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Volvo truck air brake recalls: slow braking, pedal and ABS faults
All five of these Volvo recalls cover Class 8 trucks — VNL, VNR, VAH, VHD and the New VN — rather than Volvo cars, and the VNL shows up in every one of them. Two are Federal Motor Vehicle Safety Standard 121 compliance failures: brakes that take longer than expected to activate on 2023-2025 New VN trucks, and, separately, brakes that take longer than expected to release on 2025-2026 VNL (4). The other three are hardware. A die cast brake pedal plate can break at an attachment point on 2020-2021 VAH, VHD, VNL and VNR trucks. Air tank bracket fasteners were over-tightened and may have broken on 2022-2023 VNL. And unprotected rear brake modulator connectors on 2025-2027 VNL (4) and 2026-2027 VNR (4) can short and knock out ABS and stability control.
Warning signs to watch for
- A brake pedal that feels loose or shifts underfoot, from a cracked pedal plate on 2020-2021 trucks
- Longer stopping distances because the brakes take a moment longer than expected to apply
- Brakes that hang on or release slowly after you come off the pedal
- A loose or hanging air tank, or broken bracket fasteners, on 2022-2023 VNL
- Loss of ABS and stability control may give no advance sign until you need those systems
Is it safe to keep driving?
None of these five notices tells you to stop driving or to park the truck outside. Volvo treats the broken pedal plate, the loose air tank and the brake modulator short circuit as fix-promptly items rather than park-it items, so keep the truck working only while you arrange the appointment. With the two FMVSS 121 timing recalls, the brakes either apply or release more slowly than the standard allows, so leave extra following distance and brake earlier than usual until the pneumatic parts are installed.
What the free repair involves
The repair differs by recall and all of them are free. Dealers inspect and replace the brake pedal plate, replace the over-tightened air tank bracket fasteners, install a new pneumatic circuit for the slow-to-apply brakes, and add a brake valve and fittings for the slow-to-release brakes. For the modulator recall they inspect the rear connectors, install a protective cover, and replace modulators as necessary. No over-the-air fix here.
Severity at a glance
| Severity | Recalls |
|---|---|
| high | 4 |
| medium | 1 |
Models affected most
Every recall in this group
| Date | Recall | Severity |
|---|---|---|
| 2026-04-23 | Volvo trucks may lose anti-lock brakes and stability control | high |
| 2026-03-25 | Volvo VNL truck brakes may release too slowly | medium |
| 2025-02-18 | Volvo VNL trucks may have delayed brake response | high |
| 2022-12-06 | Volvo VNL air tank bolts may break, dropping tank | high |
| 2020-09-02 | Volvo VNR and other trucks: brake pedal may break off | high |
Common questions
My truck is a VNR, not a VNL — is it included?
Possibly. The pedal plate recall covers VAH, VHD, VNL and VNR, and the brake modulator recall covers 2026-2027 VNR (4) alongside VNL (4). The air tank recall and the two FMVSS 121 timing recalls list VNL and New VN trucks only.
What does failing FMVSS 121 mean for my brakes?
FMVSS 121 is the federal air brake standard, which covers how quickly brakes must act. Two recalls here are compliance failures against it: one where the brakes take too long to activate, and one where the service brake takes too long to release.
When were owners notified about these?
Volvo mailed letters at different times: the pedal plate recall began October 7, 2020, air tank letters went out December 16, 2022, slow brake activation March 11, 2025, brake modulators June 8, 2026, and slow brake release July 29, 2026.
A recall applies only to specific vehicles. Check your 17-character VIN at nhtsa.gov/recalls.