Buyer Research

2016 Volvo S60 — Should You Buy One?

Typical asking price: $10,500–$16,000. There are 3 high-severity known issues you need to know before handing over a check.

Deciding between model years? Compare the 14 Volvo S60 years we've written up →

Kestrel Take

Twenty-six complaints is a thin record and we do not read it as a clean one. Eight of them are the engine, and they split the way the 2016 line-up does: the 2.5L five-cylinder still fitted to T5 AWD and Cross Country cars burning oil, and the new 2.0L Drive-E four losing a belt into its timing drive when an accessory seizes. Four recalls, and the one that matters most is a starter fuse that can blow under stop-start and leave the car dead at a light. Buy with the oil level checked by you, the crank pulley and belt looked at from below, and all four campaigns confirmed closed on the VIN.

What we checked

Reconciled against public records, 2026-09-25

NHTSA holds 26 owner complaints for the 2016 Volvo S60, and 4 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. 31% 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.

4 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 2016 Volvo S60

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

Oil consumption — a quart light at 86,000 miles, piston rings blamed, and a class action an owner citesHigh — wallet impact

Three of the eight engine complaints are the same story the 2013–2015 S60 carries: the car starts asking for a quart between changes, the dealer confirms heavy consumption, and the cause named is piston rings. One owner cites a 2022 class action against Volvo Car USA over oil consumption and says Volvo declined to help once the warranty had run out; ask a Volvo dealer whether this VIN falls under any extended oil-consumption coverage or has had a consumption test or ring repair, and do not take a listing's word for it. Five-cylinder cars have a dipstick — pull it cold. Drive-E cars do not: scroll to the oil level readout in the driver display before and after the test drive. Blue smoke on a hard pull from 40 mph is the other tell.

Repair cost (estimate): $2,500–$4,500 for pistons and rings; $6,000–$9,000 for a replacement engine — around 68% of what this car is typically worth

Source: NHTSA complaints filed under the engine (8).

Seized alternator snaps the serpentine belt into the timing belt — engine stops on the highwayHigh — wallet impact

One owner describes it exactly: the alternator seized at highway speed, the serpentine belt snapped, the loose belt was dragged behind the timing cover and skipped the timing, and the car stopped in the left lane needing a cylinder head. On the 2.0L Drive-E the accessory belt runs close enough to the timing belt that a seized alternator, air-conditioning compressor or a crank pulley coming apart can do this, which is why the 2015 page carries the same warning. It is one report here, but the bill is the reason to check: from below with a flashlight, look for cracked or bulging rubber in the crank pulley and a belt riding off-centre or fraying, and listen for a grinding bearing at idle with the hood up.

Repair cost (estimate): $400–$800 for a damper and belts in advance; $600–$1,100 for an alternator; $4,000–$8,000 for valves and a head after a failure — around 60% of what this car is typically worth

Source: NHTSA complaints filed under the engine (8), electrics and electronics (5).

Starter fuse can blow under stop-start — car will not restart in traffic (recall), plus cars that go darkHigh — wallet impact

Recall 15V555 covers 2016 S60s built April 8 to August 19, 2015: with the automatic engine stop-start active, the starter motor fuse can blow, and the engine that shut itself off at the light will not come back. The fix is a higher-rated fuse, free, and it takes minutes. The electrical complaints around it are worse than the recall: a 200-mile car that lost engine, steering and every light on a freeway at night and was hit; a car at 40 mph where every warning flashed and the engine shut down; a stop-start car that has cut out ten times, some while moving; and an audio module that died and drained the battery. Check the VIN for the recall, have the battery and alternator load-tested, and on the test drive let stop-start cycle at three or four lights and see that it restarts cleanly every time.

Repair cost: $0 with the recall — verify it was performed; $250–$450 for a battery; $600–$1,100 for an alternator

Source: NHTSA complaints filed under electrics and electronics (5); 4 NHTSA recall campaigns on this model year.

Two seat belt recalls — passenger buckle stud and front anchor cables — and owners who waited months for partsMedium

Recall 16V798 covers 2016 S60s built February 16, 2015 to August 22, 2016: the stud holding the front passenger seat belt buckle to its bracket can loosen and the buckle can come away. Recall 20V378 covers 2011–2018 S60s: the flexible steel cable anchoring each front belt to the seat can wear through. Both are free, and all three seat belt complaints on this year are owners who received the notice and then waited months because Volvo had no parts. One had the SRS light come on and had both campaigns done at the same visit. Run the VIN; if either shows open, the seller can have it done before you pay. Tug hard on the passenger buckle and look at each front belt's lower anchor for fraying.

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

Source: NHTSA complaints filed under seat belts (3); 4 NHTSA recall campaigns on this model year.

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

Recall 19V849 covers 2011–2017 S60s: a component inside each door latch can fracture, so a door is hard to close, or looks and sounds closed when it is not, and can swing open with the car moving. Volvo replaces all four latches at no cost. The recall went out in April 2020, when most 2016s were already on a second owner, so the notice often went to the wrong address. Three structure complaints on this year fit the pattern. Open and shut every door from inside and out, push on each from outside, and confirm the campaign shows complete on the NHTSA VIN lookup.

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

Source: NHTSA complaints filed under the body and structure (3); 4 NHTSA recall campaigns on this model year.

Spark plug ends breaking off in the cylinder on the 2.0L — misfire, then low compressionMedium

One owner reports a spark plug tip breaking off inside cylinder 4 and taking the compression with it, and says Volvo had changed the plug specification without telling owners. We cannot confirm a plug campaign and will not name one, but a single broken plug on a direct-injection turbo four is expensive enough to be worth a scan. Ask when the plugs were last changed and what part number went in; have a shop pull stored misfire codes on a cold start. A rough idle that clears as the engine warms is the cheap version of this problem; a steady misfire on one cylinder is the expensive one.

Repair cost (estimate): $150–$350 for plugs; $2,000–$4,000 if a broken plug has damaged a piston or valve — about 30% of what this car is typically worth

Source: NHTSA complaints filed under the engine (8).

Walk-Away Red Flags

✗Oil level readout or dipstick below the midpoint on a car the seller says was just serviced
✗Cracked, bulging or shiny rubber on the crank pulley when viewed from below
✗Grinding or whining bearing noise from the accessory belt side at idle
✗Stop-start that stalls the engine and does not restart on its own
✗Any of the four recalls still open on the NHTSA VIN lookup

Good Signs

✓Recalls 15V555, 16V798, 19V849 and 20V378 all shown closed on the VIN lookup
✓Volvo dealer invoice for an oil-consumption test and a piston-ring repair, with mileage noted
✓Receipt for a replacement crank pulley, belts and tensioner on a Drive-E car
✓Battery and alternator load test passed within the last year
✓Stop-start cycled at several lights on the test drive with a clean restart each time
✓Oil-change receipts at 5,000-mile intervals with the level recorded