2016 Volvo XC90 problems
NHTSA has received 311 complaints about the 2016 Volvo XC90, and 28% of them involve engine. Next are electrical system (18%) and body & structure (7%).
At a glance
- Complaints
- 311 filed with NHTSA
- Most reported
- Engine 28% of complaints
- Crashes and fires
- 11 and 15
- Injuries and deaths
- 14 and 0
- Typical mileage
- 12,000 miles 154 complaints with mileage
Source: NHTSA owner complaints
Where the complaints are
Share of this model year's complaints by the part of the car involved. One complaint can name more than one part, so the shares can add up to more than 100%.
When problems show up
View the numbers
| Mileage | Complaints |
|---|---|
| 0k to 20k miles | 87 |
| 20k to 40k miles | 20 |
| 40k to 60k miles | 12 |
| 60k to 80k miles | 10 |
| 80k to 100k miles | 9 |
| 100k to 120k miles | 6 |
| 120k to 140k miles | 1 |
| 140k to 160k miles | 6 |
| 160k to 180k miles | 3 |
| 180k to 200k miles | 0 |
| 200k+ miles | 0 |
What the data shows
Of the 154 complaints that include odometer readings, half describe a problem before roughly 12,000 miles. For engine specifically, the median reported mileage is about 20,000 miles (34 complaints with mileage).
Safety-related details: 11 complaints mention a crash; 15 complaints mention a fire; 14 injuries reported.
Looking only at complaints filed within five years of the model year (so older and newer years are comparable), the 2016 ranks 2nd most-complained-about out of 17 model years of the Volvo XC90 with enough data (165 complaints in that window). It is also covered by 8 safety recall campaigns.
What owners wrote
A few complaints as filed, shortened and with personal details removed. The first ones are among the most serious reports for this model year; the rest are typical.
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 intersection. No air bags were deployed in the vehicle. The vehicle was towed back to the residence. A police report was filed.
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.
While the car was running in my garage and the front driver side door closed, I believe I put it in reverse then went to open the front door to see if my daughter was tightened in her car seat, the car didn't move. I am not sure if I put it back in park but after I took my foot off the brake, it didn't move. After a few seconds and my feet and body completely out of the car, it started to go back and almost ran me over. Luckily I jumped back in the volvo truck and the door crashed into the garage.
The contact owns a 2016 Volvo XC90. The contact stated that while driving at various speeds, the oil light illuminated. The contact stated that the failure was related to NHTSA Campaign Number: 19V308000 (Engine and Engine Cooling). The vehicle was taken to an independent mechanic, where it was diagnosed that an oil change was needed. The vehicle was repaired.