MODELYEARINDEX

Which Volvo S60 years to avoid

Across 7 scored model years, the 2012 and 2013 model years carry the highest severity-weighted complaint rates.

Ownership label · Volvo S60 Full report
F
Grade 2012–2020
2012 vs model median 2.3×
Model median3× median
Engine 9
Electrical 6
Steering 5
Avoid

2012 · 2013

Best

2014 · 2020

Year by year

Severity-weighted complaints filed in each model year’s first 60 months on the road, so every year is measured over an identical window.

Year Complaint volume vs median Reports Grade
2012
2.25× 41 F
2013
1.93× 28 D
2014
0.85× 15 B
2015
1.41× 27 C
2016
1.00× 19 C
2019
0.94× 19 C
2020
0.44× 15 B
2022 P
1.13× 28 C
2024 P
1.62× 31 D

P — provisional. These years have not completed 60 months on the road, so their totals are incomplete and they are excluded from the verdict.

What owners report

The component groups most often named, with one representative report. These are unverified — allegations, not findings.

2012 F 41 reports · median 29,550 mi

  1. Engine 9

    On the april 23, 2014, my husband was driving and the car shot out at high speed he didn't realize what happened. owner complaint filed with NHTSA

  2. Electrical 6

    The contact owns a 2012 volvo s60. The contact stated that while driving 60 MPH, there was a loss of steering control and the rear end spun uncontrollably. owner complaint filed with NHTSA

  3. Steering 5

    The steering wheel bezel delaminates on the bottom of the steering wheel and becomes very sharp causing cuts on hands. Dealer replaced the bezel and we have the same problem again. owner complaint filed with NHTSA

7 crash · 11 injuries

2013 D 28 reports · median 16,000 mi

  1. Airbags & Restraints 7

    Vehicle involved damage front and left frontal area. Speed 40-45 MPH. No frontal or side curtain air bag and curtain deployment. Failure of collision warning system and electronical indicators, ABS did not deploy. owner complaint filed with NHTSA

  2. Tires & Wheels 6

    No spare tires in new cars puts US consumers in danger you should be as deeply concerned, as I AM, of the growing trend among car manufacturers to leave out spare tires. In fact they don't even have space to carry them. owner complaint filed with NHTSA

  3. Brakes 3

    Automatic brakes came on when turning out of my neighborhood onto a main road. It's was 7am and there were no cars around me at the tome of the initial incident. There was nothing near me but empty streets. owner complaint filed with NHTSA

11 crash · 10 injuries

The best year for the S60

Ranked by overall score among years with a full 60 months on the road.

2020 is the best-scoring S60 model year with a full 60 months on the road, at 79 out of 100 — a score that combines complaint rate, recall campaigns and open investigations.

Yearvs medianReportsGrade
2020 0.44× 15 B
2014 0.85× 15 B
2019 0.94× 19 C

Recalls

22 campaigns on record.

Campaign Component Model years Units affected
25V282000 BACK OVER PREVENTION:SOFTWARE 2024 413,151
25V908000 BACK OVER PREVENTION:SOFTWARE 2024 413,151
20V378000 SEAT BELTS:FRONT 2012–2016 308,260
19V849000 LATCHES/LOCKS/LINKAGES:DOORS:LATCH 2012–2016 144,937
20V144000 FORWARD COLLISION AVOIDANCE: AUTOMATIC EMERGENCY BRAKING 2019, 2020 121,605
21V414000 ELECTRICAL SYSTEM:WIRING:FUSES AND CIRCUIT BREAKERS 2019, 2020 85,550
16V798000 SEAT BELTS:FRONT:BUCKLE ASSEMBLY 2016 74,027
12V075000 ELECTRICAL SYSTEM:WIRING 2012 32,552
13V592000 ENGINE AND ENGINE COOLING:ENGINE 2012 30,929
11V508000 EQUIPMENT:OTHER:LABELS 2012 20,611
21V682000 SEAT BELTS:FRONT:RETRACTOR 2022 19,149
22V793000 ENGINE AND ENGINE COOLING:ENGINE:ENGINE CONTROL MODULE (ECU/ECM) 2022 15,674

+ 10 further campaigns

How long do they last?

Complaint records show when problems get reported, not how long a car survives. Where owners gave an odometer reading, faults on the 2012 were reported at a median of 29,550 miles. Treat that as the point problems start being noticed, not a lifespan.

Common questions

Answered directly from this model’s record.

Which Volvo S60 years should you avoid?
2012, 2013 carry the highest severity-weighted complaint rates of any Volvo S60 model year measured over an identical 60-month window.
What is the best year for the Volvo S60?
2020 is the best-scoring Volvo S60 model year with a full 60 months on the road, at 79 out of 100. The score combines complaint rate, recall campaigns and open investigations.
How many recalls does the Volvo S60 have?
22 distinct recall campaigns are on record across all scored Volvo S60 model years. A recall is a matter of record: the manufacturer filed a defect report with NHTSA.

How this was calculated

Every model year is scored over an identical window: complaints filed with NHTSA during the first 60 months after that model year went on sale. Without this, older cars look worse purely because they have had longer to accumulate reports.

Limitations. Complaints are unverified reports submitted voluntarily by owners; they are allegations, not findings, and reporting rates vary between models. Model years with fewer than 60 months on the road are marked provisional and excluded from verdicts. Cross-model comparison is withheld pending production-volume data.

Full methodology · Sources · Data vintage August 9, 2026

Working 2012 S60
Complaints in window
41
Severity-weighted
76.5
Model median (weighted)
34
vs model median
2.25×
Recall campaigns (weighted)
8
Open investigations
0
Score 28.8 F