ALL WHEEL DRIVE NOT WORKING... ALL WHEEL DRIVE IN THE OFF ROAD MODE IS NOT WORKING
2016 Volvo XC90
Owner reports · Recalls · Investigations
More warning signs than most XC90 years
Owner complaints for the 2016 Volvo XC90 are substantially higher than the model-year median of 34.
About this comparison →How this year compares
Owner complaints by model year
Compare all XC90 years →Counts vary with age, sales and reporting. They are not failure rates.
What owners reported most
All reported categories
Tap a category to read its complaints. One report may name several components.
When problems were reported
Mileage at the reported incident
89 reports with mileage · 108 unknown
NHTSA’s mileage field refers to the reported incident, not necessarily the filing date. This shows report counts, not the likelihood of a failure.
What to inspect
Issues worth paying extra attention to based on owner reports.
- Engine. Review the 86 owner reports in this category and discuss these concerns during a pre-purchase inspection. Read reports →
- Electrical System. Review the 56 owner reports in this category and discuss these concerns during a pre-purchase inspection. Read reports →
- Structure. Review the 23 owner reports in this category and discuss these concerns during a pre-purchase inspection. Read reports →
NHTSA owner reports · September 18, 2026 snapshot.
Unknown Or Other complaints
36 reportsAT LEAST 3 TIMES, MY CAR HAS BRAKED ITSELF (AT AROUND 50 MILES PER HOUR) WHEN THERE WAS NOTHING IN FRONT OF ME. THIS WAS VERY UNSAFE- IF SOMEONE HAD BEEN BEHIND ME, I WOULD HAVE BEEN HIT. THIS SEEMS TO BE THE COLLISION MITIGATION SYSTEM ENGAGING FOR NO REASON. THE DEALER HAS SAID THEY "FIXED IT" (DON BEYER VOLVO) BUT I BELIEVE T…
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AT LEAST 3 TIMES, MY CAR HAS BRAKED ITSELF (AT AROUND 50 MILES PER HOUR) WHEN THERE WAS NOTHING IN FRONT OF ME. THIS WAS VERY UNSAFE- IF SOMEONE HAD BEEN BEHIND ME, I WOULD HAVE BEEN HIT. THIS SEEMS TO BE THE COLLISION MITIGATION SYSTEM ENGAGING FOR NO REASON. THE DEALER HAS SAID THEY "FIXED IT" (DON BEYER VOLVO) BUT I BELIEVE THEY HAVE JUST TURNED THE SYSTEM PRETTY MUCH OFF SO THAT IT NOW WOULD NOT STOP IF THERE WAS A REAL OBJECT IN FRONT OF ME. I HAD A LOANER IN WHICH THE SYSTEM WAS STILL ON AND MINE NO LONGER WORKS LIKE THAT. I THINK THEY DON'T REALLY HAVE A FIX FOR THIS SO THEY JUST TURN IT OFF IN THE CARS THAT HAVE THIS DEFECT. THIS IS A MAJOR SAFETY ISSUE. ALSO, HAVE HAD THE NAVIGATION SYSTEM GO BLANK WHILE DRIVING THEN IT SHOWS THAT YOU ARE SOMEWHERE ELSE AND GET STUCK THERE FOR DAYS. (MANY OTHER PROBLEMS ALSO, A NOISE IN THE SEAT (SECOND ROW) THAT THEY MAYBE FIXED AFTER THREE TIMES BUT NOW THE SECOND ROW SEAT DOES NOT WORK PROPERLY (GOT STUCK OUT OF THE SOCKET BUT WE GOT IT BACK IN AND I THINK THIS IS A SAFETY ISSUE.)
OWNED THIS NEW 2016 XC 90 T8 FOR ABOUT 30 DAYS. CHARGED CAR OVERNIGHT AS USUAL. DROVE IT ABOUT 3 MILES THE NEXT MORNING AND SUDDENLY CAR SPEED SLOWED DRAMATICALLY TO ABOUT 10 MPH AND A "CAR WILL NOT RESTART, DRIVE TO NEAREST DEALERSHIP" UNFORTUNATELY, I WAS NOT IN THE POSITION TO DO SO, SO I PULLED INTO A STRIP MALL TO SAFELY PA…
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OWNED THIS NEW 2016 XC 90 T8 FOR ABOUT 30 DAYS. CHARGED CAR OVERNIGHT AS USUAL. DROVE IT ABOUT 3 MILES THE NEXT MORNING AND SUDDENLY CAR SPEED SLOWED DRAMATICALLY TO ABOUT 10 MPH AND A "CAR WILL NOT RESTART, DRIVE TO NEAREST DEALERSHIP" UNFORTUNATELY, I WAS NOT IN THE POSITION TO DO SO, SO I PULLED INTO A STRIP MALL TO SAFELY PARK THE CAR AND WHEN I TURNED OFF THE CAR, IT WOULD NOT RESTART. BATTERY WORKING FINE, AS RADIO, AND LIGHTS WORKED , BUT CAR WOULD NOT POWER ON. WAS ADVISED BY DEALERSHIP, THIS WAS AN ISSUE THEY HAD JUST SEEN THE WEEK BEFORE AND IT WAS A "SOFTWARE ISSUE". CAR TOWED TO DEALERSHIP AND I AM WAITING TO HEAR. IT APPEARS THIS IS NOT AN UNCOMMON ISSUE AFTER CONSULTING SEVERAL VOLVO ONLINE FORUMS. WITH NO DRIVE POWER, THIS CAR IS NOT ABLE TO SHIFT INTO NEUTRAL FOR THE TOW TRUCK EITHER. VERY VERY UNSAFE AND IT IS A BRAND NEW CAR.
WHILE DRIVING ON A CITY STREET I PUT THE CAR IN ECO MODE. THE CAR WAS MOVING AT THE TIME. I NOTICED THAT THE CAR SEEMED TO BE DRIVING LOUDLY. AS I TURNED LEFT, I SAW THE CAR WAS IN MANUAL MODE AND WAS IN FIRST GEAR. SO I TOOK MY FOOT OFF OF THE BRAKE TO SLOW DOWN THE CAR AND TRY TO PUT IT INTO DRIVE. AS I TRIED TO MOVE THE GEAR…
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WHILE DRIVING ON A CITY STREET I PUT THE CAR IN ECO MODE. THE CAR WAS MOVING AT THE TIME. I NOTICED THAT THE CAR SEEMED TO BE DRIVING LOUDLY. AS I TURNED LEFT, I SAW THE CAR WAS IN MANUAL MODE AND WAS IN FIRST GEAR. SO I TOOK MY FOOT OFF OF THE BRAKE TO SLOW DOWN THE CAR AND TRY TO PUT IT INTO DRIVE. AS I TRIED TO MOVE THE GEAR SHIFTER, THE CAR CAME TO A COMPLETE, SUDDEN STOP. IT FELT LIKE ALL FOUR WHEELS WERE SUDDENLY AND IMMEDIATELY LOCKED. I COULD NOT MOVE THEM, EVEN AS I HIT THE GAS. I DID NOT SEE ANY INDICATION ON THE DASHBOARD THAT THE EMERGENCY BRAKE HAD BEEN ACTIVATED. I HAD NOT FIDDLED IN ANY WAY WITH THE BUTTON THAT ALLOWS ME TO CHANGE TO ECO MODE OR WITH THE PARKING BRAKE. IN THE MOMENT IMMEDIATELY PRECEDING THE STOP, I HAD MY LEFT HAND ON THE STEERING WHEEL AND MY RIGHT HAND ON THE GEAR SHIFTER. THE PERSON BEHIND ME REAR-ENDED ME. THE DAMAGE TO MY CAR WAS MINIMAL. I HAD BEEN THE FIRST PERSON IN THE LINE TO TURN LEFT, SO THERE WAS NO ONE IN FRONT OF ME. I AM NOT SURE HOW I WAS ABLE TO GET THE CAR STARTED AGAIN. I THINK I TURNED THE STOP/START BUTTON A COUPLE OF TIMES. I LATER ATTEMPTED TO RECREATE THE AUTOMATIC STOP. BEFORE MAKING A LEFT TURN, I PUT THE CAR INTO ECO MODE. AS I TURNED, I SLOWLY RELEASED THE GAS AND SLOWLY BRAKED. THE CAR AGAIN CAME TO AN IMMEDIATE STOP, AS THOUGH ALL 4 WHEELS WERE LOCKED AT THE SAME TIME. WHEN THEN HAPPENED, I MANAGED TO GET THE CAR GOING AGAIN, AND THE NEXT TIME I PUT MY FOOT ON THE BRAKE, THE CAR CAME TO A SCREECHING HALT AGAIN. I HAVE NOT BEEN ABLE TO RECREATE THIS SCENARIO SINCE THEN, INCLUDING WHILE TRYING TO DRIVE THE CAR WITH A DEALER REP. THE DEALER HAD A TECHNICIAN COME IN FROM KY, AND HE WAS NOT ABLE TO FIND ANY PROBLEMS.
I WAS DRIVING ON THE FREEWAY IN RUSH HOUR TRAFFIC IN ECO DRIVE MODE WITH THE AUTO START/STOP FUNCTION ENABLED. THE AUTO STOP KICKED IN AND STOPPED MY ENGINE, BUT WHEN I WENT TO PRESS ON THE GAS PEDAL, THE AUTO START DID NOT RESTART MY ENGINE AND THE GAS PEDAL WAS UNRESPONSIVE. NO ALERTS OR WARNINGS POPPED UP - EVERYTHING REMAINE…
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I WAS DRIVING ON THE FREEWAY IN RUSH HOUR TRAFFIC IN ECO DRIVE MODE WITH THE AUTO START/STOP FUNCTION ENABLED. THE AUTO STOP KICKED IN AND STOPPED MY ENGINE, BUT WHEN I WENT TO PRESS ON THE GAS PEDAL, THE AUTO START DID NOT RESTART MY ENGINE AND THE GAS PEDAL WAS UNRESPONSIVE. NO ALERTS OR WARNINGS POPPED UP - EVERYTHING REMAINED ON (HEADLIGHTS, RADIO, ETC), AND NOTHING APPEARED WRONG EXCEPT FOR THE FACT THAT THE CAR WOULDN'T MOVE/ACCELERATE. I WAS GOING AROUND 1MPH AT THIS POINT, AND PULLED OVER TO THE SHOULDER, PARKED, AND RESTARTED THE ENGINE MANUALLY. I THEN DROVE HOME WITHOUT FURTHER INCIDENT. I BROUGHT IN THE CAR TO THE DEALER THE NEXT DAY. THE RESPONSE WAS THAT THERE WAS NOTHING TO FIX B/C NO CODES SHOWED UP DURING THE DIAGNOSTIC, AND THEY WEREN'T ABLE TO REPLICATE THE ISSUE. THEY DOWNLOADED "SOFTWARE 1 AND 2" AND SAID THAT MIGHT FIX THE PROBLEM BUT THEY DON'T KNOW. THEY SAID CORPORATE DOESN'T TELL THEM WHAT THE SOFTWARE UPDATES DO, BUT IT SEEMED LIKE THE UPDATE MAINLY PERTAINED TO THE RADIO WHICH CLEARLY HAS NOTHING TO DO WITH MY ISSUE. THEY TRIED TO RETURN THE VEHICLE TO ME A WEEK LATER (11/27) AND I REFUSED, AND ASKED THEM TO ESCALATE THE ISSUE B/C I DIDN'T FEEL THE CAR WAS SAFE AND THERE WAS NO RESOLUTION. THEY ASSURED ME THAT CORPORATE'S FIELD TECH SPECIALIST WAS CONSULTING WITH THEM ON THE PHONE AND AGREED THE CAR WAS FINE TO BE RETURNED TO ME B/C THERE WERE NO CODES AND THE ISSUE COULDN'T BE REPLICATED. I SPOKE TO CORPORATE (VOLVO NORTH AMERICA) AND THEY SAID THEY WOULD ESCALATE ON THEIR SIDE BUT HAD NO SPECIFIC DETAILS TO REASSURE ME THE PROBLEM WAS TAKEN CARE OF. I ASKED FOR A FLIGHT COMPUTER TO BE INSTALLED TO LOG THE CAR DATA IN CASE THE ISSUE HAPPENS AGAIN, AND NO ANSWER ON THAT REQUEST SO FAR. I GOT THE CAR BACK TODAY (12/8) B/C THEY DON'T KNOW HOW/WHAT TO FIX. THE DEALER HAS MECHANICS AND NOT THE SOFTWARE ENGINEERS THAT NEED TO LOOK AT THE CAR.
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…
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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
Official recalls
823V827000 · Seat Belts:critical Fasteners
Dec 7, 2023
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.
Consequence & remedy
Consequence: An improperly tightened seat belt buckle may not restrain an occupant as intended, increasing their risk of injury during a crash.
Remedy: 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.
21V273000 · Electrical System:software
Apr 21, 2021
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.
Consequence & remedy
Consequence: The rear passenger may become trapped by the front seat without the ability to cancel the seat's movement, increasing the risk of injury.
Remedy: 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.
19V308000 · Engine And Engine Cooling:cooling System:hoses/lines/piping/fittings
Apr 17, 2019
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.
Consequence & remedy
Consequence: 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.
Remedy: 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.
16V798000 · Seat Belts:front:buckle Assembly
Nov 2, 2016
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 Assembly Anchorages" and number 209, "Seat Belt Assemblies."
Consequence & remedy
Consequence: 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.
Remedy: 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.
16V690000 · Air Bags; Equipment:appliance:air Conditioner
Sep 26, 2016
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.
Consequence & remedy
Consequence: 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.
Remedy: 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.
Additional source detail variants (2)
Equipment:appliance:air Conditioner
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.
Consequence: 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.
Remedy: 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.
Air Bags
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.
Consequence: 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.
Remedy: 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.
16V268000 · Visibility:sun/moon Roof Assembly
May 4, 2016
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, and Roof Panel Systems."
Consequence & remedy
Consequence: If the switch is unintentionally pressed and the sunroof panel closes, there is an increased risk of occupant injury.
Remedy: 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.
15V497000 · Air Bags:side/window
Aug 6, 2015
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.
Consequence & remedy
Consequence: Underinflated air bags may not fully protect third row occupants, increasing the risk of injury in the event of a crash.
Remedy: 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.
15V342000 · Air Bags:side/window
Jun 3, 2015
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.
Consequence & remedy
Consequence: 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.
Remedy: 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.
Model-level recall history does not show whether a particular VIN is affected or has received a repair. Check a VIN with NHTSA ↗
NHTSA investigations
1DP22005 · Pedestrian Alert Sounds
Opened Jan 27, 2023 · Closed Aug 7, 2023
Status: closed (inferred from source dates) · Electrical System:propulsion System
NHTSA received a petition on or about July 18, 2022, requesting that Federal Motor Vehicle Safety Standard (FMVSS) 141 be applied to all electric and hybrid vehicles operating in the United States. The petition can be reviewed at NHTSA.gov under ODI Number 11486072. FMVSS 141 establishes performance requirements for pedestrian alert sounds for motor vehicles. The standard applies to hybrid and electric vehicles that have a gross vehicle weight rating of 4,536 KG or less or are defined as low-speed vehicles. The standard became fully applicable to all such vehicles manufactured on or after March 1, 2021.On January 27, 2023, NHTSA opened Defect Petition (DP) 22-005 to evaluate the subject matter described in the petition. On June 24, 2023 and as supplemented on June 25, 2023, the petitioner notified NHTSA he was withdrawing his petition. The petitioner indicated that, based on his review of data, there is no justification for asserting potential benefits that could be derived from actions sought by my petition. Based on the petitioner's withdrawal, DP22-005 is closed. Closure of this DP does not represent a determination by NHTSA regarding the subject matter of the petition.
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