The vehicle is experiencing repeated, unpredictable engine stalling while in motion and under active acceleration. The engine cuts out completely within 15–30 seconds or after several minutes of driving, without displaying any check-engine lights or diagnostic warning messages. This presents an immediate, severe safety hazard to the driver, passengers, and surrounding motorists on public roads. The vehicle is currently grounded as it is unsafe to operate.
2021 Volvo XC60: check engine light
6 of the 50 complaints about the 2021 Volvo XC60 describe check engine light.
- owner complaints
- 6
- of this car's complaints
- 12%
- recalls
- 0
Check engine light by model year
- 20251
- 20231
- 20222
- 20216
- 20202
- 20192
- 20182
- 20161
- 20152
- 20122
- 20101
What owners say
My SUV has a had the check engine light on from a failed battery cell for my 2021 grey Volvo XC60 recharge (VIN [XXX]). I have been without the electric functionality (to charge the hybrid car or use electric power) since mid December and waiting on a warranty part since Dec. 23, 2025. I have been told April 2026 and then August 2026 for this warranty issue that both the dealership and Volvo corporate have agreed is under warranty and needs replaced to make the car functional as intended. They claim the part as been backordered for the entire 8 months. INFORMATION REDACTED PURSUANT TO THE FREEDOM OF INFORMATION ACT (FOIA), 5 U.S.C. 552(B)(6)
Serpentine belt failure at 70K miles. Was driving back home when I felt the traction misbehaving and the check engine light came on. Was able to get home safely and brought the car to the garage the next open day. During inspection, serpentine belt was found missing 1 rib and was caught in splash fan. Had to pay almost $1000 to replace it as insurance had run out a couple months prior. Volvo tech said it was almost surely a defect in the belt as these last typically ~150k miles and they had seen other such recent cases of early failure. I was not happy having to pay to replace a defective part which moreover was about to catastrophically fail, destroying my engine/traction and potentially hurting me. Thankfully the check engine light, which was apparently unrelated (oxygen sensor which needed to be replaced for another $1000) brought me to the garage before the accident happened.
The contact owns a 2021 Volvo XC60. The contact stated while driving at an undisclosed speed, the vehicle inadvertently lost motive power. The contact pulled over to the shoulder, and the vehicle continuously turned on and off independently. The check engine warning light was illuminated. The vehicle was towed to the dealer, who determined that the auxiliary battery power was low and that the vehicle needed a software update. The vehicle was repaired. The manufacturer was notified of the failure, and a case was opened. The failure mileage was 18,000.
August 23rd, 2024, the car started hesitating when gas was applied. The transmission light came on, then the parking brake light came on saying it was turned off, the check engine light came on, the volvo on call light came on, and the car wouldnt turn off. I moved the shift into different gears, and was able to turn the car off. I waited a while and started the car again. This time the on call, and check engine light stayed on. I called the dealership, was told it was probably a low battery. Had me come in Monday the 26th to have it checked. But Saturday the car wouldn't start right away, and all the warning lights came back on and wouldn't shift gears. Had to call AAA to have it towed. Got a call from the dealership Monday August 26th. Was told they were testing the battery to see if it fails so they could replace it under warranty. They ended up replacing the battery, and told me there was a lot of water in the trunk under the spare tire, where the battery for the on call is located. Said there was a gap in the sunroof weather stripping where tree debris probably clogged the drain pipes. They cleaned that out, and replaced the sunroof weather stripping which was under warrenty. But I was told the water and clogged pipe was not under warrenty, and had to pay for that? September 6th, 30k service and check the on call light that never went off. They found 1.5 inches of water under my front carpet and will be checking for electrical damage and corrosion. They told me this is not covered under the warranty and advised to call my insurance. My safety concern is future electrical issues/ failures while driving. At any time something could malfunction. Thats a huge safety concern and not feeling safe to drive the car. There is nothing about this huge problem in the warranty or maintenance to check the drains !!! September 9th I will call the claims department and notify the adjuster. Also call back the dealership. Prior to this I've had no problems with the car.
While driving, lost power very suddenly. A turtle comes across the dash. My vehicle wouldn’t start for roughly 20 minutes. After the 20 minutes, it starts up, but the check engine light is on. Nervous that my car isn’t safe to drive, I contact corporate Volvo, since there is NO information in the manual for what this means- they told me to contact my local. So I call them and they state it’s safe to drive and they could get me into the schedule 3 weeks out…. Then, I get to my appointment and they then tell me my brakes and rotators are completely shot at 42,000 miles.
Service bulletins that may apply
- This is a Technical Journal: Text plus 2 PDFs and 1 .PNG Oil Consumption test
- This is a Technical Journal: CEL with DTC ECM P001100, P001200, P001400, P001500
- PHEV Intermittent Start of the Combustion Engine in Hybrid or Pure Mode
- Creaking noise from right engine pad
- PHEV Intermittent Start of the Combustion Engine in Hybrid
- Electrical motor sound information
- Engine Control Module (EMS) Software (MSW) Information – August 2022; Improvement List (Change Log)
- Use for new vehicles (US21+OBD22
Related recalls
No recalls on record for this model year.
Questions about the 2021 Volvo XC60 check engine light
Is check engine light a common problem on the 2021 Volvo XC60?
6 of 50 owner complaints about the 2021 Volvo XC60 (12%) mention check engine light. The model year with the most reports is 2021.
Is there a recall or service bulletin for this on the 2021 Volvo XC60?
There are 0 recalls and 25 service bulletins for the same area of the car. Check them below with your VIN.
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