2012 Volvo S60 Engine Problems
Owners have filed 61 complaints with NHTSA about engine problems on the 2012 Volvo S60, 50% of all complaints for this model year. Half of the reports with a mileage happened before 85,250 miles. The words owners use most often: “oil pressure” (31% of reports).
- 61engine complaints
- 85,250median miles at failure
- 1mention a crash
- 0mention an injury
- 1related recalls
- $1,100typical repair cost reported by owners
- 47%of reports with a speed happened at 50+ mph
What owners describe
Phrases that appear unusually often in these complaints compared with complaints about other cars.
- Oil pressure: mentioned in 19 of 61 complaints (31%)
- Engine seized: mentioned in 7 of 61 complaints (11%)
- Stalled without: mentioned in 6 of 61 complaints (10%)
How much does it cost to fix?
Owners who wrote down what they paid or were quoted put the typical engine repair on the 2012 Volvo S60 at $1,100, and half of them between $870 and $7,050.
Based on 6 NHTSA complaints about this problem alone that state a repair bill or quote (2016–2023), converted to 2026 dollars with the U.S. consumer price index. These are owners' own figures, not a quote: they include dealer quotes, and owners who file complaints often faced larger repairs, so they can run higher than typical shop prices. Prices vary by shop, region and warranty coverage. How we calculate this.
At what mileage do engine problems happen?
Based on 48 complaints that reported the odometer reading.
How serious are the reports?
Of 61 complaints, 1 mention a crash.
Volvo S60 engine complaints by model year
| Model year | Engine complaints | Share of that year | Median miles |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2024 S60 | 1 | 5% | — |
| 2022 S60 | 2 | 13% | — |
| 2021 S60 | 1 | 13% | — |
| 2020 S60 | 1 | 9% | — |
| 2019 S60 | 1 | 4% | — |
| 2018 S60 | 1 | 25% | — |
| 2017 S60 | 1 | 6% | 60,000 |
| 2016 S60 | 8 | 32% | 68,293 |
| 2015 S60 | 23 | 40% | 65,000 |
| 2014 S60 | 12 | 48% | 66,938 |
| 2013 S60 | 36 | 41% | 83,000 |
| 2012 S60 | 61 | 50% | 85,250 |
| 2008 S60 | 2 | 20% | 111,500 |
| 2007 S60 | 2 | 10% | 99,000 |
| 2006 S60 | 6 | 19% | 89,234 |
| 2005 S60 | 3 | 7% | 130,000 |
| 2004 S60 | 22 | 11% | 106,000 |
| 2003 S60 | 5 | 4% | 100,000 |
| 2002 S60 | 5 | 3% | 124,500 |
| 2001 S60 | 2 | 1% | 173,000 |
When owners reported it
Related recalls (1)
Engine and engine cooling:engine
Problem: Volvo Cars of North America, LLC (Volvo) is recalling certain model year 2011-2012 S60 vehicles manufactured June 22, 2010, through May 14, 2012, and equipped with 5-cylinder B5254T5 (VIN code 62) engines. In the affected vehicles, the vehicle may not alert the driver of a low oil pressure situation.
Risk: Without being warned of a low oil pressure situation, the driver may continue to drive the vehicle until it stalls, which increases the risk of a crash.
Fix: Volvo will notify owners, and dealers will update the vehicle's software so that the driver is alerted should there be a low oil pressure situation, free of charge. The recall began on January 10, 2014. Owners may contact Volvo at 1-800-458-1552. Volvo's number for this campaign is R29436.
What owners report
Short excerpts of recent complaints, with personal details removed. Full reports are on NHTSA.gov.
I experienced an engine issue that I believe is related to excessive oil consumption and the lack of an oil pressure light warning. The car was driven out of town when a noise was heard coming from the engine. A visual inspection of the engine revealed smoke coming from the engine department when…
Engine has failed and is unrepairable. The car has been maintained well according to the manufacturerâs guidelines with regular oil changes. It has only 94,875 miles. The mechanic said that there is probably a piston gasket failure leading to oil leak into the engine. This appears to have been…
Discovered that my engine is burning oil. There was no warning from my vehicle or from Volvo (during regular maintenance) that this was happening. It was just sudden that the check engine light went on and I checked the oil and found that it was basically empty. Volvo confirmed that the engine is…
Frequently asked questions
Do all 2012 Volvo S60s have engine problems?
No. NHTSA has 61 owner complaints about engine for the 2012 Volvo S60 (50% of the 121 complaints for this model year). Complaint data shows that the problem is reported, not how many of all cars sold are affected.
Was there a recall on the 2012 Volvo S60 engine?
Yes: 1 safety recall list engine. Check your VIN on NHTSA.gov to see whether the fix was done on your car.
At what mileage do engine problems start?
The median reported mileage is 85,250 miles: half of the reports with a mileage came before that.
How much does it cost to fix engine problems on the 2012 Volvo S60?
Owners report a typical cost of $1,100 (half paid between $870 and $7,050), from 6 complaints that state a repair bill or quote, in 2026 dollars.
What do owners say about engine problems on the 2012 Volvo S60?
The most frequent phrase is “oil pressure”, in 19 of 61 complaints, followed by “engine seized” (7).
See all 2012 Volvo S60 problems or engine problems across all S60 years.