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Visibility & wipers

Volvo C30 Visibility problems by year

17 complaints filed with NHTSA about the Volvo C30's visibility & wipers. Windshields, wipers, defrosters, mirrors, backup cameras and glare.

Visibility complaints by model year

YearVisibility complaintsCrashesInjuriesRecalls
20132000
20123000
20117000
20104100
20081000

Latest C30 visibility complaints

2013 Volvo C30Visibility & wipers

Windshield bonding is failing. Pressing from the inside of the car windshield top or side reveals it is loose. Rain can get into car. Took it to an auto glass company (Safelite) today, January 12, 2026. Technician said it is also a safety issue. He said if the air bags deploy, they will knock the windshield out and not perform properly.

Filed Incident Visibility / wiperNHTSA 11710433
2012 Volvo C30Visibility & wipers

The top corners of the windshield have come loose from the seal. The risk is losing a windshield at highway speed. The vehicle was taken to the dealership who referred us to a body shop. The vehicle was then taken to Gerber Collision & Glass - Austin where the problem was confirmed.

Filed Incident Visibility / wiperNHTSA 11557020
2012 Volvo C30Visibility & wipers

The seal around the front windshield of the car is leaking. The leak lets water in the car while driving, it's dripping down the windshield which is very distracting. The excess amount of water being let into the vehicle also fogs up the front windshield and side windows. This causes a huge visual impairment putting myself and others at risk on the road. There are many other Volvos from similar years and models that I'm seeing have the same issue. I have never had the issue looked at, but Volvo representatives say they know about the issue. However, there is no recall in place to fix the issue and to keep drivers safe on the roads.

Filed Incident VisibilityNHTSA 11554638
2013 Volvo C30Visibility & wipers

The adhesive that holds the windshield in place and seals it against the weather has degraded to the point where the windshield is barely being held in place and could blow out if the interior negative pressure exceeds the strength of the remaining adhesive. The glass pulls away from the frame when lightly pushed from the inside. Furthermore, there are various leaks that create a moldy environment and have damaged electrical switches--sunroof. We have contacted Volvo corporate and the local dealer and their...

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contention is that the vehicle is out of warranty so they will not assist with the repair. Our Case Id is as follows: Please refer to this ID#[[redacted]]. This will help us quickly locate and review your correspondence. If your inquiry requires immediate attention, please contact our Customer Care Center at [[redacted]]. INFORMATION Redacted PURSUANT TO THE FREEDOM OF INFORMATION ACT (FOIA), 5 U.S.C. 552(B)(6).

Filed Incident Visibility / wiperNHTSA 11530675
2011 Volvo C30Visibility & wipers

The top of the windshield no longer adheres to the body of the vehicle. My searches of the internet have found multiple instances of the Volvos where the top part of the windshield is no longer attached to the vehicle. Here is a link to the Auto Glass Safety Council describes the issue (https://agsc.org/volvo-glass-bonding-issue/). Volvo Car USA LLC recently issued a statement that all windshield replacements on Volvo vehicles must be performed "according to Volvo standards at an authorized facility, using only...

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Volvo Genuine Windshields and adhesives." Their reasoning for this statement is, "The Volvo windshield is an integral part of our vehicles. Not only does it provide an undistorted view, it serves as a critical structure component on the vehicle." Since Volvo is claiming there is a safety component to the windshield and only Volvo can fix it, they should recall and repair all vehicles with this known issue.

Filed Incident Visibility / wiperNHTSA 11526361
2011 Volvo C30Visibility & wipers

The entire top edge of the windshield is no longer sealed to the car. Water gets in. If all of the windows are closed, the windshield briefly pops out a little bit as the door is closed.

Filed Incident Visibility / wiperNHTSA 11524288
2010 Volvo C30Visibility & wipers

While on the freeway my sunroof shattered and spilled a bunch of glass fragments all over me, I believe a rock or some kind of other object, never found out what hit it or if it was hit, from the freeway hit it, so I don't know if it counts as a vehicle safety problem but I wanted to make a report just in case it counts as one. My safety was put at risk by having glass falling on top off me while going around 60mph on the freeway, the sudden noise of the glass breaking followed by the glass falling on me caused me...

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to swerve and it left me shaken and covered in glass. I ended up pulling over on the shoulder to relax myself and get all the glass off of me and my seat, no one was hurt or injured. There was no problem confirmed other than the sunroof being broken. The component was not inspected. There were no other warnings or symptoms of the problem prior to it breaking.

Filed Incident Visibility / wiperNHTSA 11511666
2011 Volvo C30Body, doors & structureVisibility & wipers

Windshield seal bond at top failed resulting in loose front windshield not being attached to the body. This is leaking water and leading to poor visibility that is dangerous but more concerning is the detachment of the window from the body. This would be extremely dangerous in a collision. The car is parked at this time due to being dangerous to drive.

Filed Incident Structure · Visibility / wiperNHTSA 11501828
2012 Volvo C30Visibility & wipers

My windshield has become loose and makes a very loud noise when going over any bumps. Im very concerned that at some point, it will shatter while driving.

Filed Incident Visibility / wiperNHTSA 11451805
2010 Volvo C30Visibility & wipers

The windshield is loose at the top and can leak. The windshield may move under normal driving conditions.

Filed Incident Visibility / wiperNHTSA 11444816
2011 Volvo C30Visibility & wipers

The loose windshield issue needs to be investigated as it is a very common issue. I have a 2011 c30. You can push up on the glass and it is not adhered on the top at all to the car. Not just on the c30 but other models as well. It's as if the windshield is only adhered to on 3 sides. It vibrates and leaks. Definitely needs to be recalled. And the manufacturer needs to be made aware.

Filed Incident Visibility / wiperNHTSA 11354970
2011 Volvo C30Visibility & wipers

The vehicle is stationary until I can get the issue corrected in the next day or two. The windshield is loose. I discovered a leak and determined that the issue is that the windshield is not attached to the car at the top. The slightest pressure from the inside can move the windshield away from the seal on the car. I have learned that this is a common issue tin volvo's that occurs due to improper glass preparation. How can this be safe? Shouldn't volvo be responsible for correcting the issue? Thank you

Filed Incident Visibility / wiperNHTSA 11353281
2011 Volvo C30Visibility & wipers

The windshield got loose. When pressing it from the inside, the windshield moves. When the door closes that windshield moves, or with vibrations while driving. Under heavy raining, water leaks inside the cabin. The vehicle was stationary at a parking lot when we realize it was like that. Taking with other owners, it is a known issue, and volvo is aware. *Tr

Filed Incident Visibility / wiperNHTSA 11325070
2010 Volvo C30Visibility & wipersCrash

I have a 2010 volvo c30. In late november 2017 I was in a minor accident on the freeway. Something came off a big rig in front of me and hit the windshield as well as me running over something. I assume the truck blew a tire, as the truck started sparking underneath. The noise was so loud, I thought the windshield had broken. When I pulled over, I didn't see any real damage but a small piece of molding was loose near my front tire. Over the next several days I would hear a loud jarring noise whenever I hit a bump a...

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certain way. Also, when the passenger door was slammed shut. It sounded like my car was falling apart. It continued to get more frequent, but I couldn't tell where it was coming from until we started getting freezing temperatures in the morning and I could actually see the windshield rattle over every bump. When I placed my hand on the upper driver side of the windshield, I could actually push it far enough to create a gap between it and the car. Today I had the windshield replaced. The windshield tech showed me that there was no primer on the glass across the top and in large areas down both sides of the glass. This is the original factory installed windshield. Although I had never had any issues with leakage, it was probably that way for a long time and the accident jarred it loose. I shutter to think what would have happened if the accident had been more major. If the airbags would have deployed, I imagine they would have pushed the glass right out. After doing a little research online, I see many reports of this windshield seal failure across several years and models of volvos. I am shocked volvo has not issued a recall.

Filed Incident Visibility / wiperNHTSA 11058139
2010 Volvo C30Visibility & wipers

My windshield was lifting as I drove highway speeds or on a windy day, as well as leaked water during heavy rain. Took it to an auto glass shop (like my volvo dealership suggested due to a diagnostic fee of over $100.00 For volvo service to touch the car), where they told me it was a huge problem and that it seemed to be a problem with the manufacturing of the car. They said there is no way a person could have caused the windshield to be completely loose enough to pop out like mine is, and that it looks like the manufacturer didn't bond the windshield properly to the car.

Filed Incident Visibility / wiperNHTSA 10845823

Source: U.S. National Highway Traffic Safety Administration (NHTSA) complaints and recalls, checked daily. Complaints are owners' own reports and are not verified. How we use the data

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