Volvo Xc40 2021: Retiros, Quejas y Ley de Limón de California

Turning out of parking lot , car started pulsing, and stopped. Propulsion failure box popped up. Thankfully no cars behind us (young daughter in car seat)or was not attempting to merge on highway. Tow truck manually pulled car as no electric (cannot unlock or open trunk), completely shut down.

NHTSA #11662285

The 12-volt battery has failed on 5 occasions. Each time, I tried to unlock the vehicle after being away from it for a short period (e.g., 5-40 minutes). I had to use the manual key to unlock the vehicle, but the vehicle wouldn't start. I had the vehicle towed 4 times. One time it started on its own. I have taken the vehicle to my Volvo dealership 3 times for this issue. The most recent time this happened the dealership instructed me to have Volvo Roadside Assistance tow the vehicle to the dealership, even though the vehicle was 91 miles from the dealership. The tow operator confirmed to me that the car wouldn't operate, and that she reported this to the dealership. Still, because the dealership has be unable to replicate the problem, it refuses to replace the 12-volt battery system. There have been no warning lights. This is a safety issue because it has occurred at night, far from my home and outside of mobile phone coverage. I am also concerned that it may occur while I am driving, although that has not occurred.

NHTSA #11634084

The contact owns a 2021 Volvo XC40. The contact stated that at a stop light, the vehicle became inoperable. The contact stated that the doors would not unlock, and the seat belts became inoperable. The Rear Collision Avoidance warning light was illuminated. The contact stated that the warning light remained illuminated without another vehicle being behind. The vehicle was towed to a dealer. The vehicle had not been diagnosed or repaired by an independent mechanic or dealer. The manufacturer was made aware of the failure and confirmed that the VIN was not included in a recall. The failure mileage was approximately 58,000.

NHTSA #11551651

I was driving this car on Highway 99 on 7/11/2025. The dashboard flashed the message " Stop safely The vehicle will stop Propulsion system failure." I cut the lane and stopped my car on the Highway 99 shoulder. Just right, my car stopped on the Highway shoulder; it disabled itself and couldn't move at all. The gear shift can't shift to neutral (N). From the first message appearing on the dashboard to the car being disabled takes just a couple of seconds. When it happened, it was about 6:30 pm, rush hour. If I had not had a chance to drive the car immediately to the highway shoulder, the vehicle would have stopped in the lane, and I would have been crashed into by the cars behind me. This could lead to a catastrophic traffic accident. I want to mention that when the message appears on the dashboard, there is no sound alert. When people drive on the highway, their eyes are most likely focused on the road. Without a sound alert, people may not be aware of the message present. I contacted to the manufacturer on the 7/13, Sunday, they said they will open the case to investigation. As I report this incident, I have not heard from them yet. I uploaded the message photo that appears on the dashboard when the incident happened. Let me know if you need any information from me. Thank you!

NHTSA #11673958

In approximately May of 2023, my vehicle experienced "propulsion system failure" per a dash board light, and would not drive. I had it towed to Volvo and they told me that it was a known defect that required a software upgrade. They upgraded the software. In May of 2024, the car had a second propulsion system failure. The Volvo dealer found the error code and light on the dash, followed diagnostic procedures and saw that the software is up to date. They opened a case with Volvo and Volvo informed them that they are aware that propulsion system failures are occurring even with the updated software installed. They are planning an upgrade but have not yet completed it or made it available. Thus, Volvo knows that the propulsion system can fail, including when the car is in driving, and has not advised consumers or corrected the problem.

NHTSA #11589423

Very frequently (4-5 times a week) the charging cable will not release from the vehicle. Pushing release button resolves to flashing yellow, red, or green lights, but does not release. Sometimes will release from console, but not always. Locking and unlocking the vehicle, repeating all the above several times will eventually release the cable. This may be related to the erratic charging process where the car may or may not charge after being driven or left overnight. Dashboard may show initializing, or show that it is not charging when it is charging, or vice versa. Dealer stated could not duplicate, but software update would fix it. No code, no problem as they say in Sweden. Driving the 15 minutes home from the dealer resulted in the car failing to charge, and the cable refusing to release. This problem has been duplicated using a home Chargepoint charging system cable, and the supplied Volvo charging cable on two different 50amp outlets in the garage. The inability to remove the charging cable quickly in an emergency may lead to serious or even fatal consequences. A quick Google search shows that this is a known problem. There are other erratic system problems in the vehicle which by themselves may not be serious or fatal, but lead to increased driver distraction which could be serious or fatal.

NHTSA #11475403

An abrupt warning appeared on my vehicle, stating that there was a propulsion system failure. A turtle light then pulled up, warning that the vehicle was slowing down. Confused by these alerts, I pulled into a parking spot to shut the vehicle off and back on. Since the car does not have a power button, I had to step outside and re-enter the vehicle. The warnings immediately reappeared. I attempted to reverse out of the parking spot; the car abruptly braked itself and completely lost power. This all happened quickly. Seconds after the initial warning, the car slowed itself down, and within approximately 1-2 minutes of the initial warning, the vehicle completely lost power and the ability to drive. A tow truck came to pick up the vehicle to take it to the nearest dealership, where it is being looked at. We are incredibly lucky not to have been on the interstate or a shoulder-less stretch of road when this occurred. This would have otherwise been an incredibly dangerous and life-or-death situation—for the driver, the passengers, and anyone who happens to be in their proximity on the road.

NHTSA #11542720

1. What component: The doughnut spare tire is too small for my car 2. How was safety put at risk?: Since May 2022 I have had two flat tires. Both times I placed the spare on the car to drive it to repair. Both times the car, with the spare installed, could not travel faster than 8 MPH without the car shuttering and the traction system turning on and off as well as the low tire pressure staying on. 3. Has the problem been reproduced or confirmed?: No the dealer doesn't seem interest in helping with this. 4. Have the vehicle component been inspected by manufacturer, etc?: NO 5. Were there waring lamps?: See number two above.

NHTSA #11484154

Vehicle systems, navigation, entertainment, heating, a/c, defrosting are dependent on Internet connection. The Internet connection shows connection, but no systems are available. Vehicle is operable, but driver distraction increases 10 or 20 fold trying to do simple tasks such as defrost windshield. Rather than being available upfront, so to speak, items are hidden in layers of menus. Unlike other vehicles in which voice command is an internal function, on the Volvo this is an Internet function, rather like Amazon Alexa. This is an accident waiting to happen. To restart system requires exiting and locking/unlocking Vehicle. Dealer said fixed with software update. Update did not fix.

NHTSA #11478229

The contact owns a 2021 Volvo XC40. The contact stated that while reversing, the back over prevention screen image malfunctioned and started flickering before displaying a blank screen. During the failure, the message "Camera Unavailable" was displayed. The cause of the failure was not yet determined. The manufacturer and local dealer were notified of the failure. The contact was informed that the vehicle was recently repaired under NHTSA Campaign Number: 25V282000 (BACK OVER PREVENTION). The contact stated that the vehicle had experienced the failure listed in the recall. The failure mileage was 36,000.

NHTSA #11670489

After having the rear camera software update to address the safety recall on 05/28, the “camera unavailable” problem persists. This vehicle has underpowered chipset in the IHU and the entire IHU should be subject to recall.

NHTSA #11663945

The contact owns a 2021 Volvo XC40. The contact stated that the vehicle was delivered to his residence by the local dealer. Upon inspection, he became aware that the automatic emergency braking system sensor was not operating as designed while reversing with an object nearby. The local dealer was made aware of the issue however, no assistance was offered. The vehicle was not diagnosed nor repaired. The manufacturer was made aware of the failure. The failure mileage was 7.

NHTSA #11419522

front windshields crack from left or right pillar about 1/2 way up. I'm on my 3rd windshield. The forums for the XC40 are ALL having the same issue.

NHTSA #11510262

The vehicle's rear view mirror has come loose twice upon adjustment. Twisting the base of the mirror is how it is removed or installed (friction is the *only* thing holding it in place which is a problem when adjusting the mirror side-to-side). Adjusting the mirror in the normal manner sometimes removes it from its base, so it is left dangling in its housing. I believe this to be a safety hazard since adjusting the rear view mirror is a common thing to do as a driver during operation. When the mirror comes loose, it is unusable and obstructs forward visibility. I believe all Volvo vehicles with the same rear view mirror design will have the same issue, and it should be easy to replicate the problem.

NHTSA #11440533

There appeared a crack on the passenger side of the car when making a turn onto a expressway ramp. There were no vehicles in front of me to kick up any road debris. I went to the Volvo dealer and the service manager dragged a ball point pen across the crack and said it was hit by something. I could not see any sign of something hitting my car. I am concerned that if something did hit the windshield how could something so small, that it can be seen, cause this damage. My car is 4 months old. I checked the XV40 forum and there were other people having the same problem and some even had the problem several times

NHTSA #11422195

Car can move forward automatically itself from stop position

Reportado presuntamente: 1 lesión (según lo reportado a NHTSA). NHTSA #11603647

The contact owns a 2021 Volvo XC40. The contact received notification of NHTSA Campaign Number: 22V288000 (Vehicle Speed Control) however, the part to do the recall repair was not yet available. The contact stated that the manufacturer had exceeded a reasonable amount of time for the recall repair. The dealer was made aware of the issue and confirmed that parts were not yet available. The manufacturer was made aware of the issue and confirmed that parts were not yet available. The contact had not experienced a failure. Parts distribution disconnect.

NHTSA #11471186

The contact called on behalf of the mother who owns a 2021 Volvo CX40. The contact stated that the mother was driving approximately 25 MPH, when the brake inadvertently stopped the vehicle and the seatbelt tighten the driver into the seat. There was anti-lock brake light illuminated and a message about accident avoidance city safety. The vehicle was diagnosed at a local dealer with an unknown recall failure. The vehicle was repaired and software updated; however, the failure reoccurred while driving approximately 55 MPH. The vehicle was taken to the dealer again for a computer module update; however, failure reoccurred. The contact also experienced the same failure with the vehicle while driving. The manufacturer was notified of the failure. The approximate failure mileage was 5,250

NHTSA #11471863

On 3 occasions the brakes were seized when attempting to drive the car after being parked if the brakes had gotten wet prior to parking. There is a loud clunk and even at times grinding. The pads/rotors were replaced 2 times and it is going back in for the third time. Each time brake pad material broke off. This compromises the braking capability of the vehicle if the pads have pieces missing.

NHTSA #11434459

Complete power failure of all electric Volvo XC 40 Recharge Vehicle has had recall update of software and additional software update. This is the second complete power failure Previously reported October 12 Recurrent power failure after "fix" on October 23. Volvo is unable to fix a complete power failure requiring tow truck to dealership.

NHTSA #11438028

A complete power failure. The main battery failed due to a software failure from The Battery Energy Control Module (BECM). The entire car stopped working. No power to unlock the wheels. The car was dead towed on rollers under the wheels via flatbed truck. A recall r10078 was not given and was not performed on prior visits to the dealer.

NHTSA #11436734

1. OBC failure. Stranded unable to charge. Situational could be dangerous. 2. Rt side mirror defaults to extreme angle after locking car evert time. Dealership could not troubleshoot solution.

NHTSA #11677385

When using the power liftgate, in normal day to day use, the strut had seized and the lift gate was stuck open. As we were parked, we attempted multiple times and different ways to lower the lift gate by the buttons provided for their lift gate, the key fob and by manually attempting to close. The lift gate would not close nor latch and it appeared to be misaligned. When we called Volvo Santa Ana Ca, Mina, a representative who assisted, advised to hold the center button to reset the electricals. That did not work. He then advised to manually push the lift gate closed in order to drive it to them and be serviced. When advised by Mina, a Volvo associate, the liftgate still would not close and we were only able to close it half way before taking it to them to be examined and serviced as it is still under warranty. This became a HUGE health and safety issue when using a component of the car that is expected to function flawlessly day in and day out. If this had happened in our garage, we would not be able to get out. After a few attempts we drove the car to Volvo Santa Ana Ca, and dropped it off, they took several days to respond to let us know what was happening. The service department director, Mark, had advised that the strut seizure causing the lift gate to not function is a common occurrence and that the struts would be covered by the warranty but the liftgate WOULD NOT BE; as it was no longer aligning (due to faulty, defective strut) and thus Mark claimed it was on us, to replace or repair. This was absolutely ridiculous. The defective part of the Volvo is what caused the issue. If one is covered then both should be. We did not get into an accident. We were parked. There is absolutely no damage to the liftgate prior to this date. We then opened a case with Volvo customer service and they also denied it. We feel this is unethical and a health and safety issue that Volvo does not care about nor care to inform their customer that faulty struts are common.

NHTSA #11594175

The check engine light has been on my vehicle since April 1, 2024. I have taken it in twice to a Volvo dealership and they cannot give me an answer as to why this is happening. They reset it and it comes right back on after a few miles. They tell me when they get an answer they will call me back in to have it fixed. It still has not been fixed.

NHTSA #11622739

Rear collision warning system activated without reason. While stopped at a traffic light the RCWS activated and the emergency brake system engaged. This has been reported before to NHTSA. Vehicle was at the dealership for repairs or to identify the issue. Had to have it towed and dragged onto the flat bed tow truck as the cars emergency brake system was engaged and couldn't be disengaged. Received vehicle back and was told to bring it back once it happened again, which it has twice. But this time, emergency brake did not get stuck and have to be towed. It occurs without a vehicle or anything behind the vehicle and the vehicle was not in reverse when the system activated. I have contacted the Volvo consumer affairs to see if they could assist with resolving the issues as the vehicle remains in an unsafe driving state. They explained to me that it was up to the dealership/shop to locate the problem and they couldn't do anything to help. Which the dealership only suggested a replacement of the hydraulic brake system and I was advised that it might not fix the problem. I've since then been instructed to bring the vehicle back again for them to continue their road testing of the vehicle. The first time the vehicle was left for road testing it was only driven under a mile as per the recorded data showed through the Volvo car application with GPS and mileage tracking. This was explained to the service manager who reiterated to the service technician manager to road test the vehicle again. It was only driven approximately 30 miles with no issues identified by the technicians. I am currently waiting to bring the car back to the dealership for further troubleshooting / road tests.

NHTSA #11560494

The vehicle is a battery electric that relies on its 12V battery to start and operate. My wife and I were driving the vehicle and began to stop in a let hand turn lane when it shuddered violently and stopped without any ability to move forward or in reverse - an emergency message appeared in the dash display indicating a 12V battery charging fault, and to immediately take the vehicle to a service center, also indicating that vehicle could not be restarted. Had we been on a highway in the process of merging, changing lanes or simply in front of another vehicle a serious accident could have occurred causing injury or death for occupant of multiple vehicles (beyond significant property damage). Furthermore, the 12V Battery charging fault is a known issue to Volvo, having been experienced by many drivers over the past several years with no resolution by Volvo other than replacing 12V batteries when they fail (mine was replaced in November 2022, and previously the battery was recharged after failing in December 2021 when it stranded us at the airport after returning from a trip.) Finding the vehicle dead is one thing, having it die when operating it is another more serious thing. I have raised this issue through my dealership on at least 2 prior occasions, as noted above. The service department at the Volvo dealership has inspected the vehicle for this 12V battery charging issue but has not provided a physical and/or software fix for this issue over the year and seven months I have owned this vehicle. This failure occurs without warning.

NHTSA #11511344

Had a cracked windshield, Volvo replaced with OEM. Another pin head size rock chip resulted in another cracked windshield. Google search will reveal the Windshield on the XC40 Volvo crack with the lightest contact. The glass has a defect and the crack interferes with driver visibility and driver assist functions

NHTSA #11495845

Backup camera fails intermittently at least a dozen times, error message "camera unavailable". Camera icon disappears from dash. Took to dealer. No code, no problem. Backed up and worked, did not understand intermittently?! Asked tech to report to Volvo, got push back. I advised I was reporting as safety failure to SaferCar and they report to Volvo. Suspect was not reported to Volvo. When camera fails other rear safety systems are inoperable.

NHTSA #11475194

*We're experiencing constant phantom braking (sometimes multiple times within a day) with our vehicle on local roads as well as highways. Usually this occurs when we're approaching a vehicle in a turn lane, slowing down. Our blindspot sideview mirror lights light up when there is nothing present, even when we're in the outside lane against the curb - we have video to document this. The vehicle has also spontaneously turned off and then back on while in drive, in a turn lane. In addition, the dashboard and media center lighting sporadically dims down, making it difficult to see in bright light situations. *Whenever the phantom braking engages, it makes us vulnerable to being rear-ended. We're very lucky that this hasn't happened so far. The phantom side view mirror lights have created some panic situations where we didn't see a vehicle in the lane beside us and started to change lanes but swerved back into the lane we were in due to seeing the lights go on. Not being able to see the dashboard due to dimming of the lighting within poses obvious risks and spontaneous shut-down of the vehicle while in drive in a turn lane also makes us prone to being rear-ended. *The vehicle has been in service at Volvo of Naples, Florida for a combined time of about 30 days. The dealership put on 900+ miles on our car and claimed that they couldn't recreate the phantom braking or lighting situation. *We didn't experience any obvious issues with the car prior to the phantom braking, etc. We found that adaptive cruise control wasn't working but the dealership told us that our car doesn't have adaptive cruise control which seemed odd to us. We were under the impression that all cars at this level had adaptive cruise control. We're not sure whether to take them at their word.

NHTSA #11476749

Complete loss of all power. Vehicle has been in three times for this condition. Each time, the problem has recurred. This is the third complete power failure in three months.

NHTSA #11443939

The seat belt warning chimes audio alert does not alert when passenger does not wear seatbelt and easy to go unnoticed. (Unlike Toyota or other cars) The lane keep assist when not able to detect the lanes shows little alert in clusters & vibrate steering wheel which is easy to go unnoticed and feel dangerous to trust the system. Even the lane assist does not have audio alerts to inform driver. I feel the Lane Keep, Lane assist & seat belt reminder audio alert is not available or up-to driver’s attention. When compared to friends Toyota Rav4 car even the blind spot lights won’t light by when in buffer lane and cars passing from behind. Other issue I found dangerous is the gear shifter is like a toggle and when in emergency it is hard to switch to reverse as i have to switch double times between Neutral. The Drive mode buttons feels useless as it when pressed, it occupies the whole screen in center and distracts driving. Sometime Apple Carplay does not connect when maps and music are played together.

NHTSA #11438593

On October 12, 2021 the above described car had a catastrophic failure of the power system. All functions ceased and the car was dead towed on a flatbed truck. Because the tow mode could not be engaged due to loss of all power the vehicle was dragged onto the flatbed. The repair indicated the cause was a The Battery Energy Control Module (BECM). This is noted in recall R10078. This car was sent for service in April where a request for a software update was made. At that service, no recall was noted and no update was given for this condition. There has been no attempt to recall this vehicle for this problem and it is not noted as a recall for this vehicle. The failure of the energy module caused a complete loss of all power and an inability to move the car.

NHTSA #11436752

On 8/3/21 I had an accident in my brand new 2021 xc40. I lightly tapped on the accelerator to close in a gap as I came to a stop at a red light. The vehicle jumped forward as though I floored the accelerator, though again, it was a slight tap. I rear-ended the car in front of me. There was no forward collision warning, no mitigation by the vehicle applying the brakes, nothing. The vehicle is supposed to assist in this situation, but the aeb system did not work at all. The jump in power and failure of the aeb is very troubling. Especially since it's a large part of the Volvo selling point.

NHTSA #11427734

The 2021 XC 40 vehicle will periodically not restart - may be something to do with the safety key or some other electrical malfunction. The dashboard shows the battery symbol when the car will not restart as if the vehicle is dead (no electrical connection). Also, when the start button is depressed the dashboard illuminates with the dead battery signal, but otherwise, it seems the button is not connected to the vehicle in that the engine does not respond. Also, we had an issue where the vehicle, while we were beginning to stop at a stop sign, went dead and was not responsive. The “Start/Stop” function, although engaged in the center console, is often not operational and will show in the dashboard that it is not operational, but then, randomly (not consistent with the reasons itemized in the Volvo manual for why the start/stop function may not work), will work on a few stops for that particular drive and then revert back to not being operational on the next trip, although it is engaged to be “on” in the center console. Again, this appears to be a sign or symptom of some sort of electrical malfunction. Now, most recently, my wife and daughter were driving the vehicle, and it lost power and shut off in the middle of the road, horrifying these two individuals and greatly upsetting me that a vehicle sold by Volvo would perform so poorly and create a significant hazard to driver and passengers of the vehicle (not to mention others on the roadway). Again, and clearly, there appears to be some sort of electrical malfunction. Clearly, what we first reported to Volvo on or about May 17, 2021 was an electrical problem that Volvo had an idea or knowledge (knew or should have known) that was or may be similar to the problem they had already issued a recall for on the XC 40 recharge.

NHTSA #11419821

Within 2-3 weeks of owning the vehicle, my main two screens on the dashboard intermittently changed colors with important information not being visible or the screen went black completely while driving. I took it back to the dealership where I was informed another car of the same make & model was doing the same thing. My car was kept for a week and a half while they were in touch with Volvo. Volvo instructed the tech to open tie case, replaced the IHU and reload the software, which was done. About a week after getting my car back the screens began to do the same, but this time if the display was a different color or black and I turned my turnsignal on, it would flash on the perimeter of the display, and not make noise, but it was not actually blinking externally on the front or rear of the car. The display going out with the turn signals not working happened 3 times in 2 days. The vehicle is now back at the dealership where they are incontact with Volvo not only about repair, but about giving me a different car because I do not feel safe driving the vehicle with my children in the car.

NHTSA #11423449

REAR PASSENGER PIRELLI TIRE 245/45 R20 103H BLOWOUT. ENTIRE TIRE GONE. DAMAGE TO RIM, BRAKE HOSE, WHEEL WELL, BUMPER, PAINT ON CAR, EXCESSIVE DAMAGE TO CAR. TRAVELING ON HIGHWAY, TOOK EXIT.

NHTSA #11416362