Electrified Volvos Don’t Stop As They Should
Safety issues stemming from recalls are not uncommon, and even the company that invented the seatbelt occasionally has to improve on things that it didn’t get right, like the common rearview camera issue plaguing many. Thanks to over-the-air software updates, many of these issues can often be resolved without a trip to the dealership. But there’s only so much one can do when the owners themselves don’t take advantage, and that’s why the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration is issuing an urgent warning to Volvo owners after the majority of them impacted by a recall last month have still not availed themselves of the fix.
If you have a hybrid or all-electric Volvo and haven’t already done so, please stop driving until you’ve downloaded the update.
Complete Loss Of Braking Could Occur
Volvo
The NHTSA says that Volvo issued recall 25V-392 on June 12, with the goal of addressing a regenerative braking issue that, left unchecked, could cause an affected vehicle to “completely lose its ability to brake while going downhill.” Volvo advised owners to turn off regenerative braking and avoid driving their cars until the recall was downloaded, but of the 11,469 vehicles impacted by this recall, approximately 1,000 still hadn’t performed the update by July 15. The affected vehicles, including some of the latest 2026 models, are listed below:
- 2023 C40 BEV
- 2025 EC40 BEV
- 2025-2026 EX40 PHEV
- 2023-2025 S60 PHEV
- 2025 S90 PHEV
- 2024-2025 V60 PHEV
- 2023-2024 XC40 BEV
- 2022-2026 XC60 PHEV
- 2020-2026 XC90 PHEV
One Incident Captured On Video Reveals The Danger
Volvo
To highlight just how important this recall is, the NHTSA has uploaded a dashcam clip of an owner experiencing the issue, which nearly resulted in a severe crash. Fortunately, nobody was injured, but had this happened after dark or in another place, or with cyclists or pedestrians nearby, things could have been a lot worse, especially given the weight of cars with charging ports.
Unfortunately for Volvo, alongside the rearview camera issue mentioned at the outset, owner reports of glitches in other areas have some buyers reconsidering. Worse still, the automaker has been forced to drastically cut its U.S. lineup because of the impact of tariffs.