2012 Volvo Vnm
Safety record from NHTSA: recalls, owner complaints, investigations and service bulletins.
Have the VIN?
These records cover every 2012 Volvo Vnm. To see whether one car still needs a recall repair, decode its VIN or check it with NHTSA.
Recalls
10 recalls name the 2012 Volvo Vnm. Newest first.
Volvo Trucks North America (Volvo) is recalling certain model year 2011-2013 VNL and VNM trucks manufactured June 21, 2010, to December 14, 2012. The affected trucks are equipped with Fontaine Ultra LT Fifth Wheel connectors, which, due to cumulative damage to the fifth wheel and its locking mechanism, have a locking mechanism that may fail to operate or…
Risk and remedy
Risk
If the fifth wheel and locking mechanism are sufficiently damaged, the locking mechanism may fail to operate as intended and the trailer may unexpectedly detach from the tractor, increasing the risk of a crash.
Remedy
Volvo will notify owners, and Fontaine dealers will replace the fifth wheel with an Ultra NT model fifth wheel, free of charge. The recall began on November 23, 2015. Owners may contact Volvo customer service at 1-800-528-6586. Volvo's number for this recall is RVXX1507.
Volvo Trucks North America (Volvo) is recalling certain model year 2012-2015 VNL and VNM trucks manufactured May 31, 2011, to December 1, 2014. In the affected trucks, the trailer hand brake handle may not to return to the off position due to being restricted by the cut out in the trim panel.
Risk and remedy
Risk
If the brake handle does return to the off position, the trailer service brakes may drag causing the wheel end to overheat and potentially cause a wheel end fire or tire blowout. Either condition increases the risk of a crash.
Remedy
Volvo will notify owners, and dealers will inspect the trim panel slot and make it longer, as necessary, free of charge. The recall began on October 19, 2015. Owners may contact Volvo customer service at 1-800-258-6586. Volvo's number for this recall is RVXX1504.
Volvo Trucks North America (Volvo) is recalling certain model year 2012-2016 VNM trucks manufactured March 21, 2011, to April 30, 2015. Excessive engine crankcase pressures may cause the 90-degree elbow of the vent tube assembly to detach from the crankcase ventilation breather, possibly allowing engine oil to come into contact with hot surfaces.
Risk and remedy
Risk
If engine oil comes into contact with a hot surface, there could be an increased risk of a fire.
Remedy
Volvo will notify owners, and dealers will secure the ends of the 90-degree elbow. In addition, the electronic control module (ECM) will be reprogrammed with software that can adjust the engine output under misfire conditions to limit crankcase pressures. These repairs will be performed free of charge. The recall began on June 12, 2015. Owners may contact Volvo customer service at 1-800-528-6586. Volvo's number for this recall is RVXX1502.
Volvo Trucks North America (Volvo) is recalling certain model year 2011-2012 VAH, VHD, VNL, and VNM trucks manufactured February 1, 2010, through September 30, 2010 and June 1, 2011, through November 30, 2011. The windshield wiper motor may fail.
Risk and remedy
Risk
Inoperable wipers may result in poor driver visibility, increasing the risk of a crash.
Remedy
Volvo will notify owners and dealers will replace the windshield wiper motor, free of charge. The recallbegan on December 6, 2013. Owners may contact Volvo at 1-336-393-2000. Volvo's recall number is RVXX1304.
Volvo Trucks North America (Volvo) is recalling certain model year 2007-2014 VAH, VHD, VNL, VNM, and VT models. The affected vehicles were built without a redundant clutch disengagement switch. Without a redundant switch, a loss of signal from the brake air pressure switch can prevent the clutch from automatically disengaging when the brake is applied.
Risk and remedy
Risk
Without a signal to disengage the clutch when the brakes are applied, the distance required to stop the truck may lengthen, increasing the risk of a crash.
Remedy
Volvo Trucks will notify owners and dealers will inspect and repair the vehicles if necessary. The recall began on August 26, 2013. Volvo's recall number is RVXX1303. Owners may contact Volvo at 1-336-393-2000.
Volvo is recalling certain model year 2012-2014 VHD, VNL, and VNM trucks, manufactured from April 18, 2011, through March 14, 2013, and equipped with a horizontally mounted remote battery disconnect switch. The remote battery disconnect switch was manufactured with incorrect hardware allowing the cables to loosen. Additionally, as mounted, the cables may…
Risk and remedy
Risk
Loose or chafed cables may lead to overheating of the battery cable and switch which may result in a fire.
Remedy
Volvo will send owners an interim letter and dealers will replace and relocate the remote battery disconnect switch. The recall began on May 7, 2013. Owners may contact Volvo's recall support line at 1-877-800-4945 and select option 1.
Volvo IS recalling certain model year 2011-2012 vhd and model year 2011-2013 vnl and vnm vehicles, manufactured from december 2, 2010, through january 18, 2012, and equipped with bendix ATR-6 traction relay valves. in extremely cold conditions, these bendix relay valves may potentially develop internal leakage. internal leakage can lead to air pressure…
Risk and remedy
Risk
Inadvertent brake application can cause the brakes to overheat and lead to a fire. inadvertent brake application can cause the wheels to lock-up leading the driver to lose control of the vehicle, increasing the risk of a crash.
Remedy
Volvo will notify owners, and provide a temporary repair until bendix develops a permanent remedy. a permanent remedy has been developed and notification to owners began on april 27, 2012. this service will be performed free of charge. owners may contact volvo trucks at 1-800-528-6586.
Volvo trucks IS recalling certain model year 2011-2012 vnl and vnm trucks manufactured from may 1, 2010, through january 31, 2011. during the coupling process, it IS possible for the driver to partially close the fifth wheel lock and if solely relying on a tug test (pull test), the driver may think that the fifth wheel lock IS properly coupled to the…
Risk and remedy
Risk
If the driver drives away with a trailer that IS not properly coupled, the trailer can come loose and potentially result in a vehicle crash.
Remedy
Dealers will notify owners, and dealers will replace the lock bar free of charge. the safety recall began on december 7, 2011. owners may contact volvo trucks at 1-800-528-6586.
Volvo trucks IS recalling certain model year 2012 vhd, vnl, and vnm trucks equipped with a meritor driveline. the tubing used to assemble the drivelines has a nonconforming seam weld with insufficient bonding of the material.
Risk and remedy
Risk
This can result in seam weld fracture when torque IS applied. once the tube seam weld IS fractured, the driveline may become inoperable, which may result in a disabled vehicle or debris from the driveline falling onto the roadway, both of which can increase the risk of a crash.
Remedy
Dealers will replace the drivelines free of charge. the safety recall began on july 25, 2011. owners may contact volvo trucks at 1-800-528-6586.
Volvo trucks IS recalling certain model year 2011-2012 vhd, vnl, and model year 2012 vnm trucks manufactured from october 15, 2010, through january 31, 2011, and equipped with gunite automatic slack adjusters. due to an incomplete "knitting" of the iron at the time of casting, inadequate structural integrity of the slack adjuster housing can occur, which…
Risk and remedy
Risk
Slack adjusters with this flow notch could crack under normal braking conditions causing loss of braking which could result in a vehicle crash.
Remedy
Volvo trucks will notify owners and dealers will replace the subject slack adjusters free of charge. the safety recall IS expected to begin on or about august 12, 2011. owners may contact volvo trucks at 1-800-528-6586.
Defect investigations
NHTSA’s Office of Defects Investigation opened these reviews into vehicles including this one.
- Discrepancies in Required CFR Reporting
On October 22, 2018, an Audit Query (AQ18-005) was opened to assess the completeness and timeliness of Volvo Group's early warning reporting, safety recalls, and communications submissions to the agency.NHTSA's investigation determined that Volvo Group failed to recall vehicles in a timely fashion and to comply with…
On October 22, 2018, an Audit Query (AQ18-005) was opened to assess the completeness and timeliness of Volvo Group's early warning reporting, safety recalls, and communications submissions to the agency.NHTSA's investigation determined that Volvo Group failed to recall vehicles in a timely fashion and to comply with other recall and reporting requirements, including notifying owners of recalls and reporting death and injury incidents.NHTSA and Volvo Group entered into a Consent Order on January 27, 2023 to resolve AQ18-005.As part of the Consent Order, Volvo Group agreed to a total civil penalty of one-hundred and thirty million dollars ($130,000,000), of which, sixty-five million dollars ($65,000,000) was paid on February 21, 2023.Also, of that total civil penalty, Volvo Group agreed to spend twenty million dollars ($20,000,000) on the specific performance obligation to create a safety data analytics infrastructure to detect and study emerging safety-related defect trends on its vehicles. The Consent Order also holds forty-five million dollars ($45,000,000) of the civil penalty in abeyance pending Volvo Group's satisfactory completion of the requirements of this Consent Order, and its compliance with the Safety Act, and regulations thereunder.The Consent Order is for a three-year term and may be extended by up to two years if NHTSA reasonably finds that an extension is warranted.In the Consent Order, Volvo Group agreed to several performance obligations, including enhanced oversight of its compliance with the Safety Act and the terms of the Consent Order through a third-party auditor and regular meetings with NHTSA.The third-party auditor will recommend and oversee implementation of process improvements to enhance Volvo Group's safety compliance processes and oversee the company's review of past recalls and submissions to NHTSA for accuracy and completeness.Also, via the Consent Order, Volvo Group agreed to create updated written policies, procedures, and training to ensure that its employees understand the requirements of the Safety Act, the regulations thereunder, and this Consent Order.Volvo Group further agreed to launch a user interface on its websites to allow users to search vehicle identification numbers (VINs) for open recalls and implement a system to support NHTSA's VIN lookup tool.Based on the Consent Order, this audit query investigation, AQ18-005, is closed.Closure of this AQ has no bearing on the terms of the Consent Order, including Volvo Group's ongoing performance obligations or legal obligations, and does not represent a determination by NHTSA as to Volvo Group's performance under the Consent Order to date.
- Stop Lamp Switch Signal
The Office of Defects Investigation (ODI) received Early Warning Reporting (EWR) data from the manufacturer that indicated some number of subject vehicles equipped with the subject automated manual transmission had allegedly experienced a condition where the clutch failed to automatically disengage the transmission…
The Office of Defects Investigation (ODI) received Early Warning Reporting (EWR) data from the manufacturer that indicated some number of subject vehicles equipped with the subject automated manual transmission had allegedly experienced a condition where the clutch failed to automatically disengage the transmission from the engine as intended. This may result in extended stopping distances and/or unintended forward motion of a vehicle previously at rest.To date, ODI is aware of 134 subject vehicles with one or more complaints or field reports related to this condition.Also, ODI is aware of 164 subject vehicles with one or more warranty claims related to this condition.By letter dated June 25, 2013, Volvo Trucks North America (Volvo) notified ODI that it has initiated a safety recall (NHTSA Recall No. 13V268 and Volvo Recall No. RVXX1303) to address a safety defect in approximately 23,003 model year (MY) 2007 through 2014 Volvo VAH, VHD, VNL, VNM and VT model trucks. The affected vehicles were manufactured from December 20, 2006 through May 22, 2013 and were originally equipped with the subject automated manual transmissions.According to Volvo, reports of the subject transmission clutch mechanism failing to automatically disengage as intended are associated with the removal of a brake pedal micro switch that provided a redundant signal to the transmission control module indicating the brakes had been applied.Previously, Volvo had removed this brake pedal micro switch from new vehicle production and from certain vehicles already in-service via two field service campaigns (SP 432-024 and SP 432-026) because it decided the switch was unnecessary and/or a maintenance issue.In the absence of this redundant brake pedal micro switch, the clutch mechanism may fail to disengage the transmission from the engine at low vehicle speed should the stop lamp switch fail to send and/or the transmission control module fail to receive the primary signal.At the time of this closing, Volvo is evaluating available remedies and will provide NHTSA with details when the recall remedy procedure has been finalized.Volvo will notify affected owners by mail by August 25, 2013.Please see NHTSA Recall No. 13V268 for details.Accordingly, this investigation is closed.
- Volvo Sleeper glass de-bonding
ODI opened Recall Query RQ11-001 after a review of EWR Field Reports identified lower bunk window separations on the subject vehicles.Volvo had issued three recalls for sleeper window separations since 2003.Additionally, Volvo had issued two bulletins for sleeper window issues during the same time period.The frequency…
ODI opened Recall Query RQ11-001 after a review of EWR Field Reports identified lower bunk window separations on the subject vehicles.Volvo had issued three recalls for sleeper window separations since 2003.Additionally, Volvo had issued two bulletins for sleeper window issues during the same time period.The frequency of related actions led ODI to open this formal investigation.An Information Request (IR) letter was sent to Volvo on 23 June 2011.Volvo responded on 17 August 2011 and then provided updated warranty information on 9 January 2012.Volvo provided production change data and warranty information which was correlated to vehicle build month and failure date.ODI analyzed the data to determine if additional production time frames should have been included in previous recalls.ODI also requested information from its network of fleet owners.The response from this network reaffirmed the accuracy of the updated warranty information.Based on the information and data received, ODI has concluded that all production periods have been appropriately addressed by Volvo's previous recalls and no additional recall action is required at this time.
Service bulletins
Technical service bulletins and other communications the manufacturer sent dealers about this vehicle. Ask a dealer for the full document by its number.
- 10251325CBR - Telematics Gateway (TGW) Connect Ability Issues.
- 10251323CBR - Active "Set Park Brake" Message On Drivers Information Display (DID)
- 10251319CBR - Automated Manual Transmission ( AMT ) Flywheel Pilot Bearing Wear On Input Shaft.
- 10249569CBR: TGW Will Not Connect After SIM Card Replacement
- 10248063CBR: 11L Engine - Air Conditioner (A/C) Line Damaged At Bracket - Model Year 2007 to Present.
- 10241906TSB: Barksdale Leveling Valve, Leak Test
- 10241904CBR: Volvo VHD & VN Models - Vehicle Wil Not Start, PTO Active Message Displayed In Cluster, PTO Light On When PTO Switch Is Turned Off
- 10240244CBR: Programming Failure - Chassis With Cummins Engine And An Allison Transmission
- 10233504Volvo Chassis - Electronically Controlled Air Dryer System (ECADS) Building Too Much Air Pressure; Pressure Relief Valve Opening
- 10225704Volvo Chassis - ( AMT, I-Shift ) - Transmission Grinding When Downshifting ; Range Synchronizer (Synchro) Timing Procedure - US07 And Newer
- 10224584Expendable Items Parts List.
- 10222270TSB-Charge Air Cooler t-clamp install.
- 10219421Engine Control Module (EMS) Software (MSW) Information August 2022; Improvement List (Change Log) - US21+OBD22 (13L VGT, TC) And US17+OBD22 (11L) Emissions
- 10219302Part information for AMT input shaft repair kits and the shim kit that is required for repair.
- 10215308Volvo Chassis - Equipped with An Automated Manual Transmission (AMT, iShift) - SNV 19-002 - AMT Oil Filter Housing Corrosion
- 10215306Volvo Chassis - Drag Link Inspection And Replacement Criteria
- 10215283AMT Control Housing Bench Testing - False Failures
- 10215282DEF Level (UQLS) Sensor Troubleshooting Guide - US17+OBD16 Emissions and Newer
- 10215281Programming Failure - Chassis With Cummins Engine And An Allison Transmission
- 10215279NOx Sensor Troubleshooting Guide - US10+OBD13 And Newer Emissions
- 10215277DTC U012100 - Lost Communication With Anti-Lock Brake System (ABS) Control Module, No Additional Information
- 10215276(Back Office) - Cruise Control Inoperative After Updating Software VECU5 Without ESP Package (UESP)
- 10215271DEF Pump Troubleshooting Guide - US10+OBD13 And Newer Emissions
- 10215270Temperature Sensor Troubleshooting Guide - US10+OBD13 And Newer
- 10215265Warranty Automated Manual Transmission ( AMT, I-Shift, mDrive ) Control Housing Assembly; Guidelines For Filing A Claim For Chassis Return Visit With Transmission Issues After A Repair Requiring Control Housing Removal And Reinstallation - US07 And Newer
- 10215263Unable To Retrieve "On Request" Messages For PeopleNet Or Omnitracs Modules Installed On The DL5 Data Link; Third Party Electronic Log Device Not Reporting Certain Data
- 10215262Diesel Particulate Filter (DPF) And Diesel Oxidation Catalyst (DOC) Pin Testing Procedure - US07 And Newer Emissions, Model Year 2008 And Newer
- 10215260Premium Tech Tool (PTT) - Message For Data Mismatch, Product Configuration Mismatch; Instruction To Run An Accessory Kit Displayed When Attempting To Run Diagnostics For Diagnostic Trouble Codes (DTC) Or Programming - US10+OBD13 And Newer Emissions,
- 10215257US10 Emission Engines - Diagnostic Trouble Code ( DTC ) SPN 1231 FMI 9 Troubleshooting
- 10215256Vehicles Equipped With An Automated Manual Transmission Model D or F ( AMT-D, AMT-F ) - Transmission Oil Leakage From Transmission Input Shaft Seal Or Output Shaft Seal - US10 And Newer Emissions, Common Model Years 2010 And Newer
- 10213668Electronic Stability Program (ESP), Electronic Stability Control (ESC): Changes And Removal Information; Permissible PAR File Changes - US07 And Newer Emissions, Model Year 2008 And Newer
- 10213666Back Office - Diagnostic / Troubleshooting Procedures For Exhaust Gas Recirculation (EGR) System Components; Covers Most EGR System Diagnostic Trouble Codes (DTC), See List In Solution - US10, US10+OBD13, US14+OBD*, US17+OBD* With A Variable Geometry
- 10213634Particulate Matter (PM) Sensor Troubleshooting Guide - US14+OBD16 And Newer Emissions
- 10213631DEF Level (UQLS) Sensor Troubleshooting Guide - US17+OBD16 Emissions and Newer
- 10213604Fuel Level Gauge Reading Incorrect In The Instrument Cluster
- 10213526The Diagnostic Process
- 10213524Volvo I-Shift AMT Will Not Calibrate After Incorrect Flywheel Housing Is Installed
- 10213521Volvo Chassis - Automated Manual Transmission Model F (AMT-F, I-Shift) - Possible Infrequent Hiccup/Stumble During Steady Engine/Vehicle Speed; Diagnostic Trouble Code P1074-92, P1074-94, P1074-96 Logging, Appears As Inactive
- 10213519Volvo Fault Code MID 144 PSID 204 FMI 9
- 10213518Volvo SNV15-008 Vocom Adapter ( 88890300 ) May Lock Up When Updating Firmware
Every Volvo Vnm model year
Bars are owner complaints, dots mark years with recalls. Select a year to open its report.