2012 Volvo XC60
This year drew an ordinary 46 complaints for a Volvo XC60 — the model's median is 47. What they were about is the unusual part: 26.1% of them mention visibility, against 4.3% across the other years of this generation.
Generation 1 of the Volvo XC60, which began in 2010 and ran to 2017. Everything below compares this year against the others in that generation, not against a different car wearing the same name.
NHTSA opened a defect investigation into this model year.
| Complaints filed | 46 |
|---|---|
| Median for this model | 47 |
| Involving a crash | 2 |
| Recalls | 3 |
| NHTSA crash rating | 5/5 |
| EPA combined | 20 mpg |
What the complaints were about
- visibility — 26.1% of this year's complaints, against 4.3% across the other years of this generation (6.1×). Owners wrote it as: visibility, seen, raining, service center.
- during — 32.6% of this year's complaints, against 12.5% across the other years of this generation (2.6×).
- accident — 15.2% of this year's complaints, against 3% across the other years of this generation (5×).
Words owners used for the same problem are counted together, so a fault written four different ways is measured once. Grouped by which complaints they appear in, not by a list anyone wrote in advance.
What owners wrote
MY WINDSHIELD STARTED LEAKING ON THE DRIVER SIDE DURING A HEAVY RAIN STORM. WATER WAS DRIPPING IN STREAMS AND IMPEDED VISIBILITY. I HAD IT EVALUATED AND THERE IS A BREAK IN THE FACTORY SEAL. THE WINDSHIELD IS ORIGINAL EQUIPMENT. THE VEHICLE HAS NOT BEEN IN ANY…
Original front windshield separating from frame of car. Leaking water during rain / melting snow. In cold weather forms ICE/FROST on INTERIOR posing visibility hazard! Autobody worker showed me how the windshield MOVED when he pushed on it with nothing more th…
Verbatim from NHTSA complaint filings, with identifying details removed.
Recalls for this year
- 20V378000 SEAT BELTS
- 12V075000 ELECTRICAL SYSTEM Fixed free of charge.
- 12V101000 STRUCTURE
How this was worked out
Every year of the Volvo XC60 was compared against its own history rather than against other cars, which removes popularity and age from the answer — a common car draws more complaints at equal reliability, and an older one has had longer to accumulate them. A year is flagged when it drew at least 2.5× this model's median and at least 50 complaints.
This is a fault record, not a review. Nobody files a federal complaint to say the car was fine, so it shows what tends to go wrong — not whether owners liked it, and not whether it is a good car.
Source: NHTSA complaints, recalls and investigations, retrieved . Look this vehicle up directly on NHTSA's site to check anything here.
Own a 2012 Volvo XC60? What happened to yours?
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