2017 Volvo XC60 Problems & Owner Complaints
Age-normalised, this year draws ~1.5 complaints per year on the road — ranking 7 of 8 Volvo XC60 years we track (1 = most complaints per year).
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What owners report
Electrical System is the most-reported problem area on the 2017 Volvo XC60, cited in 5 of 15 filed complaints (33%).
Fuel/Propulsion System is next (3 complaints, 20%), followed by Air Bags (2), Engine (2), Power Train (2).
Across all complaints, 2 report a crash, 1 report a fire, 2 report injuries.
The most safety-critical cluster is Air Bags: 1 crash, 1 injury report(s).
Complaints by vehicle system
Owner complaints filed with the U.S. NHTSA for the 2017 Volvo XC60, grouped by the vehicle system each cites. A single complaint can name more than one system, so the group totals can add up to more than 15.
Electrical System 5
“The support battery for start/stop started to show on the dash and tells me that service is required about 2 weeks ago. "THE LOCATION OF THE BATTERY IS MY CONCERN". A month ago, the air coming out from the vent of the ac/heater started to smell like a rotten egg, a very strong smell that gives me a headache and makes me dizzy. This smell comes and go.I had to open the windows and switch to recycled air, this helps a little bit. I brought my Volvo to 2 shops about 3 weeks ago before I went to the dealer on Feb 16, 2024. The first shop smelled it and said they checked the catalytic converter and…”
NHTSA complaint #11572708, 2024
“SRS Airbag light came on three times in a month but did not stay on. Took it to Volvo dealership to see what the issue was. According to dealership- there was loose pin tension in the left front door harness. They checked for codes and received SRS B11A081 left side pressure sensor message failures. Followed VIDa fault tracing and found the loose tension in SRS pins in the driver door harness. They had to replace the SRS terminal pins and splice wiring. The dealership did mention that this has happened with 3 or 4 different Volvo models already this year. It sounds like it's a defect in the…”
NHTSA complaint #11525373, 2023
“I will followup once I have a report from a mechanic. My car stalled while driving in heavy traffic; a pedestrian ran in front of me and I braked. I didn't hit anything or anyone, not even a pothole. My car stalled and all the dashlights went off. I put the car in park and tried to restart, but it would not start. My emergency lights wouldn't work and because I was on a busy thoroughfare in DC, my daughter and I were nearly rear ended by a bus. Even after we got out of the car, we watched other cars nearly hit it because it couldn't be pulled over and the emergency flashers wouldn't turn…”
NHTSA complaint #11468005, 2022
Fuel/Propulsion System 3
“I will followup once I have a report from a mechanic. My car stalled while driving in heavy traffic; a pedestrian ran in front of me and I braked. I didn't hit anything or anyone, not even a pothole. My car stalled and all the dashlights went off. I put the car in park and tried to restart, but it would not start. My emergency lights wouldn't work and because I was on a busy thoroughfare in DC, my daughter and I were nearly rear ended by a bus. Even after we got out of the car, we watched other cars nearly hit it because it couldn't be pulled over and the emergency flashers wouldn't turn…”
NHTSA complaint #11468005, 2022
“The fuel pump regulator failed causing the fuel pump to fail way to early (car has less than 60K miles). In addition, the floats in the fuel tank itself stick making the fuel gauge unreliable. We have had to replace the fuel pump regulator, fuel pump and also have an unreliable gas gauge now unfortunately. The car failed while we were driving through the canyon in southern CA which was terrifying and very dangerous. We are fortunate we were able to steer off the road and get out of the way.”
NHTSA complaint #11444515, 2021
“THE VEHICLE DOES NOT REPORT THE FUEL LEVEL ACCURATELY. OVER THE PAST 6 MONTHS THE VEHICLE HAS RUN OUT OF GAS 3 TIMES, ALL WHEN THERE WERE TWO BARS OF FUEL ON THE GAUGE, AND THE REMAINING MILEAGE HAS BEEN BETWEEN 80-90 MILES. THERE CLEARLY SEEMS TO BE A PROBLEM. THE SECOND TIME THE VEHICLE WAS TOWED TO A VOLVO DEALER AND THEY SAID THE VEHICLE WAS WORKING FINE. I'LL TAKE IT BACK AGAIN AND MAYBE THEY WILL FIX IT THIS TIME. THE LAST TIME IT RAN OUT WAS YESTERDAY ON AN OFF-RAMP OF AN INTERSTATE HIGHWAY AT 10:00 PM. IT WAS DARK BECAUSE THERE WERE NO STREET LIGHTS AND THERE WAS NO SHOULDER TO PUL…”
NHTSA complaint #11222035, 2019
Air Bags 2 1 crash 1 injury
“I WAS T-BONED BY ANOTHER SUV IN THE DRIVER'S DOOR, DAMAGING FRONT & REAR DOORS, FRONT PANEL AND BACK PANEL. MY CAR WAS STOPPED GETTING READY TO MAKE A LEFT TURN AND THE OTHER VEHICLE STOMPED THE GAS TO MAKE A LEFT TURN AND HIT ME DIRECTLY. DOOR WOULD NOT CLOSE AFTER IMPACT AND ALL OF THESE PARTS REPLACED. AIR BAGS NEVER DEPLOYED AND INSURANCE ADJUSTER INDICATED THAT THIS MODEL VOLVO DOES NOT HAVE SIDE AIRBAGS. PLEASE ADVISE..”
NHTSA complaint #11252924, 2019 · crash · 1 injury(ies)
“SRS Airbag light came on three times in a month but did not stay on. Took it to Volvo dealership to see what the issue was. According to dealership- there was loose pin tension in the left front door harness. They checked for codes and received SRS B11A081 left side pressure sensor message failures. Followed VIDa fault tracing and found the loose tension in SRS pins in the driver door harness. They had to replace the SRS terminal pins and splice wiring. The dealership did mention that this has happened with 3 or 4 different Volvo models already this year. It sounds like it's a defect in the…”
NHTSA complaint #11525373, 2023
Engine 2
“I will followup once I have a report from a mechanic. My car stalled while driving in heavy traffic; a pedestrian ran in front of me and I braked. I didn't hit anything or anyone, not even a pothole. My car stalled and all the dashlights went off. I put the car in park and tried to restart, but it would not start. My emergency lights wouldn't work and because I was on a busy thoroughfare in DC, my daughter and I were nearly rear ended by a bus. Even after we got out of the car, we watched other cars nearly hit it because it couldn't be pulled over and the emergency flashers wouldn't turn…”
NHTSA complaint #11468005, 2022
“ENGINE CONTROL MODULE (ECM) FAILED AT 56,000 MILES. CAR HAS BECOME INOPERABLE.”
NHTSA complaint #11208247, 2019
Power Train 2
“ENGINE CONTROL MODULE (ECM) FAILED AT 56,000 MILES. CAR HAS BECOME INOPERABLE.”
NHTSA complaint #11208247, 2019
“CONSTANT PROBLEMS/FAILURES WITH START/STOP FUNCTION. CAR'S ELECTRICAL SYSTEM WILL COMPLETELY SHUT DOWN FOR NO REASON WHILE IN TRAFFIC AND ENGINE WILL NOT RESTART. CAR HAS TO BE SHUT OFF AND SYSTEM HAS TO BE RE-BOOTED. DEALER SERVICE DEPT CAN FIND NO PROBLEM. MOST RECENTLY, CAR'S STARTER MOTOR FAILED AND HAD TO BE REPLACED UNDER WARRANTY BY THE DEALER. HAVING THE CAR'S ENGINE START/STOP SYSTEM CONSTANT FAIL IS A SERIOUS SAFETY RISK. WE HAD SERVERAL NEAR-MISS ACCIDENTS CAUSED BY THIS FAILURE. THE WORK AROUND HAS BEEN TO MANUALLY DISABLE THE START/STOP FUNCTION, WHICH HAS TO BE DO…”
NHTSA complaint #11067266, 2018
Unknown Or Other 2 1 fire
“Pulling into a gas station, a turtle warning light (limp mode) came on in the dash, and the car started moving very slowly. Moments later the engine was on fire. Basically the entire front end of the car melted away before the fire department in New Buffalo, Mich., could put it out.”
NHTSA complaint #11752029, 2026 · fire
“TWO TIMES NOW, DRIVING THROUGH THE SAME ONE-WAY INTERSECTION, THE CITY SAFETY AUTO-BRAKING FUNCTION ACTIVATED FOR NO REASON. I WAS GOING STRAIGHT THROUGH THE INTERSECTION, WITH NO NEED TO TURN LEFT OR RIGHT. HOWEVER, THE CITY SAFETY AUTO-BRAKED TO A COMPLETE STOP, PLACING ME AT RISK FROM BEING HIT FROM BEHIND. AN ERROR MESSAGE APPEARED IN MY INFORMATION CENTER CONFIRMING THE CITY SAFETY AUTO-BRAKING FUNCTION WAS ACTIVATED. I BROUGHT TO A VOLVO DEALER AND THEY DID NOT SEE ANY ERROR MESSAGES. I ASKED TO DISABLE THIS FUNCTION, BUT THEY WEREN'T ABLE TO AND STATED I WOULD HAVE TO MANUALLY DO THIS E…”
NHTSA complaint #11062745, 2018
Forward Collision Avoidance 1 1 crash 1 injury
“I pulled my car out of the garage, I saw I had not taken the trash out and had my foot on brake. the car has an automatic shut off at stops to save gas. It shut off, I jumped out thinking it was "off" as there was no engine sound. The car started back up and started going forward. I attempted to jump in to hit the brakes ... it kept going and hit side mirror, door, me and then kept going! it never stopped! crushed me half in half out of door. my friend jumped in stopped it from passenger side and then started it up to back it up and remove me. I was taken to trauma with fractured pelvis, broke…”
NHTSA complaint #11519016, 2023 · crash · 1 injury(ies)
Service Brakes 1
“Got into my car, pulled out of a parking spot and approached a stop sign. The brakes suddenly became extremely mushy and the brake peddle went all the way to the floor. I didn't notice an issue when I pulled out of the parking spot. I was unable to continue driving as the brakes were not usable. I had the car towed to the dealer and they indicated the brake booster and vacuum pump failed due to "normal wear and tear". The vehicle was purchased at, and always maintained at our local Volvo dealer. Luckily no accident occurred.”
NHTSA complaint #11515761, 2023
Steering 1
“TL* THE CONTACT OWNS A 2017 VOLVO XC60. THE CONTACT STATED THAT THE STEERING WHEEL FAILED TO TURN. THE VEHICLE WAS TAKEN TO SMOLISH VOLVO (20360 GRANDVIEW DRIVE BEND, OREGON 97701, (541)-639-3005) TO BE DIAGNOSED. THE DEALER REPLACED THE STEERING WHEEL COMPUTER SENSOR, THE STEERING WHEEL RACK, AND THE STEERING WHEEL FLUID RESERVOIR; HOWEVER, THE REPAIRS DID NOT CORRECT THE FAILURE. THE MANUFACTURER WAS CONTACTED AND PROVIDED CASE NUMBER: 191112-000964. THE VEHICLE WAS NOT REPAIRED. THE APPROXIMATE FAILURE MILEAGE WAS 20,000.”
NHTSA complaint #11288234, 2019
Structure 1 1 crash 1 injury
“I WAS T-BONED BY ANOTHER SUV IN THE DRIVER'S DOOR, DAMAGING FRONT & REAR DOORS, FRONT PANEL AND BACK PANEL. MY CAR WAS STOPPED GETTING READY TO MAKE A LEFT TURN AND THE OTHER VEHICLE STOMPED THE GAS TO MAKE A LEFT TURN AND HIT ME DIRECTLY. DOOR WOULD NOT CLOSE AFTER IMPACT AND ALL OF THESE PARTS REPLACED. AIR BAGS NEVER DEPLOYED AND INSURANCE ADJUSTER INDICATED THAT THIS MODEL VOLVO DOES NOT HAVE SIDE AIRBAGS. PLEASE ADVISE..”
NHTSA complaint #11252924, 2019 · crash · 1 injury(ies)
Tires 1
“2017 VOLVO XC60. CONSUMER STATED THAT VOLVO VEHICLES ARE UNSAFE DUE TO NO LONGER HAVING SPARE TIRES IN VEHICLES. *LD *JS”
NHTSA complaint #11374450, 2020
Vehicle Speed Control 1
“TL* THE CONTACT OWN A 2017 VOLVO XC60. THE CONTACT STATED THAT WHILE DRIVING AT VARIOUS SPEEDS, THE ACCELERATOR PEDAL WAS DEPRESSED AND THE VEHICLE SWERVED TO THE LEFT AND THE RIGHT. THE CONTACT RELEASED THE ACCELERATOR PEDAL AND THE VEHICLE OPERATED AS DESIGNED. THE VEHICLE WAS NOT TAKEN TO A DEALER NOR AN INDEPENDENT MECHANIC TO BE DIAGNOSED OR REPAIRED. THE MANUFACTURER HAD BEEN INFORMED OF FAILURE, HOWEVER NO ASSISTANCE WAS OFFERED. THE FAILURE MILEAGE WAS APPROXIMATELY 56,000.”
NHTSA complaint #11324682, 2019
How we read this (methodology)
How to read this: raw complaint totals are not a clean reliability score — a model year with more cars sold, or simply more years on the road, accumulates more complaints regardless of how good it is. So this page leans on two signals that are not distorted by sales volume: the share of complaints falling on each vehicle system (the breakdown above) and NHTSA's own crash / fire / injury / death flags. When we compare model years of the same model, we normalise by years on the road (complaints ÷ vehicle age) rather than comparing raw totals. Age-normalised, the 2017 Volvo XC60 draws about 1.5 complaints per year on the road, ranking 7 of 8 among the Volvo XC60 model years we have ingested (1 = most complaints per year on road).
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Related
Data source: U.S. NHTSA (nhtsa.gov). SaveVIN surfaces public recall data and is not affiliated with or endorsed by NHTSA.