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Defective Volvo XC60 _ 2023 Model

13K views 155 replies 40 participants last post by  BolboLubber 
#1 · (Edited)
This is my first car and I've been waiting and looking different brands and finally with lot of trust and giving safety as a High Priority I end up buying brand new Volvo XC60 2023 Plus Trim Model on Oct 29 In USA, though this is way above my budget.
As soon as I hit the road from dealer and started driving home, in middle of the driving on freeway my Instrument Panel (Instrument Cluster) suddenly powered off and I couldn't see speedometer, tachometer, how much is the left over gas / any info, so I got panicked and pulled over and turned off the engine and after 10 min I restarted the car and I can see the Instrument Panel and started driving and after few minutes again the Instrument Panel Powered Off and I couldn't see anything. This keeps happening and the car is just one hour old and tried the same thing on Oct 30, Oct31 and the same issue still exists
So I got scared and went to the dealer ship today, they checked and the error code is "DIAGNOSED FAULTY DRIVER INFORMATION MODULE" which is the whole Control Module / Instrument Panel is failed. They ordered DRIVER INFORMATION MODULE hardware and it will take 3-4 Weeks to get this hardware piece shipped to Texas from Sweden, so I am not driving my car.
Does this ever happen to anyone ?
How can I trust this car going forward ? This is absolutely not worry free driving , especially after having this hurdle.
Should I simply return the car OR let them fix and see how this works ? but I am scared for long run, not sure how this behaves going forward ..
Please advise what to do. Thanks in advance.
 
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#2 ·
Well, sorry to burst your bubble but choosing a Volvo, especially a 2023 Model with the mild hybrid and AAOS system with the belief it will run 100% with no issues, is a little bit of a long shot. That's not to say that your Volvo will be nothing but problems. As far as I know, once a car is purchased (especially if financed), and the papers for the loan are inked, there's no cool-down period for it. Once you sign, it's your problem now and no longer the dealer's problem. But anyway, I would purchase an extended warranty from Steingold and call it a day. These cars are stylish, so they break down stylishly as well. Just part and parcel of owning a European car. Take it from me, I have close to 50k on my '18, and I have a laundry list of things needing attention, but it's still a great car. Damn sight better than the 2023 Honda CRV that's for sure cough cough my cousin who says its the best car in the world cough cough
 
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#9 ·
How can I trust this car going forward ? This is absolutely not worry free driving , especially after having this hurdle.
This is just part of the Volvo ownership experience. I imagine this your first? (funny, it seems that most financing/leasing these things are new to the brand...It seems like there's not many repeat customers.... I wonder why? :unsure: )
Don't worry, many others are experiencing similar issues with their Volvo.
2022 Volvo XC60 Consumer Reviews - 67 Car Reviews | Edmunds
 
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#10 ·
This is just part of the Volvo ownership experience. I imagine this your first? (funny, it seems that most financing/leasing these things are new to the brand...It seems like there's not many repeat customers.... I wonder why? :unsure: )
Don't worry, many others are experiencing similar issues with their Volvo.
2022 Volvo XC60 Consumer Reviews - 67 Car Reviews | Edmunds
Yes, this is my first ever car I bought in usa
I thought this is the safest and very best but it’s not
 
#18 ·
@dinz I am sorry for your situation -- aggravating for a new car. However, this electrical fault does not make your car unsafe in the long run. If you're unhappy with your dealer, consider finding a better one in the future. They should have given you a loaner for a long repair like that. We have two XC60s in the family with no issues so far (except for a finicky O2 sensor on our T8).

I doubt you're able to return the car. There are very specific criteria for a 'lemon law' buyback. Once the issue is remedied, you should have plenty of safe and happy miles in your Volvo. Wishing you the best of luck.
 
#20 ·
@dinz I am sorry for your situation -- aggravating for a new car. However, this electrical fault does not make your car unsafe in the long run. If you're unhappy with your dealer, consider finding a better one in the future. They should have given you a loaner for a long repair like that. We have two XC60s in the family with no issues so far (except for a finicky O2 sensor on our T8).

I doubt you're able to return the car. There are very specific criteria for a 'lemon law' buyback. Once the issue is remedied, you should have plenty of safe and happy miles in your Volvo. Wishing you the best of luck.
Okay. So you suggesting to make sure that the Service Manager checks all the modules and I should keep my car ?
 
#21 ·
I'm new to the brand as well so take my input with a grain of ignorance, but I work in commercial production technology so I have a LOT of experience with electrical failures. In my experience equipment fails primarily in two phases. There are either assembly issues and it fails immediately, or it lasts quite some time without issue and fails in year three or four. IF the manufacturer stands behind their product, an early failure is actually the better scenario because they are most interested in building brand loyalty in that time period. You have the strongest leg to stand on in that time period as the expectation is that a brand new product will be flawless even if that doesn't match reality.

Regardless, push the dealer to solve the problem as quickly as possible and if problems persist become familiar with lemon laws in your state.
 
#131 ·
Here in southwest Washington state ,closest dealer is in Portland, Oregon. I can say we have been very pleased with Jim Fisher Volvo with all their help with our 03 xc70 purchased used. they have done a good job making sure our Volvo is being cared for. wife loves the car. Mom will actually sleep when we are on long trips.
 
#22 ·
Lots going on here. First, the specific problem you experiences isn't all that common. Having problems with a brand new high tech car though is extremely common. Volvo does pretty poor on JD power... but even the very best cars sold new today avg two visits to the dealer in the first few months... that's just the new car ownership experiences regardless of what brand you buy.

As for returns, that will vary by state. Most states do NOT allow return of a vehicle once you sign the paperwork. You could look into your state and see if that's the case, but I wouldn't expect it to be an option, does not hurt to look. Lemon laws also very by state. It seems the general standard is around being out of service for over a month or being out of service 3 times for the same issue. Frankly, the fact that this is the standard also tells you what should be accepted as "okay" for a new car. Not that it should be, but it's the reality. A car could be out of service twice in the first year for the same problem and be out of service for close to 10% of the time, and most states say "not a lemon, perfectly normal". I'm not saying it should be like this, but I think it should at least help you realize it's the norm, and not that your car with one problem should give you huge concern.

Many parts are still slow to get because of the continued chip shortages, so 3 weeks for a part isn't uncommon right now either. Very inconvenient. Dealers are not required to provide loaners, but IMO, it's something a good dealer would do, especially in your case having just bought the car. However, not all dealers are set up for it, and even a one off exception could have significant insurance implementations. Picking a dealer is nearly as important as picking a car. I picked the dealer I work at now, as a sales person, because of the dealers reputation. Less headaches for my customers means less headaches for me. Nothing to change on that now, but something to think about and ask in the future.

No reason not to be comfortable with them keeping your XC60... where do you think it was before you bought it? I think linking a part failure to distrust of your dealer is probably working very much against you. If you start to blame the dealer for a Volvo defect, you will find it far harder to get friendly help at the dealer. If the people who work there are good folks, they'll want to help you through this situation. The reality is, in your worst case situation you'll be out a few thousand dollars for selling the car sooner than you expected. The risk to their reputation is a significantly higher cost. But if you go in there telling them that the loss is inevitable they'll try to get rid of you as a customer rather than be wiling to both work hard, and incur costs, keeping you as a customer. You want the dealer on your side as a middle man between you and Volvo. Your problem is with Volvo at this point, not the dealer, and what the dealer tells Volvo can very much impact your experience as well.
 
#28 ·
OP, if it makes you feel any better, my wife's '22 Audi Q7 has had a number of quirks and issues in her first few months of ownership as well. Software and hardware. Hyundais and Kias are having issues and some are getting recalled. I had a '22 Toyota Rav4 Hybrid for a bit that was missing so many basic features I had become accustomed to, it was too much to live with and I traded it in for my '20 CPO XC60. Obviously, plenty of other griping going on around the internet or forums with Jeeps, Fords, etc.

Anyway, this doesn't help your immediate concerns or issues, but I'm just passing along that new cars in '22 and '23 seem to be suffering, no doubt due to COVID impacting quality control. My '20 XC60 seems pretty reliable. If not, I have CPO and extended warranty coverage for several more years. Hope you get yours sorted out.
 
#43 ·
My Jeep Grand Cherokee had eight recalls in the first couple of years I owned it. Almost all were software related updates. After that, it's been mostly bulletproof, and it's approaching 10 years old right now. I wouldn't let an infantcy defect or two bother me too much. I have a 2023 XC60 B5 on order, and am expecting delivery in a month or two. I've been reading about a lot of problems on this forum, and they don't bother me at all. People come to forums with problems, and not to say how trouble free their vehicle is. I would take the $100 a day for a rental and let them keep the car till it's repaired. I think you will be very happy with your Volvo once you get things squared away.
 
#44 ·
Many seem intrigued by the decision to keep the car in the garage rather than to leave it at the dealer and collect $100 a day. Someone asked if the OP has other transportation available. Did not see that was answered.

For those with access to other transportation the rental car option may be less attractive. Now if the dealer would just give the OP $100 per day and not require it go towards a rental car .....

In any event the car must have been driveable unless it was towed back to the garage from the dealer. There are probably some added facts that would help clarify.
 
#46 ·
My guess is that even though the vehicle runs, it would be considered undriveable if the instrument cluster intermittently went blank. How could you judge your speed? "Well officer, I'm not quite sure how fast I was going. I don't have a functioning speedometer." At any rate, if the OP isn't comfortable leaving it at the dealer, that's his call. But if he really is considering a lemon law action, that would probably be the best place for it. As for the rental, $100 a day would get me a pretty nice rental where I live, but that could vary widely in different areas.I still think the OP should give the dealer a chance to make it right. Parts availability is a concern everywhere right now, so the delay is understandable. I wish him the best of luck, and hope he gets to enjoy, what I believe to be a great vehicle for many years.
 
#48 ·
My guess is that even though the vehicle runs, it would be considered undriveable if the instrument cluster intermittently went blank. How could you judge your speed? "Well officer, I'm not quite sure how fast I was going. I don't have a functioning speedometer." At any rate, if the OP isn't comfortable leaving it at the dealer, that's his call. But if he really is considering a lemon law action, that would probably be the best place for it.
I'm sure at the end of the day most judges would favor the consumer in this case, but it's always best to have as few gray areas as possible, as you state. IMO this is no where near the reality or spirit of any lemon law, but it's unnerving to have a new car pop up with a computer issue like this. It is the consumer demand for high tech cars though. New cars do more and last more miles with fewer repairs than in the past, just when they have repairs they cost a bunch more. Not enough folks want Model Ts...
 
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#51 ·
No, I don't think so.
Most new tech is usually very robust to avoid any potential issues.
When BMW started putting "computers" in thier cars in the 80;s, many said they would make them unreliable, but the opposite was true. THe BMW's from the 80's have a reputation of being some of the best built vehicles in recent memory. When Toyota launched the first hybrid vehicles to the market, they too were very reliable.
 
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#52 ·
@BolboLubber You probably should pick better posts of my as examples then... cause the one you quoted literally says what you're talking about. I commented that folks see new tech and get scared for no reason, and you're saying I'm wrong and then saying the same thing. My post above would be the one you wanted to quote. I appreciate the roll of a troll, you're just not a very good one.
 
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#54 ·
Not sure it is that simplistic. But at this point, sounds like you're soured on this car and Volvo. Cars should give you joy. Sounds like you should just try to lemon law your Volvo, or trade it in for another car you'd be happier with. You're in a Volvo forum where most of us genuinely like and enjoy our Volvos. Good luck.
 
#56 ·
dinz, I get the feeling you are turned against owning this Volvo. My suggestion would be to check the lemon laws in your state, and do what you can to let them take effect. That might not be as easy as it looks, but I know in my state, I believe 30 days in the shop without resolution will give you a lemon law return. So it might be in your best interest to take the car to the dealer and let it set. But make sure you check your lemon laws. Good luck, and I hope you can find a vehicle you can live with.
 
#70 ·
The attacks though get old.

Yes, Volvo could and should do better on things.

But above we see Volvo getting attacked for taking 4-6 weeks to diagnose a car. First, that didn't happen in this case. Second, if it did, that would be on the dealership, not Volvo. This is an attack just because you don't like Volvo. It has NOTHING to do with the topic here.

Here is the 2022 Volvo JD Power initial quality. Volvo is pretty much at the bottom. But if you ask me, 2.56 problems per 100 vehicles isn't genuinely all that different from 1.39. And Volvo's tech problems are far better than someone else's motor problems. I don't like seeing Volvo that far down on the list, but the lists simply proves on avg, EVERY new car has a problem, Volvo's just have 2.56.... And it also shows that COVID did play a role. Overall it's the worst in the 36 year history of the survey. Volvo is a very small company, so major disruptions are a bigger challenge for them to overcome. Audi... who gets VWs weight behind them, is at 2.39 problems per car... so not quite something to justify some folks soap boxes....

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#71 ·
The attacks though get old.

Yes, Volvo could and should do better on things.

But above we see Volvo getting attacked for taking 4-6 weeks to diagnose a car. First, that didn't happen in this case. Second, if it did, that would be on the dealership, not Volvo. This is an attack just because you don't like Volvo. It has NOTHING to do with the topic here.

Here is the 2022 Volvo JD Power initial quality. Volvo is pretty much at the bottom. But if you ask me, 2.56 problems per 100 vehicles isn't genuinely all that different from 1.39. And Volvo's tech problems are far better than someone else's motor problems. I don't like seeing Volvo that far down on the list, but the lists simply proves on avg, EVERY new car has a problem, Volvo's just have 2.56.... And it also shows that COVID did play a role. Overall it's the worst in the 36 year history of the survey. Volvo is a very small company, so major disruptions are a bigger challenge for them to overcome. Audi... who gets VWs weight behind them, is at 2.39 problems per car... so not quite something to justify some folks soap boxes....

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Well said. Another issue with the IQS is simply how they define "quality". Since JD Powers considers any reported problem to be a quality issue, their PP100 is pretty broad. But people should remember that To JD Powers Quality != Reliability.

The JD Powers "problems per 100" includes design defects and manufacturing defects lumped together. When a survey respondent reports a particular problem, that issue could actually be a dislike for how the engineers/designers intended something to work ... and not that something was defective.

The automakers get the split-data so they can see where they can make design improvements as well as supply-chain/manufacturing improvements. But the customers who get the simple IQS summaries won't be able to receive the detail. My understanding is that many normal consumers equate "problems" to be reliability/warranty issues; which seems to be the case with that poster that seems to like to crap over Volvo at every opportunity.

IIRC one of the funnier issues was the old Mercedes Benz cruise control stalk that was behind the turn signal indicator.

Someone thought this was a brilliant idea... but many owners hated it because they'd hit the cruise control stalk on accident.

When the data for this cruise control stalk was removed from the IQS, MB would actually take the top spot in the survey on some years. Does anyone really care? Not really.
 
#72 ·
Check this out... same survey in 2011... (last one I could find easy... seems the format changed in 2012 on the website.) Forget about where Volvo is, the absolute worst then was Dodge... at 137... which is BETTER than the absolute best today... Someone who only buys a car every decade or so is going to be blown away by the change in this trend.

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#75 · (Edited)
JD Power is not a reliability survey. It's an INITIAL QUALITY survey and it is also a survey funded by the car industry.

I'm a lot more convinced by Consumer Reports' survey data, because they track long-term reliability and rank based on the last three years.

They basically have Volvo in the middle "average" category. Not great, but not horrible either.

In their latest breakdown of individual models, the XC60 is rated above average in reliability. I'm guessing that will go down in 2022, with the TCAM issues. Still, the picture of Volvo is "meh" rather than horrible.



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#80 ·
Apologies for hijacking the OP's post, but I'm a little desperate and this post has current activity so I'd like to tag in. Moderators please excuse and move this if inappropriate, but I'm in a crunch. I posted in another thread, but I'm a long time member here and previously have owned a 1997 850 (240k Miles) and currently own a 2010 S80 3.2 (160k miles), which overall has been a great car with only normal repairs, so I can't complain. I'm considering trading it in on a 2023 XC60 B5 AWD Ultimate and I'm wanting to know if Volvo has employed a strategy on the 2.0L turbo engine variant, which I believe is engine code B420T10, to mitigate the common problem of intake valve carbon buildup generally associated with GDI engines. I'm aware of the typical strategies by other manufacturers involving a dual injector configuration or some sort of washing of the intake tract with fuel, so I'd appreciate if anyone can provide information on what Volvo has implemented. Again, apologies if this has been discussed or verified on other posts. Thanks in advance!
 
#81 ·
Emailed Volvo Customer Care today to see if they could shed any light on the dead battery issue some are experiencing after the vehicle sits for several days. I was kind of surprised by their answer.

"Thank you for contacting Volvo Cars USA. We are excited that you will be purchasing a Volvo XC60 B5. Regrettably our department is not technically trained therefore we are unable to provide an answer to your question regarding the quality of the battery."

What, exactly, might they be trained to do?
 
#83 ·
The issue with the JD Power survey is that it is subjective and doesn't differentiate between major and minor issues.

Here are the categories that they survey:

"The study is based on a 223-question battery organized into nine vehicle categories: infotainment; features, controls and displays; exterior; driving assistance; interior; powertrain; seats; driving experience; and climate."​

They also mention that the majority of reported problems are with infotainment systems, which would definitely impact Volvo more than others with all of the AAOS issues and delay in CarPlay availability.

Here is the note from JD Power:
  • Infotainment systems remain the most problematic area: The infotainment category continues to be the most problematic, with an average of 45.0 PP100—which is 19.5 PP100 more problems than the next-highest category. Six of the top 10 problem areas in the study are infotainment-related, including: Android Auto/Apple CarPlay connectivity (5.8 PP100); built-in voice recognition (4.0 PP100); difficulties with touchscreens/display screens (3.5 PP100); built-in Bluetooth systems (3.4 PP100); not enough power plugs/USB ports (2.9 PP100); and inconsistent audio volume (2.7 PP100).
 
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