Brakes , and vacuum booster, speed control I experienced a sudden acceleration phenomenon and reached speeds of 100+ mph I manipulated the brakes and the gas in order to safe my life I eventually got my speeds down but it was too late I was ejected from the vehicle and nearly died my brakes scrubbed and I pressed my brakes as hard as I could and my car continued to acceleration. The police has the vehicle and there were no warnings signs . I had just bought the vehicle and was on my way home from the dealership never made it home
The worst 2012 Volvo S60 problems
Ranked by number of owner complaints. Mileage and cost come from what owners wrote.
Problems by type
Tap a problem to see which part fails, at what mileage and in which other years.
- Engine62
- Electrical17
- Seat belts9
- Fuel system8
- Steering8
- Body7
- Acceleration6
- Airbags6
- Brakes6
- Driver assistance5
- Transmission4
- Visibility4
- Lights3
- Locks3
- Seats1
Specific symptoms reported on the 2012 Volvo S60
Oil consumption 22Engine failure 21Stalling 15Check engine light 14Door locks 7Knocking 6
Recalls 8
Seat belts: front
- What is wrong
- Volvo Cars of N.A., LLC (Volvo) is recalling certain 2008-2016 V70 and XC70, 2007-2016 S80, 2011-2018 S60 and V60, 2016-2018 S60 Cross Country, 2014-2020 S60L, 2009-2015 S80L, 2009-2016 XC60 and 2015-2018 V60 Cross Country vehicles. The flexible steel cable that connects the seat belt to the front outboard seating positions may fatigue over time, causing the seat belt to not secure the occupant in the event of a crash.
- Risk
- An unsecured occupant has an increased risk of injury in the event of a crash.
- Remedy
- Volvo will notify owners, and dealers will replace the seat belt anchor cable for both front seats. The recall began December 10, 2020. Owners may contact Volvo customer service at 1‑800‑458‑1552. Volvo's number for this recall is R10029.
Recall number 20V378000 · Recall details
Latches/locks/linkages: doors: latch
- What is wrong
- Volvo Car of USA LLC (Volvo) is recalling certain 2011-2017 S60, S60I, V60, S60CC and V60CC vehicles. A component within the door latches may break, making the doors difficult to latch and/or leading the driver or a passenger to believe a door is securely closed when, in fact, it is not.
- Risk
- A door that is not securely latched could open while the vehicle is in motion, increasing the risk of injury to a vehicle occupant.
- Remedy
- Volvo will notify owners, and dealers will replace all four door latches, free of charge. The recall began April 9, 2020. Owners may contact Volvo customer service at 1‑800‑458‑1552. Volvo's number for this recall is R89978.
Recall number 19V849000 · Recall details
Engine and engine cooling: engine
- What is wrong
- Volvo Cars of North America, LLC (Volvo) is recalling certain model year 2011-2012 S60 vehicles manufactured June 22, 2010, through May 14, 2012, and equipped with 5-cylinder B5254T5 (VIN code 62) engines. In the affected vehicles, the vehicle may not alert the driver of a low oil pressure situation.
- Risk
- Without being warned of a low oil pressure situation, the driver may continue to drive the vehicle until it stalls, which increases the risk of a crash.
- Remedy
- Volvo will notify owners, and dealers will update the vehicle's software so that the driver is alerted should there be a low oil pressure situation, free of charge. The recall began on January 10, 2014. Owners may contact Volvo at 1‑800‑458‑1552. Volvo's number for this campaign is R29436.
Recall number 13V592000 · Recall details
Structure: body
- What is wrong
- Volvo is recalling certain model year 2012 s60 and xc60 passenger vehicles. An incorrect mixture of underbody coating and over-application can result in rigid, icicle-like areas hanging from vehicles undercarriage.
- Risk
- If this condition exists, the underbody coating may penetrate the fuels lines and cause fuel leakage, increasing the risk of a fire.
- Remedy
- Dealers will inspect the vehicle undercarriage, and if excessive underbody coating is found in the fuel line area, it will be removed. If the inspection reveals that the fuel lines are damaged, they will be replaced. The safety recall began on april 25, 2012. Owners may contact volvo customer care center at 1‑800‑458‑1552.
Recall number 12V101000 · Recall details
Electrical system: wiring
- What is wrong
- Volvo is recalling certain model year 2012 s60, xc60, s80 and xc70 vehicles manufactured from may 16, 2011, through october 6, 2011. In these vehicles, the wire harness under the front seats may have not been attached properly to the seat frame. As a result, when the seats are moved to adjust the seating position, the wire harness may get pulled, causing it to disconnect.
- Risk
- In the event of crash, the front and/or side impact air bags may deploy improperly or not at all, increasing the risk of injury. Also, the lap belt pretensioner may not deploy.
- Remedy
- Volvo will notify owners, and dealers will inspect and, if necessary, secure the seat wire harness. This service will be performed free of charge. The safety recall began on april 12, 2012. Owners may contact volvo cars at 1‑800‑458‑1552.
Recall number 12V075000 · Recall details
Equipment: other: labels
- What is wrong
- Volvo is recalling certain model year 2006-2012 c70 vehicles manufactured from november 15, 2005, through july 31, 2011, and model year 2011-2012 s60 vehicles manufactured from july 14, 2010, through april 16, 2011, that were equipped with optional accessory spare tire kit. These vehicles fail to comply with the requirements of federal motor vehicle safety standard number. 110, "tire selection and rims." these vehicles do not contain the correct information for vehicles equipped with the optional accessory spare tire and wheel kit.
- Risk
- A misprinted label could lead to improper tire inflation which could result in a tire failure, increasing the risk of a crash.
- Remedy
- Volvo will notify owners and dealers will inspect the vehicle and install the label as necessary, free of charge. The safety recall began on february 23, 2012. Owners may contact volvo at 1‑201‑768‑7300.
Recall number 11V508000 · Recall details
Fuel system, gasoline: delivery: hoses, lines/piping, and fittings
- What is wrong
- Volvo is recalling certain model year 2012 s60 passenger cars manufactured from january 18, 2011, through january 28, 2011. The male part of the fuel line quick connector end shape was produced with dimensions out of specification, leading to excessive assembly force on the female connector assembly and the possibility that the locking function may not be engaged.
- Risk
- If a vehicle exhibits this condition, the fuel line quick connector may detach and the engine may stall, increasing the risk of a crash. The customer may also notice a fuel smell and leakage. A fuel leak in the presence of an ignition source could result in a fire.
- Remedy
- Volvo dealers will replace the fuel lines free of charge. The safety recall began on june 24, 2011. Owners may contact volvo at 1‑201‑768‑7300.
Recall number 11V311000 · Recall details
Fuel system, gasoline: delivery: fuel pump
- What is wrong
- Volvo is recalling certain model year 2012 s60 passenger cars manufactured from november 18, 2010, through may 5, 2011. The software for the fuel pump units may not be compatible with all fuel pumps and components resulting in insufficient fuel transfer in the pump unit.
- Risk
- Under certain driving conditions, there may be engine hesitation and possible engine stall even though the fuel gauge indicates up to 1/4 of the fuel is left in the tank. This condition increases the risk of a vehicle crash.
- Remedy
- Volvo will notify owners and dealers will upgrade the engine control module software, free of charge. The safety recall began on july 1, 2011. Owners may contact volvo at 1‑201‑768‑7300.
Recall number 11V303000 · Recall details
Technical service bulletins for the 2012 Volvo S60 268
Bulletins tell dealers how to fix known problems. A warranty extension means the manufacturer pays for that repair for longer.
- This is a Technical Journal: Text plus 2 PDFs and 1 .PNG Oil Consumption test
- This is a TJ text only
- This is a Technical Journal
- This is a Technical Journal: Remote connection, BOMGAR application
- Volvo Cars USA LLC and Volvo Car Canada LTD on behalf of the Volvo Car Corporation has decided to launch...
- This is a Technical Journal: Vehicle/Connectivity report checklist
- Information about valid Software partnumbers to order and download Software for "PDS" Pre-Delivery Service
- This is a Technical Journal: 12V Battery Testing Method
- Complimentary upgrade C00009 description.
- Rubber cushion
2012 Volvo S60 fuel economy
Official EPA estimates in miles per gallon (MPGe for electric). Ranges cover trims that share the same engine.
| Engine | Drive | City | Highway | Combined |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2.5L 5‑cyl | FWD | 20 | 30 | 23 |
| 3.0L 6‑cyl | AWD | 18 | 26 | 21 |
What 2012 Volvo S60 owners say
Most recent owner complaints, unedited.
The driver's side seat airbag system failed. Specifically, diagnostic trouble code SRS-B002011 was retrieved, indicating a circuit short to ground in the left side airbag deployment control system. The technician found a broken clip on the airbag connector housing, causing an intermittent connection failure between the connector and the seat airbag itself. The airbag cannot be relied upon to deploy in a crash. The vehicle is available for inspection upon request. I purchased this vehicle on May 10, 2026, and drove it as my primary means of transportation. During that time, the driver's side seat airbag was non-functional due to a circuit short to ground and a broken connector housing. Had I been involved in a collision during that period, the driver's side airbag may not have deployed, significantly increasing the risk of serious injury or death. I was not informed of this defect at the time of purchase and had no knowledge that the airbag system was compromised. I drove the vehicle believing it to be equipped with functioning safety systems. The defect was confirmed by Volvo Cars Tacoma (O'Brien Auto Group), a franchised manufacturer-certified Volvo dealership in Tacoma. Technician #2101608 performed a comprehensive inspection using Volvo's proprietary VIDA diagnostic system dated May 16–30, 2026. The inspection retrieved diagnostic trouble code SRS-B002011 confirming a circuit short to ground in the left side airbag deployment control system, and physically identified a broken clip on the airbag connector housing. The technician documented: "There is likely an intermittent failure at the connection between the airbag connector and the seat airbag itself. Need to start with replacement of airbag and repin connector." The check engine light illuminated within days of my purchase. This prompted me to bring the vehicle to Volvo Cars Tacoma on May 16, 2026 — six days after purchase. I personally did not observe an SRS warning light.
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.
At temperatures around 90* and higher the rear camera flickers and is unusable. This happens without any warning and when vehicle attempting to reverse.
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.
While driving or parked water is dripping down my window shield. This obstructs my view and distracts me from driving. It further distracts my driving if I have to wipe away the water which usually leads to smearing which causes further obstruction to my field of vision.
original windshield never replaced unglueing to the point where you can push the glass and have it move and minor seepage of water
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 the federal safety agency 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.
Compare the 2012 Volvo S60
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Questions about the 2012 Volvo S60
Is the 2012 Volvo S60 reliable?
Owners have filed 121 complaints about the 2012 Volvo S60, 4.8 times a typical S60 model year. It is one of the years we flag to avoid.
What is the 2012 Volvo S60 year score?
The 2012 Volvo S60 scores 9 out of 100 (poor). The score compares it with the other model years of the Volvo S60: 75 is a typical year, 50 means twice the usual complaints, and serious complaints and recalls lower it.
What is the most common problem with the 2012 Volvo S60?
Engine and cooling, with 62 complaints, typically around 86,000 miles. Next is electrical (17).
How many recalls does the 2012 Volvo S60 have?
8 recalls, covering seat belts, latches/locks/linkages and engine and engine cooling.
Was there a recall on the 2012 Volvo S60 engine?
Yes, 1 recall: 13V592000. Check your VIN to see if your car still needs the free repair.
What year does the Volvo S60 have bad engine?
The Volvo S60 model years with the most engine complaints are 2004 (85 complaints), 2012 (62 complaints) and 2013 (37 complaints).
Is there a class action lawsuit over the Volvo S60?
Yes. New class action says Volvo's Google-based infotainment screens freeze and take climate and rearview camera with them (November 9, 2026).
What gas mileage does the 2012 Volvo S60 get?
Official estimates for the 2012 Volvo S60 range from 21 to 23 mpg combined. The most efficient version (2.5L 5-cyl, FWD) gets 20 city and 30 highway.
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