Buyer Research

2017 Volvo S60 — Should You Buy One?

Typical asking price: $12,000–$17,500. There is 1 high-severity known issue 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

Sixteen complaints is a thin record, not a reliability rating — but six of the sixteen are the same thing, a door latch that fails and lets a door open on the move, and that is what the 2019 latch recall was for. One owner's VIN was outside the campaign and had to pay. Five recalls in all: the latches, side airbag initiators that may not fire (two campaigns), a passenger buckle stud and the front belt anchor cables. This is the last full year of the second-generation S60, almost all 2.0L Drive-E, and a quiet, safe, comfortable car at a modest price. Buy it with every door tested from inside and out and all five campaigns confirmed closed on the VIN.

What we checked

Checked against public records, 2026-09-25

NHTSA holds 16 owner complaints for the 2017 Volvo S60, and 5 recall campaigns.

That is too small a record to read a pattern from, so we are not going to pretend otherwise — with numbers this low one owner moves the percentage by a lot. What has been filed is grouped under latches/locks/linkages (3), the body and structure (3), tyres (1). Treat those as things to look at, not as the vehicle's known weaknesses. A thin file usually means few of these were sold or few owners filed. It is not evidence the vehicle is trouble-free, and the issues below are our own research rather than a reading of this record.

5 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 2017 Volvo S60

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

Door latches fail — doors open while driving, some VINs outside the recall (recall)High — wallet impact

Recall 19V849 covers 2011–2017 S60s: a component inside each door latch can break, so a door will not lock, is hard to latch, or looks closed when it is not. On this year it is the whole record — six of sixteen complaints, split between the latch and structure headings: a driver's door that opened while driving and was traced to a failed latch, multiple doors that open unexpectedly and will not lock, and a 2026 report from an owner whose VIN was not in the campaign and who was left with a door that could open on the move. Volvo replaces all four latches free on covered cars. Run the VIN first; if this car is outside the population, price a latch into the deal. Then shut every door from inside and out, push on each from outside, and lock the car from the fob and listen for all four to engage. On the earlier years we rate this recall medium because it is one of several stories; here it is the story, which is why it sits at the top.

Repair cost: $0 with the recall — verify it was performed; $300–$700 per latch if the VIN is outside the campaign

Source: NHTSA complaints filed under latches/locks/linkages (3), the body and structure (3); 5 NHTSA recall campaigns on this model year.

Front seat side airbag initiators may not ignite in a crash (two recalls)Medium

Recall 16V918 covers 2017 S60s built August 16 to October 21, 2016, and recall 17V127 extends it across the 2017 S60: the initiator in the driver and front passenger seat-mounted side airbags may fail to fire, so the airbag does not deploy. Dealers inspect and replace the seat airbags at no cost. There is nothing to see or hear on the walkaround; this is a five-minute VIN check on a part you cannot test. If the car has had a front seat reupholstered or replaced, ask for the invoice and whether the airbag was moved over.

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

Source: 5 NHTSA recall campaigns on this model year.

Passenger buckle stud and front belt anchor cables (two recalls)Medium

Recall 16V798 covers 2017 S60s built up to August 22, 2016: the stud attaching the front passenger seat belt buckle to its bracket can loosen and let the buckle separate. Recall 20V378 covers 2011–2018 S60s: the steel cable tying each front belt to the seat can wear through with years of use. Both are free at a Volvo dealer, and the second went out in December 2020 when many 2017s were already on a second owner. The one seat belt complaint on this year is about the parts delay. Check the VIN, tug hard on the passenger buckle, and look at each front belt's lower anchor beside the seat for fraying.

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

Source: NHTSA complaints filed under seat belts (1); 5 NHTSA recall campaigns on this model year.

2.0L Drive-E accessory belt and crank pulley — a shredded belt can take out the timingMedium

Not in the record for this year, but it is on the 2015 and 2016 pages and the engine is the same: on the Drive-E four, the serpentine belt runs close enough to the timing belt that a crank pulley coming apart or a seized alternator or compressor can throw the belt behind the timing cover and bend valves. Looking costs nothing. From below with a flashlight, the rubber ring in the crank pulley should be intact with no cracks or bulge, the belt should run centred on its pulleys with clean edges, and there should be no grinding from the accessory side at idle. A damper and belt set replaced in advance is a few hundred dollars; the head job after a failure is not.

Repair cost (estimate): $400–$800 for a damper and belts in advance; $4,000–$8,000 for valves and a head after a failure — around 54% of what this car is typically worth

Source: not yet checked against public records.

Oil level on a Drive-E — there is no dipstick, so check the displayMedium

The single engine complaint on this year is not enough to call oil consumption a 2017 pattern, and we do not. But the 2013–2016 S60s carry it heavily, and the Drive-E gives you no dipstick to pull — the only check is the electronic oil level readout in the driver display, which needs the engine warm and the car level. Scroll to it before the test drive and after, and ask for oil-change receipts with the level noted. A seller who does not know where the readout is has probably never looked, which tells you what the next owner will be checking.

Repair cost (estimate): $0–$100 for a dealer level check; $2,500–$4,500 for pistons and rings if the car proves to consume oil — about 31% of what this car is typically worth

Source: NHTSA complaints filed under the engine (1).

Walk-Away Red Flags

✗A door that needs a second slam, or that does not click when the car is locked from the fob
✗Seller cannot say whether the door latch recall was done, or the VIN shows it open
✗Oil level readout in the driver display below the midpoint
✗Cracked or bulging rubber on the crank pulley when viewed from below
✗Any of the five recalls still open on the NHTSA VIN lookup

Good Signs

✓Recalls 16V918, 17V127, 16V798, 19V849 and 20V378 all shown closed on the VIN lookup
✓Dealer invoice for four replacement door latches, with the date
✓All four doors latching on the first push and locking together from the fob
✓Receipt for a replacement crank pulley and belts
✓Oil-change receipts with the electronic level reading noted at each visit