Volvo bulletin 8501
What it saysThis is a Technical Journal: Remote connection, BOMGAR application. NHTSA’s full summary ↓
Volvo filed this with NHTSA as a service bulletin dated Apr 10, 2025, received Feb 11, 2025, about the exterior lighting — 2 documents under this number. It names 80 model years (2016–2025). A service bulletin is not a safety recall: it is the manufacturer telling its dealers how to diagnose or repair a condition, and whether the work is paid for depends on the warranty in force. Quoting the number at a service desk can save a diagnosis.
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What the bulletin says
Source: NHTSA's summary of the manufacturer's communicationThis is a Technical Journal: Remote connection, BOMGAR application. Before joining a remote session: •Connect a suitable battery maintainer/charger and verify that the battery voltage indicated in VIDA is between 12.5V and 14.9V. •Connect to the vehicle over a wired connection using a VOE (Volvo OBD to Ethernet) adapter and perform a NEW vehicle readout.
Documents filed under this number
| Document | Kind | Dated | NHTSA id | At NHTSA |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 8501 | Service bulletin | Apr 10, 2025 | 11020437 | |
| 8501 | Service bulletin | Jan 16, 2025 | 11014112 |
The summary is NHTSA’s abstract of the document, as filed under 49 CFR 579.5. One communication is usually filed as several documents — the bulletin, a dealer notice, an owner letter — and the number on any of them finds this page. A PDF link is shown only once NHTSA’s own server has been seen to serve that document; the rest are checked over the following nights. Quote the number at a service desk; it is what the dealer’s system is keyed on.
Model years it names
Source: as the manufacturer filed themand 34 more on this site: 2022 Volvo V90, 2021 Volvo V90, 2020 Volvo V90, 2019 Volvo V90, 2018 Volvo V90, 2017 Volvo V90, 2025 Volvo XC40, 2024 Volvo XC40, 2023 Volvo XC40, 2022 Volvo XC40, 2021 Volvo XC40, 2020 Volvo XC40, 2019 Volvo XC40, 2025 Volvo XC60, 2024 Volvo XC60, 2023 Volvo XC60, 2022 Volvo XC60, 2021 Volvo XC60, 2020 Volvo XC60, 2019 Volvo XC60, 2018 Volvo XC60, 2017 Volvo XC60, 2016 Volvo XC60, 2016 Volvo XC70, 2025 Volvo XC90, 2024 Volvo XC90, 2023 Volvo XC90, 2022 Volvo XC90, 2021 Volvo XC90, 2020 Volvo XC90, 2019 Volvo XC90, 2018 Volvo XC90, 2017 Volvo XC90, 2016 Volvo XC90.
Also filed against model years this site has no page for: 2025 Volvo C40BEV; 2022 Volvo Duplicate C40BEV; 2023 Volvo Duplicate C40BEV; 2024 Volvo Duplicate C40BEV; 2025 Volvo Duplicate C40BEV; 2024 Volvo NO Such Model Year EX90.
A vehicle page’s bulletin list shows the newest few communications filed against that model year; the count there is every one.
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A weekly email, sent only in a week when Volvo files something new with NHTSA for the model you pick — service bulletins, campaigns, warranty extensions, over-the-air notices, every model year. Nothing else is sent; one-click unsubscribe in every message. Separate from recall alerts.
What owners reported
Source: NHTSA complaint databaseOwners of the 74 model years this bulletin names have filed 1,609 complaints with NHTSA since 2015. 12 of them name Exterior Lighting — the same broad component group this bulletin is filed under. NHTSA groups complaints coarsely, so that means the same area of the vehicle, not necessarily the same fault.
The plastic lenses that cover the headlights have fogged up in less than 4 years the lights are no longer bright enough to provide proper driving conditions at night. I spoke with volvo and they said that lenses are not covered even though the cat is still under warranty. This is very car but refuse to fix the problem.
2016 Volvo XC60 · Exterior Lighting · filed with NHTSA Sep 1, 2021 · ODI 11431438
Blindingly bright passenger-side map light came on for no reason, illuminating the car and startling the driver AND other nearby drivers (it was night). Light would not respond to touch-sensitive on/off control. Had to cycle dome lights (another distraction and even more light) to get light to turn off
2024 Volvo XC40 · Exterior Lighting · filed with NHTSA Jul 7, 2026 · ODI 11748717
On multiple occasions, the vehicle’s infotainment system has malfunctioned, and when this occurs, the turn signals stop working entirely. This failure has happened while the vehicle was in active use, including during a long trip, leaving us without functioning turn signals for an extended period.
2022 Volvo C40 · Exterior Lighting · filed with NHTSA Dec 8, 2025 · ODI 11703608
A complaint is one owner’s account, not a defect finding, and a bulletin is not a recall. Nothing here says this bulletin was issued because of these complaints, or that the repair it describes fixed them. Complaint files on this site begin in 2015.
More bulletins about the exterior lighting
Source: same model, same component group15 other manufacturer communications filed against these Volvo models under the same component group (exterior lighting), newest first. The eight newest are listed; the rest are on the Volvo list.
| Number | Kind | Dated | NHTSA’s summary |
|---|---|---|---|
| 37426.2.0 | Service bulletin | Sep 14, 2026 | This is a TJ Text only no attachments. --- If the crystal gear shift knob light stays illuminated after the vehicle is locked and is not in… |
| 37774.1.0 | Service bulletin | Jul 28, 2026 | This is a TJ - Text plus 1 PDF attachment - f the headlamp horizontal light aim cannot be adjusted via the set screw, If the horizontal ligh… |
| 37631.3.0 | Service bulletin | Jul 28, 2026 | This is a TJ - text only no attachments - If customer complains of a headlamp error message in DIM, in combination with any of the DTCs stat… |
| 37571.6.0 | Service bulletin | Jun 10, 2026 | This is a TJ Text only no attachments - This TJ is a complement to the fault tracing in VIDA. If customer complains of intermittent DIM mess… |
| 37631.2.0 | Service bulletin | May 7, 2026 | This is a TJ - text only no attachments - If customer complains of a headlamp error message in DIM, in combination with any of the DTCs stat… |
| 34521.11.1 | Service bulletin | May 7, 2026 | This is a Technical Journal: Headlamp condensation inside lens - information/leak test. If the result is not ok (air leak), it is ok to repl… |
| 37571.5.0 | Service bulletin | Apr 18, 2026 | This is a TJ Text only no attachments - This TJ is a complement to the fault tracing in VIDA. If customer complains of intermittent DIM mess… |
| 34521.10.0 | Service bulletin | Mar 21, 2026 | This is a Technical Journal: Headlamp condensation inside lens - information/leak test. If the result is not ok (air leak), it is ok to repl… |
Quote the number at the service desk. It is what the dealer’s system is keyed on.
Every manufacturer communication NHTSA holds for Volvo, by the number printed on the letter.
Common questions
Source: NHTSA, 49 CFR 579.5Is Volvo 8501 a recall?
No. A service bulletin is a manufacturer communication filed with NHTSA under 49 CFR 579.5; a safety recall carries an NHTSA campaign number (two digits, a letter, six digits) and a federal duty to repair for free. Check the vehicle’s recalls by VIN at nhtsa.gov/recalls, or on its page here.
Is the 8501 repair free?
Not automatically. A service bulletin describes how to diagnose or repair a condition; who pays depends on the warranty in force, any extension, and the dealer. Quoting the number can save a diagnosis either way.
Which vehicles does 8501 cover?
The manufacturer filed it against 80 model years: 2024 Volvo C40, 2023 Volvo C40, 2022 Volvo C40, 2025 Volvo EC40, 2025 Volvo EX30, 2025 Volvo EX40 and more. Whether one particular vehicle is affected is a matter of its VIN and its build, not its model year alone.