Vehicle Data Hub

2018 Volvo XC90 problems

NHTSA has received 75 complaints about the 2018 Volvo XC90, and 20% of them involve electrical system. Next are brakes (16%) and engine (8%).

At a glance

Complaints
75 filed with NHTSA
Most reported
Electrical system 20% of complaints
Crashes and fires
4 and 1
Injuries and deaths
4 and 0
Typical mileage
14,000 miles 22 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%.

  • Electrical system 20%
  • Brakes 16%
  • Engine 8%
  • Fuel system 8%
  • Drivetrain & axles 7%
  • Wipers, windshield & visibility 7%
  • Body & structure 5%
  • Forward collision avoidance 4%
  • Latches & locks 3%
  • Seat belts 3%

When problems show up

Complaints by mileage, 2018 Volvo XC90 Complaints by odometer reading in 20,000-mile steps. The median is about 14,000 miles. 0k to 20k miles: 13 complaints 20k to 40k miles: 6 complaints 40k to 60k miles: 1 complaints 60k to 80k miles: 0 complaints 80k to 100k miles: 0 complaints 100k to 120k miles: 2 complaints 120k to 140k miles: 0 complaints 140k to 160k miles: 0 complaints 160k to 180k miles: 0 complaints 180k to 200k miles: 0 complaints 200k+ miles: 0 complaints 040k80k120k160k200k miles Typical: 14,000 miles
Based on 22 complaints that include mileage. 91% were reported before 60,000 miles. The amber marker shows the median: half of these complaints happened before that mileage.
View the numbers
MileageComplaints
0k to 20k miles13
20k to 40k miles6
40k to 60k miles1
60k to 80k miles0
80k to 100k miles0
100k to 120k miles2
120k to 140k miles0
140k to 160k miles0
160k to 180k miles0
180k to 200k miles0
200k+ miles0

What the data shows

Of the 22 complaints that include odometer readings, half describe a problem before roughly 14,000 miles.

Safety-related details: 4 complaints mention a crash; 1 complaint mentions a fire; 4 injuries reported.

Looking only at complaints filed within five years of the model year (so older and newer years are comparable), the 2018 ranks 14th most-complained-about out of 17 model years of the Volvo XC90 with enough data (32 complaints in that window). It is also covered by 3 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.

My 2018 Volvo XC 90 engine light came on with a green turtle light indicating engine impaired performance while I was driving on the NJ Turnpike. I got off the exit, pulled over and the car started to smoke from the right front hood. The smoke worsened and the car went on fire. At that point myself and my 8 year old daughter exited the car. I called the police. The car wsa completely burned. We were lucky to get out of the car safely. I was hospitalized for smoke inhalation, my daughter was ok.

March 2023 FireInjury

When driving the vehicle at a speed of 15-40 MPH, the SUV is activating the crash imminent braking "city crash avoidance" without anything in the path of the vehicle. This action is locking up the vehicle and seat belts lock up squeeze my wife unexpectedly. Dealor cannot find anything wrong when running diagnostics and will not replace the modules that control this feature without them showing bad. This has happended on the same road on multiple occasions.

Reported at 8,000 miles, July 2019 Injury

The contact owns a 2018 Volvo XC90. The contact stated that after coming to a stop at a stop signal, the vehicle lost motive power. The contact stated that the vehicle was able to restart; however, the failure recurred. The vehicle failed to restart, and no warning lights were illuminated. The vehicle was taken to a local dealer, where it was diagnosed that the starter motor fuse needed to be replaced. The vehicle remained at the dealer awaiting the parts for the repair.

Reported at 101,000 miles, February 2023

The contact owns a 2018 Volvo XC90. The contact stated that the A/C unit failed to operate as needed, causing the HVAC system to become inoperable. The vehicle was taken to a dealer where a diagnostic test was performed, which showed that the evaporator core inside the HVAC system was cracked and needed to be replaced. The contact attempted to have the part replaced; however, the contact was informed that the part was on backorder. The vehicle was not repaired.

Reported at 100,000 miles, April 2025

Other model years of the XC90

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