Volvo’s EVs and plug-in hybrids have a serious issue with their regenerative braking systems.
It’s not often that you’ll see Volvo urgently recall its vehicles, but that’s the situation we have with this latest campaign. According to documents filed with the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration (NHTSA), the automaker told safety regulators on June 12 that several of its electrified models could suffer brake failure if owners continuously use regenerative braking. By volume, the recall campaign affects 11,469 vehicles between model years 2020 and 2026, and Volvo has issued a “Do Not Drive” warning to owners who have not yet received an over-the-air update.
As of July 15, about 10% of the recall population (or 1,000 vehicles) haven’t yet gotten the fix.
The recall campaign affects several of the company’s electric vehicles, including the 2023 C40; the 2025 EC40; the 2023-2026 XC40 Recharge/EX40. Plug-in hybrid models impacted include the 2022-2026 XC60; the 2023-2025 S60; the 2024-2025 V60 and the 2020-2026 XC90 (at 5,161 units, the XC90 is the most impacted by volume, followed by the XC60).
The brake failure occurs in this specific circumstance: While coasting downhill in “B” mode for PHEVs or One Pedal Drive for BEVs for at least 1 minute and 40 seconds without applying the brake pedal, drivers can experience a complete loss of braking functionality, even with the normal friction brakes. Volvo says the issue is software related, specifically concerning software version 3.5.14, affecting the Brake Control Module.
As such, the automaker rolled out a software update to address that problem. Of course, losing your ability to brake going downhill is a terrifying prospect, and one owner posted their first-hand experience via dashcam outlining the issue. The company says the issue is “isolated” to certain model years of the above mentioned vehicles, but the coverage under this campaign affects pretty much every BEV and PHEV it makes, with the exceptions of the EX30 and EX90.
In some cases, the recall only affects a handful of vehicles, but as this is a critical safety concern — especially if you live in a mountainous region like we do — owners will want to ensure their software is up-to-date as soon as possible. You can find more information through Volvo’s recall website (the company’s recall number is R10329) or the NHTSA (recall number 23V-392).
While we published our review before the recall notice, we thought well of the updated Volvo XC90, which you can watch below:
