2011 Volvo VN Problems & Complaints

Few complaints33% fewer complaints than a typical year of the VN at the same age

NHTSA has no owner complaints on file for the 2011 Volvo VN yet, but there are 2 recalls. 2 recalls cover this model year.

0complaints
2recalls
0crashes
0fires
0injuries
0deaths

Volvo VN complaints by model year

’97’98’99’00’01’02’03’04’05’06’07’08’09’10’11’12’13’16’20’21’22’23’24’25’26995131223221532
Owner complaints per model year, Volvo VN. Colour = our verdict for that year (red: avoid, orange: caution, green: better than average, blue: too new).

Best VN years: 2011, 2012, 2016. Compare all years →

2011 Volvo VN recalls (2)

Suspension › Front › Control arm › Lower ball joint

NHTSA recall 15V-651 · Oct 13, 2015 · 14,934 vehicles

Volvo Trucks North America (Volvo) is recalling certain model year 2009-2015 Volvo VN trucks manufactured April 14, 2008, to December 23, 2014. The affected vehicles may experience corrosion of the ball joints due to the seals being compromised, possibly resulting in accelerated wear and failure of the ball joint.

Remedy: Volvo will notify owners, and dealers will inspect and replace the drag links, free of charge. Parts are not currently available. Volvo issued an interim notification to owners on October 28, 2015.

Seat belts

NHTSA recall 12V-510 · Oct 18, 2012 · 1,496 vehicles

Volvo is recalling certain model year 2002-2013 VHD and VN trucks, manufactured from August 4, 2000, through June 22, 2012, and equipped with bench passenger seats. The seat belt d-ring weld may not be sufficient enough to meet the seat belt pull test.

Remedy: Volvo Trucks of America will notify owners, and dealers will replace the suspected d-ring, free of change. The safety recall began on May 10, 2013. Owners may contact Volvo at 1-336-393-2000.

NHTSA defect investigations

Federal safety investigators have looked into 2 possible defects involving the 2011 Volvo VN:

Volvo Sleeper glass de-bonding

NHTSA investigation RQ11001 · opened May 23, 2011 · closed Jan 20, 2012

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…

Discrepancies in Required CFR Reporting

NHTSA investigation AQ18005 · opened Oct 22, 2018 · closed Aug 4, 2023

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…

Frequently asked questions

How many recalls does the 2011 Volvo VN have?

There are 2 recalls for the 2011 Volvo VN, the most recent from October 13, 2015 (lower ball joint). Recall repairs are free at any authorized dealer — check whether yours has been done with the VIN recall check.

What are the best and worst years of the Volvo VN?

The best years by complaints, compared at the same age, are 2011, 2012 and 2016. See the full Volvo VN years comparison.

Source: U.S. National Highway Traffic Safety Administration (NHTSA) — owner complaints through October 20, 2026, recalls and defect investigations; fuel economy from the EPA. Complaints are unverified reports and are not proof of a defect. How we rate model years.