NHTSA — Engine Problems

2012 Volvo S60 (Page 1 of 3)

10.0

really awful
Crashes / Fires:
1 / 0
Injuries / Deaths:
0 / 0
Average Mileage:
72,412 miles

About These NHTSA Complaints:

This data is from the NHTSA — the US gov't agency tasked with vehicle safety. Complaints are spread across multiple & redundant categories, & are not organized by problem.

So how do you find out what problems are occurring? For this NHTSA complaint data, the only way is to read through the comments below. Any duplicates or errors? It's not us.

2012 Volvo S60 engine problems

engine problem

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2012 Volvo S60 Owner Comments (Page 1 of 3)

problem #59

Sep 012023

S60

  • miles

A D V E R T I S E M E N T S

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.

- Edmonton, AL, USA

problem #58

Feb 012023

S60

  • 80,000 miles
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.

- Jersey City, NJ, USA

problem #57

Jun 062023

S60

  • miles
On June 2, 2023 I went to start my car and the engine would not turn over. The dashboard displayed a number of warning lights and messages (DSTC Service Required, SRS Airbag Service Urgent, Transmission Service Required, Coolant System Service Required). When the tow truck driver arrived later that day, they tried to jumpstart my car but reported the battery was completely dead. I had the car taken to a local shop that specialized in Volvo cars. A few days later the shop called to tell me that not only was the battery dead, but my car key was no longer responding, and that the Engine Control Module "exploded." None of the mechanics at the shop had seen such a thing before. The shop also told me that they could not figure out what had been draining the battery. I was advised to reach out to the dealership. I did and happened to meet with the general manager and a lead technician who happened to be on site. I was told that while rare, the Engine Control Module can "explode." I was willing to drop the matter until I started seeing "Low Battery" warnings in early Sept. of 2023. I was finally able to get the car into the dealership on 1/2/24. After talking with the mechanic, he suggested that the satellite radio in my car was continuously draining my battery and to resolve the problem all they would need to do is download new software. A few hours later the mechanic confirmed that my car needed an RDAR upgrade to stop the battery drainage. I do not understand how the dealership could sell me the car without checking to make sure the software had been upgraded in the first place. RDAR failure is not something that pops up as a recall or major safety concern. If the car had lost power while in motion, there could have been serious consequences.

- Richmond, CA, USA

problem #56

Oct 022023

S60

  • miles

A D V E R T I S E M E N T S

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.

- Elizabeth Cty, NC, USA

problem #55

Nov 202023

S60

  • 62,000 miles
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.

- Buena Park, CA, USA

problem #54

Jun 012023

S60

  • miles
I bought used s60 and sent car to auto shop due to engine seize. I was told The engine needed to be replaced. I has replacement done. Car ran good and I was pleased. Months later, the vehicle made a clicking noise when I arrived home. When I checked the oil the following morning, there was no oil in car. I was never given a low oil level indication or warning. Now car is making crazy tapping sounds. i

- Houston, TX, USA

problem #53

Dec 012021

S60

  • miles

A D V E R T I S E M E N T S

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.

- Rochester, NH, USA

problem #52

Feb 112022

S60

  • miles
My wife and I were driving to BWI airport for a 10:30am flight from Virginia Beach in the Express Lane on I-95N going 75mph when all of a sudden at 8:30am the engine seized and I got a message telling me I would experience "Reduced Engine Performance" as my car puttered to a stop with white smoke pouring out of the exhaust. Prior to this message I had no warnings or messages on my dashboard. I got out of my car to check my oil and it was completely evaporated, so I called AAA. While we are 1 hour into waiting (it is now 9:30am) on the narrow shoulder of two Express Lanes for a tow truck to take our car to a shop at 11:40am and for a Lyft driver to figure out how to get to us, two VDOT employees told us we had to move our car by 11am otherwise the state police will tow us. I managed to call a local tow company who finally arrived by 10:55am, so we had been stranded in an Express Lane watching cars fly by at 85mph for almost 2 and a half hours before we were able to move. After the first shop took a look and told me the engine was damaged and that they couldn't replace it, I had it towed to a Volvo dealership. 5 days and a $375 diagnostic later, they find that the turbocharger has an internal oil leak and that this and the catalytic converter would have to be replaced for $6k. Aside from now being carless 4 hours from the dealership and missing my wife's birthday celebration without refund, I now have a $6,375 bill that I had no way of preventing due to a manufacturing design flaw in 2012 Volvo S60 T5. I SHOULD have been warned of a low oil situation so I could have at least pulled over and properly tended to it. I SHOULD NOT have to be liable for a Volvo design flaw that may involve faulty piston rings that has apparently affected countless others. This incident put both my wife and I in danger on an Express Lane on a very busy highway. Volvo needs to be accountable for this design flaw.

- Virginia Beach, VA, USA

problem #51

Feb 012022

S60

  • miles
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.

- San Antonio, TX, USA

problem #50

Dec 012021

S60 5-cyl

  • miles
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).

- Rochester, NH, USA

problem #49

Jun 302021

S60

  • 133,000 miles

A D V E R T I S E M E N T S

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.

- Salley, SC, USA

problem #48

Apr 082021

S60

  • miles
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

- Lake Elsinore , CA, USA

problem #47

Jul 062021

S60 5-cyl

  • miles
I was driving on my way back home. When my car started to knock. As I was slowing down to pull over. My oil pressure light came on. Granted, the reason was unknown. I had just recently checked the oil level. I got out to check the dipstick to find smoke coming out where the dipstick was. Curious as I was, I had no oil which left me puzzled. After some research, I found that my car had a recall on it for oil consumption. I called and asked a rep if they could verify if my vehicle was serviced for the issue. But without a doubt, he said it was. I just want to know if the problem was fixed. I currently can't crank my vehicle. I even dug into it myself and found that I had a bad starter nd battery. After replacing the two. I still can't get my vehicle to turn over. Any help would be much appreciated. Thank you, [XXX] INFORMATION Redacted PURSUANT TO THE FREEDOM OF INFORMATION ACT (FOIA), 5 U.S.C. 552(B)(6).

- Columbia, SC, USA

problem #46

May 312021

S60

  • miles
I was on my was home from work and I Engine Started to malfunction In the middle of the street I got help to push out of the street waited a few minutes and it started back up thank God it got me home but now I-??m still having problems

- Chicago , IL, USA

problem #45

Mar 102021

S60

  • 101,000 miles
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.

- Saukvillage, IL, USA

problem #44

Jan 162021

S60

  • 105,000 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.

- Shaker Heights, OH, USA

problem #43

Aug 132020

S60

  • 130,000 miles
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.

- Grovetown, GA, USA

problem #42

Nov 252020

S60

  • 60,000 miles
Car never warned of low pressure or oil low. Car started to shimmy and blow white smoke. It can no longer be driven. Piston heads blew due to lack of lubrication.will cost approx 7 to 8 thousand to fix.

- Union City, NJ, USA

problem #41

Dec 152020

S60

  • 136,000 miles
As I approached a red light I began to slow down and my car started to shake and then it turned off I was unable to turn on my hazards to warn other drivers or pull over to the side, after a couple seconds the lights came back on and I put the car in P and started it again. It happened again later on the same day.

- New Britain, CT, USA

problem #40

Jun 162020

S60

  • 151,031 miles
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.

- Marlton, NJ, USA

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