attempting to reverse.

   NHTSA complaint #11608588 · source
6. Filed Jul 7, 2024ALEngine

   Discovered that my engine is burning oil. There was no warning from my vehicle or from Volvo (during regular maintenance) that this was happening. It was just sudden that the check engine light went on and I checked the oil and found that it was basically empty. Volvo confirmed that the engine is burning oil and that this model and make was discovered to have this engine issue. Volvo did not offer a solution other than to buy a new vehicle to replace this one. In my research…

   NHTSA complaint #11599825 · source
7. Filed May 21, 202480,000 miNJEngine

   The contact owns a 2012 Volvo S60. The contact stated that upon starting the vehicle, an unknown belt fractured, and the vehicle failed to start. There were no warning lights illuminated. The contact called the local dealer, who informed the contact about diagnostic testing, but the vehicle was not diagnosed or repaired. The manufacturer was contacted, but no assistance was provided. The failure mileage was approximately 80,000.

   NHTSA complaint #11589833 · source
8. Filed Feb 28, 2024VAVisibility & Wipers

   While driving or parked water is dripping down my window shield. This obstructs my view and distracts me from driving. It further distracts my driving if I have to wipe away the water which usually leads to smearing which causes further obstruction to my field of vision.

   NHTSA complaint #11574442 · source

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Source: U.S. National Highway Traffic Safety Administration (NHTSA) Office of Defects Investigation public data, as of Oct 11, 2026. Complaints are submitted by owners and are not verified by NHTSA or by us; a complaint does not prove a defect exists. View this vehicle on NHTSA.gov Methodology