Electrical, safety system, and cracked sunroof issues are among the top complaints received by the NHTSA from vehicle owners
The 2022 Volvo XC40 allows discerning drivers to experience a high-class lifestyle while on the road. The automaker claims it will help “design your life.” However, some owners find that there’s no room for enjoyment or design when it comes to dealing with a defective electrical system with propulsion system failure. They are also complaining about problems with the compact SUV’s safety system and explosive sunroof.
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Complaints lodged with the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration (NHTSA) about the 2022 Volvo XC40 are varied. The most common relate to important safety features, specifically vehicle speed control, back-over prevention, lane departure, and forward collision avoidance. There are also problems with the electrical system, including propulsion system failure that results in vehicles losing speed. Cracked sunroofs are also reportedly an issue.
One isolated incident involves a rear tire blowout experienced by someone test-driving a 2022 XC40. When turning into her driveway at about 3 mph, the woman bumped the curb, “and the driver-side rear tire blew out.” The tire was replaced.
There is one recall for the 2022 Volvo XC40 T5 AWD. It relates to the SUV’s electrical system.
NHTSA Campaign Number 21V109000, states that 2,278 2021-2022 XC40 Recharge vehicles are potentially affected by the recall. The problem is that a high voltage disconnect may cause a loss of drive power. The recall notification warns that the Battery Energy Control Module (BECM) microprocessor might reset itself while the vehicle is in operation. If this happens, there will be an increased chance of an accident.
| Complaint Category | Number of Complaints |
|---|---|
| Unknown Or Other | |
| Forward Collision Avoidance: Automatic Emergency Braking | |
| Forward Collision Avoidance: Warnings | |
| Vehicle Speed Control:accelerator Pedal | |
| Air Bags | |
| Back Over Prevention: Camera System | |
| Back Over Prevention: Rearview System Braking | |
| Electrical System | |
| Fuel/propulsion System | |
| Lane Departure: Blind Spot Detection |
There is no common theme to the complaints about safety systems, just that there are problems. These range from unintentional acceleration, sudden deceleration, and phantom braking, to a blind spot monitoring malfunction and issues with the rearview backup camera. The electrical system is also implicated in the complaints.
Here are 2 examples of vehicle speed control issues. The first is categorized as also being an electrical system problem.
When backing out of a parking space, an owner from Virginia was faced with an error message: “Slow Down. The Vehicle will reduce speed. Propulsion system failure.” The SUV was towed to a dealer and the error code was “reset.”
“The dealership could not tell me if the vehicle was safe to drive. I called the dealership multiple times, and they stated the problem was being investigated by Volvo corporate. Still, no one can tell me if and the conditions the vehicle will begin its automatic deceleration protocol.” Then he was told that the error had to occur twice for them to be able to investigate more thoroughly. The next response stated that “based on your DTC codes it appears you are referencing TJ-36309, CMA BEV IHFA Internal Processor Failure.”
TJ 36300 relates to an over-the-air (OTA) software update that was issued in December 2022. But, at the time of the complaint, the software fix was still being developed.
The second vehicle speed control example is regarded by the owner as also being an issue that affects the hydraulic service brakes, and airbags of the vehicle.
This incident involved unintended acceleration, which happened when the owner was stopped and the brake pedal was depressed. Suddenly, the vehicle accelerated and drove onto the pavement. The brakes still didn’t respond, and the XC40 crashed into a school wall and fence.” The curtain airbags deployed, but not the driver’s side airbag. The driver was injured in the crash and received medical assistance the next day.
Problems with back-over prevention are caused by ultra-bright tail lights that obstruct the driver’s vision at night.
An owner from New Jersey describes how the XC40 he was leasing had a fault in the camera system. When “using the backup camera at night, the brightness of the taillights would obstruct his vision while reversing.” The dealer did an inspection but determined there weren’t any defects with the camera.
Another complaint states that when the rearview backup camera is in the dark, the camera “shows red.” So, when you back up in the dark the tail lights are so bright, all you can see is red. “You cannot see any objects that are behind the vehicle.”
Forward collision-avoidance issues relate to phantom braking issues. An owner from Florida describes how “the car came to a sudden hard-brake stop with the seatbelt clenching around me.” It was 9 am and the sun was behind the XC40. There were no other vehicles, objects, or pedestrians around. Alarmed by the experience, the owner stated he didn’t expect “a resolution,” but intended to “request this so-called safety feature be disabled. I am extremely concerned if this would have happened on a busier street or highway.”
An owner from Colorado describes how the blind spot monitoring feature sometimes results in erratic blinking for no reason. While it is designed to indicate if a vehicle is in the blind spot area, it activates when no other vehicle is present. “It has also failed to warn that a vehicle is actually in the blind spot when one was.”
This indicates a failure of what is supposed to be another important safety feature.
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An owner of a 2022 Volvo XC40 from New York states that the panoramic sunroof cracked without any evidence of stone damage.
An owner from San Diego goes into more detail, stating that the cracks in the front panel of the sunroof are “very linear in nature.” There aren’t any signs of impact points and there are no “spider webbing” type cracks. Like many other owners with the same problem, this owner was told by the dealership that they believed it was “caused by a rock strike, not a manufacturer problem.” The complaint goes on to say that it is highly improbable that a rock could impact the glass “with enough speed to crack the glass, but slow enough to not ever create any spider webbing in the same general area of the same panel of glass on multiple vehicles of the same model.”
“I believe the issue to either be something structural causing a stress fracturing, or subpar glass used in the panel, since other panels on this car and other cars are not experiencing the issue. My concern and reason for reporting is that it appears the issue is growing in incidents reported, and if this panel breaks while someone is driving the results to themselves and others on the road could be a huge safety concern.”
There are several threads in the XC40 Forum that discuss this exact problem. And it’s not only the 2022 XC40 that has sunroofs that crack. From the forum discussions, it’s clear that other model years do too, and so do other Volvo XC models. Furthermore, it isn’t only U.S. owners who are affected. There are also many complaints on the forum from owners in the UK.
The owner of a 2022 Volvo XC40 from New York states: “We noticed a crack in the sun roof glass after the air was on, and the outside temperature was in the mid 90’s. We took it to the dealership, and guess what, we were told exactly the same thing, that a stone must have hit it. Stones must have an affinity for XC40 panoramic glass sunroofs, as per posts within this forum. A glass repair shop stated that a stone did not cause the glass breakage. Our glass breakage is similar to those shown on this forum. In NYS, glass breakage is usually covered, but this is considered a collision, since the entire unit needs to be replaced.”
If you think you might have bought a lemon, you are welcome to contact Lemberg Law for help. We will evaluate your problems without a charge and advise you. The law makes Volvo pay the legal fees. All you have to do is fill out a contact form or call our Helpline.
Brian Jones spent more than 30 years working as an ASE Certified Master Tech and Parts Specialist at multiple dealerships. Brian has become an authority in the industry, traveling across the country to consult for car dealerships and contributing his expertise as a writer for several major automotive publications. In his spare time, Brian enjoys working on pickup trucks, muscle cars, Jeeps and anything related to motorsports.
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