What are the common problems with the 2021 Volvo XC60?
Owners of the 2021 Volvo XC60 have filed 50 complaints with NHTSA, most often about the electrical system (15) and the brakes (9). In NHTSA's complaints file of November 11, 2026, 3 of its 50 complaints list a mileage (17,000 to 45,000 miles), too few to say when problems were reported; a complaint is an owner's report, not a proven defect.
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See what the paid report includes →NHTSA's file holds 50 owner complaints on the 2021 Volvo XC60. Owners named the electrical system most often: 15 complaints. A complaint can name more than one component. Of the 50 complaints, 4 report a crash, none reports a fire and 4 report an injury (4 people reported injured). These are owners' reports to NHTSA, not findings.
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Common problems with the 2021 XC60
NHTSA's file holds 50 owner complaints on the 2021 Volvo XC60. Owners named the electrical system most often: 15 complaints. A complaint can name more than one component.
| Component (NHTSA category) | Complaints | Listing mileage | Median mileage |
|---|---|---|---|
| Electrical System | 15 | 1 | Under 5 mileages |
| Service Brakes | 9 | 0 | Under 5 mileages |
| Engine | 7 | 1 | Under 5 mileages |
| Lane Departure | 7 | 0 | Under 5 mileages |
| Steering | 7 | 1 | Under 5 mileages |
Of the 50 complaints, 4 report a crash, none reports a fire and 4 report an injury (4 people reported injured). These are owners' reports to NHTSA, not findings.
Mileage when owners reported a problem with the 2021 XC60
Too few complaints on the 2021 XC60 list a mileage to say when owners reported problems: 3 of its 50 complaints list a mileage (17,000 to 45,000 miles), and a median is given here only with 10 or more.
These mileages say when owners reported a problem, not when a 2021 XC60 wears out. NHTSA's file holds only vehicles whose owners complained; one that ran without a problem never appears in it, so it gives no lifespan and no cutoff, and how a vehicle was maintained matters more than any one odometer reading.
Every model year together: Half of the 205 NHTSA owner complaints on the Volvo XC60 that list mileage came after 39,000 miles (NHTSA complaints file of November 11, 2026). How many miles will a Volvo XC60 last? →
Is the 2021 XC60 a good year?
Complaint counts cannot say whether the 2021 is a good or a bad XC60: they rise with how many were sold and how long they have been on the road. They show how the 2021 compares with the other model years in NHTSA's file.
With 50 complaints, the 2021 ranks 5th of the 16 Volvo XC60 model years from 2010 to 2025 with 10 or more complaints, counting from the most. The most: the 2022 (75). The fewest: the 2014 and 2017 (16 each).
Recent model years have had less time to collect complaints, so their counts are still growing. No year is ranked by mileage here, because a year's median mileage mostly follows its age.
| Model year | Owner complaints | Listing mileage | Median mileage |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2010 XC60 | 56 | 37 | 69,813 |
| 2011 XC60 | 36 | 22 | 49,926 |
| 2012 XC60 | 46 | 18 | 60,000 |
| 2013 XC60 | 66 | 30 | 60,000 |
| 2014 XC60 | 16 | 11 | 6,844 |
| 2015 XC60 | 48 | 28 | 26,680 |
| 2016 XC60 | 39 | 12 | 43,000 |
| 2017 XC60 | 16 | 6 | Under 10 mileages |
| 2018 XC60 | 36 | 15 | 15,635 |
| 2019 XC60 | 38 | 6 | Under 10 mileages |
| 2020 XC60 | 23 | 4 | Under 10 mileages |
| 2021 (this page) | 50 | 3 | Under 10 mileages |
| 2022 XC60 | 75 | 6 | Under 10 mileages |
| 2023 XC60 | 54 | 3 | Under 10 mileages |
| 2024 XC60 | 26 | 1 | Under 10 mileages |
| 2025 XC60 | 38 | 3 | Under 10 mileages |
Every XC60 year compared on NHTSA’s complaints and recalls: Volvo XC60 years to avoid →
2021 Volvo XC60 recalls
NHTSA's recall files of November 11, 2026 list 5 recall campaigns that name the 2021 Volvo XC60. A campaign covers a production range, not every vehicle of the model year: check the VIN with NHTSA's free recall lookup.
| Campaign | Report received | Component |
|---|---|---|
| 25V179000 | Mar 24, 2025 | ELECTRICAL SYSTEM:PROPULSION SYSTEM:TRACTION BATTERY |
| 23V001000 | Jan 5, 2023 | STEERING |
| 21V716000 | Sep 15, 2021 | SERVICE BRAKES, HYDRAULIC:ANTILOCK/TRACTION CONTROL/ELECTRONIC LIMITED SLIP |
| 21V682000 | Sep 1, 2021 | SEAT BELTS:REAR/OTHER:RETRACTOR |
| 21V001000 | Jan 7, 2021 | AIR BAGS: AIR BAG/RESTRAINT CONTROL MODULE |
What these figures can and cannot tell you
- Complaints are owners’ reports to NHTSA. NHTSA publishes them without verifying them: a complaint is an allegation, not a defect finding.
- The mileage is what the owner wrote on the complaint; NHTSA does not check it against the odometer.
- The make, model and model year are the ones on the complaint. NHTSA records them as filed, so a few complaints sit under a model year the name was not sold in.
- They are not a lifespan study. The file holds only vehicles whose owners reported a problem, so these figures do not say how long a typical 2021 XC60 lasts.
- A complaint count rises with how many vehicles were sold and how long they have been on the road, so it is not a rating of the 2021 XC60.
- Nothing here describes one vehicle: its title brands, odometer readings, accidents and open recalls are in the records for its own VIN.
- 47 of the 50 complaints on the 2021 Volvo XC60 give no usable mileage (blank, zero, a filler such as 999999, or over 500,000) and are left out of every mileage figure.
- NHTSA name counted: XC60. NHTSA files some vehicles under several names (a series name and a trim name, for example); this page counts only this one.
- Recall-file name matched: XC60.
Primary sources behind this page
Open the underlying public source and verify that its scope matches the question you are asking.
- NHTSA complaints flat file (FLAT_CMPL.zip), downloaded November 11, 2026National Highway Traffic Safety Administration
- Complaints file field layout (CMPL.txt)National Highway Traffic Safety Administration
- NHTSA recalls flat file (FLAT_RCL_PRE_2010.zip), downloaded November 11, 2026National Highway Traffic Safety Administration
- NHTSA recalls flat file (FLAT_RCL_POST_2010.zip), downloaded November 11, 2026National Highway Traffic Safety Administration
- Recalls file field layout (RCL.txt)National Highway Traffic Safety Administration
- NHTSA recall and complaint datasets: scope and documentationNational Highway Traffic Safety Administration
- Recalls Lookup by VINNational Highway Traffic Safety Administration
NHTSA’s complaints file was downloaded on November 11, 2026 (FLAT_CMPL.txt, dated 2026-11-11 10:15, 2,265,416 rows), with its recall files (FLAT_RCL_PRE_2010.txt and FLAT_RCL_POST_2010.txt, dated 2026-11-11 08:02). Each complaint is counted once, by its NHTSA number, with the model year and mileage of its first row; a model year has a page only with 10 or more complaints. The collection script and its rules are in scripts/collect-nhtsa-model-year-longtail.mjs.
2021 Volvo XC60 questions
What are the most common 2021 Volvo XC60 problems?
NHTSA's file holds 50 owner complaints on the 2021 Volvo XC60. Owners named the electrical system most often: 15 complaints. A complaint can name more than one component. Of the 50 complaints, 4 report a crash, none reports a fire and 4 report an injury (4 people reported injured). These are owners' reports to NHTSA, not findings.
At what mileage do owners report problems with the 2021 Volvo XC60?
NHTSA's file gives no mileage figure for the 2021 Volvo XC60: 3 of its 50 complaints list a mileage (17,000 to 45,000 miles), and this page gives a median only with 10 or more. These are mileages at a reported problem; they do not say how many miles a 2021 XC60 can cover.
Is the 2021 Volvo XC60 a good year?
Complaint counts cannot say whether the 2021 is a good or a bad XC60: they rise with how many were sold and how long they have been on the road. They show how the 2021 compares with the other model years in NHTSA's file. With 50 complaints, the 2021 ranks 5th of the 16 Volvo XC60 model years from 2010 to 2025 with 10 or more complaints, counting from the most. The most: the 2022 (75). The fewest: the 2014 and 2017 (16 each).
How many recalls does the 2021 Volvo XC60 have?
NHTSA's recall files of November 11, 2026 list 5 recall campaigns that name the 2021 Volvo XC60. A campaign covers a production range, not every vehicle of the model year: check the VIN with NHTSA's free recall lookup.
How do I check a used 2021 Volvo XC60 before buying?
Take the 17-character VIN from the vehicle and compare the odometer with the readings on file for it: title transfers, inspections and auction sales record the mileage on the day. VIN Lookup (free-vin-lookup.com) sells the original ClearVIN PDF for $14.99 (3 reports for $29.99, 5 for $44.99): odometer readings, title brands and auction records on file for the VIN. Check the VIN before buying a used 2021 Volvo XC60.