10.0

really awful
Crashes / Fires:
0 / 0
Injuries / Deaths:
1 / 0
Average Mileage:
6,002 miles

About These NHTSA Complaints:

The NHTSA is the US gov't agency tasked with vehicle safety. Complaints can be spread across multiple & redundant categories, & are not organized by problem. See the Back button — blue bar at the very top of the page — to explore more.

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problem #6

Jan 042024

XC40

  • miles
My 2019 volvos' xc40 center console has been glitching and blacking out while driving. I rely on this system to navigate and when it blacks out, it does not resume operation till I restart my car. I mentioned this while getting my car serviced and was told I needed to pay a $250 fee to get my system updated and I couldn't complete the update on my own. The update can only be completed by an authorized dealer and there is a charge associated with it. This practice is negligent and unacceptable as the lack of updates results in safety concerns and is not just perk. I contacted customer service and they apologized for the inconvenience. This is not an inconvenience, it is negligent and a safety issue.

- Huntington Beach, CA, USA

problem #5

Jun 132020

XC40 4-cyl

  • 17,200 miles
Volvo's Pilot assist system disengages without any warning or alarm. This happens whenever lane markings are not visible or if the camera system is blocked by sunshine. However, in any scenario, the Pilot assist system must alert driver if it's disengaging. The system disengaged multiple times without warning when I was driving on highway with Pilot assist on and till now Volvo hasn't taken any action to fix this problem.

- San Francisco, CA, USA

problem #4

Aug 212019

XC40

  • 2,700 miles
My car has less than three thousand miles on it and was purchased in late May 2019. I was at a stop light when suddenly, I heard a loud buzz and the car stopped and started completely on its own. It happened again at the next traffic light, only this time, it kept shutting off and restarting. The dealer's service department doesn't seem to believe me, and the manufacturer has denied my request for repurchase, despite the serious safety risk this presents.

- Westfield, NJ, USA

problem #3

Apr 222019

XC40

  • 5,110 miles
The Volvo intellisafe system automatically applied the brakes when there was nothing in front of the vehicle to brake for. It has done this 8 times, 3 times after I had the car in to repair this problem. It also thought there was a rear collision eminent and tightened the seat belt so much it injured my chest and side. I was in a left turn lane and a car passed quite safely to the right of me. This intellisafe system seems to be not functioning properly. The dealer does not believe me and has not fixed it. 1st time auto braking - Sept 14 2018 while driving about 45 mph on el camino blvd, it braked hard for no reason, no traffic in front of me. 2nd time auto braking - October 3, 2018 on la jolla shores road going about 35 and no traffic in front, it hit brakes hard. 3rd time Nov. 6 2018 on el camino real going about 45 mph, no car in front and it hit brakes hard. 4th time, Jan. 19, 2019 I was approaching stoplight. While slowing it suddenly hit brakes hard for no reason. 5th time, March 4, 2019, it happened twice while driving on la jolla shores rd. Going about 35 mph it hit brakes hard almost causing the car behind me to collide with me. Had car serviced March 14, 2019 and they uploaded new software to fix problem. 7th time March 16 going 50 mph did auto braking hard and no traffic while on coast hwy. 8 time on April 22 did it two times in oceanside going 45 mph on coast hwy. Lastly, on April 23 it had rear collision alarm and tightened seat belt so hard it injured by chest and side (still hurts two days later). I was in left turn lane and car passed safely on right. Dealer service person seemed not to believe me and said to wait for regular service.

- Carlsbad, CA, USA

problem #2

Mar 272019

XC40

  • 6,000 miles
I have a new Volvo XC40 with the semi-autonomous driver assist package that can steer and control the car. The system can shut off while driving on the highway (active mode) for 2 reason: 1. driver takes hands off the steering wheel for more than 15-20 seconds 2. system cameras can not adequately capture the road lane because the lines disappear or become faint. In situation 1, after 15 seconds of no hands on the wheel, there is a dashboard warning, followed by a vibration of the steering wheel and finally as the system de-activates it gives an audible loud warning tone- very adequate precautions. In situation #2, where the system de-activates because of a failure to find the lane markers, there is no warning, tone or vibration as it shuts off. The only indication that semi-autonomous driving has ended is a dash light turning grey from green. It is extremely dangerous to have the system de-activate with no warning or tone. Even driving with hands passively on the wheel while the car is driving, it is very easy to veer off the road without knowing the system has shut itself off. I am baffled if there has not been a serious accident because of this lack of warning. All Volvo needs to do is activate the warning tone whenever they system goes from on to off, regardless of the reason. I registered a complaint in the past with Volvo, and was told it is the drivers responsibility to always have their hands on the wheel. Having your hands on the wheel as it suddenly veers off the road is not a safe situation! if going around a curve, it takes less than 1 second to be off the road and into a tree, guardrail or ditch. In the latest software update, my dealer thought this problem was addressed. However, it has not been fixed.

- Dover, MA, USA

problem #1

Feb 022019

XC40

  • 5,000 miles
Pilot assist function disengages suddenly without warning. This is different from the expected operation where the system's steering assistance will go into standby upon losing lane marking inputs. While the system does occasionally enter normal 'standby' indicated by the green steering wheel icon turning grey, it also occasionally turns off entirely without warning (including auto throttle control), which is indicated only by an unexpected deceleration and by the steering wheel icon and following distance indicators both suddenly disappearing from the indicator panel. Immediately attempting to reactivate Pilot assist will usually result in an 'unavailable' indication; however, waiting about 10 seconds will usually result in being able to reactivate full Pilot assist function. This happens both city and highway driving.

- Chicago, IL, USA