Buyer Research

2014 Volvo S60 — Should You Buy One?

Typical asking price: $8,000–$12,500. There is 1 high-severity known issue you need to know before handing over a check.

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Kestrel Take

Twenty-five complaints is a thin record, and we do not read thin as clean — twelve of the twenty-five are the five-cylinder T5 burning oil, the same fault the 2012 and 2013 carry, and two owners here cite a Volvo extended-warranty notice for it that expired at 8 years or 100,000 miles, which almost every 2014 has now passed. So the oil problem is on you. Three recalls: a 2013 electronics-module reflash that most cars had before their first birthday, and the 2019 door latch and 2020 seat belt campaigns that many second owners never heard about. Buy a T5 with a dipstick reading you took yourself and an oil-consumption test in writing; a T6 is the safer engine.

What we checked

Reconciled against public records, 2026-09-25

NHTSA holds 25 owner complaints for the 2014 Volvo S60, and 3 recall campaigns.

A big number here usually means a lot of these were sold, not that it is a bad vehicle — popular models collect more complaints for the same rate of trouble. So the total on its own says little. What is worth reading is the shape of it. 48% of them are about one thing — the engine. That much concentration is a genuine pattern rather than background noise, and it is the first thing to check on any example you look at.

3 recall campaigns cover this model year. Recalls are repaired free, for any owner, with no time limit on most safety campaigns — but only if someone books it in. Ask the seller to show it was done, or have any dealer check the VIN; it takes them a couple of minutes and costs nothing.

Counts come from the NHTSA complaint and recall database — free, public, and worth checking yourself.

Known Issues for the 2014 Volvo S60

Ranked by wallet impact. These are documented, recurring problems — not freak accidents. How we decide that.

Five-cylinder oil consumption — piston rings, a dry sump, and a warranty notice that has expiredHigh — wallet impact

Half the record. Owners describe a Stop Immediately, No Oil Pressure warning with a dry dipstick two weeks after a change, adding a quart or two a week, and dealers confirming piston rings as the cause. Two owners cite Volvo's Engine Oil Consumption extended-warranty notice with an 8-year/100,000-mile limit — one received it after the car had already aged out. Ask a Volvo dealer whether this VIN ever had the consumption test or the ring repair done; if it did, the invoice is the most valuable piece of paper the seller owns. If it did not, assume the cost is yours. Check the dipstick cold, ask for oil-change receipts, and watch for blue smoke on a hard pull. The T6 six-cylinder is outside this pattern.

Repair cost (estimate): $2,500–$4,500 for pistons and rings; $6,000–$9,000 for a replacement engine — around 88% of what this car is typically worth

Source: NHTSA complaints filed under the engine (12).

Central Electronic Module software fault — wipers run, headlights and signals drop out (recall)Medium

Recall 13V377 covers 2014 S60s with keyless ignition: the CEM software could leave the wipers running with the ignition off and, worse, drop the headlights, turn signals and instrument panel while driving. One owner here had exactly that the day after buying the car. The fix is a free software upgrade from October 2013, so nearly every car has it — but a car that has had a CEM replaced or was sold from another market may not. Check the VIN, and on the walkaround run the lights, signals, wipers and cluster with the key off and on.

Repair cost: $0 with the recall — verify it was performed

Source: NHTSA complaints filed under electrics and electronics (3); 3 NHTSA recall campaigns on this model year.

Water leaking in at the windshield edges, and a defroster that stops clearing the glassMedium

Three visibility complaints: rain running down the inside of the windshield on both sides and soaking the seats, and a heater and defroster that stopped working with no warning light. The leak is usually the cowl seal or the windshield urethane rather than the glass; the defroster is usually a blend-door actuator or the blower. Look for water stains on the A-pillar trim and the carpet under the dash, and run the defroster on high for a minute to feel that it blows hot.

Repair cost (estimate): $200–$600 for a cowl or windshield reseal; $300–$700 for a blend-door actuator or blower motor

Source: NHTSA complaints filed under glass, wipers and mirrors (3).

Door latches can break and leave a door unlatched (recall)Medium

Recall 19V849 covers 2011–2017 S60s: a component in each door latch can fracture, so the door is hard to close or looks closed but is not, and could open while the car moves. Volvo replaces all four latches for free. The recall opened in April 2020, on cars mostly on their second owner, so check the VIN rather than the seller's memory. Shut every door from inside and out and push on it from outside.

Repair cost: $0 with the recall — verify it was performed

Source: 3 NHTSA recall campaigns on this model year.

Front seat belt anchor cable can fail (recall)Medium

Recall 20V378 replaces the steel cable that anchors each front seat belt to the seat on 2011–2018 S60s; with years of belt use it can wear and may not hold in a crash. Both cables are replaced free at a Volvo dealer. Check the VIN, pull each front belt fully out and back, and look at the lower anchor by the seat for fraying.

Repair cost: $0 with the recall — verify it was performed

Source: 3 NHTSA recall campaigns on this model year.

Walk-Away Red Flags

✗Dipstick below the minimum mark when checked cold
✗Blue smoke from the exhaust on a hard pull from 40 mph
✗Water stains on the A-pillar trim or damp carpet under the dash
✗Headlights, signals or cluster flickering with the key on
✗Any of the three recalls still open on the NHTSA VIN lookup

Good Signs

✓Volvo dealer invoice for the oil-consumption test and a piston-ring repair, with mileage noted
✓Recalls 13V377, 19V849 and 20V378 all shown closed on the VIN lookup
✓T6 six-cylinder engine, which is outside the five-cylinder oil consumption pattern
✓Oil-change receipts at 5,000-mile intervals with the level recorded
✓Defroster blowing hot within a minute and dry carpet under the dash after a rainy week