Volvo C30 Volvo C30

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Volvo C30 repairs by problem area

Engine (19%)

Transmission and Drivetrain (9%)

Brakes and Traction Control (5%)

Suspension and Steering (20%)

Electrical and Air Conditioning (26%)

Paint, Rust, Leaks, Rattles, and Trim (12%)

Other (9%)

Chart based on 386 repairs.
See TSBs and recalls for the Volvo C30.

Volvo C30 engine repair cost distribution

$2500+ (4%)

$1000 - $2499 (15%)

$500 - $999 (13%)

$100 - $499 (22%)

< $100 (45%)

Worried about potential repair costs? An extended warranty can provide peace of mind.

Chart based on 67 repair trips. The repair cost chart excludes repairs made under warranty, do-it-yourself repairs, and repair trips that include maintenance.

2012 Volvo C30 2dr Hatch

turbocharged 227hp 2.5L I5 6-speed manual FWD

53000 mi

US $100
Coolant tank cracked 
53000 mi

US $1000
timing belt 

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2011 Volvo C30

Engine not specified

58000 mi coolant tank had small cracks, caused coolant to spray out onto the engine and fender. Dealer replaced the tank, under warranty for no charge. 

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2011 Volvo C30 2dr Hatch

turbocharged 227hp 2.5L I5 6-speed manual FWD

32000 mi Engine would lose power and show error message: reduced engine power. The computer does not store the code. This happened several times in the very cold winter months. Dealer could never repeat error message. The dealer has been great! 
13000 mi Check Engine light comes on 2-3 days after codes reset 
33000 mi I brought the car in after a "check engine" light appeared. I was told that they had to replace the breather box due to a hole in the diaphragm. 
47700 mi Coolant expansion tank "exploded"- i.e. I heard a "Pop" and looked under the hood and there was a hole blown through the tank. Towed to dealer and tank was replaced under Volvo CPO warranty 
67000 mi

US $800
Check engine light. Needed oil trap (or similar) 
110000 mi

US $340
Fuel pressure sensor 

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2011 Volvo C30 2dr Hatch

turbocharged 227hp 2.5L I5 5-speed shiftable automatic FWD

45500 mi

US $1160
front camshaft seal leaking engine oil. Seal replaced. Luckily, the timing belt was clean and had no evidence of oil on it. Seal failure was discovered after taking off protective tray on the bottom of the car and finding oil everywhere. 
46100 mi Still leaking oil into engine bay. Turbo taken apart and resealed, pressure control valve replaced. Appears to have fixed engine oil leak. 
58280 mi Fuel Pump leaking, part took 10 days to be delivered to Dubai 
39000 mi Replaced faulty thermostat 
64300 mi

US $850
Electric fan quit and needed replacement 
66000 mi

US $250
Main fan burned out affecting A/C Engine mounts failing 
22739 mi loose sensor connector to gas pedal changed connector and wiring to gas pedal (computer codes ECM-9400, 941D, 9430 and CEM-3F93) 
24491 mi changed gas pedal (codes ECM-941D, 9430 and CEM3F93) 
31620 mi replaced wiring between accelerator pedal and computer. codes ECM9400, 941D and 3F93 present. 
31720 mi changed wiring to motor. third attempt to fix reduced motor power and associated warning light. First they changed the pedal then the pedal wiring. Removed the IP to access wiring this time. 

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2011 Volvo C30 2dr Hatch

turbocharged 113hp 1.6L I4 Diesel 6-speed manual FWD

74400 mi

€1100
Water pump leakage. 
99200 mi

€2500
Clutch 

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2010 Volvo C30 2dr Hatch

turbocharged 227hp 2.5L I5 5-speed shiftable automatic FWD

61500 mi

US $2000
Replace timing belt and water pump 

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2009 Volvo C30 2dr Hatch

turbocharged 227hp 2.5L I5 6-speed manual FWD

7000 mi Sometimes stalls on initial start. Fairly rare, not surprised they couldn't replicate. 
7000 mi Was told that the Regional Manager noticed the same problem in a car he drove for a while and consider the issue 'normal'. BS! 
11000 mi

US $170
Check Engine light came on and remained on for an extended period of time. Purchased a Code Scanner to determine the fault. Discovered fault was multiple misfires. Reset to see if transient - no repeat. 
61700 mi

US $100
Turbo control valve started to act up. Replaced with an aftermarket design that is better built and relocated to a more protected location. 
61000 mi

US $450
Evaporation Pump started to fail - paramiters could not be widened to get more life. Had to replace pump. 
72000 mi

US $400
Drive belts wore out and needed replacing 
179300 mi fluid motor mount deflated 
224000 mi

US $200
radiator reservoir leak. Reservoir replaced. 
261000 mi

US $1600
Breather box clogged, oil forced out cam seals. Cleaned the breather, replaced the cam seals, timing belt and pulleys. 

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2009 Volvo C30 2dr Hatch

turbocharged 227hp 2.5L I5 5-speed shiftable automatic FWD

88000 mi

US $2200
vibration upon accelleration. motor mount  
142500 mi

US $2000
Oil leak at timing cover area; replaced timing and drive belts. Also did wipers, cabin filter, oil change. 
2000 mi Salt water damage to several parts in engine bay 
36000 mi

US $1400
Replaced overflow tank. Also repaired rodent damage and performed scheduled service ($441.71). Total was $2,500. 
100000 mi

US $800
Engine PCV oil breather box replacement. Timing belt, water pump 

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2009 Volvo C30 2dr Hatch

turbocharged 109hp 1.6L I4 Diesel 5-speed manual FWD

51000 mi

£600
Replace split and leaking DPF eolys additive tank; replenish eolys fluid (out of routine schedule) 

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2009 Volvo C30 2-door

turbocharged 4-cylinder diesel manual 2WD

15000 mi Fuel line rubbed through. Told by garage pipe incorrectly routed. 

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2008 Volvo C30 2dr Hatch

turbocharged 227hp 2.5L I5 6-speed manual FWD

42000 mi some type of oil pressure regulator/ has to do with smog! 
83700 mi Bad boost control solenoid. 
14000 mi Oversensitive fuel tank pressure sensor. Fixed with a reflash.  
46000 mi Turbo oil pickup breather valve stuck closed, causing a loud whistling sound. Valve and hoses replaced. Very known problem on the T5 engines across the whole Volvo lineup (as per Service Advisor). 
139700 mi

US $200
Replaced faulty accessory belt tensioner and replaced both belts at the same time. Changed cabin air filter. 
152000 mi

US $45
Catback flange studs cracked and separated from corrosion causing the exhaust pipes to separate and make the car sound like I was Colin McRae driving full tilt through Rally Wales. New studs and nuts installed to close the pipes back up. 
109000 mi

US $650
Leaky radiator hose was replaced. Engine had overheated 
116500 mi

US $1003
Fuel pressure sensor malfunctioning. Replaced. 
126000 mi

US $3900
Leaking head gasket Also replaced spark plugs, coils, etc. 
54940 mi

€650
Engine light on + Fuse 35 blown - no A/C and no turbo or engine control. Oil temp cauge did not move at all (noticed this after 3 weeks). To the shop: 3,5 hours looking for probl -> Oil trap censor broke, whole oil trap replaced 
57040 mi

€294
Car didn't boost at all after around 3000+ RPM. Turbo seemed not to go on. Boost/turbo control valve was changed in the shop. It was totally broken. 

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2008 Volvo C30 2dr Hatch

turbocharged 227hp 2.5L I5 5-speed shiftable automatic FWD

128000 mi

US $1240
Turbo system problems apparently caused by using standard oil instead of synthetic over 128000 miles. Replaced camshaft seal, oil filter housing, pcv hoses, seal cap, intake manifold gasket, timing belt, plugs. 
121000 mi

US $500
PCV Box (Breather Box)replacement was required. 
59000 mi

US $4900
idler pulley failed throwing serp belt into timing belt causing it to slip; engine destroyed after timing belt slipped. 
12000 mi Speed sensor harness was faulty. Loose plug repaired and reinstalled. 
79000 mi

£60
Check engine light indicated a problem with the fuel rail pressure sensor. Replace fuel rail pressure sensor and issue was resolved. 
4000 mi Check engine light came on. I took it in, they ran some tests on it, when I picked it up they said the gas cap was not on tight enough and vapors leaked out, the car thought there was a gas leak. Software update to make car not as sensitive. 
150000 mi

US $1500
rear motor mounts 
76100 mi Oil filter housing 
68300 mi The PCV diaphragm failed and the car was making a squealing noise. This is a known problem and is covered for 10 years or 120,000 miles. 
89000 mi The leak detection pump is failing. I am getting a check engine light. 

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2008 Volvo C30 2dr Hatch

turbocharged 134hp 2.0L I4 Diesel 6-speed manual FWD

50000 mi

£50
Sticking butterfly throttle 
68300 mi

£25
cam position sensor failed 
97000 mi

£580
replace cambelt and water pump belt. 
100000 mi

£350
Failure to start. Fuel filter housing replaced initially followed by replacing the fuel line after housing 

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2008 Volvo C30 2-door

turbocharged 6-cylinder automatic 2WD

44000 mi

US $300
Misfire OBDII code. Replaced ignition coils and plugs 

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2008 Volvo C30

5-cylinder automatic 2WD

21700 mi Fuel type software upgrade (for North American gas) 

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2007.5 Volvo C30 2dr Hatch

turbocharged 227hp 2.5L I5 6-speed manual FWD

66020 mi The engine light comes on within 1 to 2 km after just having had the wheel bearing replaced. There were no other symptoms, no burning oil no smell, nothing. Diagnosed as blown head gasket/ AND turbo housing sticking which caused the above. Estimate of $7,379. Both to be replaced when i can afford it. 
66540 mi An independent shop without authorization ended up replacing the entire engine. Amount far above the original estimate. Worked out a settlement. Very likely the work didn't need to be done. Could have just been a problem with the wheel speed sensor caused by the wheel bearing replacement. 

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2007.5 Volvo C30 2dr Hatch

turbocharged 227hp 2.5L I5 5-speed shiftable automatic FWD

55800 mi

C $100
The resistor placed in the oil bay short circuited affecting the air mass flow and turbo sensors. 

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2007 Volvo C30 4-door

turbocharged 4-cylinder diesel manual 2WD

134000 mi

£100
Failed mot emissions test. 

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See TrueDelta's information for all Volvo models.

Volvo C30 Engine Problems

See our lemon odds and nada odds page to see vehicles with no repairs or vehicles with more than three repairs. To see how frequently Volvo C30 problems occur, check out our car reliability stats.