Home · 2013 Volvo S60 T5 · Complaints

What 85 owners told NHTSA about the 2013 Volvo S60 T5

These are the actual owner complaints behind this car’s reliability verdict, filed with the federal government, unedited. They’re unverified reports, not confirmed defects: read them as leads for your pre-purchase inspection, not a diagnosis.

All (85)Crash / fire / injury (8)Engine (35)Airbags (7)Electrical system (7)Brakes (5)Transmission & drivetrain (5)Visibility & wipers (5)Seat belts (4)Body & structure (3)Fuel system (3)Speed control (3)

5 of 85 complaints match · Brakes · clear filters

Feb 1, 2022Speed controlBrakesDriver assistance

City Safety feature is triggering on intermittently with no reason to trigger. It occurs when initially accelerating. City Safety applies the brakes and stops the car violently. Occurs when light or dark. Has occurred several times within the past week. The feature can be manually turned off and now is with every ignition start. The default is for the feature be on, so turning off is required every time the car is turned on.

NHTSA ODI 11449675

Nov 23, 2021Brakes

I started losing brake pressure rapidly about a month ago. Took it to a shop and they recommended replacing the master cylinder. The repair was completed and the braking improved for about 2 weeks and then I lost all brake pressure. The vehicle was not safe to operate and I had it towed back to the shop once again. Again they suggested replacing the master cylinder. We completed that repair and I had brake pressure for about three days. Then my low brake fluid light came on. As of right now my pedal is squishy and I have to put brake fluid in every 24 hours. There are no external leaks but we can’t figure out what the issue is. It’s become a serious safety hazard. Possibly an internal leak into the brake booster. It’s also a common issue among other Volvo owners of this year and model.

NHTSA ODI 11441537

Feb 22, 2016AirbagsSpeed controlBrakesCrash1 injury

ON FEB. 3RD, I WAS PULLING INTO A PARKING SPACE IN FRONT OF A STORE WHEN MY S60 R TYPE VOLVO BEGAN TO ACCELERATE ON ITS OWN AND REACHED VERY HIGH RPM. MY FOOT WAS NOT EVEN ON THE ACCELERATOR AS THE CAR NORMALLY IDLES FAST ENOUGH TO PERFORM PARKING MANEUVERS. I HIT THE BRAKE BUT THE CAR CONTINUED TO MOVE. IT JUMPED THE SIDEWALK; HIT THE BUILDING AND PROCEEDED TO DIG A HOLE IN THE FLOWERBED AT THE STORE'S FRONT. THIS ALL HAPPENED IN THE LENGTH OF A PARKING SPACE. I CAN'T REMEMBER WHETHER I SHUT THE IGNITION OFF OR OF THE ENGINE STOPPED ON ITS OWN SHORTLY AFTER THE COLLISION. NEITHER THE AIRBAGS NOR THE PEDESTRIAN AVOIDANCE BRAKING SYSTEM DEPLOYED. I HIT THE BUILDING SO HARD THAT THE BRICK CRACKED INSIDE AND OUT OF THE STRUCTURE. THE DOOR IS STILL INOPERABLE.

NHTSA ODI 10837637

Aug 17, 2015Brakes

AUTOMATIC BRAKES CAME ON WHEN TURNING OUT OF MY NEIGHBORHOOD ONTO A MAIN ROAD. IT'S WAS 7AM AND THERE WERE NO CARS AROUND ME AT THE TOME OF THE INITIAL INCIDENT. THERE WAS NOTHING NEAR ME BUT EMPTY STREETS. I TURNED BACK INTO MY NEIGHBORHOOD TO FIGURE OUT WHAT HAPPENED AND SAW NOTIFICATION OF AUTOMATIC BRAKING ON MY DASHBOARD. I TURNED MY CAR OFF AND RESTARTED IT TO TRY AND LEAVE MY NEIGHBORHOOD AGAIN BUT THE DANCE THING HAPPENED IN THE EXACT SAME SPOT. STILL NO TRAFFIC OR ANYTHING AROUND TO TRIGGER THAT. VERY DANGEROUS!!!

NHTSA ODI 10749252

Mar 20, 2013AirbagsElectronic Stability Control (esc)BrakesCrash2 injuries

VEHICLE INVOLVED DAMAGE FRONT AND LEFT FRONTAL AREA. SPEED 40-45 MPH. NO FRONTAL OR SIDE CURTAIN AIR BAG AND CURTAIN DEPLOYMENT. FAILURE OF COLLISION WARNING SYSTEM AND ELECTRONICAL INDICATORS, ABS DID NOT DEPLOY. *TR

NHTSA ODI 10503753

Working with the data? Download all 85 complaints as CSV · fetched from NHTSA July 18, 2026

How to use these: a complaint is one owner’s report, filed voluntarily and published unverified. Patterns matter more than any single story. If several owners describe the same failure at similar mileage, put that system at the top of your pre-purchase inspection list. Back to the full 2013 Volvo S60 T5 verdict →