CSR

Volvo · NHTSA safety record

2023 Volvo C40BEV

Every safety complaint, recall and defect investigation the US government holds on this vehicle.

23

Complaints

2

Crashes

1

Fires

2

Injuries

0

Deaths

Owners of the 2023 Volvo C40BEV have filed 23 safety complaints with NHTSA between October 2022 and May 2026. The most complained-about system is the electrical system, named in 6 of them (26%). The typical failure was reported at 6,202 miles, the median across the 2 complaints that gave an odometer reading.

NHTSA has issued 3 recalls covering this vehicle.

Recalls (3)

BACK OVER PREVENTION:SOFTWARE

25V908000 · December 23, 2025

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

Volvo Car USA, LLC · up to 413,151 vehicles across all model years covered

SERVICE BRAKES, HYDRAULIC:POWER ASSIST:ELECTRIC:CONTROL MODULE:SOFTWARE

25V392000 · June 12, 2025

The defect
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.
The risk
A loss of brake function increases the risk of a crash.
The 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.

Volvo Car USA, LLC · up to 11,469 vehicles across all model years covered

BACK OVER PREVENTION:SOFTWARE

25V282000 · May 8, 2025

The defect
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."
The risk
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.
The 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.

Volvo Car USA, LLC · up to 413,151 vehicles across all model years covered · fixed by software update

What owners report

Complaints naming each system. One complaint can name several, so these add up to more than 23.

ELECTRICAL SYSTEM 6 26%
STEERING 4 17%
UNKNOWN OR OTHER 4 17%
BACK OVER PREVENTION 3 13%
POWER TRAIN 3 13%
SERVICE BRAKES 3 13%
STRUCTURE 3 13%
FORWARD COLLISION AVOIDANCE 2 9%
LANE DEPARTURE 2 9%
SUSPENSION 2 9%
VISIBILITY/WIPER 2 9%
AIR BAGS 1 4%

When the complaints arrived

By the year NHTSA received them, which is not the year the failures happened. They peaked in 2023 at 8.

2022 2023 2026
2022 to 2026, the last of them a part year

In owners' own words

Quoted from NHTSA's complaint file. These are unverified accounts by the people who filed them, not findings of fault.

SERVICE BRAKES

1 injured · crash · towed

I am writing to bring to your attention a potentially catastrophic accident involving our leased C40 vehicle that happened on [XXX], 3:30pm. (ID [XXX] ) On the above mentioned date, my husband, [XXX] , was parking the C40 in a school parking lot to pick up our grandchild. He experienced an alarming episode of unintended acceleration. Despite his efforts to control the vehicle, the car lurched out of the parking space and rapidly accelerated, veered onto a snowy embankment, ran over a metal post, and stopped only after it rammed into a minivan parked in the school pick-up zone with enough force to push the minivan up on the curb. Regrettably, this accident resulted in injuries to the

NHTSA complaint 11579426, quoted in part. Filed by an owner and not verified by NHTSA or by us.

UNKNOWN OR OTHER

1 injured

Rear hatch opens and closed unexpectantly. Closure has hit family members in the head and ear.

NHTSA complaint 11565224. Filed by an owner and not verified by NHTSA or by us.

UNKNOWN OR OTHER

fire

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.

NHTSA complaint 11487770. Filed by an owner and not verified by NHTSA or by us.

FUEL/PROPULSION SYSTEM

crash

I (and I think many other people) have had accidents in which a Volvo C40 while in One Pedal Driving mode (OPD) lurched forward after having come to a stop from braking. I have had two such accidents. The first time, which occurred on or about 11/10/23 occcurred when I pulled into a neighbor's driveway and stopped behind her car. I was intending to turn around. The Volvo C40, after I had brought it to a stop with the brake, suddenly lurched forward causing major damage to the C40 and my neighbor's car. Her car was pushed into her garage door causing damage to the front, as well as the back, and to her garage door. Fortunately, there were no injuries to a person. This was reported to State

NHTSA complaint 11597738, quoted in part. Filed by an owner and not verified by NHTSA or by us.

STEERING
Persistent steering wheel vibration at highway speeds (60-80 mph), present from the first drive within two hours of taking delivery of this Certified Pre-Owned vehicle on April 14, 2026 at 21,075 miles. No warning lamps or messages. The vibration is constant at highway speed, not intermittent, causing driver fatigue and distraction during sustained highway driving. This is a known defect documented in Volvo Technical Journal TJ 36752.3.0, classified under function group 4661 (drive shaft). Kline Volvo of Maplewood, MN confirmed the vibration and performed the TJ-prescribed repairs: tire balancing, tire replacement, and driver's airbag module replacement containing an oscillation damper.

NHTSA complaint 11737627, quoted in part. Filed by an owner and not verified by NHTSA or by us.

ELECTRICAL SYSTEM
Car was parked at my house. After a heavy heavy rain, I saw 1/2" standing water on the passenger side floorboards. The cowl drainage had been blocked, and I was told water had found it's way into the cabin. It's an EV, so this is a serious issue. My climate control was inoperative, the tire pressure sensors also affected. And not sure what other systems may have been damaged. This had never happened before, and my repair estimate is $5,000.00. It is unfathomable that a car of this level (and price) could have a design that would allow this situation. Thank you for your attention.

NHTSA complaint 11719211. Filed by an owner and not verified by NHTSA or by us.

AIR BAGS
I purchased a used 2023 Volvo C40 that was represented as Certified Pre-Owned. Shortly after purchase, the vehicle developed persistent grinding noises during braking, vibration, and mechanical noises that occur even after normal driving. The vehicle has been returned to the selling Volvo dealer multiple times for diagnosis and repair. Dealer service records state that brake rust was “cleaned” and that the issue was resolved; however, the grinding noise persisted immediately upon pickup. Multiple dealership employees acknowledged hearing the noise. The dealer drove the vehicle over 140 miles attempting to replicate the issue, but no permanent repair was made. I later observed significant

NHTSA complaint 11712259, quoted in part. Filed by an owner and not verified by NHTSA or by us.

ELECTRICAL SYSTEM

towed · 11,100 miles

The contact owns a 2023 Volvo C40 BEV. The contact stated that while coming to a stop, the contact depressed the brake pedal and the vehicle lunge forward. The contact also stated that the steering wheel became inoperable with several unknown warning lights were illuminated. The contact stated that while driving to and arriving at the residence, the contact was unable to shut off the vehicle. The contact attempted to turn off the vehicle with the key fob and instrument panel, but the vehicle failed to shut off. The vehicle was towed to the dealer but was not diagnosed or repaired. The dealer was able to shut off the vehicle. The manufacturer was made aware of the failure. The failure

NHTSA complaint 11680589, quoted in part. Filed by an owner and not verified by NHTSA or by us.

STRUCTURE:BODY
I was at a traffic light today and my rear passenger window just completely spider webbed, while my daughter was in the back seat. I had to pull over and clean as much glass from the window to prevent falling on her and causing any additional damage. There were no other vehicles or pedestrians around. The only thing I can think of is that it was temperature related from being in the sun for a few hours and then having the AC on for about 5 minutes. I have researched on different volvo forums and threads and see other owners having similar issues. [XXX] [XXX] Thermal stress and expansion: When exposed to high temperatures, the glass expands, and if this expansion is uneven (perhaps due to

NHTSA complaint 11679601, quoted in part. Filed by an owner and not verified by NHTSA or by us.

VISIBILITY/WIPER
Re. R10320 Volvo sent a recall notice regarding the rearview camera being unavailable when vehicle is placed in reverse. This is an issue that affects me/my car almost daily. The notice is dated June 27, 2025 and was told an Over The Air update would be available. I do not live nearby a Volvo dealer so rely on the ability to update the software remotely. However the OTA option is not recognized by my vehicle. When I called Volvo they told me there is no date by which the OTA update will be available and advised me to visit a dealer. Please encourage Volvo to make this important update available via OTA. Thank you.

NHTSA complaint 11678532. Filed by an owner and not verified by NHTSA or by us.

Compare

Other years of the Volvo C40BEV

Model year Complaints Recalls Deaths
2022 13 2

Other 2023 Volvo models

Every Volvo on this site — 70 vehicles, 319 recall campaigns and 0 open investigation s.

If this is your car and a dealer keeps failing to fix it, your state's lemon law may require the manufacturer to replace it or buy it back. What each state asks for , read from the statutes.

Where these numbers come from

A complaint is one owner's account and has not been verified by NHTSA or by us. A vehicle with more complaints is not necessarily worse: models that sold in larger numbers collect more of them. How this is counted.

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Independent developer and analyst