Home · 2015 Volvo S60 B5 · Complaints

What 57 owners told NHTSA about the 2015 Volvo S60 B5

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 (57)Crash / fire / injury (5)Engine (22)Electrical system (9)Brakes (5)Transmission & drivetrain (5)Fuel system (4)Body & structure (3)Driver assistance (3)Engine & cooling (3)Wheels (3)Airbags (2)

Newest first · 57 complaints · page 1 of 3

May 27, 2026Electrical system

The contact owns a 2015 Volvo S60. The contact stated while driving at an undisclosed speed, the vehicle stalled and lost motive power. No warning lights illuminated. The contact was a certified mechanic. The contact stated that the failure occurred when the outside temperature was too hot or too cold. The dealer was made aware of the failure. The contact was informed that the failure was a known failure with the vehicle. The contact inspected the vehicle and noticed that an unknown fuse on the battery cable that was extremely hot. The contact replaced the unknown fuse. The vehicle was repaired. The manufacturer was not made aware of the failure. The failure mileage was approximately 128,000.

NHTSA ODI 11740292

Apr 27, 2026EngineFire

On 4/6/2026 At about 2:30 p.m. my son [XXX] stated that he started the car and was in the process of driving out of the parking lot when he saw smoke coming thru the vents in the car. My son [XXX] stated that he got out the car and opened the hood and the car was on fire. [XXX] stated that he called the fire department and they came and put out the fire. INFORMATION REDACTED PURSUANT TO THE FREEDOM OF INFORMATION ACT (FOIA), 5 U.S.C. 552(B)(6)

NHTSA ODI 11734068

Dec 10, 2025Engine & cooling

The contact owns a 2015 Volvo S60. The contact stated that the vehicle was experiencing excessive oil consumption. The contact stated that the vehicle had consumed 3 quarts of oil after driving 2,100 miles. Additionally, the contact stated that the low oil pressure warning light only illuminated after the vehicle had consumed over 3 quarts of oil. The dealer was notified of the failure; however, the vehicle was not diagnosed or repaired. The manufacturer was notified of the failure and informed the contact that an unknown related extended warranty would not be extended to repair the vehicle. The failure mileage was approximately 90,900.

NHTSA ODI 11704171

May 28, 2025Engine & cooling

The contact owns a 2015 Volvo S60. The contact stated that while operating the vehicle, the check engine warning light remained illuminated, and had flashed off and on while driving at highway speeds. The contact stated that the vehicle also stalled on several occasions. The vehicle was taken to the local dealer who diagnosed the vehicle and determined that the engine cylinders were faulty, and the engine needed to be replaced. The vehicle was not repaired. The manufacturer and local dealer were notified of the failure, but no assistance was offered. The failure mileage was 117,000.

NHTSA ODI 11663339

Dec 2, 2024Engine

Requesting reimbursement from Volvo Cars USA for a known defect in the engine’s piston rings. This defect has resulted in excessive oil consumption and necessitated costly repairs. Volvo reached a legal settlement in May 2023 regarding this defect—which affects the piston rings, pistons, and/or piston heads in certain 2013–2016 models. I never received a recall notice or any communication from the company informing me of the issue and the extension of warranty for my car. Had I received a letter before the expiration of the 8-year extended warranty, I would have had the opportunity to have the oil consumption test performed and the piston ring repair completed, all at no cost to me per Volvo quality notice P10207. Vehicle: •Year/Model: 2015.5 Volvo S60, VIN [XXX] •Current Mileage: 92,850 •Purchase: Purchased new in 2015 from Volvo of Princeton, NJ (Princeton Volvo) and delivered at the factory in Gothenburg, Sweden May 2023 then shipped to Princeton Volvo in July 2023. •Maintenance History: The vehicle has been consistently serviced at either the Princeton Volvo dealership or at a local AAA-approved repair center. Defect Timeline (for details and costs incurred see full letter attached) 1.[XXX] (47,044 miles): “low oil” light came on. 2.April 2019–November 2024: oil additions needed each 750 to 1,000 miles. 3.September 01, 2023: Replaced oil trap. 4.January 8, 2024 (83,582 miles): Stage 1 oil consumption test. 5. January 29, 2024: Failed stage 2 of oil consumption test. Needed piston ring repair. 6.January – June 2024: Volvo Princeton and Volvo USA refused to cover full costs of repair. 7. November 2024: Piston rings replaced. Total Costs Incurred to Date: $1,431.68 Total Costs Incurred and Anticipated Costs: $2,065.68 I respectfully request full reimbursement from Volvo Cars USA for expenses incurred and anticipated due to this issue, totaling $2,065.68. Thank you for your attention to this matter. INFORMATION REDACTED PURSUANT TO THE FREEDOM OF INFORMATION ACT (FOIA), 5 U.S.C. 552(B)(6)

NHTSA ODI 11628340

Aug 14, 2024Driver assistance

City Safety Is randomly Malfunctioning. Vehicle will aggressively apply brakes when there are no objects in front of the vehicle. This has happened in town and on a long driveway.

NHTSA ODI 11608500

Apr 2, 2024Engine

Alternator belt shredded and got underneath the timing belt causing the engine timing to go off and severe engine damage that I will now have to total the car or spend $13-15K to replace. The car stalled after leaving a stop sign so I wasn't going fast. I spoke to my local mechanic and he had another Volvo S60 T5 in his shop with the same issue showing up but that owner was lucky enough to not have the engine destroyed in the process. From what he is saying is that every other car has some kind of timing belt protection that the Volvo S60 is missing. In searching the Internet this is a very common issue that occurs. I registered a complaint with Volvo today.

NHTSA ODI 11580623

Mar 17, 2024

THE REAR DOOR LOCK IS NOT CLOSING THE DOOR

NHTSA ODI 11577907

Jan 28, 2024Body & structure

The child safety lock is not engaged. The door latches on the rear right passenger door in my car has failed. It fails to unlock when from the inside. In an emergency situation. Passengers won't be able to exit the vehicle quickly. The Problem can be reproduced and there are current door latch recalls in other models but it needs to extend out these models too. It has not been inspected by police but. again there is a recall for similar models. The recall should extend out to these models. No warning signs.

NHTSA ODI 11568364

Jan 12, 2024Driver assistance

We were driving down the road automatic emergency braking system engaged without warning and for no reason. This has happened before in the past a few times. We feel this is an safety concern and would like to see it addressed. Thank you.

NHTSA ODI 11565220

Jan 10, 2024Engine

Was on the highway driving back from my aunts house and there were no signs anything was wrong with my car. No alerts on the dash besides low pressure tire which I filled up. As I was almost home, an alert randomly came up with “no oil pressure” along with a check engine light flashing and the car started shaking (misfiring). The car flashed a message that said something about reduced engine performance. As my car was shaking fervently, it was slowing down and failed to accelerate, causing cars behind me to almost crash. No oil pressure can also cause fires and put my life at risk. I had much time left to get my oil changed and yet I had oil message lights come on. I believe this is a problem with the piston rings that are defective & there was just recently a class action suit of them. I have had to continually fill up oil, and now I suddenly have an engine that does not work and threatened the safety of myself and others on the road. Volvo diagnosed the issue as being valve broken, piston ring damage, along with other engine components. I now need an entire new engine.

NHTSA ODI 11564518

Jan 10, 2024Electrical system

The contact owns a 2015 Volvo S60. The contact stated while driving at approximately 35 MPH, the steering became extremely difficult to turn and several warning lights were illuminated. The contact stated that the "City Safety" light was illuminated and drove over a manhole cover on the road and the vehicle stopped. The contact had taken the vehicle to a local dealer, where it was diagnosed and determined that the two EV batteries needed to be replaced because the battery could not be charged and tested out at 9 percent. The contact was advised that the battery failure caused the failure of several vehicle systems. The vehicle was repaired. The manufacturer was not informed of the failure. The failure mileage was approximately 80,000.

NHTSA ODI 11564623

Oct 3, 2023Engine

I have been getting a low oil level sign in my car after 5 months of doing an oil change. This is not the first time this has happened. It is suspected this may be a oil consumption issue and not an oil leak as there is no visible sign of oil leak. The oil consumption problem has been confirmed by an independent mechanic.

NHTSA ODI 11547908

Aug 17, 2023Transmission & drivetrainEngineFuel system

I bought the car as a CPO on 9/25/19 32,860 mi. On 8/19/20 at 50,052 the engine failed. The oscillating dampener rubber separated causing serpentine belt to break, which in turn got caught in timing belt which caused that to break which then caused bent valves and valves to break. The failure was sudden. Had I been on the interstate I’d be severely injured or dead. I was told that I needed a new engine but they could not find one. I was told they would completely re-build my engine. In the end they replaced the cylinder head and starter under warranty. I was never told they didn’t re-build the engine and also used “ good parts” from the old engine. In the following months I had the car in the Volvo shop (Hendricks Volvo Charleston, SC). At 50,277 miles the check engine light showed a problem with the Cam shaft position sensor on 9/3/20. They claim to have driven the car 100 miles and cleared the code w/no repairs. On 3/18/21 w/ 64,485 miles, I took the car into the dealer because it was running and idling rough. They found no codes and they aligned the car. “Couldn’t duplicate”. The right rear door never shut properly and I was repeatedly told it was fine. Re-call on latches. Seat belts on rt rear passenger constantly was stuck. This is where my granddaughter’s car seat was placed. I’ll have to skip some. At 110,024 miles on 11/28/22 the car continued to have bad gas mileage and heavy oil use. I was told that the EGR leak detection pump was faulty and was replaced. At 113,706 miles on 1/19/2023 the cam VVT Solenoid was changed. Cause of poor gas mileage stated. On 3/29/23 at 116,790 miles replaced brakes and had aligned. Service tech noticed oil under the car underside while up on racks. Said it would be fine until next service. On 7/3/23 the engine failed again on the road and was towed to the dealer. Apparently a fuel injector failed causing gas to spray into the engine causing it to lose compression. I’ve never been given a clear answer. Records of services done.

NHTSA ODI 11539045

Jul 17, 2023Latches & locks

Driver side door latch does not clamp to secure the door.

NHTSA ODI 11532786

Jun 9, 2023Brakes

The contact owns a 2015 Volvo S60. The contact stated while driving 20 MPH, the brake pedal was depressed however, the vehicle failed to stop until the brake pedal had gone to the floorboard. There was no warning light illuminated. The vehicle was taken to the dealer, but no failure was found. The contact stated that the failure had occurred several times. The contact stated that the vehicle was test driven by the mechanic however, the cause of the failure was not yet determined. The manufacturer was made aware of the failure and no assistance was offered. The failure mileage was approximately 14,000.

NHTSA ODI 11526285

May 11, 2023Engine & coolingEngine

The contact owns a 2015 Volvo S60. The contact stated that the vehicle was previously repaired under an unknown recall for the catalytic converter and the check engine warning light illuminated. The contact was told that the catalytic converter had failed due to an oil leak. The contact was informed that the catalytic converter needed to be replaced. The vehicle was not repaired. The manufacturer was made aware of the failure and informed the contact that the vehicle had exceeded the mileage. There was no additional assistance provided. The approximate failure mileage was 165,000. The dealer stated the vehicle is outside of the warranty perimeters by mileage.

NHTSA ODI 11521534

Apr 28, 2023Speed controlBrakes

The contact owns a 2015 Volvo S60. The contact stated while driving approximately 15 MPH and slowing down for a crosswalk with pedestrians in the crosswalk, the vehicle independently accelerated while depressing the brake pedal. The contact stated that she had not noticed any warning lights being illuminated. The contact stated that the failure was intermittent. The contact had taken the vehicle to a local dealer, where it was diagnosed and determined that the failure could not be duplicated. The vehicle had not been repaired. The manufacturer had been informed of the failure. The failure mileage was approximately 15,000.

NHTSA ODI 11519475

Mar 31, 2023Engine

I have a 2015 Volvo S60 T5 that I purchased 08 -2021 from Volvo that is consuming oil. I have had the oil changed (out of pocket) 3 times within 10,000 miles because the low oil light was on and I had purchased a extended warranty and wanted to play it safe. Never once did any Volvo service staff mention that this model car had a issue with oil consumption. After researching this cars history I came across a bulletin on the NHTSA webpage that Volvo has known about the issue on or around 11-02-2020. Webpage ( https://static.nhtsa.gov/odi/tsbs/2020/MC-10184147-9999.pdf) I received a letter from Volvo about Excessive oil consumption dated February 3, 2023 and I contacted their customer service department. I was told that my car original delivery date was Sept 2014 and that the car is now out of warranty and I would have to pay for anything related to the oil consumption issue. I when to my extended warranty that I purchased with the car ($5000 for 4 years). Within the language of the service contract under "EXCLUSIONS" #17 reads "The correction of oil consumption" It seems to me the Volvo purposely withheld this information from Volvo owners and only sent out a letter to most owners after the factory warranty expired. In my case my car was 5 months out of warranty and they were a wear of the issue in 2020 and failed to notify millions of Volvo owners. *All service records are available but contain personal information for this complaint. Thank you for your time in this matter and this letter may be forwarded to the appropriate department for review.

NHTSA ODI 11514710

Mar 19, 2023Electrical systemEngineFuel system

Excessive Oil Consumption resulting in piston damage/failure! This vehicle has burned oil since I bought it used at about 80,000 miles. I checked the carfax prior to purchasing it and it had been maintained routinely. I have to add a liter of oil every couple of weeks. This is with regular in town driving. I have reported the issue numerous times to the Volvo dealer when I bring it in for regular maintenance and repairs. I have been told by the Volvo service advisor to just add oil. It was a known issue. Sometimes I have warning lights telling me it has low oil. I also check the oil level to know to add oil. I always check my oil level before any trip. I always keep oil in my car because of this issue. Otherwise, I have had to stop and buy oil once on a trip. Since it told me to add oil on my way back. However, one serious safety issue was having to pull off on a desert highway to add oil. The car was giving me a red warning triangle that I had never seen before. My child had to shine a light for me to see so I could add oil. She was VERY AFRAID. Although Volvo sent a letter acknowledging this vehicle problem, I have been told that I do not qualify for any warranty. I was told by Volvo service that I have a misfire/loss in power and over $5000 in repairs in Feb 2023. I have already paid for some related repairs when my check engine light came on last year. My check engine light is currently on. In the last year alone (prior to Feb 2023), I have spent over $5000 in repairs. I would have traded it in, but I kept being told how great of a car it was by the service advisor. I am sick! I do not want to continue wasting money on a car that I no longer feel safe in. I am afraid to drive it out of town.

NHTSA ODI 11512670

Mar 19, 2023Brakes

Brake lines blew open while driving

NHTSA ODI 11512685

Feb 14, 2023Engine

Oil consumption problem. Vehicle has gone in multiple times. No leak found. Volvo is just over consuming oil. It needs a full quart every 500-1000 miles or less. Low Oil light comes on within 500-1000 miles. Have to add an entire quart to reset the light. There is no manual dipstick. This doesn't seem safe. Volvo knows of the problem. They are not taking accountability. There is a class action suit.

NHTSA ODI 11507314

Dec 5, 2022Engine

The engines in these car are built with improper piston rings and the looses compression in the cylinders. This happens at 40k-140k. Volvo admitted to this issue but will not do anything about it.

NHTSA ODI 11496160

Sep 12, 2022

While driving on the highway, the rear passenger door unlatched automatically and opened. The vehicle was in the shop for a recall on this part, however it appears that the labor was not done correctly or at all.

NHTSA ODI 11484059

May 13, 2022AirbagsDriver assistanceCrash1 injury

The contact owns a 2015 Volvo S60. The contact stated that while attempting to park in a parking garage, and applying the brake, her vehicle accelerated and crashed into a concrete wall, causing the air bag to deploy. The contact stated that she did apply the brake to avoid the crash, however, the brakes did not engage. The contact stated that no warning light had been illuminated at the time. The contact stated that she did sustain multiple injuries to her wrist, eyes. and ribs. The contact stated that medical attention was needed and a police report was made. The contact stated that the vehicle was then towed to a tow yard where it had been deemed a total loss. The contact stated that she then contacted the dealer who advised her to contact the manufacturer, who advised her to contact NHTSA. The failure mileage was 60,000.

NHTSA ODI 11464567

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Working with the data? Download all 57 complaints as CSV · fetched from NHTSA July 14, 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 2015 Volvo S60 B5 verdict →