Buyer Research

2021 Volvo S60 — Should You Buy One?

Typical asking price: $22,000–$31,000. 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

Eight complaints and no recall campaigns on the 2021 S60 — a record so small that it can only tell you what a handful of owners went through, never how the model behaves as a whole. Treat it as eight anecdotes, and read them anyway, because they are specific: sunroof drains that clogged and put water under the front passenger seat until an electronic module died, a wiper arm that flailed onto bare glass and cracked a windshield, a T8's high-voltage coolant heater that stopped warming the defroster, and two separate owners replacing warped front rotors inside 15,000 miles. Every one of those is checkable in half an hour at the car. Do that, get the service history from a Volvo dealer, and judge this one on what you find rather than on how quiet our file is.

What we checked

Checked against public records, 2026-09-25

NHTSA holds 8 owner complaints for the 2021 Volvo S60, and 3 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 electrics and electronics (4), glass, wipers and mirrors (3), the brakes (2). 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.

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 2021 Volvo S60

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

Clogged sunroof drains put water under the passenger seat and kill electronic modulesHigh — wallet impact

Half the electrical complaints on this car are water damage or a shutdown. The clearest is a T8 at about 71,000 miles where the sunroof drain hoses clogged, water ran into the cabin and pooled under the front passenger seat, and the wide-angle module — the box that handles a whole set of body electronics — failed outright. Another owner had the entire car cut out on a hill with the engine dead, no steering assist and an unresponsive brake pedal. Water is the cheap half of this to prevent and the expensive half to repair. At the car, pull the passenger seat carpet back and press hard with your palm, then smell for damp; pour a bottle of water into each front sunroof channel and watch it run out behind the front wheels within a few seconds. If it pools, the drains are blocked.

Repair cost (estimate): $150–$400 to clear the drains; $1,800–$3,500 for a soaked module and the wiring around it

Source: NHTSA complaints filed under electrics and electronics (4).

Wiper maintenance mode misfires; the T8's cabin heater can leave the defroster coldMedium

Three visibility complaints, and they are two distinct faults. One owner put the wipers into the service position to change blades, the mode dropped out, and the bare metal arms slammed onto the glass and starred the windshield, which cracked right across by the next day. The other is a T8 whose high-voltage coolant heater failed, so running on battery alone the car could not warm the air and the defroster would not clear the screen — a winter safety problem more than a comfort one. Ask the seller to demonstrate wiper service mode, and in any weather turn the heat to maximum on the windscreen and check that hot air actually arrives within a couple of minutes.

Repair cost (estimate): $400–$800 for a windshield; $1,200–$2,400 for a high-voltage coolant heater on the T8

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

Front brake rotors warp early and set up a shake under brakingMedium

Both brake complaints say the same thing in different words: a shudder through the steering wheel and a pulse in the pedal when slowing from speed, diagnosed at the dealer as warped front rotors. One owner was on their second set of front rotors inside the first 15,000 miles. This is a heavy car for its size — heavier still as a T8 — and the original rotors do not always cope. It is not dangerous and it is not expensive by luxury-car standards, but it is a real bill and a fair thing to negotiate on. Find an empty stretch of road, brake firmly from 55 mph, and feel the wheel: a rhythmic wobble that rises and falls with road speed is a warped rotor.

Repair cost (estimate): $600–$1,100 for front rotors and pads at an independent shop

Source: NHTSA complaints filed under the brakes (2).

Walk-Away Red Flags

✗Damp or musty carpet under the front passenger seat, or a water line on the seat rails
✗Steering wheel shudder when braking from highway speed
✗Defroster on a T8 that blows cool air when the engine is not running
✗Starred or cracked windshield around the wiper sweep
✗Any account from the seller of the car losing power or dash lights while moving

Good Signs

✓Water poured into the sunroof channels draining out behind the front wheels within seconds
✓Front rotors and pads replaced with an invoice showing the mileage
✓Volvo dealer service history with the software level printed as current
✓Dry, tight carpet under both front seats on a firm press
✓A T8 whose cabin heat comes up quickly on electric-only running