VISIBILITY07/10/2026
The contact owns a 2019 Volvo XC90. The contact stated that while driving at various speeds and or while the vehicle was parked, the A/C unit became inoperable, and the defogger failed to clear the front windshield. The contact stated that the A/C was shifted to the MAX setting to operate as needed to defrost the windshield with an abnormal odor blowing through the vents. The vehicle was taken a dealer where it was diagnosed and determined that the front evaporator core needed to be replaced. The vehicle was repaired. The manufacturer was notified of the failure. The failure mileage was approximately 114,000.
FUEL SYSTEM, GASOLINE06/11/2026
The contact owns a 2019 Volvo XC90. The contact stated that while driving at various highway speeds, the vehicle suddenly entered LIMP mode and decelerated before stalling. The failure had occurred on two separate occasions. On one occasion, the vehicle did not restart and was towed to the dealer. During the second occurrence, the vehicle was restarted moments later and was driven to the residence. The vehicle was later towed to the local dealer, where the contact was informed that diagnostic trouble codes for fuel delivery system malfunction and low fuel pressure were retrieved; however, the exact cause of the failure was not determined, and the vehicle was not repaired. The contact stated that the fuel tank was half-full during the failures. The manufacturer was notified of the failure. The failure mileage was 79,900.
VISIBILITY06/03/2026
The front and rear evaporator core of my 2019 Volvo XC90 has failed and I no longer have air conditioning. This issue was diagnosed by a dealer. The evaporator core failure is a massive, widely documented issue specifically targeting the 2016–2020 Volvo SPA-platform models. According to my research, Volvo sold approx. 370,000 vehicles in the US during this period. At roughly $5,000 per vehicle, the owners are being asked to spend over a billion dollars on this known, product defect. Volvo is fully aware of this defect, yet they refuse to cover the full cost of the repair. They issued an official Technical Journal (TJ 35912.1.0) admitting that the system over-cools, causing the evaporator to freeze, expand, and crack. When technicians perform this repair, Volvo explicitly mandates installing a retroactive "jumper cable" resistor harness (Part No. 32241228) to prevent the replacement core from cracking again. The question for you is this: Is this a vehicle safety concern. We might consider why one would need air conditioning in the first place. Is it only for comfort or could it sufficiently cool air to help venerable people form having health issues (e.g., elderly, those with asthma). A recent Lancet study, for example, showed heat related deaths in Europe rising to 63,000 per year. This may be extreme, but if one lives in a southern state where temperatures climb to 100s or even a northern state where this routinely occurs in July and August, lack of A/C could be a serious health and safety concern.
VISIBILITY05/27/2026
The contact owns 2019 Volvo XC90. The contact stated while parked and occupied in the vehicle or while driving various speeds, the contact noticed when attempting to turn the air conditioner on she noticed that the a/c unit was not working as intended in the vehicle. The contact mention she can hear a clicking noise coming from the air conditioner. An independent mechanic and A dealer was contacted. The vehicle was taken to a dealer where they recharged the vehicle and no diagnoses, the vehicle was then taken to an independent mechanic where it was diagnosed that the rear air conditioner vapor needed to be replaced, the vehicle was then taken back to the dealer where they informed her the rear and front vapor needed to be replaced .The vehicle was not repaired. The contact mention these failures have occurred on several different occasions. The manufacturer was notified of the failure, and they offered her one thousand dollars out of the seven thousand. The failure mileage was approximately 35,000.
UNKNOWN OR OTHER05/16/2026
The exterior paint on my 2019 Volvo XC90 has experienced significant premature peeling and delamination on the front bumper and surrounding body panels. This is not the result of collision, misuse, or environmental damage the vehicle has been properly maintained and garaged. The paint failure appears to be a factory defect related to improper adhesion, primer application, or a substandard clear coat process during manufacture. The affected components are available for inspection upon request. Safety concern: Peeling and delaminating paint can obscure visibility of underlying corrosion, accelerate rust formation on structural body components, and create road debris hazards if large sections separate at highway speeds — posing risk to following vehicles. The concern was submitted to Volvo Cars USA Customer Care and assigned a formal case number. After requesting photographs and inquiring about paint protection documentation, Volvo denied any financial assistance without conducting a physical inspection, technical review, or providing a written basis for denial. No dealer inspection was performed, and no independent technical evaluation was offered or facilitated by Volvo. There were no warning lamps or electronic symptoms prior to the paint failure. The defect became visually apparent gradually and has progressively worsened. No prior accidents, repaints, or aftermarket modifications have been made to this vehicle. It is my belief that this paint defect may be a systemic manufacturing issue affecting multiple 2019 XC90 vehicles, and that Volvo Cars USA is aware of or should be aware of this condition. I am requesting that NHTSA investigate whether a defect trend exists across this model year and whether a safety recall or technical service bulletin is warranted.
SUSPENSION,ELECTRICAL SYSTEM05/09/2026
The suspension module failed due to water accumulation on floorboards. Suspect other electronics may be at risk. Water ingress cause by a combination of what dealer said was a worn out sunroof gasket and two of four drains that became plugged. Further examination from dealer found the plugged drains were crimped from when the vehicle was manufactured. The dealer blamed the excessive water ingress was further allowed by a failed sunroof seal. The vehicle has always been serviced by the dealer and problem areas like that were either not inspected or not reported. The seal appears as good as the day we purchased vehicle from dealer. It seems it needs a more expert eye to detect how it fails. The result was standing water in the floor boards and body cavities, which then caused the suspension module to fail. The entire interior had to be disassembled to verify there was no further electrical damage. The dashboard and other interior pieces needed to be removed to replace or correct the drains. This appears to be a common problem with this model although no service advisories seem to have been issued. Total estimated damage is about $5200. Vehicle has only 60K miles. Volvo has rejected responsibility for the compromised drain and failed sunroof seal. Service documentation attached, not including the estimated $1700 to remove dash for repairs.
ENGINE04/13/2026
The contact owns a 2019 Volvo XC90. The contact stated that while driving at various speeds, the vehicle lurched forward while switching back and forth between electric and gasoline mode. The vehicle was taken to the dealer, where an unknown repair was performed; however, the failure recurred while driving three years later. Additionally, the turtle warning light was illuminated with the message "Engine System Reduced Performance". The vehicle was not diagnosed or repaired. The manufacturer was not notified of the failure. The failure mileage was approximately 80,000.
ENGINE AND ENGINE COOLINGfire02/19/2026
The contact owned a 2019 Volvo XC90. The contact stated that while driving approximately 50-52 MPH, there smoke coming from the front passenger’s side wheel well of the vehicle. The contact stated that an off-duty Police Officer witnessed the failure and activated the Emergency Lights, allowing the contact to safely pull off the highway The contact immediately pulled over and stopped the vehicle. The grandson seated in the front passenger’s seat immediately exited the vehicle and the contact was able to unbuckle and removed the [XXX] from the second-row middle seat. The contact stated that moments later there were explosions, and there was black smoke and flames engulfing the vehicle. The vehicle was destroyed. There were no injuries sustained; however, all three occupants of the vehicle experienced emotional trauma from the vehicle catching on fire. Medical attention was not needed. A Police Report was filed at the scene and the vehicle was towed away. The contact stated that the car seat in the rear of the vehicle was destroyed. The vehicle was examined by an Insurance Adjuster, and it was determined that the fire had started in the engine compartment. The manufacturer and local dealer were notified of the failure, but no assistance was provided. The failure mileage was 61,511. INFORMATION REDACTED PURSUANT TO THE FREEDOM OF INFORMATION ACT (FOIA), 5 U.S.C. 552(B)(6)
UNKNOWN OR OTHER01/21/2026
I am writing to formally a repeated mechanical failure involving the HVAC evaporator systems in two Volvo vehicles that I purchased within a few months of each other. The vehicles involved are: • 2019 Volvo XC90 T6 Momentum VIN: [XXX] Purchased: November 2024 • 2020 Volvo XC60 T5 Momentum Purchased: January 2025 Within a six months apart, both vehicles suffered complete air conditioning system failure due to large evaporator leaks. In total, three evaporators have now been confirmed as leaking across these two vehicles. The 2020 XC60 experienced evaporator failure in May 2025 and required full evaporator replacement under its CPO warranty. The 2019 XC90 subsequently developed the same issue. After multiple independent inspections and a full diagnostic performed by Volvo, they have confirmed that both the front and rear evaporators were leaking. The total repair estimate exceeds seven thousand dollars. Despite the statistical improbability of two vehicles purchased months apart suffering identical HVAC system failures within months of ownership, Volvo Cars North America denied my goodwill assistance request. The denial was based solely on the fact that a prior owner of the XC90 had previously received an unrelated goodwill repair. I was not informed of this at the time of purchase and had no connection to that prior claim. I then filed a complaint with the BBB against Volvo Cars North America. Volvo did not respond at all. The BBB has now formally closed the case and recorded that Volvo failed to respond to the complaint. I have acted in good faith at every step. I paid for diagnostics. I provided complete documentation. I pursued proper escalation channels. I sought resolution through the BBB. Volvo has remained silent. This is not an isolated service matter. It reflects a potential systemic defect affecting multiple Volvo platforms and model years. The repeated evaporator failures raise serious concerns as far us intaking large freon amounts. INFORMATION REDACTED PURSUANT TO THE FREEDOM OF INFORMATION ACT (FOIA), 5 U.S.C. 552(B)(6)
STEERING,ELECTRICAL SYSTEM,ENGINE01/02/2026
Some back info: I keep the auto start/stop feature disabled. There are three identical incidents total. One about a year or two ago and two back to back a few weeks ago. The first time I was stopped at a drive through but in “drive” with my foot on the brake. All of the sudden the car completely turns off. Screens black, engine off. Completely black car no inside lights on. Within a couple of seconds, I hear the engine reengage and the car “starts” as normal like when you turn the switch. All of the lights and screens turn on and apple car play reconnects. The most recent two incidents were the same day and in drive having stopped at stoplights. The car goes “dead” then restarts all in drive with my foot on the brake. No warnings come up after the incident either. This time my husband and children were with me and can confirm it happened. I did not get these incidents checked out since the car was instantly back to normal with no warning messages. Very unnerving though and feels like the car is being remotely restarted somehow. The first time I just brushed it off, now I am concerned about this happening while in motion.
POWER TRAIN,ELECTRICAL SYSTEM,ENGINEfire12/10/2025
Upon driving a symbol with a turtle and engine cation sign flashed upon the dash displaying and reading reduced power train mode as this is being shown on dash the passenger next to me smelt smoke as we next seen smoke coming from the air conditioning system we immediately pulled over to the safest spot out of the ongoing traffic as smoke continued to worsen now under the hood when flames engulfed the engine and spread to rest of car.
ENGINEfire11/25/2025
My engine caught on fire. Unknown cause at this time.
Showing 12 of 38 complaints.
