My Volvo Experience (never again)

I had really liked Volvo, but never again.

I took possession of a new 2025 Volvo EC40 Black Edition in December 2024. The real-world range was about 100 km less than advertised even in optimal conditions, and the car is designed such that there is no clear line of sight out the rear window—but aside from that, it was great.

By mid-April, about 4 months into the life of the vehicle, it suddenly broke down, leaving me briefly stranded in a parking lot with a baby and a dog. An error message read: “The propulsion system requires service urgently. Drive carefully to the nearest workshop.” But it would not go into drive. This was on a Saturday, so no support was available from Volvo, and I had to rent a car.

The following Monday, April 21, 2025, I phoned the dealership, Volvo at Carling Motors Co. Limited, and explained the situation. The service coordinator told me the next available appointment was in 2 weeks and there were no loaner vehicles available. I found this unacceptable following the failure of a new vehicle, so I spent the rest of my day escalating to the Service Manager and General Manager. Six phone calls and three hours wasted.

Ultimately, I was able to make arrangements for the following day. I had my bricked EC40 towed to the dealership and picked up a (non-electric) loaner. I also asked the General Manager to reimburse me for the cost of my rental vehicle over the weekend, and he agreed.

A week and a half later, I followed up on May 1 to ask for an update and learned that my vehicle was still waiting to be assessed—not waiting to be repaired; they still didn’t even know what was wrong with it.

On May 6, the dealership called to let me know they still had not assessed the vehicle because they were busy.

By May 20, there was still no progress; the vehicle was still waiting to be assessed. I was also still paying to fuel a gas-powered loaner while my electric vehicle was sitting in a parking lot, and I still hadn’t received the reimbursement promised over a month prior. At this point, I wrote to Volvo Canada to explain my situation.

On May 28, following engagement from Volvo Canada, I received a call from the dealership, Carling Motors, indicating the vehicle had finally been repaired. They had a few more tests to run, then it would be good to go. I was out of town at the time and arranged to pick it up the following Monday, June 2.

I booked a few hours out of my work schedule to return the loaner and pick up my EC40 on June 2. I met the Service Manager in person. He apologized for everything and assured me I would receive the reimbursement promised, offering to send it by mail that week. It would be bad enough if the story ended here.

I got into the repaired and tested vehicle, which Carling Volvo had now had for 6 full weeks. Guess what I saw immediately on the dash: “Propulsion system service required.” (Photo attached.) Without so much as shifting into drive, I was out of the vehicle and back in line at the Service department. They rushed to fix “a software issue” that afternoon while I took an Uber to a meeting at work. I returned later that afternoon to pick up the vehicle a second time, and it operated normally at that point. I thought I was finally in the clear.

On June 7, the same error message reappeared. “Propulsion system service required.” I won’t repeat what I said to myself. This time, I could still drive the vehicle but acceleration was reduced. There was no obvious cause for the error. It appeared after I had stopped at a convenience store, and the weather was dry and sunny.

Since I was keeping track, by this point the vehicle had spent 43 days at Carling Volvo for the same issue, and I had only had it back for 5 days before it broke down again. That was over 25% of its life back at the dealership.

I emailed the Service Manager, the General Manager, and Volvo Canada: “I would like at this time to have a few conversations:

1. How to proceed while minimizing additional and unfair burden on me. I request that Carling Volvo have someone come pick up this vehicle and leave a comparable loaner in its place. The EC40 is still driveable this time.

2. I think it is reasonable to ask for diagnostics and a concrete plan within two weeks, by June 20.

3. If this vehicle is a "lemon", for whatever reason beyond repair, does not meet standards for roadworthiness, or will require more protracted service, we need to begin a conversation about replacing the vehicle under the existing lease agreement.”

Volvo Canada acknowledged the ongoing issue and generated a case number. Meanwhile, I still had not received that reimbursement cheque.

By June 12, I had heard nothing from the dealership following my email above. Around this point, my sincerest efforts to remain patient and amicable had thoroughly expired, and I warned: “If I do not receive a satisfactory response by the end of the day, this will be my final direct communication. I will pursue all remedies available to me—formal, legal, and public—without further notice.” I also copied the dealership owner.

The following morning, I finally heard back from the Service Manager who told me he would be sending someone to pick up my EC40 and would leave an electric loaner in its place. Thank you!

On June 19, I was advised the vehicle had been repaired again: “Inverter High Voltage Axle was the culprit.” The following day, my EC40 was delivered by someone from the Carling Volvo Service department. I got in the vehicle, and… a new error message! This person from Volvo had driven the vehicle back literally with an error message on the dash and didn’t think twice about it. I emailed the Service Manager once again (cc’d to Volvo Canada, et al.). A technician returned again to my driveway to replace something for the “eCall” unit.

The vehicle operated well for another three months or so. As of this writing, September 9, I am waiting for another unrelated service appointment because there is a grinding vibration coming from the wheel axles, I think. I have no idea what that’s about. UPDATE (2025 Sept 18): the Service Department advised me that the noise was being caused by corrosion on all four brake rotors, but said that was “normal wear and tear” so the repair cost would be $1,585 plus tax. The vehicle is 9 months old, the odometer is at 9,300 km, and I park it inside. I objected, citing the extensive history of issues, and they finally opted to cover the front rotors under warranty. Unfortunately, that still didn't even fix the problem. You can listen here: https://youtu.be/0wc9_F4fDCM?si=ij_P4MzY5yspG52F.

In terms of range, I still get about 380 km maximum—just tested last week on a long trip, travelling at an average of 120 km/h as the outdoor temperature was about 20°, so hardly any heating or cooling was on, and the extended range assistant was enabled. This is consistently short of the 431 km range advertised.

By June 25, I still had not received that cheque initially promised by the General Manager on April 21, so I followed up again. It had never been mailed, obviously. With another apology, a courier from the dealership delivered it in person on July 4.

There’s more. Following my complaints to Volvo Canada for the defective vehicle and the contemptible experience I was having with the dealership, they had also agreed to provide compensation on July 22, 2025. I was told to wait up to a month for an email from J.P. Morgan, and that this email would have instructions for the transaction.

A month later, I followed up on August 25 to advise Frank (the Volvo Canada Specialist who had been generating case numbers) that I had not received the email from J.P. Morgan. This time, no answer from Frank. I emailed again on August 30. No answer again. I couldn’t find a clear way to escalate gradually, but I did find an email for Danielle Vaughn, Head of Global Customer Care Quality, so I sent her the summary of events and a request: “May I request that your office delegate someone to resolve this? This is only the latest in a series of service issues with Volvo.” No answer from her either.

I have now forwarded the thread to the CEO, Håkan Samuelsson; Director, Marketing & Corporate Communications, Aleiza Alerta; President of Americas, Luis Rezende; as well as the generic addresses for Volvo Media, Customer Service, and Communications.

As of September 9, 2025: no answer from anyone. No correspondence at all. I have filed a complaint with the Better Business Bureau, and I will also be sharing my experience with CBC Marketplace. It’s not about the cheque; I just want others to think twice about Volvo because it isn’t the brand it used to be.

Last thing to share: adding insult to injury here, at the same time as I have been going through this ordeal with my new EC40, I have been having a legal battle with Volvo’s lease company CDLSI (Canadian Dealer Lease Services Inc.) related to my previous vehicle. After I returned my Volvo XC60 in condition the representative at the dealership said was fine (I take very good care of my stuff), CDLSI sent me a letter demanding $1192 for some questionable repairs, including an allegedly missing “tonneau cover” that was never in the vehicle to begin with (I still don’t even know what that is). CDLSI assured me the charges were in line with the “Guidelines for Excess Wear and Use” per a vehicle return guidebook that I had never seen before, certainly had not agreed to, and which was only sent to me after the fact. Sent *after* the demand letter.

In writing, including by registered mail, I repeatedly requested a resolution process and offered a lower settlement amount that I thought was reasonable (I didn’t think I owed them anything), but CDLSI ignored my efforts to reach a resolution and continued to send generic demand letters before finally engaging a debt collection agency and putting my credit score at risk. This has been ongoing since January, 2025, and remains unresolved 9 months later.

I leave you with this. For a laugh, read the “My Volvo Experience” page (https://www.volvocars.com/en-ca/l/My-Volvo-Experience), which says in part:

“Life is precious. So is living. That’s why we created My Volvo Experience to improve your quality of life. It simplifies your day-to-day, helping you save your time and energy for the things that really matter. Set your mind at ease. We’ll protect your Volvo the way it protects you.”

The failures—in both service and product, at both dealership and corporate levels—suggest to me that there are some major issues at Volvo. It took a lot of screwing up to get here, but it's a "never again" for me. And based on recent reviews of Volvo Canada HQ (https://maps.app.goo.gl/UvSpraHLrZ1odhRJ7), I'm not the only one.

UPDATES:

• September 16: Another service appointment for grinding and vibration coming from the wheels. Incredibly, the Service Department advised me that there was corrosion on all four brake rotors, but it was “normal wear and tear” that would cost me $1,585 plus tax to repair. The vehicle is 9 months old with 9,300 km, and I park inside. After a terse conversation, they opted to replace the front rotors under warranty, but again returned the vehicle to me with the problem not fixed.

• 3 days after that, while my wife was visiting Montreal (from Ottawa), the car suddenly stopped being able to charge, showing “Reconnect Error” with the dash lit up red, and she had to use the emergency release to get the charging cable unplugged.

Originally posted on https://www.reddit.com/r/volvoc40/comments/1ndp2wl/my_volvo_experience_never_again