Volvo has recalled a small batch of XC60 SUVs because front seat bolts may never have been fully tightened at the factory, a defect the automaker says could leave a seat unable to properly restrain an occupant in a crash. The recall, filed with the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration under campaign number 25V818, covers just three vehicles: one 2018 XC60 and two mild-hybrid XC60 models from the 2025 and 2026 model years, according to NHTSA’s recall report.
A supplier torque error
NHTSA’s filing states the front seat bolts “were only pre-torqued and not final torqued in the supplier production,” resulting in improperly tightened hardware. Adient, the seat supplier, flagged the issue to Volvo in October 2025. VINs for the affected vehicles became searchable on NHTSA’s site beginning December 5, 2025, and Volvo mailed owner notification letters on December 17, 2025, according to autoevolution and Cars.com’s recall tracking.
The consequence listed in NHTSA’s own documentation is blunt: an affected seat “may have a reduced ability to provide maximum protection in the event of a crash.” Volvo dealers are now checking and torquing front seat bolts to the correct specification at no charge to owners, per the recall report.
A tiny recall with real stakes
Three vehicles is an unusually small population for a federal recall campaign, but the safety concern behind it, a seat that might not stay anchored during a collision, is the same category of defect that triggers much larger actions. Cars.com’s recall tracking confirms the same campaign number and notes Volvo has assigned it internal reference number R10345.
Owners who already paid out of pocket to have loose seat bolts addressed before the recall was announced may be eligible for reimbursement with proof of payment, per NHTSA’s filing. The three affected vehicles were built on three separate dates, September 25, 2017, July 4, 2024, and September 28, 2025, according to autoevolution, underscoring how the torque error surfaced intermittently rather than on a single production run. Volvo has not indicated whether the underlying supplier issue affected any additional models built during the same window. Owners can check their vehicle’s status directly through NHTSA’s VIN lookup tool or by calling Volvo customer service.
The filing falls under NHTSA’s Part 573 defect-reporting process, the standard mechanism automakers use to disclose safety problems to federal regulators once a supplier or internal review turns one up, rather than waiting for a crash or a complaint to force the issue. Volvo’s willingness to recall a population as small as three vehicles reflects how narrowly the company was able to trace the specific production run affected by Adient’s torque error, according to the details laid out in NHTSA’s recall report.