What breaks most · 2019 to 2025 model years
Volvo XC40 problems by year
Owners have filed 212 safety complaints with NHTSA about the Volvo XC40 across model years 2019 to 2025. Three years stand out: 2021 for electrical system complaints, 2023 for electrical system complaints and 2022 for backup camera and sensors complaints. The quietest years are 2020 and 2019.
- Years to check closely: 2021, 2023, 2022
- Fewest complaints: 2020, 2019
- Complaints on file
- 2122019 to 2025, all trims
- Worst year
- 202151 complaints
- Crashes reported
- 230 fires · 17 injuries · 0 deaths
- Typical failure mileage
- 5kMedian where owners gave mileage
- Recall campaigns
- 23Across the years shown
Complaints by model year
Raw filings with NHTSA, not adjusted for how many were sold.
| Model year | Complaints | Crashes | Recalls | Most-reported component |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 30 | 4 | 4 | Unknown or other (7) | |
| 12 | 1 | 1 | Electrical system (4) | |
| 51 | 3 | 5 | Electrical system (14) | |
| 37 | 2 | 3 | Backup camera and sensors (14) | |
| 43 | 7 | 4 | Electrical system (11) | |
| 28 | 5 | 4 | Brakes (8) | |
| 11 | 1 | 2 | Unknown or other (4) |
What fails on the 2021 Volvo XC40
| Component | Share of complaints | Filings | Crashes | Parts for this job |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Electrical systemAlternators, starters and ignition | 27% |
14 | 0 | Shop electrical system parts for the 2021 Volvo XC40 |
| Fuel systemFuel pumps and injectors | 20% |
10 | 1 | Shop fuel system parts for the 2021 Volvo XC40 |
| Backup camera and sensorsCameras and park sensors | 16% |
8 | 0 | Shop all backup camera and sensors parts, not filtered to this vehicle |
| Unknown or other | 12% |
6 | 0 | — |
| Forward collision systemRadar and camera sensors | 12% |
6 | 1 | Shop all forward collision system parts, not filtered to this vehicle |
| Powertrain and transmissionTransmission parts | 10% |
5 | 1 | Shop all powertrain and transmission parts, not filtered to this vehicle |
| Wipers and visibilityWiper motors and blades | 10% |
5 | 0 | Shop all wipers and visibility parts, not filtered to this vehicle |
| Speed control and throttleThrottle and pedal sensors | 10% |
5 | 2 | Shop speed control and throttle parts for the 2021 Volvo XC40 |
One complaint can name more than one component, so shares add to more than 100%. "Unknown or other" is NHTSA's uncategorized bucket and is shown but never ranked.
In owners' words
Complaint narratives as filed with NHTSA, trimmed for length.
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Back up camera consistently does not turn off. Audio system, including turning signals and reverse alert do not activate. This continues to be a safety risk despite numerous software updates that have allegedly fixed the issues.
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The supplied 240V Level 2 charger has a design defect that causes the J1772 handle to detach from the high voltage supply cable exposing the individual wires to a possible fire condition.
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The backup camera doesn't always work. There are times when you will put the car in reverse and it will attempt to display the backup camera but instead says camera is temporarily unavailable. There recently was a recall for this, twice, but the issue continues to occur.
How to read this page
Every figure comes from the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration's public complaint database, which holds every safety-related defect complaint filed by owners since 1995. We refresh it monthly and count each complaint once per component it names. Data through September 6, 2026.
NHTSA only accepts safety-related complaints. Rattles, paint, infotainment bugs and other annoyances are under-reported here, so this page is a map of what fails in ways owners consider dangerous, not a full reliability score.
Counts are raw. Use the year-over-year shape and the component mix, not the absolute numbers. Where a component maps to parts we stock, the row links to that category filtered to the year you are viewing. Air bag and seat belt complaints link to the recall checker instead, because those repairs are almost always covered.
Common questions
Which Volvo XC40 years have the most problems?
By NHTSA complaint volume, 2021, 2023, 2022 carry the most filings on the Volvo XC40. The 2021 alone has 51 complaints, led by electrical system.
What is the most common Volvo XC40 problem?
On the 2021 model year, the most-reported component is electrical system with 14 complaints. The table above lists the top components for every year.
At what mileage do Volvo XC40 problems start?
The median mileage at failure across all Volvo XC40 complaints that include mileage is about 5,000 miles. Older model years skew higher; the per-year figure is in the "at a glance" card.
Are these complaints verified?
No. NHTSA publishes complaints as submitted and does not investigate individual filings. Patterns across hundreds of complaints are meaningful; a single one is not.