10.0

really awful
Crashes / Fires:
0 / 0
Injuries / Deaths:
3 / 0
Average Mileage:
10,345 miles

About These NHTSA Complaints:

The NHTSA is the US gov't agency tasked with vehicle safety. Complaints can be spread across multiple & redundant categories, & are not organized by problem. See the Back button — blue bar at the very top of the page — to explore more.

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problem #9

May 042017

XC90

  • 24,379 miles
1) adaptive cruise control suddenly shuts off while driving on the highway, error message appears on the screen: "windscreen sensor, sensor blocked, see owner's manual", the appearance of the sensor on the outside of the car appears clean and even after scrubbing the sensor area the error still occurs. The car has been repaired for this same problem over 5 times including total replacement of the the windscreen sensors, with the problem still persisting. 2) dashboard went blank and computer rebooted while driving.

- Tallahassee, FL, USA

problem #8

Nov 212016

XC90

  • 5,250 miles
The contact owns a 2016 Volvo XC90. The contact stated that while driving at approximately 40 mph, the vehicle began to reduce in speed to 5 mph. The contact stated that an unknown warning light illuminated. The vehicle was towed to a dealer where the software was reprogrammed. The contact stated that the failure reoccurred. The manufacturer was made aware of the failure. The approximate failure mileage was 5,250.

- Atherton, CA, USA

problem #7

Dec 262016

XC90 4-cyl

  • 400 miles
(car is 26 days old) the dashboard screen went black while driving on the highway & the engine turned off & wouldn't go over (about) 10 mph. I was able to come to a rolling stop in a parking lot, and called Volvo because I thought maybe I was out of gas, due to the screen not working. My Volvo app let me know I still had a 1/4 of a tank, but I just wanted to make sure. They brought me gas & it was not a problem with gas, the problem was definitely electrical/ motor issues. We finally got the car towed to Volvo of las vegas & they told me it was just a software upgrade needed. I feel that this is a major safety problem & does not seem like a simple software upgrade to me. I was lucky enough to not have my new baby in the vehicle when this happened, but I am a new mom & this makes me very nervous.

- Las Vegas, NV, USA

problem #6

Oct 152016

XC90

  • 13,000 miles
At least three times now the automatic braking system has applied without any object or vehicle in front. Once was on the I95 at 65mph going under a bridge the brake suddenly applied causing the car to dip and passengers to be shaken, then it continued as normal. Another time on the I78 near newark airport at 50mph passing some parked cars on the shoulder the brakes applied. Another time in local traffic at 30mph the brakes applied possibly when there was a slight dip in the road. The car has been looked at a couple of times and had a software update, but it still does it. It has now been in the shop for two weeks with no result Volvo suggested it was ezpass and we could wrap the ezpass in foil (and what, unwrap it for each toll booth!). this is a frightening safety issue because if we had been tailgated a car would have hit us.

- Bernardsville, NJ, USA

problem #5

Oct 162016

XC90 4-cyl

  • 13,500 miles
During driving on a local road at approx. 45 mph, the electronic dashboard disappeared (so you have no visibility to speed, fuel, warnings), the car rapidly decelerated to 10 mph and wouldn't go any faster and all non-steering controls (radio, ac, navigation, etc.) froze. It has remained that way since even after power cycling. Apparently this can be temporarily fixed by disconnecting the 2 batteries. But it can happen again with no warning. This happened to me and has happened to others I know.

- Cranbury, NJ, USA

problem #4

Oct 032016

XC90 4-cyl

  • 31,000 miles
The contact owns a 2016 Volvo XC90. The contact stated that while driving at approximately 30 mph, the vehicle decelerated independently. The contact mentioned that the instrument panel failed to illuminate and provided reading levels for the vehicles functions. The vehicle was towed to a dealer where the failure was undetermined. The vehicle was not repaired. The manufacturer was not notified of the failure. The approximate failure mileage was 31,000. The VIN was not provided. The consumer stated the vehicle was repaired in October 2016. The dealer believed there was a glitch in the computer. However, the same problem occurred on December 18, 2016. The dealer believed it was the fuel pump. Updated 02/06/17. The consumer requested an update.

- Southington, CT, USA

problem #3

Nov 232015

XC90

  • 4,000 miles
Car was having issues with speedometer screen and center console screens. Screen would blank out when navigation system was in use and vehicle was moving. This would happen twice and system would normalize. Several weeks ago this happened and my husband and I smelled a weird odor and then smoke began bellowing out center console. Unit was turned off and dealer contacted. Vehicle was brought in but after three weeks still has issues. Went to pick up car on 12/5 only to find vehicle was having issue with retaining a fully charged battery. We were told al of these issues are due to software updates but to have speedometer go out while in use and to smoke is not safe

- Utica, NY, USA

problem #2

Sep 252015

XC90

  • Automatic transmission
  • 1,200 miles
The contact owns a 2016 Volvo XC90. While driving approximately 50 mph, the brakes independently engaged without warning and slowed the vehicle down to approximately 5 mph. The city safety warning indicator illuminated after the brakes independently engaged. The vehicle was not taken to the dealer. The manufacturer was not made aware of the failure. The approximate failure mileage was 1,200....updated 12/03/15 updated 4/9/18

- Driftwood, TX, USA

problem #1

Aug 142015

XC90 4-cyl

  • 379 miles
While driving at approximately 60 mph with no car within 200 yards in front of vehicle, no object on the road, and no collision was imminent, the vehicle suddenly and spontaneously slowed down to almost 5 mph from about 60 mph for no reason. The seat belts pretensioned, the gas pedal dropped out from driver's feet. City safety activated. All occupants developed mild whiplash. It took several second to get car to return to highway speeds. Dealer claims it was due to a toll tag that was placed to closely to the city safety system near the rear view mirror....updated 12/03/15

- Frisco, TX, USA