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2021 Volvo V60

Plug-in hybrid Gas

Small Station Wagons
3 EPA-rated configurations
Data refreshed 2026-10-26

Safety Signal

62 / 100 from the NHTSA recall record

Counts recalls, not crash safety — this vehicle earned 5 of 5 stars from NHTSA. A much-recalled best-seller scores low here; see the methodology.

Recalls2 critical 4

Complaintsnone reporting a crash, fire or injury 3

Crash ratingNHTSA overall 5★

Fuel economybest combined, EPA 30 mpg

2026 2025 2024 2023 2022 2021 2020 2019 2018 2017 2016

The 2021 Volvo V60 is sold in the U.S. as a plug-in hybrid and gas compact wagon with 3 EPA-rated configurations. The most efficient version, the V60 AWD PHEV, is EPA-rated at 30 mpg combined. NHTSA lists 4 recall campaigns for this model year, 2 rated critical, which gives it a Safety Signal grade of D. Owners have filed 3 complaints, most often about the air bags. NHTSA crash-tested it at 5 stars overall.

Volvo V60 — photograph via Wikimedia Commons — Volvo V60 · Photo: MercurySable99 · CC BY-SA 4.0 · Wikimedia Commons

Specs & fuel economy

Source: EPA fueleconomy.gov

Configuration	Powertrain	Drive	Engine / motor	City	Hwy	Comb	Range	kWh/100mi	Charge (240V)	Annual fuel*
V60 AWD PHEV	Plug-in hybrid	AWD	2.0L 4-cyl turbo + 34 and 65 kW 3-phase Sync.	28	33	30 (42 MPGe blended)	22 mi electric	47	3 h	$2,750
V60 FWD	Gas	FWD	2.0L 4-cyl turbo	23	34	27	—	—	—	$3,050
V60 CC AWD	Gas	AWD	2.0L 4-cyl turbo	22	31	25	—	—	—	$3,300

*EPA estimate at 15,000 miles/year at EPA reference fuel and electricity prices. fueleconomy.gov record ids: 42985, 42678, 42679.

Emissions & certification

Source: EPA emission certificates

Configuration	Smog rating	Emission standard	Where it can be sold new	SmartWay
V60 AWD PHEV	7 / 10	California LEV-III SULEV30 / Federal Tier 3 Bin 30	All 50 states (federal, all altitudes); California and states following California standards	SmartWay
V60 CC AWD, V60 FWD	5 / 10	Federal Tier 3 Bin 70	All 50 states (federal, all altitudes)	—

Certified for all fifty states, so it can be registered new anywhere in the U.S.

The smog rating scores tailpipe pollutants other than greenhouse gases, 1 (worst) to 10 (best), and is comparable only within a model year. The standard is the federal bin or California tier the configuration was certified to. Both come from the EPA certificate behind the window sticker.

Specifications filed with NHTSA

Source: NHTSA vPIC

Dimensions Exterior

Body style	Wagon
GVWR class	Class 1: 6,000 lb or less (2,722 kg or less)

Engine Basics

Cylinders	4
Displacement	2 L

Engine Output

Horsepower

328 hp

Fuel Economy

Fuel	Electric

Seating

Seat rows	2
Seating capacity	5 seats

Transmission

Drivetrain	AWD/All-Wheel Drive
Transmission	Automatic
Transmission speeds	8

Driver assistance

Standard: Anti-lock brakes, Automatic emergency braking, Backup camera, Blind-spot monitoring, Electronic stability control, Forward collision warning, Lane departure warning, Lane keeping assist, Pedestrian automatic emergency braking, Rear cross-traffic alert

Optional: Adaptive cruise control

Filed by the manufacturer with NHTSA under the federal vehicle-identification rule and decoded from the VIN pattern — not a manufacturer press kit, so it describes the configurations we could identify rather than every trim (seen: Momentum, R-Design+Polestar Engineered). Figures for the trim you are looking at may differ.

Dimensions & weight

Source: Transport Canada

Length	187.4–188.2 in
Width (body, without mirrors)	72.8 in
Height	59.1 in
Wheelbase	113.0 in
Track, front	63.0–65.0 in
Track, rear	63.0–64.2 in
Curb weight	3,812–4,555 lb
Weight distribution, front/rear	56/44

Measured by Transport Canada for its Canadian Vehicle Specifications database, which covers the North American versions of each model — here 5 configurations: Cross Country 4-door Wagon, Polestar 4-door Wagon, Recharge 4-door Wagon, T5 4-door Wagon, T6 AWD 4-door Wagon. Where a range is shown, those versions differ. Width is the body without mirrors, which is why it can read narrower than a brochure figure. Before we used it we checked it against the US manufacturer press kits we hold (27 Sep 2026): wheelbase agreed within 1% on every vehicle we could compare, length on 98%, and the curb weight fell inside the manufacturer's range on 96%. Source dataset. Contains information licensed under the Open Government Licence – Canada. Licence.

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Recalls (4)

Source: NHTSA recall database

!critical

Electrical System

R10312

7,483 vehicles 85% reported repaired

Problem Volvo Car USA, LLC (Volvo Car) is recalling certain 2020-2021 S90, 2020-2022 S60, V60, XC60, XC90, and 2022 V90 plug-in hybrid vehicles. The high-voltage battery may experience a short circuit within the battery module when the battery is fully charged and the vehicle is parked. Risk A short circuit in a high-voltage battery increases the risk of a fire. Fix Owners are advised not to charge their vehicles until the remedy has been completed. Dealers will inspect and replace the high-voltage battery module as necessary. In addition, dealers will update the software to monitor the battery. All repairs will be performed free of charge. Owner notification letters were mailed May 28, 2025. Owners may contact Volvo Car's customer service at 1-800-458-1552. Volvo Car's number for this recall is R10312.

Filed with NHTSADefect report PDF

NHTSA campaign 25V179000 reported Mar 24, 2025 Volvo Car USA, LLC the full filing, and every vehicle covered →

!critical

Steering

R10213

74 vehicles 96% reported repaired

Problem Volvo Car USA, LLC (Volvo Car) is recalling certain 2019-2022 V60CC, XC60, and XC90 vehicles. During steering gear assembly, double screws may have been assembled on top of each other, which can cause a screw to fall into the gearbox housing. Risk A screw inside the gearbox housing can cause the steering wheel to lock up and increase the risk of a crash. Fix Dealers will replace the steering gear, free of charge. Owner notification letters are expected to be mailed March 1, 2023. Owners may contact Volvo Car's customer service at 1-800-458-1552. Volvo Car's number for this recall is R10213.

Filed with NHTSARemedy instructions PDF

NHTSA campaign 23V001000 reported Jan 5, 2023 Volvo Car USA, LLC the full filing, and every vehicle covered →

▲high

Seat Belts

R10111

19,149 vehicles 98% reported repaired

Problem Volvo Car USA, LLC (Volvo Car) is recalling certain 2021 XC40, XC 40 Recharge, V60CC, V90, V90CC, XC90, and 2021-2022 V60, XC60, S60 vehicles. The seat belt automatic locking retractors may deactivate early, which can prevent the child restraint system from securing properly. As such, these vehicles fail to comply with the requirements of Federal Motor Vehicle Safety Standard number 208, "Occupant Crash Protection." Risk An unsecured child restraint system can increase the risk of injury during a crash. Fix Dealers will inspect and replace the seat belt assemblies, as necessary, free of charge. Owner notification letters were mailed October 13, 2021. Owners may contact Volvo Car customer service at 1-888-458-1552. Volvo Car's number for this recall is R10111.

Filed with NHTSAOwner letter PDF Remedy instructions PDF

NHTSA campaign 21V682000 reported Sep 1, 2021 Volvo Car USA, LLC the full filing, and every vehicle covered →

▲high

Air Bags

R10068

2,883 vehicles 99% reported repaired

Problem Volvo Cars USA, LLC (Volvo Car) is recalling certain 2021 Volvo V60, V60 Cross Country, V90, V90 Cross Country, XC60, and XC90 vehicles. The Supplementary Restraint System (SRS) control unit may not have been properly attached to the car body and may detach during a crash. Risk A detached SRS control unit can decrease the performance of occupant protection systems such as air bags, seat belts, and high voltage battery disconnect, increasing the risk of injury during a crash. Fix Volvo Car will notify owners, and dealers will inspect and, as necessary, tighten the SRS control unit mounting screws, free of charge. The recall began February 12, 2021. Owners may contact Volvo Car customer service at 1-888-458-1552. Volvo Car's number for this recall is R10068.

Filed with NHTSAOwner letter PDF Remedy instructions PDF

NHTSA campaign 21V001000 reported Jan 7, 2021 Volvo Car USA, LLC the full filing, and every vehicle covered →

These are vehicle campaigns — the ones the automaker filed against this model. NHTSA also records equipment recalls, filed by a parts maker against a component (a tyre, a child seat, an aftermarket part), and those are not listed here or counted above. nhtsa.gov/recalls shows both for a VIN.

NHTSA defect investigations

Electrical System:Propulsion System — Pedestrian alert sounds closed

NHTSA received a petition on or about July 18, 2022, requesting that Federal Motor Vehicle Safety Standard (FMVSS) 141 be applied to all electric and hybrid vehicles operating in the United States. The petition can be reviewed at NHTSA.gov under ODI Number 11486072. FMVSS 141 establishes performance requirements for pedestrian alert sounds for motor vehicles. The standard applies to hybrid and electric vehicles that have a gross vehicle weight rating of 4,536 KG or less or are defined as low-speed vehicles. The standard became fully applicable to all such vehicles manufactured on or after March 1, 2021. On January 27, 2023, NHTSA opened Defect Petition (DP) 22-005 to evaluate the subject mat

Opened Jan 27, 2023 · closed Aug 7, 2023 · action DP22005 · the investigation’s page →

Whether any of this applies to one specific V60

A campaign covers a build range, not a model year, so two identical-looking cars from 2021 can differ. Both of these check a VIN against the manufacturer’s own list, free, in about ten seconds. Volvo publishes its own lookup because federal rule 49 CFR 573.15 requires it to, and to keep it current to within seven days.

NHTSA VIN check →Volvo’s own VIN lookup →

Hear about a recall before the letter does

The manufacturer’s letter is the last step of a recall: it has up to 60 days after filing to mail owners, at the address on the registration. We email you the day NHTSA posts a recall on the 2021 Volvo V60, with what to do next. Nothing else, ever — no newsletter, no marketing, one-click unsubscribe in every message.

Owner complaints

Source: NHTSA complaint database

3complaints filed

0 involved a crash · 0 a fire · 0 injuries · 0 deaths reported

12 per 10,000 built · Volvo reported 2,568 V60 built (its Early Warning production report to NHTSA)

Filed per year: 2022: 1 · 2023: 1 · 2025: 1

Most-cited components

Unspecified 1

Air Bags 1

Service Brakes 1

Vehicle Speed Control 1

Electrical System 1

In owners' own words

Filed with NHTSA by the people who own these cars, one per problem area. Quoted as written, with anything identifying removed.

CONCERN: Volvo cars’ sunroofs are negligently designed, allowing sunroof drain obstructions to flood the vehicle’s internal electronics. This results in catastrophic and simultaneous system failures, including brake loss, airbag failure, and disabled traction control—posing an extreme and imminent safety risk.

Air Bags Feb 23, 2025 NHTSA owner report · ODI 11644397

This car has bricked itself in my garage twice in as many months. It is a Plug in hybrid and is plugged into power the entire time it breaks. This problem was preceded by my alarm randomly going off for 1 second and then stopping.

Electrical System Mar 16, 2023 NHTSA owner report · ODI 11512182

Complaint counts are raw owner reports to NHTSA, not verified defects, and scale with how many were sold. Use them to spot patterns, not to rank.

Crash ratings

Source: NHTSA NCAP

Configuration	Overall	Frontal	Side	Rollover	Rollover risk
SW AWD	★★★★★	★★★★☆	★★★★★	★★★★★	10%
SW AWD	★★★★★	★★★★☆	★★★★★	★★★★★	10%
SW FWD	★★★★★	★★★★☆	★★★★★	★★★★★	10%

NHTSA New Car Assessment Program. Standard driver-assist: forward collision warning.

Service bulletins & campaigns

Source: NHTSA manufacturer communications

Communicationsfiled with NHTSA 506

Most recentmanufacturer date 2026-07-28

Kindsas classified by NHTSA 491 service bulletins, 9 others, 6 service campaigns

Most often about: Electrical System, Equipment, Unknown Or Other, Exterior Lighting, Engine.

37774.1.0 Service bulletin
2026-07-28 · Exterior Lighting
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 light aim cannot be adjusted because the cogwheel knob is broken, do not replace the entire headlamp. Instead, use the spare part kit part number 32476677 to replace the affected component, please follow the instructions under "Service".
37631.3.0 Service bulletin
2026-07-28 · Exterior Lighting
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 stated below, follow advice under "Service".
36863.4.0 Service bulletin
2026-07-28 · Electrical System
This is a Technical Journal: DIM Message and DTC IEM P0C0500. 1. Erase the DTC 2. Test drive the vehicle in electrical mode and accelerate until the vehicle reaches a minimum of 30 km/h (19 mph). 3. Perform a new VIDA readout If the DTC IEM P0C0500 does not return, do not replace any parts. Release the car to customer.
37839.1.1 Service bulletin
2026-05-23 · Unknown Or Other
This is a TJ - Text plus two .mov attachments - If the customer is experiencing a frozen Sirius Radio banner, meaning in the app view the title of the song and station name will stay on the previous selected station; the audio will be for the station that is selected and not what is shown on the screen, follow the advice on this TJ under “Service”
33031.6.0 Service bulletin
2026-05-23 · Unknown Or Other
This is a Technical Journal: Text plus 1 .jpg attachment - If remote control key is not detected by the car and shows message in DIM "Car key not found" or if functions such as lock/unlock are not working, please follow advice for detecting key
37839.1.1 Service bulletin
2026-05-20 · Unknown Or Other
This is a TJ - Text plus two .mov attachments - If the customer is experiencing a frozen Sirius Radio banner, meaning in the app view the title of the song and station name will stay on the previous selected station; the audio will be for the station that is selected and not what is shown on the screen, follow the advice on this TJ under “Service”
36496.10.0 Service bulletin
2026-05-07 · Power Train
This is a Technical Journal: Intermittent knocking noise during acceleration. If the sound corresponds to attached sound file, change front drive shafts to the below part numbers.
36376.6.0 Service bulletin
2026-05-07 · Unknown Or Other
This is a Technical Journal: Text only no attachments - Before replacing a cell module, make sure the latest BECM software is downloaded. This is important for utilizing the VIDA method described here and receiving the correct cell balancing diagnostics after the replacement.

A service bulletin is the manufacturer telling its dealers how to diagnose or repair a known condition. It is not a recall, not a finding that the vehicle is defective, and the work is not automatically free — though a bulletin is often what a dealer works from when you describe a symptom, so quoting the document number can save a diagnosis. The count is every communication filed; the list shows the most recent, one entry per campaign, because a single campaign is usually filed as several documents on the same day. The summaries are NHTSA's; the full documents come from the manufacturer.

Diagnostic trouble codes on file

Source: NHTSA manufacturer communications and complaints

Codes documented against this model year in the federal record. A code appearing here does not mean this vehicle will set it — it means the code is part of this nameplate-year's documented history.

Code	What it means	Most often filed under	Where it appears
U029D U029D on Volvo →	Manufacturer-defined — the meaning is set by the automaker, not the standard.	Engine	3 bulletins
U029E	Manufacturer-defined — the meaning is set by the automaker, not the standard.	Engine	3 bulletins
U02A3	Manufacturer-defined — the meaning is set by the automaker, not the standard.	Engine	3 bulletins

Generic codes (the second character is 0 or 2) mean the same thing on every vehicle sold in the United States. Manufacturer-specific codes (1 or 3) mean whatever the automaker assigned, and no honest source can define them for you — which is why the ones here carry the evidence instead of a definition. A code is a link when enough separate federal documents name it across the catalogue to be worth a page of its own; the rest are listed here, where the vehicle is the context that makes them mean something.

Compare the 2021 V60 with

Any vehicle, your weights →

Head-to-head	Verdict
2021 Mazda CX-3 · Compact Wagon · grade A	V60 +2.5

V60 by model year

all years, side by side →

Year Safety Recalls Complaints

2026 A 1 2 26 mpg 2025 C 3 0 31 mpg 2024 C 3 6 27 mpg 2023 C 5 5 31 mpg 2022 D 4 1 31 mpg 2021 this page D 4 3 30 mpg 2020 F 5 12 30 mpg 2019 D 4 2 28 mpg 2018 B 2 2 29 mpg 2017 D 6 6 29 mpg 2016 C 4 23 29 mpg

Common questions about the 2021 V60

Source: EPA, NHTSA and manufacturer press kits

Does the 2021 Volvo V60 have any recalls?

NHTSA has posted 4 recall campaigns for the 2021 Volvo V60, 2 of them rated critical. The most serious on file is 25V179000, covering Electrical System. Check your own VIN at nhtsa.gov/recalls; a recall applies to specific build ranges, not every car.

How safe is the 2021 Volvo V60?

NHTSA gave the 2021 Volvo V60 5 stars overall in its New Car Assessment Program tests — 4-star frontal crash, 5-star side crash, 5-star rollover. WhichTrim also grades it D (62/100) on its recall record, which is a different question from crash protection.

What is the fuel economy of the 2021 Volvo V60?

Across the 3 EPA-rated configurations of the 2021 Volvo V60, the best EPA combined figure is 30 mpg (MPGe on the electrified versions). Figures are the EPA's own, per configuration, and every one is listed above.

What are the dimensions of the 2021 Volvo V60?

Transport Canada measured it at 187.4–188.2 in long, 72.8 in wide (body, without mirrors), 59.1 in tall, on a 113.0 in wheelbase. Curb weight: 3,812–4,555 lb depending on configuration. Those are its measurements of the North American versions; every figure is in the table above.

What do owners complain about on the 2021 Volvo V60?

Owners have filed 3 complaints with NHTSA about the 2021 Volvo V60, most often about unspecified, air bags, service brakes. Complaints are unverified owner reports, so treat the pattern as a signal and the individual report as an anecdote.

How clean is the 2021 Volvo V60?

The EPA smog rating for the 2021 Volvo V60 runs 5 to 7 out of 10 across its configurations. That score covers tailpipe pollutants other than greenhouse gases, and it only compares vehicles within the same model year. It is certified for all fifty states, so it can be registered new anywhere in the U.S. Its configurations were certified to different standards — California LEV-III SULEV30, Federal Tier 3 Bin 30, Federal Tier 3 Bin 70 — which the table above lists per configuration.

Are there service bulletins for the 2021 Volvo V60?

The manufacturer has filed 506 service bulletins and related communications with NHTSA for the 2021 Volvo V60, most often covering electrical system, equipment, unknown or other. The most recent is dated 2026-07-28. A bulletin is not a recall: it is the repair procedure a manufacturer sends its dealers for a condition it knows about, and the work is not automatically paid for. It is still worth knowing — if the symptom matches, quoting the bulletin number at the service desk can save a diagnosis. The document numbers and summaries are listed above.

Is the 2021 Volvo V60 better than the 2021 Mazda CX-3?

The Volvo V60 edges it, 90.6 to 88.1, on performance. The Mazda CX-3 is ahead on fuel & range and safety. Raise the fuel & range weight from 3 to 4.8 and it flips. We publish a full side-by-side of the 2021 Volvo V60 against the 2021 Mazda CX-3 — specifications by family, equipment feature by feature, safety record and ownership costs. You can re-weight what matters to you and the verdict recalculates.

What we hold, and what an empty row means

Paid vehicle-history reports will not tell you the difference between “nothing happened to this car” and “we never received that record” — both of the big two say as much in their own help pages. Most of what is on this page comes from complete federal registers, so we can tell you which is which, row by row.

Data	Held	Source	What it covers — or what empty means
Fuel economy & configurations	3 configurations	EPA certification records	Every configuration the EPA certified for sale, with its own test figures.
Emission certificates	3 configurations	EPA emission certificates	Smog rating, standard and the sales area that decides where the car can be sold new.
Recalls	4	NHTSA recall campaigns	A complete federal register: every campaign covering this model year, with severity and advisory flags.
Owner complaints	3	NHTSA complaint database	Also complete, but unverified: these are reports owners filed, not findings. Counts scale with how many were sold.
Crash ratings	3 tested	NHTSA NCAP	Only the configurations NHTSA chose to crash-test, which is never all of them.
Service bulletins	506	NHTSA manufacturer communications	Everything the manufacturer told its dealers about a defect or malfunction, short of a recall.
Investigations	1	NHTSA Office of Defects Investigation	Open and closed defect investigations, with the agency's own narrative.
Driver-assist crash reports	none	NHTSA Standing General Order 2021-01	No report has been filed. Only entities named in the order report, and only crashes they hear of — so this is also what an unequipped car, or a manufacturer without telematics, looks like.
Specifications filed with NHTSA	11 fields	NHTSA vPIC, decoded from VIN patterns	What the manufacturer filed under the federal VIN rule — a configuration, not the full trim ladder.
Measured dimensions	7 fields	Transport Canada, Canadian Vehicle Specifications	Length, width, height, wheelbase, track and curb weight, measured on the North American versions.
Trims, pricing & equipment	none	Manufacturer press kit	We have not transcribed a press kit for this model year yet. This is our gap, not the manufacturer's — the one row here where an empty cell means we are behind.

Rebuilt nightly; this page was generated 2026-10-26. Every figure above is traceable to the source named beside it, and the JSON for this page carries the same values with their identifiers.

Sources & method

Safety Signal starts every model-year at 100 and subtracts points per open NHTSA recall campaign by severity: critical 15 (fire risk, park-outside or do-not-drive advisories), high 8 (brakes, steering, airbags, loss of drive power, structure, battery), moderate 6, minor 3 (software, labels, lighting fixed by an update). The most serious recall counts in full and each further one counts 85% of the one before, because a vehicle sold in millions is recalled more often than a rare one without being more dangerous — and because a flat subtraction bottomed the scale out, scoring a vehicle with 22 recalls within a point of one with six. A ≥ 90, B ≥ 80, C ≥ 70, D ≥ 60, otherwise F. Read it as what it counts: recall campaigns on the federal record, weighted by severity. The damping reduces the sales bias by roughly 40% but does not remove it: like our complaint counts, this is not normalized by how many were sold, so a best-seller still scores somewhat worse than an obscure model with the same real risk. NHTSA crash ratings, do-not-drive and park-outside advisories, and the crash, fire, injury and death counts in owner complaints are reported separately on every page and never blended into the letter — a vehicle can hold five stars and a poor letter at once, and where that happens we say so rather than leave you to notice. Because the scale subtracts from a clean sheet, a model year too new to have been recalled, complained about or bulletined scores full marks on an empty record; we label those grades provisional rather than present them as earned.

EPA figures come from fueleconomy.gov vehicle records. Recalls, complaints, investigations and crash ratings come from NHTSA's public flat files, refreshed nightly.

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