2012 Volvo S60: excessive oil consumption

Filed Apr 22, 2026 · Engine · GA

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.

Filed Jul 7, 2024 · Engine · AL

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.

Filed Feb 7, 2024 · Engine · 137,000 miles · NC

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.

Filed Oct 6, 2023 · Engine · TX

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

Filed Dec 17, 2021 · Engine · NH

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; the federal safety agency 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).

Filed Jul 13, 2021 · Engine · SC

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).

Filed Jan 21, 2021 · Engine · 105,000 miles · OH

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.

Filed Jan 16, 2021 · Engine · 130,000 miles · GA

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.

Filed Nov 2, 2020 · Electrical, Engine · 103,000 miles · NC

Tl* the contact owns a 2012 volvo s60. The contact stated that while making a left or right turn, the low oil level warning light flashed on their instrument panel and disappeared. The contact added a quart of oil and approximately three weeks later while his wife was driving, she became aware of a knocking sound coming from the vehicle. The contact checked the vehicle and confirmed the knocking sound. The contact checked the dipstick and noticed that it was dry. The contact had not contacted a dealer or a certified mechanic. The manufacturer was made aware of the failure and referred the contact the local dealer for assistance. The vehicle was not repaired. The approximate failure mileage was 103,000.

Filed Feb 14, 2020 · Engine · 50,000 miles · PA

Tl* the contact owns a 2012 volvo s60. The contact stated that while driving at various speeds, the vehicle shuddered and stalled without warning. The contact stated that the vehicle experienced extreme oil consumption with the oil level warning light illuminated. The vehicle was taken to baum boulevard automotive 4741 baum blvd, pittsburgh, pa 15213 where the spark plugs and coils were replaced; however, the failure had recurred soon after. The vehicle was then towed to star volvo cars greensburg located at 5200 us-30 b, greensburg, pa 15601 where the vehicle was diagnosed with engine failure. The contact was given an estimate of $7,000.00 for the repair, which was still pending. The contact referenced the federal safety agency campaign number: 13v592000 (engine and engine cooling) as a possible solution to the failure. The vehicle was not repaired. The manufacturer was notified of the failure but offered no assistance. The failure mileage was approximately 50,000.

Filed Jan 10, 2020 · Engine · 24,000 miles · NC

Excessive oil consumption between oil change intervals. Since the purchase of this car (2/1/2016) I have used fully synthetic oil (castrol). Oil level slowly drops between scheduled oil changes. Prior to the last scheduled oil change (1/10/2020) I checked the oil it it was very dangerously low. There are not ( as certified by ase auto tech and confirmed) no external oil leaks or evidence of oil in the engine compartment. This car now has 84.000 miles on it and I'm afraid that it will damage itself even on the short commute my wife has to work. I continue to monitor the oil level now almost daily. I feel this is (daily oil check) absurd as clearly, per the owners manual, does not nor should not require checking and refilling oil this often. The car has shown this pattern of lubricant consumption since we bought it. The tailpipes have always had a heavy deposit of carbon since we bought it. I was told that "volvos run dirty' and that it was not of any concern. Now that I see a technical journel and tsb clearly indicating a problem with my specific car, this explains why. I understand the fact in 2012 volvo assembly switched motor types (62 to 63?) during midrun. Indicative of a problem or issue. I believe my auto was involved. It is the auto maker's responsibility to ensure a safe automobile with a reasonable amount of maintenance (or pm) required. The condition my wife and myself have been experiencing is clearly not normal for any auto maker and evidently has existed since it left the assembly line. I ask only for the automaker to stand behind their own tsb flaw, perform the work needed to repair or replace all part/parts needed to resolve their tsb for my auto. Thanks for your time in review.

Filed Oct 23, 2019 · Engine · 117,000 miles · FL

The car suffers from high engine consumption, engine oil runs out prior to oil change intervals with no evidence of oil leaks or oil burning). This can cause catastrophic engine failure while driving. The high oil consumption has been documented by the dealer and shared with the manufacturer. Volvo has even issued a technical journal that attributes the cause to faulty piston o-rings. Manufacturer didn't issue a recall and refuses to address the problem. There are several similar cases described in volvo forums and other social media channels, that have not received any cooperation from volvo.