2013 Volvo S60 problems, complaints & recalls
Most-reported problem areas: Engine (31) · Visibility/Wiper (5) · Electrical System (5)
🧭 Reliability snapshot
Compared against other Volvo S60 model years — complaint volume vs the model's median year, recalls and severity. How we score →
🛣️ Complaints by mileage
55 NHTSA complaints that reported an odometer reading.
Safety recalls (4)
Seat Belts:front 2020-06-30 · campaign 20V378000 · 308,260 vehicles
Defect: 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.
Fix: 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.
Latches/Locks/Linkages:doors:latch 2019-11-26 · campaign 19V849000 · 144,937 vehicles
Defect: 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.
Fix: 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.
Equipment:other:labels 2013-03-05 · campaign 13V084000 · 7 vehicles
Defect: Volvo is recalling certain model year 2013 S60 and XC60 vehicles, manufactured on January 7, 2013. The product identification labels were printed with the incorrect manufacture year. Thus, these vehicles fail to comply with the requirements of 49 CFR Part 567, "Certification Regulation."
Risk: With an incorrect date of manufacture on the certification label, the vehicle owner may not be to determine if they are affected by future vehicle recalls, increasing their risk of a crash of injury.
Fix: Volvo has quarantined the affected vehicles and will install correct labels prior to sale. The recall began during March 2013. Owner notification letters will not be sent.
Air Bags:frontal:sensor/Control Module-Inactive 2012-09-10 · campaign 12V439000 · 9 vehicles
Defect: Volvo is recalling certain model year 2013 S60 and XC60 vehicles. A manufacturing defect within the Supplemental Restraint System (SRS) control unit may lead to an inadvertent deployment of the seat belt pretensioner and/or inflatable curtain.
Risk: If the seat belt pretensioner and/or inflatable side curtain deploy without cause, the driver could be distracted and the driver's visibility could be reduced, increasing the risk of a crash.
Fix: These vehicles have not been sold and the SRS control unit will be replaced prior to the cars being sold. Owners may contact Volvo at 1-800-458-1552.
Service bulletins (271)
Technical service bulletins are repair instructions manufacturers send dealers for known issues. Unlike recalls, the fix is not automatically free — but naming the bulletin at the service desk can save diagnosis time and support goodwill repairs.
Engine 2026-04-23 · 35526.1.8 · Service Bulletin/Repair Instructions
this is a technical journal: text plus 2 pdfs and 1 .png oil consumption test. perform the test. follow service procedure description and service sections updated to clarify that vehicle reports are not required.
Unknown Or Other 2026-04-07 · 37809.1.1 · Service Bulletin/Repair Instructions
this is a tj text only - the purpose of this tj is to be a master reference list to easily identify any components that are on prior approval. this tj will be regularily updated as items are added or removed from prior approval. current items under prior approval are listed in the "service" sec
Unknown Or Other 2025-12-06 · 19245 · Service Bulletin/Repair Instructions
this is a technical journal. vehicle type and platform identification.
Exterior Lighting 2025-04-10 · 8501 · Service Bulletin/Repair Instructions
this is a technical journal: remote connection, bomgar application. before joining a remote session: •connect a suitable battery maintainer/charger and verify that the battery voltage indicated in vida is between 12.5v and 14.9v. •connect to the vehicle over a wired connection using a voe
Unknown Or Other 2025-02-21 · S10303 · Service Campaign
volvo cars usa llc and volvo car canada ltd on behalf of the volvo car corporation has decided to launch service action s10303 on certain model year 2025 ex90 vehicles. volvo car investigations have identified that there is a pairing issue with the key fob. as a result, there is a possibil
Unknown Or Other 2025-02-13 · S10303 · Service Campaign
volvo cars usa llc and volvo car canada ltd on behalf of the volvo car corporation has decided to launch service action s10303 on certain model year 2025 ex90 vehicles. volvo car investigations have identified that there is a pairing issue with the key fob. as a result, there is a possibil
Showing the 6 most recent of 271 bulletins. Search all of them free at nhtsa.gov.
What owners report
2026-09-11 · Air Bags“i was driving through an intersection and my curtain airbags on each side deployed on their own without being in a accident or collision of any kind. there were no indicators or warning lights of malfunction at the time. i just heard a loud pop and saw smoke and the airbags were deployed.…”
2025-08-25 · Electrical System“the “tire pressure system” warning appeared and has not turned off. new tpms sensors were installed but the dealership could not get the car to calibrate despite multiple attempts. it has come to my attention that other models of volvo have this same trouble, and a software update is required. …”
2025-06-12 · Unknown Or Other“in 2023, the engine of my 2013 volvo s60 failed completely without prior warning and the vehicle had to be scrapped. before that, in 2022, i paid $1,500 for a full front-end suspension rebuild due to abnormal wear. these failures were later determined to be consistent with high mileage. i had purchased the vehicle in 2019 believing it had 85,125 mi…”
2025-05-13 · Steering“i am submitting this report to formally document a severe safety-related failure involving my 2013 volvo s60, vin # [xxx] . this vehicle is part of the volvo brand, widely recognized and marketed as among the safest in the world. incident summary: on [xxx], at approximately [xxx] in norwalk, connecticut, the vehicle experienced a catastrophic mec…”
2024-10-21 · Engine“i was driving approximately 65 mph on the highway and suddenly my car started shuttering, stuttering, and my check engine light started blinking. my car started slowing down as if it was having trouble accelerating. i also received a warning message that said, “reduce speed or shift up.” i only have 123,263 miles on the vehicle. my mechanic informe…”
2024-08-23 · Engine“engine has excessive oil consumption and sets owners up for expensive testing and repairs, because when the original recall came out, many volvo s60 with excessive oil consumption were barely out of the allowed mileage range, which sticks the owners with excessive repairs. volvo should stand behind this problem that effects numerous volvo s60’s an…”
2024-07-15 · Visibility/Wiper“since we purchased the car in december, water was observed on occasion streaking down the inside of the windshield. the headliner is damp after rain, and is stained from water as a result. additionally defrost/defog wasn’t working, and my son reported having to pull over and wait for the rain to stop so he could drive with the windows down in ord…”
2024-05-19 · Engine“car has high oil consumption. takes a full oil change every month…”
2024-04-19 · Exterior Lighting · 🔥 fire“vehicle was off in driveway and fire started from right rear taillight. fire extinguished via fire extinguisher after 5 minutes but car totaled. inspection by fire department indicated source of fire was right rear tail light. …”
2024-01-29 · Engine“i currently own a 2013 s60 2.5l t5 sedan (see vin # referenced in subject line) that recently began displaying on the dic the following alert/error messages: •low oil/no oil pressure alert my vehicle only has 67,400 miles on the engine and i am the 2nd owner of the vehicle purchasing it with only 19,560 miles or so, approximately 3.2 yrs ago. due …”
Excerpts of consumer complaints filed with NHTSA, lightly truncated. They are owner statements, not verified findings.