2023 Volvo XC60 Electrical System Problems

3rd time driving our Volvo on the road and having the automatic emergency brake engage too early or in this instance, with no vehicle in front of us. We have been dealing with issues related to the safety systems and error messages in our Volvo related to “blind spot”, “automatic emergency braking”, and sensor failures or errors since having our vehicle leased since 2023. It has been in the shop MULTIPLE times to have sensors replaced only for errors to come back. Our system current says to clean the front sensors even though there is no debris on them. We also experienced this errors while driving 2025 loaner models with our vehicle in for repairs. We feel unsafe in our vehicle and can’t rely on the safety systems. We have also experienced the entire auto system failing in our car multiple times. This leads to any sounds system including emergency warnings to turn signals from not producing ANY sounds.

There has been at least 5 incidences where the audio stopped working for the turn signals, navigation stopped, radio stopped and air conditioning stopped. The first 2-3 times the system reset itself. The 4th incident I was driving in torrential rain, the wiper auto sensor stopped and every warning light on the dashboard lit up. As the rain dissipated, the system seemed to clear itself. Today, on my way to the dealership, the turn signal audio stopped, navigation stopped, radio stopped. The service advisor verified the situation. His response, per Volvo instructions, tell the customer to reset the system once a month. There's no written instructions to resolve the problem. The service advisor admitted this is an ongoing problem and corporate is making no attempt to resolve it. Is Volvo waiting for a life threatening situation before addressing the problem. I can't rely upon the computer system to function properly. Volvo has a responsibility to its car owners for supposedly being one of the safest cars on the road. This vehicle is becoming unreliable. Thank you.

We’ve owned a couple of the XC60s from the new generation. We have had many conversations with Volvo and the dealership but they have yet to rectify the issue. What it all boils down to, is that Volvo put an underperforming center console in its new generation of cars (2016-2025). The console does not have enough memory to process everything it’s doing. As a result it locks up and either freezes or shuts off. The problem is the console operates everything in the car. When it fails everything goes dark including the dash. The safety features turn off and you are essentially driving blind. We have had this issue on so many of our cars: 2018 XC60 which was replaced with a 2019 XC90 to avoid lemon law. The 2019 xc90 had the issues. We have been leasing and are stuck in this cycle because Volvo refuses to address the hardware issue. Instead we are forced to either drive a car with a dead brain or trade in for another Volvo. Volvo keeps thinking it can solve the issue with software updates but that’s not true. They need to do a RAM upgrade for these cars. We know we are not the only ones with these issues and the advice of “just reboot” or “don’t use the apps” or “don’t use the crash mitigation features” does not work. We specifically picked Volvo for safety but enough is enough. Our car is undriveable and from our sample size alone 6 out of 6 new generation cars have had this issue. The console shutting down sometimes takes out the virtual cockpit too. Meaning no speed is displayed, the car may try to mitigate crashes erratically, the heating and cooling will also not function. To put it plainly, the car turns into a flying brick. I feel very fortunate that this has not caused a crash yet.

For more than a year, we have experienced issues with the infotainment system. Despite many trips to the dealership it has not been fixed. The infotainment system randomly shuts down and or reboots, which seems to affect other systems like turn signals, climate control, lane departure alerts, etc.

On November 11, 2023 @ between 10:30 and noon, the vehicle infotainment system completely failed. The screen went blank and functions for heat, radio, navigation, cameras, indicator lights in the mirror and the ability to call Volvo emergency services were all lost. A message on the screen said, "Stop the vehicle. This vehicle's infotainment system has encountered a problem. You can reboot or reset factory settings. If this doesn't help, please contact a workshop." This is the second such failure. The first occurred on September 22, 2023. I filed a report with Volvo (REF#[XXX]), and repairs were effected at a local dealer in Maryland. INFORMATION REDACTED PURSUANT TO THE FREEDOM OF INFORMATION ACT (FOIA), 5 U.S.C. 552(B)(6)

System/Component Malfunction: Systemic failure of the onboard computer (Infotainment/Connectivity Module) and Advanced Driver Assistance Systems (ADAS), specifically the Collision Avoidance/Auto-Braking system, Rear-view Camera (FMVSS 111 non-compliance), and the 12V Battery management system. All components remain in the vehicle and are available for inspection. Safety Risk: The vehicle exhibits frequent "phantom braking" where the emergency collision avoidance system abruptly activates without obstacles present, creating an immediate risk of collisions. Additionally, the "hands-on steering wheel" sensor malfunctions, triggering emergency stopping procedures while driving. The backup camera intermittently fails (black screen), causing a total loss of rear visibility. These issues lead to unpredictable vehicle behavior in high-speed traffic. Confirmation & Inspection: These issues began to be reported to an authorized Volvo dealer within the first year of ownership (2022-2023). Most recently, a total vehicle failure occurred due to a drained 12V battery, which the dealer service department confirmed was caused by a known software module defect. Despite multiple "software updates" by the manufacturer, the safety-critical ADAS malfunctions (phantom braking) have recurred three times in the last week following the most recent dealer service.

After not driving for several months, both batteries in my 2023 XC 60 failed to function. Volvo replaced both batteries. Two weeks later, the car did not recognize the key. The dealer replaced the smaller battery for a second time and updated the software. At the moment, it still works.

I've had my Volvo for 6 months and two weeks ago I started getting warning alerts that the braking system, lane departure system and other electrical systems were having issues (the doors wouldn't lock and car wouldn't start). I've taken the car to the Volvo dealership 3 times and they have been unsuccessful in determining what the issue is. There is something wrong with the software and a software update that was installed on my car at the first service visit (when this began happening 2 weeks ago).

Now on TWO occasions found car completely without power after sitting unused for 2 or 3 days. On both occasions car plugged into Level 2 charger overnight (this is a plug in hybrid model). Required jump start after having to use emergency key to get inside. After jumpstart, received numerous propulsion system errors as well as on first incident, errors saying SOS communication system disabled. Dealer replaced TCAM battery with fresh one stating that computer tries to do updates and drains battery, and dealer lot has occasional dead cars with similar issue. On second incident, car moved into “turtle” limp home mode with critical 12V charging messages. In both instances, car was in a conditioned garage around 48 degrees. Hybrid battery was 100% charged in both cases. Concerned there is a batter drain due to TCAM or main software systems. This is more than inconvenience - this could be a real danger to have a car that may not start reliably after sitting for 48 hours, such as an airport or other setting where getting help is difficult. Limp home mode is driving hazard. There are multiple instances of this on Volvo websites that seems to impact multiple T8 models with a plug in hybrid power train and Google AAOS infotainment/car system architecture. Please help!

The contact owns a 2023 Volvo XC60. The contact stated upon shifting into park (P), the gear shift indicator light displayed that the transmission was in park (P); however, the vehicle continued to roll. The contact stated that he continuously pressed the park (P) button until the vehicle responded. There was no warning light illuminated. Additionally, the contact stated while driving at various speeds with adaptive cruise control (ACC) mode engaged, the steering wheel independently pulled to the right aggressively. The contact stated that he used physical strength to pull the steering wheel back to the left; however, the steering wheel failed to return to the center position and continuously turned to the left, then to the right. The contact also stated that while driving with auto centering feature activated, the vehicle was driving from side to side. The vehicle was taken to the dealer, where an unknown software upgrade was performed. Additionally, the contact received an unknown notice for mandatory software update. The contact stated that the software update was performed; however, the failure worsened. The vehicle was not repaired. The manufacturer was not notified of the failure. The failure mileage was approximately 400.

Problem with the 12v batteru charging faulty. Took to it the dealer but said its common with undriven vehciles. My car sat in the garage for 1day and got this error message when started for a trip. Speed has been limited to 3mph. Not able to use the car. Searched and verified lot of fourms about volvo this is know issue with xc60B5 engines. But dealers are nt acknowledging this issue.

I have a 1 month old 2023 XC60 T8 phev recharge extended range with 1250 miles on it. I was driving without any issues for the past 1 months. I got a turtle icon with the check engine light on constant when I started driving today. The car had pulled back while driving and there was substantial diminished power, and could be dangerous in the wrong circumstances. I called Volvo and they explained not to drive the car and towed the car to the nearby Volvo dealership. Waiting on diagnosis 2 days now. I've now noticed other vehicles of the same type are having the same issues. This does not seem to be normal for a cars operation to have random diminished power. Website showing this to be a problem with these models from different years without any definitive resolution: https://www.swedespeed.com/threads/2022-xc90-recharge-extended-range-turtle-icon-check-engine-light.657482/

The contact owns a 2023 Volvo XC60. The contact stated that the vehicle failed to recognize the key fob. Due to the failure, the vehicle failed to start after multiple attempts with the key fob message displayed and a warning chime was heard. The contact also stated that the coolant warning light was illuminated. The contact had taken the vehicle to the dealer and the thermostat was replaced the vehicle and the warning light disappeared. The contact stated that despite a software update being performed, the key fob failure persisted. The manufacturer was not notified of the failure. The vehicle was not repaired. The failure mileage was approximately 300. The contact stated that the manufacturer was notified and will not buy the vehicle back. The service dealer is unable to replicate the issue and therefore have no solution to the problem. The contact feels as though the vehicle is unsafe to drive.

When I go to start the car the car does not start....a warning comes on saying "vehicle key not being detected" see owners manual The key is sitting on the console when I start it. It took me 3 times before it started . I left a gym in the morning hours and it wouldn't start when I came out ...same warning came on.. This has happened 4 times in a 3 month period. Has been in service 4 times. This is a big safety issue I don't want to keep driving this car it cannot be trusted. it's not reliable. When it's in service they cannot replicate it and they told me the first time it was the battery .The next time they said it may need an update . They just don't know. Brought it in 4 th time , now they're saying the Farb goes into sleep mode and thats why it doesn't start the car!!! that so untrue. They looking for things because they can't find a fix. It"s inconsistent . I'm afraid I am going to be stranded somewhere . I have a baby in the car and on the road alot going long distances . this is outrageous NOT SAFE ! INSPECTED BY SERVICE AND THEY CONFER WITH VOLVO. THE COOLANT LIGHT CAME ON IN THE FIRST WEEK AND THEY HAD TO CHANGE OUT THE THERMOSAT. THE AIR BAG WARNING LIGHT CAME ON RECENTLY . THESE PROBLEMS DON'T REPLICATE FOR SERVICE BUT I HAVE VIDEOS AND PICS . I AM LOOKING FOR A BUY BACK AND MY DOWNPAYMENT BACK THIS IS SO STRESSFUL AND SO MANY INCONVENIENCES FOR A BRAND NEW CaR CANNOT BE TRUSTED.

The headlights malfunctioned two weeks after I purchased the vehicle. The center control panel electronics that controls heating and cooling, the phone, etc failed suddenly and without warning while I was on the highway. There have been multiple problems with this vehicle since I purchased it on September 19. It has been in the shop for about 15 days. A propulsion system warning appeared without warning while I was driving the car. The battery drained for unknown reasons while plugged in to charge. This is not a safe car. It is controlled by an electronics system and software that are not reliable, leaving me at risk of being in an accident or stranded somewhere. I have read that some of these vehicles go into "turtle mode" and won't go over about 5mph after the propulsion system warning has appeared. I do not want to be driving this on a highway and lose all acceleration. I do not want to stop at a rest stop at night and have my car not start. There is clearly something quite wrong with the operating software and electronics that this vehicle depends upon. It is quite apparent that Volvo's nascent software development team has adopted the "move fast and break things" philosophy espoused by many software companies. The key distinction here is that when my computer software crashes, I am sitting at my desk chair. With an automobile, the crash could very well happen at 65 mph or with me stuck in some remote location. The idea that Volvo would roll out a product so miserably deficient of basic capabilities is mendacious.