There are 45 owner-reported engine complaints for the 2012 Volvo S60in NHTSA's database. These are unverified consumer reports and may not reflect confirmed defects.
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 of oil did not remedy the noise from the engine. The final result was that the car was towed to a Volvo dealership in Florida for repair. I checked the status of the recalls (oil comsumption and no oil pressure light) and the status is closed. From what I can tell, this issue appears to be directly related to previous recalls for the vehicle.
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.
The contact owns a 2012 Volvo S60. The contact stated that while driving at an undisclosed speed, she smelled a burning odor in the interior of the vehicle, after which the vehicle inadvertently lost motive power. The contact was able to coast to the shoulder of the roadway, where the vehicle failed to restart. After a visual inspection of the engine compartment, the contact became aware that the engine was without oil; however, the low oil warning light was not illuminated. The check engine warning light was illuminated. The vehicle was not taken to the dealer nor an independent mechanic. The vehicle was not repaired. After investigating the failure, the contact related the failure to NHTSA Campaign Number: 13V592000 (Engine and Engine Cooling) but the VIN was not included. The manufacturer was not notified of the failure. The failure mileage was approximately 137,000.
The contact owns a 2012 Volvo S60. The contact stated while driving approximately 40 MPH, the vehicle lost motive power and stalled. The vehicle was later towed to the local dealer who diagnosed the vehicle and determined that the drive belt had failed, causing damage to the timing cover and other drive belts. The vehicle was not yet repaired. The manufacturer was notified of the failure, but no assistance was offered. The failure mileage was 62,000.
Surpintine belt shredded due to faulty belt tensioner. Shreds of belt wedged between crankshaft timing sprocket on engine causing engine to jump timing while driving down highway and vehicle lost all power and very hard to steer due to all valves in motor bent because of poor design. Definitely a safety concern. Volvo is aware but does nothing. 11,000 dollars to replace engine.
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 online, this problem is common for this model and make 2012 S60 T5, may other have reported the same issue and it seems that there is a recall for this problem but my vehicle (VIN) does not report this to be a problem for my car. I’m not sure what to do.
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.
It looks as if my car should have been included in the 62Vin recall for engine sensor not stating low oil. Car started to knock and shutoff with no warning for low oil pressure. Diagnostic show oil was issue but even when completely drained car still does not display low oil which caused motor to blow. Contacted volvo and they would not add vehicle to recalls even though car year manufactured period and engine vin matched recall.
On December 1, 2021 I was driving my 2012 Volvo S60 T5, that I purchased 3/2021 with 99,489 miles on it, on the highway and it stalled without warning after almost crashing. There were no warning alerts or check engine light that came on the dashboard and the car had 1,000 miles until the next oil change. After browsing the internet, we realized that the car had a recall because their vehicles were not warning the driver that there was low oil pressure allowing the driver to continue driving until the engine seized (Recall #R29436; National Highway Traffic Safety Administration campaign #13V592000). The recall was repaired by Prestige Auto on 1/2014. I contacted Volvo of North America who opened up a case and then had the car towed to Portland Volvo in Scarborough, Maine for an appointment on December 14, 2021. On December 15, 2021 Portland Volvo informed us that the vehicle’s engine was beyond repair because of an unfortunate mechanical failure due to lack of lubrication. Later that evening I received an email from Volvo of NA stating that they would cover $750 of the repairs. I emailed back asking to wait for a quote from Portland Volvo on how much it was going to be to repair the vehicle. On December 16, 2021 I was informed by Portland Volvo that she spoke with the district manager and that a used engine costs between $10-14,000. Volvo of North America has now decided to retract their $750 offer to help because the car is now out of warranty but it was due to a manufacturer's defect. I spoke with Prestige Auto (the dealership who fixed the repair) and was told that if the repair was actually fixed then it would have done its due diligence and alerted the driver that there wasn't any oil pressure. I have also read articles on these kinds of issues and it states that a recall is to be repaired until it fixes the issue, and obviously the issue wasn't fixed the first time. I asked for an appeal, was denied and now Volvo wont respond back to emails or calls.
This in regards to a vehicle I purchased on March 30, 2021. It is a 2012 Volvo S60 T5 VIN #[XXX]. When I purchased the car it had 99,489 miles on the odometer and when the vehicle became an issue it was at 104,409 miles on the odometer. I purchased it on Craigslist from a physician in Maine. On December 1, 2021 my husband was driving the vehicle on the highway and it stalled without warning after almost crashing. He was able to pull over, start the car back up and drive it home. There were no warning alerts or check engine light that came on the dashboard. After browsing the internet, we realized that the car had a recall due to an oil consumption level issue in 2014 (Recall #R29436; National Highway Traffic Safety Administration campaign #13V592000). I contacted Volvo of North America who opened up a case (case #[XXX]) and then had the car towed to Portland Volvo in Scarborough, Maine for an appointment on December 14, 2021. On December 15, 2021 Portland Volvo informed us that the vehicle’s engine was beyond repair. Later that evening I received an email from [XXX] at Volvo of NA stating that they would cover $750 of the repairs. I emailed her back asking her to wait for a quote from Portland Volvo on how much it was going to be to repair the vehicle. On December 16, 2021 I was informed by [XXX] at Portland Volvo that she spoke with the district manager and that a used engine costs between $10-14,000 and that Volvo of North America has decided not to help because the car is now out of warranty but [XXX] from Portland Volvo admitted it was a manufacturer's defect. Not only has the car been seen periodically throughout its lifetime at Volvo dealerships and was seen in July 2021 due to two recalls that needed to be fixed at Volvo in Exeter, NH. They did a multi-point inspection on the car and everything passed and only 3,500 miles had been put on the car since. I have all the paperwork proving all of this. INFORMATION Redacted PURSUANT TO THE FREEDOM OF INFORMATION ACT (FOIA), 5 U.S.C. 552(B)(6).
The contact owns a 2012 Volvo S60. The contact stated while driving 35 mph, the oil pressure warning light was illuminated. The contact pulled over and parked on the side of the road and turned off the vehicle but it was unable to be restarted. The contact stated the vehicle was not drivable. The vehicle was not diagnosed or repaired. A dealer was not contacted. Upon investigation, the contact associated the failure with NHTSA Campaign Number: 13V592000 (Engine and Engine Cooling) however, the VIN was not included in the recall. The manufacturer had not been informed of the failure. The failure mileage was approximately 133,000.
I had the car about 3 months from a dealership. I was driving through the hills near my house, at first no problem. After about 4 turns or so this red light would come on saying something like low oil pressure and the car would stall a bit til I was out of the turn. Didn’t say anything about needing oil or anything. I would have gone straight to a gas station had there been one. My only option was to turn around when I could at the bottom of the hill and go back. The car did the same thing on the way back. I got the car home without further problems parked it and planned to have it checked out first thing when a drove the car again. A couple days went by I decided it was time to have the car checked out. Got in the car started the car and the car started making an extreme rattling noise. I thought maybe something came loose I popped the hood and the rattling increased the the car stalled and stopped running before I got a chance to have it checked out. I started looking on line and found that the were hundreds of people with this same year make and model that the same happened to them . I tried to get my insurance to pay for it but they wouldn’t go for it. I went back online and learned that this issue is something Volvo knew about for many years and said it was limited to models 2012 with vin62 which my car is but only for like a three month period of time during 2012 . I thought they are obviously trying to limit the amount of responsibility they have to people like me who unknowingly purchased a Volvo expecting to have a quality car that would last many years. If you read the hundreds of blogs from people who’s cars engines failed exactly the way Volvo said of the cars Volvo was willing to recall and repair because it is Volvo’s responsibility to do so. I got lucky that the engine didn’t fail as I was driving through the hills. I and others could’ve been hospitalized or killed Thanks to Volvo only informing a very limited few of this issue
APRIL B2021. I WAS DRIVING ON THE HIGHWAY AND MY VEHICLE STALLED . I IMMEDIATELY PULLED OVER AND GOT OUT THE CAR FEARFUL OF MY SAFETY I CALLED A TOW TRUCK TO TOW THE CAR. THE CAR WAS TOWED TO A VOLVO DEALERSHIP WHICH REFUSED TO DIAGNOSE THE CAR. SO I GOT IT TOWED TO A CERTIFIED SHOP. I WAS TOLD THAT TWO CYLINDERS LOST PRESSURE AND I NEED A REPLACEMENT MOTOR. WHAT? I NEVER RECEIVED ANY WARNING LIGHTS , NO LOW OIL PRESSURE LIGHT. I FOLLOWED THE MAINTENANCE SCHEDULE. HOW IS THIS . I'VE CONTACTED VOLVO AMERICA AND AM WAITING. I FIND IT STRANGE THAT THE VOLVO THAT I'VE BEEN USING FOR THE LAST FOUR YEARS SUDDENLY REFUSED TO LOOK AT THE CAR. I'M LEARNING THAT SEIZED ENGINES IN THIS PARTICULAR MAKE AND MODEL IS COMMON RIGHT AROUND 100,000 MILES.
EXTREMELY HIGH OIL CONSUMPTION WAS EVENTUALLY DIAGNOSED BY DEALER AS DUE TO FAULTY PISTON RINGS, WHICH WERE REPLACED AT A HIGHLY-DISCOUNTED COST ON 1/17/20 AT 100,573 MILES. WHILE DRIVING THE CAR ON 1/16/21 (MILEAGE WAS THEN ABOUT 105,000 MILES) I GOT AN ALERT THAT THERE WAS NO OIL PRESSURE AND CAR SHOULD BE STOPPED IMMEDIATELY. AFTER STOPPING, I DETERMINED THAT THE OIL LEVEL WAS IN THE NORMAL ZONE. I THEN TALKED TO THE DEALER, WHO SAID HE THOUGHT IT WAS AN ELECTRONIC ISSUE AND THAT I COULD DRIVE THE CAR HOME. LESS THAN 20 MILES LATER, AN ALERT SAID THE ENGINE WAS SHUTTING DOWN, AND THE CAR LIMPED TO A STALL AT THE SIDE OF A FREEWAY EXIT. CAR COULD NOT BE STARTED, AND WAS TOWED TO THE DEALER. DEALER HAS ADVISED THAT THE ENGINE HAD FAILED AND COULD NOT BE REPAIRED.
2012 VOLVO 60, NEEDS NEW ENGINE. VOLVO STATES ITS NOT WORTH REPAIRING AT 81K MILES. VIN # [XXX] THIS CAR WAS PURCHASED CERTIFIED IN 2015 FROM BILL GRAY VOLVO, 2897 MURRYSVILLE ROAD PENNSYLVANIA, 15317 I BOUGHT A CERTIFIED 2012 VOLVO S60 T5, VIN # [XXX] IN 2005 FROM A DEALER IN PITTSBURGH, PA, WITH 17/K. I MAINTAINED THE CAR, WITH ALL THE REQUIRED SERVICE. THE CAR DRIVES RUNS WELL, THE CHECK ENGINE WAS ON AND WHEN I TOOK IT FOR A STATE INSPECTION, I WAS TOLD IT HAD INTERNAL ENGINE ISSUES: MIS-FIRING, NO COMPRESSION ON CYLINDER # 1 AND LOW COMPRESS ON #2 CYLINDER. I WAS TOLD IT'S TOO EXPENSIVE TO REPAIR. IT'S WELL UNDER THE 100K WARRANTY, WITH ONLY 82/K MILES BUT OVER THE 5 YEAR WARRANTY PERIOD. I WAS TOLD REPLACING THE ENGINE IS NOT AN OPTION BECAUSE IT WILL COST 13K EVEN A USED ENGINE WILL NOT WORK. INFORMATION REDACTED PURSUANT TO THE FREEDOM OF INFORMATION ACT (FOIA), 5 U.S.C. 552(B)(6). *TR
THE CAR DISPLAYED A LOW OIL WARNING, SO I CHECKED AND THE OIL WAS A LITTLE LOW SO I ADDED A QUART. THE LIGHT DISAPPEARED. THE NEXT DAY, SAME THING HAPPENED, BUT OIL LEVEL WAS FULL. THE LIGHT AGAIN WENT OUT. LATER THAT DAY, THE LOW OIL LIGHT CAME BACK ON, SO I PULLED OVER AND HAD THE CAR TOWED TO MY HOUSE. DECIDED TO CHANGE THE OIL, AND SAW METAL SHAVING IN THE FILTER. I DISASSEMBLED THE ENGINE AND METAL WAS EVERYWHERE. THE CULPRIT WAS A SHATTERED OIL PUMP, WHICH SPEWED METAL ALL INTO THE CRANKSHAFT AND BEARINGS. A QUICK SEARCH ONLINE FOUND NUMEROUS CASES SIMILAR TO MINE, WHERE THE ENGINE BLEW WITH NO TYPE OF WARNING OR CHECK ENGINE LIGHT. THIS WAS CAUSED BY A DEFECTIVE OIL PUMP THAT BREAKS DOWN AND SHATTERS INSIDE THE ENGINE BLOCK, CAUSING METAL TO ENTER THE ENGINE AND DESTROY IT.
TL* THE CONTACT OWNS A 2012 VOLVO S60. THE CONTACT STATED THAT WHILE DRIVING AT VARIOUS SPEED, THE VEHICLE HESITATED TO ACCELERATE WITHOUT WARNING INTERMITTENT. THE VEHICLE WAS TAKEN TO CHERRY HILL VOLVO CARS (1810 MARLTON PIKE WEST, CHERRY HILL, NJ 08002, (856) 665-4050) TO BE DIAGNOSED. THE CONTACT WAS INFORMED THAT THE MANIFOLD, TURBO CHARGER, CYLINDER BLOCK, NEW PISTON RODS WERE DEFECTIVE AND NEEDED TO BE REPLACED. THE VEHICLE WAS NOT REPAIRED. THE MANUFACTURER WAS MADE NOT AWARE OF THE FAILURE. THE CONTACT REFERENCED NHTSA CAMPAIGN NUMBER: 13V592000 (ENGINE AND ENGINE COOLING) AS A POSSIBLE SOLUTION TO THE FAILURE HOWEVER, THE VIN WAS NOT INCLUDED. THE FAILURE MILEAGE WAS APPROXIMATELY 151,031.
TL* THE CONTACT OWNS A 2012 VOLVO S60. THE CONTACT STATED THAT THE VEHICLE CONSUMED AN ABNORMAL AMOUNT OF OIL. THE CONTACT ALSO STATED THAT WHILE DRIVING AT VARIOUS SPEEDS, THERE WAS AN ABNORMAL KNOCKING SOUND COMING FROM THE ENGINE. THE VEHICLE WAS NOT TAKEN TO BE DIAGNOSED NOR REPAIRED. THE MANUFACTURER WAS NOT NOTIFIED OF THE FAILURE. UPON INVESTIGATION, THE CONTACT LINKED THE FAILURE TO NHTSA CAMPAIGN NUMBER: 13V592000 (ENGINE AND ENGINE COOLING) HOWEVER, THE VIN WAS NOT INCLUDED. THE FAILURE MILEAGE WAS APPROXIMATELY 80,000.
EXCESSIVE OIL CONSUMPTION BETWEEN OIL CHANGE INTERVALS. SINCE THE PURCHASE OF THIS CAR (2/1/2016) I HAVE USED FULLY SYNTHETIC OIL (CASTROL). OIL LEVEL SLOWLY DROPS BETWEEN SCHEDULED OIL CHANGES. PRIOR TO THE LAST SCHEDULED OIL CHANGE (1/10/2020) I CHECKED THE OIL IT IT WAS VERY DANGEROUSLY LOW. THERE ARE NOT ( AS CERTIFIED BY ASE AUTO TECH AND CONFIRMED) NO EXTERNAL OIL LEAKS OR EVIDENCE OF OIL IN THE ENGINE COMPARTMENT. THIS CAR NOW HAS 84.000 MILES ON IT AND I'M AFRAID THAT IT WILL DAMAGE ITSELF EVEN ON THE SHORT COMMUTE MY WIFE HAS TO WORK. I CONTINUE TO MONITOR THE OIL LEVEL NOW ALMOST DAILY. I FEEL THIS IS (DAILY OIL CHECK) ABSURD AS CLEARLY, PER THE OWNERS MANUAL, DOES NOT NOR SHOULD NOT REQUIRE CHECKING AND REFILLING OIL THIS OFTEN. THE CAR HAS SHOWN THIS PATTERN OF LUBRICANT CONSUMPTION SINCE WE BOUGHT IT. THE TAILPIPES HAVE ALWAYS HAD A HEAVY DEPOSIT OF CARBON SINCE WE BOUGHT IT. I WAS TOLD THAT "VOLVOS RUN DIRTY' AND THAT IT WAS NOT OF ANY CONCERN. NOW THAT I SEE A TECHNICAL JOURNEL AND TSB CLEARLY INDICATING A PROBLEM WITH MY SPECIFIC CAR, THIS EXPLAINS WHY. I UNDERSTAND THE FACT IN 2012 VOLVO ASSEMBLY SWITCHED MOTOR TYPES (62 TO 63?) DURING MIDRUN. INDICATIVE OF A PROBLEM OR ISSUE. I BELIEVE MY AUTO WAS INVOLVED. IT IS THE AUTO MAKER'S RESPONSIBILITY TO ENSURE A SAFE AUTOMOBILE WITH A REASONABLE AMOUNT OF MAINTENANCE (OR PM) REQUIRED. THE CONDITION MY WIFE AND MYSELF HAVE BEEN EXPERIENCING IS CLEARLY NOT NORMAL FOR ANY AUTO MAKER AND EVIDENTLY HAS EXISTED SINCE IT LEFT THE ASSEMBLY LINE. I ASK ONLY FOR THE AUTOMAKER TO STAND BEHIND THEIR OWN TSB FLAW, PERFORM THE WORK NEEDED TO REPAIR OR REPLACE ALL PART/PARTS NEEDED TO RESOLVE THEIR TSB FOR MY AUTO. THANKS FOR YOUR TIME IN REVIEW.
THE CAR SUFFERS FROM HIGH ENGINE CONSUMPTION, ENGINE OIL RUNS OUT PRIOR TO OIL CHANGE INTERVALS WITH NO EVIDENCE OF OIL LEAKS OR OIL BURNING). THIS CAN CAUSE CATASTROPHIC ENGINE FAILURE WHILE DRIVING. THE HIGH OIL CONSUMPTION HAS BEEN DOCUMENTED BY THE DEALER AND SHARED WITH THE MANUFACTURER. VOLVO HAS EVEN ISSUED A TECHNICAL JOURNAL THAT ATTRIBUTES THE CAUSE TO FAULTY PISTON O-RINGS. MANUFACTURER DIDN'T ISSUE A RECALL AND REFUSES TO ADDRESS THE PROBLEM. THERE ARE SEVERAL SIMILAR CASES DESCRIBED IN VOLVO FORUMS AND OTHER SOCIAL MEDIA CHANNELS, THAT HAVE NOT RECEIVED ANY COOPERATION FROM VOLVO.
Showing 1–20 of 45 complaints
Complaints are unverified consumer reports submitted to NHTSA. A high complaint count may reflect vehicle popularity, not defect severity. Data sourced from NHTSA public records.
Data synced from NHTSA on Apr 26, 2026