2016 Volvo Xc90 problems, complaints & recalls
Most-reported problem areas: Engine (59) · Structure:body (18) · Electrical System (11)
🧭 Reliability snapshot
Compared against other Volvo Xc90 model years — complaint volume vs the model's median year, recalls and severity. How we score →
🛣️ Complaints by mileage
89 NHTSA complaints that reported an odometer reading.
Safety recalls (8)
Seat Belts:critical Fasteners 2023-12-07 · campaign 23V827000 · 2,911 vehicles
Defect: Volvo Car USA, LLC (Volvo Car) is recalling certain 2015-2024 XC90 vehicles. The second-row seat belt buckle and lower belt anchor bolts may not be tightened properly.
Risk: An improperly tightened seat belt buckle may not restrain an occupant as intended, increasing their risk of injury during a crash.
Fix: Dealers will inspect and tighten the second-row seat belt buckle anchorage bolts, as necessary, free of charge. Owner notification letters were mailed January 19, 2024. Owners may contact Volvo Car customer service at 1-800-458-1552. Volvo Car's number for this recall is R10259.
Electrical System:software 2021-04-21 · campaign 21V273000 · 162 vehicles
Defect: Volvo Car USA, LLC (Volvo Car) is recalling certain 2016-2020 XC90 Excellence vehicles. Liquid or condensation on the rear seat control display may cause the front passenger seat to move back as far as possible.
Risk: The rear passenger may become trapped by the front seat without the ability to cancel the seat's movement, increasing the risk of injury.
Fix: Volvo Car will notify owners, and dealers will update the rear seat control display software, free of charge. Owner notification letters were mailed July 14, 2021. Owners may contact Volvo Car customer service at 1-888-458-1552. Volvo Car's number for this recall is R10093.
Engine And Engine Cooling:cooling System:hoses/Lines/Piping/Fittings 2019-04-17 · campaign 19V308000 · 34,006 vehicles
Defect: Volvo Cars of N.A., LLC (Volvo Cars) is recalling certain 2016 XC90 vehicles. Exposure to heat and humidity may cause the engine coolant bleeder hose to crack, resulting in a coolant leak.
Risk: If the coolant leak goes unnoticed, coolant may accumulate in the catalytic converter heat shield insulation and catch fire when the vehicle is stationary, increasing the risk of injury.
Fix: Volvo Cars will notify owners, and dealers will replace the engine side coolant bleeder hose, free of charge. The recall began June 12, 2019. Owners may contact Volvo customer service at 1-800-458-1552. Volvo's number for this recall is R29936.
Seat Belts:front:buckle Assembly 2016-11-02 · campaign 16V798000 · 74,027 vehicles
Defect: Volvo Car USA LLC (Volvo) is recalling certain model year 2016-2017 XC90, S90, XC60, V60 Cross Country, V60, S60 Cross Country, S60, and S60 Inscription vehicles manufactured February 16, 2015, to August 22, 2016. On the affected vehicles, the front passenger seat belt buckle attaching stud may loosen, allowing the buckle to separate from the seat belt bracket. As such, these vehicles fail to comply with the requirements of Federal Motor Vehicle Safety Standard (FMVSS) number 210, "Seat Belt A
Risk: If the seat belt buckle separates from the bracket, the front seat passenger may not be adequately restrained in the event of a crash, increasing their risk of injury in the event of a crash.
Fix: Volvo will notify owners, and dealers will inspect the front passenger seat belt buckle stud, replacing the seat belt buckle as needed, free of charge. The recall began January 2017. Owners may contact Volvo customer service at 1-800-458-1552. Volvo's number for this recall is R89708.
Equipment:appliance:air Conditioner 2016-09-26 · campaign 16V690000 · 43,766 vehicles
Defect: Volvo Cars of North America, LLC (Volvo) is recalling certain model year 2016-2017 Volvo XC90 and S90 vehicles manufactured April 15, 2015 through September 19, 2016. In the affected vehicles, the drain hose for the air conditioning may leak into the passenger compartment due to a drain hose installation error during manufacturing.
Risk: Significant water drainage into the passenger compartment may adversely affect air bag deployment in the event of a crash, increasing the risk of occupant injury.
Fix: Volvo will notify owners, and dealers will inspect the air conditioning drain hose for proper installation, replacing the hose as necessary, free of charge. The recall is expected to begin on November the 14, 2016. Owners may contact Volvo at 1-800-458-1552. Volvo's number for this campaign is R89707.
Visibility:sun/Moon Roof Assembly 2016-05-04 · campaign 16V268000 · 30,214 vehicles
Defect: Volvo Car USA LLC (Volvo) is recalling certain model year 2016 XC90 vehicles manufactured January 27, 2015, to April 23, 2016. The sunroofs on the affected vehicles have a switch on the overhead console that may not be adequately recessed to prevent the switch from being unintentionally pressed. When pressed, the sunroof may fully close. As such, these vehicles fail to comply with the requirements of Federal Motor Vehicle Safety Standard (FMVSS) number 118, "Power-Operated Window, Partition,
Risk: If the switch is unintentionally pressed and the sunroof panel closes, there is an increased risk of occupant injury.
Fix: Volvo will notify owners, and dealers will perform a software upgrade that disables the auto-close function, free of charge. The recall began June 24, 2016. Owners may contact Volvo customer service at 1-800-458-1552 or by visiting http://Volvo.custhelp.com. Volvo's number for this recall is R89702.
Air Bags:side/Window 2015-08-06 · campaign 15V497000 · 3,911 vehicles
Defect: Volvo Cars of N.A., LLC (Volvo) is recalling certain model year 2016 Volvo XC90 vehicles manufactured January 27, 2015, to July 10, 2015. The third row seating side curtain air bags may not fully inflate.
Risk: Underinflated air bags may not fully protect third row occupants, increasing the risk of injury in the event of a crash.
Fix: Volvo will notify owners, and dealers will modify the D-pillar interior panels to allow full inflation of the third row airbags, free of charge. The recall began on September 21, 2015. Owners may contact Volvo Customer Care at 1-800-458-1552.
Air Bags:side/Window 2015-06-03 · campaign 15V342000 · 584 vehicles
Defect: Volvo Cars of N.A., LLC (Volvo) is recalling certain model year 2016 Volvo XC90 vehicles manufactured January 27, 2015, to May 19, 2015. The affected vehicles have front seats whose wiring harness for the Side Impact Protection System (SIPS) may have been routed incorrectly.
Risk: If the wiring harness is routed incorrectly, the wiring may be damaged, disabling the front seat side impact air bag, and increasing the risk of injury to the seat occupant in the event of a crash necessitating deployment of the front seat side impact air bag.
Fix: Volvo will notify owners, and dealers will inspect the routing of the SIPS wiring, correcting the routing and installing a protective sleeve as necessary, free of charge. The recall began on June 30, 2015. Owners may contact Volvo customer service at 1-800-458-1552. Volvo's number for this recall is R89571.
Service bulletins (721)
Technical service bulletins are repair instructions manufacturers send dealers for known issues. Unlike recalls, the fix is not automatically free — but naming the bulletin at the service desk can save diagnosis time and support goodwill repairs.
Unknown Or Other 2026-06-10 · 32010.3.0 · Service Bulletin/Repair Instructions
this is a technical journal: plus 2 attachments 1- tji-497587-1 and 1 mp4 speaker grill -it may be possible for the rear door lock switch to get stuck in the speaker grille. this can lead to a drained battery. applies only for cars with premium or high performance stereo. service: check for/remove e
Unknown Or Other 2026-05-23 · 33031.6.0 · Service Bulletin/Repair Instructions
this is a technical journal: text plus 1 .jpg attachment - if remote control key is not detected by the car and shows message in dim "car key not found" or if functions such as lock/unlock are not working, please follow advice for detecting key
Power Train 2026-05-07 · 36496.10.0 · Service Bulletin/Repair Instructions
this is a technical journal: intermittent knocking noise during acceleration. if the sound corresponds to attached sound file, change front drive shafts to the below part numbers.
Exterior Lighting 2026-05-07 · 34521.11.1 · Service Bulletin/Repair Instructions
this is a technical journal: headlamp condensation inside lens - information/leak test. if the result is not ok (air leak), it is ok to replace the headlamp
Structure:body 2026-05-06 · 35503.4.0 · Service Bulletin/Repair Instructions
this is a technical journal: panoramic sunroof, sealing strip has a gap
Engine 2026-04-23 · 35526.1.8 · Service Bulletin/Repair Instructions
this is a technical journal: text plus 2 pdfs and 1 .png oil consumption test. perform the test. follow service procedure description and service sections updated to clarify that vehicle reports are not required.
Showing the 6 most recent of 721 bulletins. Search all of them free at nhtsa.gov.
What owners report
2026-08-17 · Engine“i discovered an engine coolant leak from a crack near the end of the plastic coolant bypass pipe (part #31368673/32382362) after noticing coolant puddling on my garage floor. there are numerous comments with pictures on-line about how common this part fails on this model volvo. what's also interesting is that the "pipe" fails in exactly the same …”
2026-07-17 · Unknown Or Other“piston rings inside the engine failed due to a known oil consumption issue with this model vehicle. the engine failed while the car was driving 85 mph and consequently slowed down to 15mph on the highway, leaving the owner of the car stranded alone on the highway. volvo has a known fix for this issue and there was a class action lawsuit for it, but…”
2026-07-08 · Unknown Or Other“the ac evaporator has a leak. i am reporting as this is a well known issue on the volvo's, especially the 2016 xc90 which has a large amount of issues that cause issues of safety and undue amount of financial burden on owners who operate the vehicle in normal conditions. i have been told by the dealer after they repaired a another issue of the eng…”
2026-06-26 · Unknown Or Other“my 2016 volvo xc90 suddenly lost power while i was driving, requiring me to pull over and have the vehicle towed. this is a documented safety issue associated with a known piston ring defect in 2013-2016 volvo vehicles equipped with 2.0l and 2.5l engines, which was the subject of a federal class action lawsuit ([xxx] et al. v. volvo car usa, llc, c…”
2026-05-12 · Power Train“the erad (electric rear axle drive) on my 2016 volvo xc90 t8 phev failed completely. the warning light appeared approximately 11/3/2025, within one week of purchasing the vehicle at 88,000 miles. the failure was confirmed by a volvo dealership. the erad is the component that powers the rear electric motor and provides awd and hybrid function — its …”
2026-04-29 · Engine“vehicle start shaking violently out of control. aaa picked up the vehicle and took it to their european shop and discovered it’s the piston rings . i asked volvo to do a goodwill repair and they rejected my claim on a well know issue that i was not brought aware while having the vehicle serviced at their facility findley volvo dealership. i’ve bee…”
2026-04-24 · Air Bags · 90,000 mi · 💥 crash“the contact owns a 2016 volvo xc90. the contact stated that while coming off a red light at 10 mph, the contact was involved in a vehicle accident. the front end of the vehicle impacted the vehicle on the passenger side, which impacted more of the contact's front side on the passenger side. the vehicle came to a full stop in the middle of an inters…”
2026-04-21 · Fuel/Propulsion System“since moving here to nevada in 2023, i’ve had several oil changes. after about 1200 i have to add mother oil to the car. i’ve gone back three times to 5 min oil change to get free refills since they offer free top offs after your initial oil change. i than took a deep dive on the internet and discovered that the volvo xc90, 2016 had issues with oi…”
2026-04-20 · Engine · 🔥 fire“about a month ago i received an engine coolant low warning from the vehicle so the fluid was topped off. this past friday, april 17th as i was driving home around midnight, i received an engine temperature is high, please pull over notice so i stopped the vehicle and had it towed home. saturday evening, as the car was sitting in my driveway, the ve…”
2026-04-16 · Engine“hey i purchased a volvo xc90 2016 seven months ago and i currently still have this car. also others with the same model, are having problems with oil consumption who is the problem that i’m sadly dealing with, my car burns so much oil and i’m only 19 i got this hoping for a reliable car but in stead in burns oil just has much as i burn fuel every 5…”
Excerpts of consumer complaints filed with NHTSA, lightly truncated. They are owner statements, not verified findings.