Summary
The Volvo VNR has 15 recalls spanning 2018 through 2025, with the most serious being a battery coolant line that can unseat and cause an electrical short in the high-voltage battery pack on 2020-2024 Electric models, raising the risk of a fire.
On the 2023 Electric model, loose hardware inside the high-voltage battery pack can detach and cause a similar short circuit with the same fire risk. Staying with the current generation, 2025 VNR and VNRe models have a steering gear that can leak power steering fluid and cause a sudden loss of power steering assist, requiring significantly more force to steer. The 2024 model year carries three issues: a fastener connecting the pitman arm and draglink can work loose and cause complete loss of steering control; a software error can disable electronic stability control; and drive axle hub covers can detach and become a road hazard for nearby vehicles. On 2020-2023 Electric models equipped with adaptive cruise control, the system can trigger an overly aggressive braking response under light loads, locking the rear axle and causing a loss of vehicle control.
The 2021 model has a separate brake concern where air brake line fittings on the firewall pass-through plate can be damaged, allowing an air line to detach and apply the parking brake without warning while the truck is moving. The 2022 model has a sleeper cab issue where improperly installed cabinets can detach and fall, posing a risk of injury to occupants. The 2020 model year has the heaviest cluster: the brake pedal support plate can fail and cause the pedal to detach entirely, eliminating braking; the steering gear mounting fasteners can loosen and cause loss of steering control; and on VNRe variants, weak signal strength can disable the anti-lock brakes, traction control, stability control, and collision mitigation system simultaneously. Going back to the 2018 model, daytime running lamps that are manually switched off may fail to reactivate when the vehicle begins moving, reducing visibility to other drivers.
