Reliable Auto DB

2013 Volvo S60 reliability

Is it reliable?

NHTSA's file on the 2013 Volvo S60 holds 86 complaints after 14 years, a rate of 4 per year. That is more complaints per year than most S60 years here — over the median of the other years, which is 0. NHTSA has 4 recalls on file, including Front, Latch, and Labels.

2012 Volvo S60
Photo by Arild Vågen, resized from the original. Wikimedia Commons CC BY-SA 3.0
Complaints

86

Per year

4

Recalls

4

Years on the road

14

What owners report

The complaints owners file most often name Engine (35 of 86), then Air bags (8) and Electrical system (7). Those filings include 5 that report a crash, 1 that reports a fire, and 5 that report an injury.

Next to 2012 and 2014

The 2012 S60 has 121 complaints, 5 per year, and the 2014 has 25 complaints, 2 per year. The 2013 has fewer complaints per year than the 2012. The 2013 has more complaints per year than the 2014.

The complaint rate is complaints filed in this year’s first 3 years on the road, divided by however many of those years have passed. Recalls are a separate count. The numbers are for the US-market 2013 Volvo S60. How we count. Data as of .

Recalls (4)

Recall seat belts, front 2020-06-30 · NHTSA campaign 20V378000
Summary Volvo Cars of N.A., LLC (Volvo) is recalling certain 2008-2016 V70 and XC70, 2007-2016 S80, 2011-2018 S60 and V60, 2016-2018 S60 Cross Country, 2014-2020 S60L, 2009-2015 S80L, 2009-2016 XC60 and 2015-2018 V60 Cross Country vehicles. The flexible steel cable that connects the seat belt to the front outboard seating positions may fatigue over time, causing the seat belt to not secure the occupant in the event of a crash.
Remedy Volvo will notify owners, and dealers will replace the seat belt anchor cable for both front seats. The recall began December 10, 2020. Owners may contact Volvo customer service at 1-800-458-1552. Volvo's number for this recall is R10029.
Recall latches, locks, and linkages, doors, latch 2019-11-26 · NHTSA campaign 19V849000
Summary Volvo Car of USA LLC (Volvo) is recalling certain 2011-2017 S60, S60I, V60, S60CC and V60CC vehicles. A component within the door latches may break, making the doors difficult to latch and/or leading the driver or a passenger to believe a door is securely closed when, in fact, it is not.
Remedy Volvo will notify owners, and dealers will replace all four door latches, free of charge. The recall began April 9, 2020. Owners may contact Volvo customer service at 1-800-458-1552. Volvo's number for this recall is R89978.
Recall Labels 2013-03-05 · NHTSA campaign 13V084000
Summary Volvo is recalling certain model year 2013 S60 and XC60 vehicles, manufactured on January 7, 2013. The product identification labels were printed with the incorrect manufacture year. Thus, these vehicles fail to comply with the requirements of 49 CFR Part 567, "Certification Regulation."
Remedy Volvo has quarantined the affected vehicles and will install correct labels prior to sale. The recall began during March 2013. Owner notification letters will not be sent.
Recall air bags, frontal, inactive sensor control module 2012-09-10 · NHTSA campaign 12V439000
Summary Volvo is recalling certain model year 2013 S60 and XC60 vehicles. A manufacturing defect within the Supplemental Restraint System (SRS) control unit may lead to an inadvertent deployment of the seat belt pretensioner and/or inflatable curtain.
Remedy These vehicles have not been sold and the SRS control unit will be replaced prior to the cars being sold. Owners may contact Volvo at 1-800-458-1552.

Complaints by component (86 total)

Engine
35
Air bags
8
Electrical system
7
Powertrain
5
Service brakes
5
Visibility and wipers
5
Seat belts
4
Fuel and propulsion system
3
Speed control
3
Structure
3
Tires
3
Wheels
3
Latches, locks, and linkages
2
Electronic stability control (ESC)
1
Engine and engine cooling
1
Equipment
1
Exterior lighting
1
Forward collision avoidance
1
Steering
1
Show 11 more Show less
Crash-flagged

5

Fire-flagged

1

Injury reports

5

Death reports

0

Complaints filed per year

52013520143201572016620173201810201910202013202142022102023620243202512026
Excerpts from recent NHTSA complaint filings
  • "I was driving through an intersection and my curtain airbags on each side deployed on their own without being in a accident or collision of any kind. There were no indicators or warning lights of malfunction at the…"
    Air bags · filed 2026-09-11
  • "The “Tire Pressure System” warning appeared and has not turned off. New TPMS sensors were installed but the dealership could not get the car to calibrate despite multiple attempts. It has come to my attention that other…"
    Electrical system · filed 2025-08-25
  • "In 2023, the engine of my 2013 Volvo S60 failed completely without prior warning and the vehicle had to be scrapped. Before that, in 2022, I paid $1,500 for a full front-end suspension rebuild due to abnormal wear.…"
    Unknown or other · filed 2025-06-12
  • "I am submitting this report to formally document a severe safety-related failure involving my 2013 Volvo S60, VIN # [XXX] . This vehicle is part of the Volvo brand, widely recognized and marketed as among the safest in…"
    Steering, Powertrain, Engine · filed 2025-05-13
  • "Engine has excessive oil consumption and sets owners up for expensive testing and repairs, because when the original recall came out, many Volvo s60 with excessive oil consumption were barely out of the allowed mileage…"
    Engine · filed 2024-08-23

NHTSA crash ratings

Version Overall Front Side Rollover
2013 Volvo S60 4 DR AWD 5 stars 5 stars 5 stars 5 stars
2013 Volvo S60 4 DR FWD 5 stars 5 stars 5 stars 5 stars

Stars are how this vehicle did in NHTSA crash tests. They are a safety result, separate from the complaint record. Not rated means that test was not run for this version.

Fuel economy

Trim Engine Transmission Drive City Hwy Combined Annual fuel cost
S60 all-wheel drive 3L, 6-cyl Automatic (6-speed) All-wheel drive 18 25 21 MPG $3100
S60 all-wheel drive 2.5L, 5-cyl Automatic (6-speed) All-wheel drive 20 29 23 MPG $2800
S60 front-wheel drive 2.5L, 5-cyl Automatic (6-speed) Front-wheel drive 21 30 24 MPG $2700

Specs and fitment

Second generation (P3), 2012–2018
Body styles Sedan
Oil 0W-20 (2.0L); 0W-30/5W-30 (2.5L and 3.0L) , 5.7 qt capacity
Tire size 215/50R17, 235/45R17, 235/40R18, 235/40R19 or 245/35R20 (trim-dependent) front / 215/50R17–245/35R20 (trim-dependent) rear

Known issues for this generation

Recall 19V849000 covers certain 2011-2017 S60, S60I, V60, S60CC, and V60CC vehicles. A component within the door latches may break, making doors difficult to latch or leading an occupant to believe a door is closed when it is not; an unlatched door can open while the vehicle is moving. Recall 20V378000 covers certain 2011-2018 S60 and V60 vehicles (among other Volvo models). The flexible steel cable that connects the seat belt to the front outboard seating positions may fatigue over time so the belt does not secure the occupant in a crash.

Compare

Previous year 2012 Volvo S60 Next year 2014 Volvo S60 See every Volvo S60 model year →

Frequently asked questions

Is the 2013 Volvo S60 reliable?

NHTSA's file on the 2013 Volvo S60 holds 86 complaints after 14 years, a rate of 4 per year. That is more complaints per year than most S60 years here — over the median of the other years, which is 0. NHTSA has 4 recalls on file, including Front, Latch, and Labels.

What are common problems with a 2013 Volvo S60?

The complaints owners file most often name Engine (35 of 86), then Air bags (8) and Electrical system (7). Those filings include 5 that report a crash, 1 that reports a fire, and 5 that report an injury.

Is the 2013 Volvo S60 more reliable than the years next to it?

The 2012 S60 has 121 complaints, 5 per year, and the 2014 has 25 complaints, 2 per year. The 2013 has fewer complaints per year than the 2012. The 2013 has more complaints per year than the 2014.

Has the 2013 Volvo S60 been recalled?

The 2013 Volvo S60 has 4 recalls on file with NHTSA. See the recalls table on this page for dates, components, and remedies.

How many complaints have owners filed about the 2013 Volvo S60?

Owners have filed 86 complaints about the 2013 Volvo S60 with NHTSA.

What mpg does a 2013 Volvo S60 get?

EPA-rated combined fuel economy for the 2013 Volvo S60 is 22.7 MPG. See the fuel economy table on this page for city and highway figures by engine and transmission.

What engine oil does a Volvo S60 use?

Earlier models commonly list 0W-20 (2.0L) or 0W-30/5W-30 (2.5L/3.0L); SPA 2.0L models commonly list 0W-20 (~5.9 qt with filter).

What tire sizes does a Volvo S60 use?

OEM sizes commonly include 215/50R17 through 245/35R20 on earlier cars and 235/45R18 or 235/40R19 on SPA models.

What door-latch recall covers certain S60 models?

Recall 19V849000 covers certain 2011-2017 S60, S60I, V60, S60CC, and V60CC vehicles where a door-latch component may break.