2023 Volvo C40BEV: complaints, problems and recalls

The cup holder sparked and starting burning after the sun reflected on a plastic water bottle placed in the cup holder, and the water bottle then reacted to the cup holder material and began smoking. This first occurred the day after purchasing the car, with the water bottle the dealership provided. It has since occurred two additional times. I notified Volvo who does not have a way to cure the defect and advised they needed to check with engineers. We have video of the smoke and burning.

Owner-reported narrative. Look up ODI 11487770 at NHTSA ↗

The hood will indicate it is latched but it only partially latches then while driving it will begin to vibrate violently

Owner-reported narrative. Look up ODI 11509738 at NHTSA ↗

Mechanical knocking sound under acceleration. Issue appears to affect other vehicles of the same model. https://www.xc40forum.com/threads/rapid-clicking-noise-under-heavy-acceleration.5551/

Owner-reported narrative. Look up ODI 11510095 at NHTSA ↗

PIRELLI Scorpion Zero AllSeason Elect 255/40 R20. Rear passenger tire developed a bulge in the sidewall due to manufacturer defect that led to a blowout while driving at highway speeds. Tire was less than two months old (as was the vehicle) with just over 2,000 miles on it. Never had any curb rash, never caught a corner of a pothole, or any other damage. In doing some research perusing Volvo-related forums such as SwedeSpeed, this specific problem seems to be a recurring issue with Pirelli Scorpion tires on C40s and XC40s -- and accordin…

Owner-reported narrative. Look up ODI 11511439 at NHTSA ↗

The contact owns a 2023 Volvo C40. The contact spilled an unknown liquid inside the trunk and leaked onto the minor and major control units. The contact took the vehicle to the local dealer, where it was diagnosed with needing the upper and lower control units to be replaced. The vehicle was not repaired. The manufacturer had been informed of the failure. The failure mileage was 1,304.

Owner-reported narrative. 1,304 miles reported. Look up ODI 11524624 at NHTSA ↗

Vehicle shakes at highway speed (62-75mph) and under heavy acceleration (highway on ramp) since 1st day of owning vehicle. Steering wheel vibrate and rear mirror shakes and is unusable. Took to dealer on 3rd day of owning car and they balanced tires and performed alignment with no improvement. Dealer stated it is a problem known to Volvo with no corrective action and they were instructed by Volvo to not fix anything.

Owner-reported narrative. Look up ODI 11525420 at NHTSA ↗

After ota software update, the vehicles braking systems (abs, traction control) and driver assistance systems(lane assistance, adaptive cruise control, one pedal driving mode) no longer functioned normally. The vehicle displayed warning information that read “stop safely, brake failure”; on the instrument cluster. This put my family and others at risk by changing the cars behavior by no longer operating in a one pedal mode and disabling common safety features like abs, traction control as well as the more advanced collision avoidance syst…

Owner-reported narrative. Look up ODI 11526704 at NHTSA ↗

There is a software issue in this car which causes the following: 1) Rear backup camera completely turns off multiple times DURING backing up 2) A fault which presents as a "propulsion" failure, which causes the car to stop unexpectedly, start jerking, and then limits top speed to 20 mph. I've taken the car into the dealership for evaluation and was told "there's a software issue, we don't know what date that will be released" Overall, Volvo software is incredibly feeble with multiple errors and slow performance. However, this is my first…

Owner-reported narrative. Look up ODI 11546426 at NHTSA ↗

Reported: 2023-01-19 (January 19, 2023)

Volvo Car USA, LLC (Volvo Car) is recalling certain 2023 S60, V60, V60CC, V90CC, XC60, XC90, XC40, and C40 vehicles. A diagnostic error in the Brake Control Module 2 (BCM2) may cause a loss of Antilock Brake System (ABS), Electronic Stability Control (ESC), and traction control.

Consequence: A reduction in brake support functions can increase the risk of a crash.

Remedy: Volvo will release an over-the-air (OTA) BCM2 software update, free of charge. Owner notification letters are expected to be mailed March 15, 2023. Owners may contact Volvo Car customer service at 1-800-458-1552. Volvo Car's number for this recall is R10217.

Reported: 2023-03-22 (March 22, 2023)

Volvo Car USA, LLC (Volvo Car) is recalling certain 2023 S60, V60CC, XC60, XC90, XC40, and C40 vehicles. A diagnostic trouble code (DTC) may be falsely detected for the emergency call system (e-call) and display "e-Call Service Required" in the driver information module (DIM).

Consequence: The false warning message could prevent the detection of an actual e-call system failure, which could delay an emergency response during a crash, increasing the risk of injury.

Remedy: Dealers will update the telematics and connectivity antenna module (TCAM) software, free of charge. Owner notification letters are expected to be mailed May 16, 2023. Owners may contact Volvo Car's customer service 1-800-458-1552. Volvo Car's number for this recall is R10225.

Reported: 2024-12-18 (December 18, 2024)

Volvo Car USA, LLC (Volvo Car) is recalling certain 2023-2024 Volvo C40 vehicles. The clamps may be improperly crimped on the driver's side inner far side air bag module (FSAB), which can cause the air bag to deploy improperly.

Consequence: An air bag that deploys improperly may not protect the driver as intended during a crash, increasing the risk of injury.

Remedy: Dealers will replace the driver's side inner FSAB, free of charge. Owner notification letters were mailed January 24, 2025. Owners may contact Volvo Car customer service at 1-800-458-1552. Volvo Car's number for this recall is R10296.

Reported: 2025-05-08 (May 8, 2025)

Volvo Car USA, LLC (Volvo Car) is recalling certain 2021-2025 XC40, 2022 V90, 2022-2025 S90, V90CC, C40, XC60, 2023-2025 S60, V60, V60CC, XC90, and 2025 EC40 and EX40 vehicles. The rearview camera image may not display when the vehicle is placed in reverse. As such, these vehicles fail to comply with the requirements of Federal Motor Vehicle Safety Standard number 111, "Rear Visibility."

Consequence: A rearview camera image that does not display reduces the driver's view of what is behind the vehicle, increasing the risk of a crash.

Remedy: The software will be updated by a dealer or through an over-the-air (OTA) update, free of charge. Owner notification letters were mailed June 27, 2025. Owners may contact Volvo Car customer service at 1-800-458-1552. Volvo Car's number for this recall is R10320.

Reported: 2025-06-12 (June 12, 2025)

Volvo Car USA, LLC (Volvo Car) is recalling certain 2023 Volvo C40 BEV, 2025 EC40, 2023-2024 XC40 BEV, 2020-2026 XC90 PHEV, 2022-2026 XC60 PHEV, 2023-2025 S60 PHEV, 2024-2025 V60 PHEV, and 2025-2026 EX40 and 2025 S90 PHEV vehicles. In certain driving scenarios while coasting down a hill and using "B" mode or "One Pedal Drive," the vehicle may lose brake function.

Consequence: A loss of brake function increases the risk of a crash.

Remedy: Owners are advised not to use "B" Mode (for plug-in hybrid vehicles) or "One Pedal Drive" (for pure electric vehicles) until the repair has been completed. The brake module software will be updated over-the-air (OTA) or by a dealer, free of charge. Owner notification letters were mailed July 15, 2025. Owners may contact Volvo Car's customer service at 1-800-458-1552. Volvo Car's number for this recall is R10329.

Reported: 2025-12-23 (December 23, 2025)

Volvo Car USA, LLC (Volvo Car) is recalling certain 2021-2025 XC40, 2022 V90, 2022-2024 C40BEV, 2022-2025 S90, V90CC, XC60, 2023-2025 S60, V60, V60CC, XC90, and 2025 EC40, and EX40 vehicles. The rearview camera image may not display when the vehicle is placed in reverse. As such, these vehicles fail to comply with the requirements of Federal Motor Vehicle Safety Standard number 111, "Rear Visibility."

Consequence: A rearview camera image that does not display reduces the driver's view behind the vehicle, increasing the risk of a crash.

Remedy: The software will be updated by a dealer or through an over-the-air (OTA) update, free of charge. Owner notification letters were mailed February 24, 2026. Owners may contact Volvo Car’s customer service at 1-800-458-1552. Volvo Car's number for this recall is R10333. Vehicle Identification Numbers (VINs) involved in this recall will be searchable on NHTSA.gov beginning February 16, 2026. This recall replaces previous NHTSA recall number 25V282. Vehicles previously repaired under recall 25V282 will need to have the new remedy performed.