general problems of the 2016 Volvo XC90 - part 1

The hybrid motor periodical will hesitate when accelerating from a stop, specifically it'll start accelerating then lose power for up to a couple of seconds before regaining power. This poses a safety risk if you start pulling out into traffic and suddenly and unpredictably lose power while there's oncoming vehicles. The problem just occurred for the first time about a week ago and coincidentally just a few days after taking the car in for its annual service, since then it has happened more frequently and I can't find any rhyme or reason as to why it happens. The vehicle will be going in to be checked out shortly. There have been no warning lights any time this has happened.

The contact owns a 2016 Volvo Xc90. The contact stated that water had been leaking into the vehicle on rainy days. The contact stated that the water intrusion was causing several warning lights to illuminate and unknown vehicle safety equipment failures. The contact stated that the front and rear carpets and the spare tire were saturated with water. The contact had taken the vehicle to a local dealer, where it was determined that water was leaking into the vehicle, but the dealer was unable to determine the point of intrusion. The vehicle was not repaired. The manufacturer was not informed of the failure. The failure mileage was approximately 168,000.

The car has a factory fault with the windshield wiper or turn signal contact switch, which is causing the inability to use the left/right signal and the wipers. The entire part is factory faulty, rendering the vehicle unable to operate safely. This affects visibility during wet conditions because the wipers cannot be activated due to the malfunctioning switch, which can lead to serious accidents. Additionally, malfunctioning left/right turning signals can also cause serious accidents, as it is a crucial function. Yes, the vehicle is available upon request. I contacted Volvo, but they declined to fix the issue. They have published a technical bulletin regarding the problem but are not recalling the vehicles. Many other Volvo models have the same factory defect, as can be found on the internet. The technical bulletin confirms their fault. I have attached the file. No, the vehicle has not been inspected. Yes, the vehicle shows a "turn indicator malfunction" message on the main screen. This issue started around 89k miles.

When driving slowly to enter a parking garage, the steering wheel on the car started to feel stiff, and as I completed the turn, there was a loud snapping sound. The dashboard showed an urgent fault saying “srs airbag urgent - drive to workshop”. I drove it to the Volvo dealer. The steering wheel was having problems turning left. When the dealer attempted to move the car, it was then unable to turn left at all. So, the steering wheel completely failed.

When driving and stop in a traffic light, for example, the Volvo ignition going off and I have to re-start it. The problem is rooted probably in the fuse associated with Volvo's stop/start motor. I found that other models have had the same problem, like the recall#r39574 and the reference safety campaign #15v555000. If the fuse blows in traffic, it could increase the risk of an accident, especially a rear-end collision.

The dim (driver/driving instrument module), also known as the dashboard, on my vehicle suddenly stopped showing anything (speed, gas or battery charge level, etc. ) recently, although there is still power (I could see the background lighting in the dark) and the vehicle can still be driven. This is certainly a severe safety issue. I had my vehicle checked at a Volvo dealership shop; their diagnosis concluded that the entire dim needs to be replaced; software update alone won't solve the issue. I shared this issue at a social media site (Volvo Xc90 owners club at facebook) and several others said to have had the same or similar issues with the dim. I'd suggest Volvo to recall this safety issue.

On a travel trip to seattle, we stopped at few stop, and when my son's tried to exit the rear doors, both would not open. Neither from the inside or outside. Nothing worked. Upon searching, this is a very common issue with the 2016+ models. When inquiring with Volvo, it will cost anywhere from 1000-2000 per door to fix the "locking" mechanism which they say can corrode. Ridiculous. This is a major safety issue if passengers can't exit. I've never had a car which a door can't be opened.

I own a 2016 Xc90 that was regularly serviced by the Volvo dealer we bought the car from. My son and I were in my car on 08/02/2023 and we were at a stop light and something smelt a little off so my son put his window down to get fresh air. Then, we accelerated when the light turned green. Within 100 yds of accelerating my check engine light when on and simultaneously I lost acceleration. It was clear that something was wrong. I told my son we needed to unbuckle our seat belts and jump out of the car when I could get us safely stopped. We coasted into a parking lot where I found a safe spot to stop. While coasting I looked at my car screen to see if there was oil or other fluid that was low, but there was no indicator of a problem other than the check engine light that had just gone on at the same time as I lost the ability to accelerate. When the car stopped, I grabbed my purse next to me and before we were to the sidewalk the car was engulfed in smoke and then flames. Our lives were at risk within two minutes of the check engine light coming on. This car was on fire in a parking lot of a pediatricians office around other cars with young families inside. It was scary and extremely unsafe for my son and I and many other people who were around the vehicle. Our car received each recall replacement/fix that was identified. This was extremely scary and unsafe, it put our lives and others' lives at risk within 2 minutes. We along with many others called 911, the situation was immediately out of control.

It came to my attention this summer that my 2016 Volvo Xc90 has an extensive sunroof drainage problem that has resulted in major leaks in the interior of the car and that has destroyed the electrical system which impacts everything (airbags, speed control, back up camera, object alert warnings, etc. It was impossible to have knowledge of this problem until it was too late (like cancer). Many dashboard lights came on, the car was acting funning, back-up camera did not work, ac worked intermittently, standing water in trunk, headliner water damage, etc. Onboard diagnostic system also not working. I have attached the preliminary report but dealership saying they need to pull up carpets, seats and dash to get to a full diagnosis. Here's summary I put together(Volvo corp won't really communicate w/consumer). I have photos if needed: I also spent time the last several days continuing to do my research. It takes little more than a google search to understand the widespread sunroom drainage/leak issue with many Volvos. . Read more...

The contact owns a 2016 Volvo Xc90. The contact stated that the vehicle had experienced high oil consumption. After adding oil to the engine, the message "oil level low" was display within three weeks. Additionally, while operating the vehicle the message "low engine function" had displayed and the vehicle would not properly accelerate and was jerking. The contact also discovered puddles of water inside the rear trunk of the vehicle with electrical wires and components submerged in the water. The vehicle had experienced various electrical failures with the back-up camera malfunctioning. In addition, there was mold inside the vehicle. The cause of the failure was not yet determined. The manufacturer and local dealer were contacted regarding the failures. The failure mileage was 75,000. The VIN was not included.

The indicators do not work randomly and we have had near miss accidents. The bulbs are in good working order. The stalk functions correctly. The computer after several seconds flashes up a message that the system has failed. Clearly the system is not safe as it’s designed. If Volvo are using a computer system to operate the lights it should be sufficiently reliable and fault tolerant to maintain safe operation of the vehicle.

Hi, I had a 2016 Xc90 which has serious safety problems. The sunroof has a factory defect, leaking water into the car and causing failures in electronic systems and airbags. Many other owners have sued Volvo and won their cases. Additionally, the issue has been certified by the court, and there are technical bulletins published by Volvo addressing the problem. Yes. The water leak can damage entire electronic systems, such as airbags, the start-stop system, braking system, and lidar system. Once water enters any of these systems, it can lead to accidents and fires due to short circuits, posing a deadly risk. This issue can cause accidents or fires. No, but Volvo has published a bulletin, and there have been many court cases filed against Volvo since 2016. No, the vehicle has not been inspected. It's causing numerous random errors on the dashboard. This issue occurred approximately two weeks after I purchased the vehicle. . Read more...

The door locks freeze shut in the winter. You cannot open the affected door(s). This is a widespread, serious safety issue and Volvo has done nothing about it. A passenger could die if unable to exit the vehicle. Note that both of my rear passenger door locks - not just the door seals, the locks - have done this repeatedly during my ownership. The vehicle is kept out of the elements in a garage.

My vehicle’s sos, on call safety functions no longer work. In addition my navigation system no longer works properly. In the event of an accident these key safety features would not be able to alert emergency services or locate my position. This is a direct result in a flawed vehicle modem that uses the 3g network not supported by cellular carriers. Volvo has a solution that would cost me $850 to remedy this safety design flaw. Volvo should fix this key safety issue as it puts my family at risk if we are involved in an accident.

Main cooling system hose burst while driving down the road. Volvo dealer said extremely rare for this to occur. Car overheated, all warning lights appeared and coolant exploded under hood all while driving. Had to have repaired $1000. Also a water leak inside 3rd row & leaks from rear view mirror area. Caused electrical damage to main system computer module, had to have replaced $2000+. All work done at Volvo dealer. No frame damage,no missing parts, dealer stated unknown reason. Same thing is now happening a 2nd time and warranty will not cover water damage. Have spoken with others experiencing the same problem with roof leak. No alarms came on prior to combustion/main hose top engine area before break. Happend immediately, unexpectedly.

Srs airbag service urgent drive to workshop light has come on twice. I was told by dealership it is a faulty wire harness where the airbags could possibly deploy if I was in an accident. Volvo does have a recall for the exact issue yet my VIN does not fall in this recall.

First, the rear passenger side door latch failed at 57k miles, allegedly due to water intrusion. They replaced with a revised part - p/n 32310869. Now at 63k miles, the driver side rear door latch failed in the same way. This compromises safety because it renders the rear seats completely inaccessible. I could not get my children out of the back seat through traditional means. The problem has been confirmed by a dealership and is well documented online. There was no warning or indication when the part had failed. The passenger door stopped working "regularly" (intermittently would not open) a few days before it failed entirely. The driver rear door gave no advanced notice.

Srs warning light and was told that is is due to a faulty misassembled wiring in the seat harness. Possibility of the airbags not deploying correctly in case of a crash. The dealer has confirmed that it is the seat harness that needs to be replaced. Due to the month/year of the vehicle it does not fall under the original recall which was only for vehicles that were manufactured between Jan/may 2015.

While driving the vehicle the "srs airbag" warning light comes on, I took the vehicle to the dealership which indicated the "seat harness" would need to be replaced. The seat harness has a integrated chip to alert the airbags to work properly. Volvo has had previously recalls for this issue on 2016 xc 90 vehicles but my VIN isn't included in the recall, I feel they need to expand the recall knowing their are several vehicles having this exact issue. Air bags are federally regulated and this is a safety related issue.

When driving my Volvo after it has rained and I begin to break, while on a road with a minimal decline, rain water pours into the cabin. I was told by Volvo service technicians the water is not able to channel through the sunroof channels correctly due to corrosion or clogging in the drainage tubes/sunroof tray assembly. The water pours into the cabin near the intellisafe/rearview mirror area. This event creates a distraction to the driver especially if breaking while on a right hand curve as the water pours out towards the drivers field of vision. For fear of water damaging any electrical safety components, or the integrity of the interior materials I pull over to dry these components. This event occurs when ever it rains.

The attached file outlines details - 1. After a recent car wash at a shell service station…. . April 5,2021, upon starting the vehicle – the computerized dashboard displayed erratic and incomplete information. It attempted to indicate multiple system failures – eg brakes, suspension, and others too garbled to understand. The entire driver’s console and information center display which were designed to show all of the vehicle operating modes and driver information were compromised and not functioning correctly. The start/stop switch would no longer shut the engine down. I could not get the vehicle to shift out of park. I found myself quite concerned about a highly computerized vehicle now running with no apparent operator control. I could not be certain whether the engine was being cooled properly from its electrical fans because the cabin was becoming uncomfortably hot. None of the environmental controls worked. Even the electric windows were affected. There were no engine safety indicators of any kind visible working to ensure electrical, engine oil pressure, coolant temperature…. None of the other operator information systems were working properly and the engine still could not be shut down. I found myself uncomfortable getting out of the vehicle since it has so many self-driving, collision avoidance steering and braking functions that could be affected. I did not want to risk being run over by my own car. Nor, could I allow the vehicle to move, possibly on its own…so I sat in it for about 3 hours sweating while waiting for a Volvo tow service to arrive. The tow operator was somehow able to get the gear shift to move and was able to back the vehicle out to the street and onto his truck. He was also unable to shut the engine down and towed it to the neillo Volvo dealership about 3. 5 miles away, here in sacramento CA. I had deep concerns about safety with this vehicle being towed with the engine still running. All of the instrumentation remained unusable.

Rear left door spontaneously unlatched and opened while driving with 6-year-old daughter in adjacent seat. Door will subsequently not latch.

The car turned off completely in the middle of the road; the speed slowed down (the car was off) and had to pull to the side of the road.

Vehicle experiencing sun roof leakages during rain or snow. This makes driving dangerous when it is raining or snowing. Defects due to poor sunroof design and components causing water to enter vehicle when raining or snowing. Discussions panels on line identifies other owners experiencing this problem with no concrete solutions as most are trials and errors.

Tl- the contact owns a 2016 Volvo Xc90. The contact stated that while attempting to park the vehicle in park assist mode, the vehicle accelerated in reverse independently and backed into a tree without warning. The air bag did not deploy upon impact. The contact did not sustain injuries and a police report was not filed. The contact's husband drove the vehicle to smothers european Volvo cars 2881 corby Ave, santa rosa, CA 95407 to be inspected for the failure; the dealer was unable to diagnose the vehicle. A corporate representative was then sent to the dealer and determined that no safety error had occurred on the vehicle. They determined the cause of the accident to be human error. The manufacturer had been notified and offered no assistance with the failure. The vehicle had been repaired. The failure mileage was approximately 45,000. Jo.

Turn signal not stop after blinking lights.

On 22 Dec 2017, while driving my Volvo Xc90 hybrid r-design, I received an error light that stated 12 volt battery had an issue. I called the Volvo dealership in sarasota and spoke to the service manager, joe rice to let him know about this issue. While on the phone, an additional error light "abs" and then a few seconds later a car with a squiggly lanes error light came on. I immediately lost the ability to brake, I lost the ability to steer, I lost the ability to put the SUV into neutral, I lost the ability to put on my hazard blinking light. All I could do is take my foot of the gas pedal but because I was not able to put the SUV in neutral, and had no brakes, I continued to move. The screen on my front console went black and the middle console went black. If I was on any busy road or expressway, I would have immediately been in an accident. Luckly after miles of forced driving, and with the help of the service manager, apply manual brakes by flooring the brake pedal as hard as possible to the floor and tap, not pump. This electrical failure defect is so detrimental that it will cause accidents resulting in death. Volvo has kept my car since 22 Dec and they stated that they are changing out the computer that caused this issue. I'm afraid that Volvo might not disclose this defect to NHTSA and that someone or someone else's family with be in an accident resulting in death. This is a very serious problem and beg NHTSA to look into the matter expeditiously to recall Volvos with these defects. If NHTSA moves quickly, they have the ability to prevent accidents and death. I'm available to provide a sworn statement to the incident and willing to help anyway I can. Thank you for your consideration, very respectfully, peter kazil.

Tl -the contact owns a 2016 Volvo Xc90. The contact stated that the vehicle while travelling at 60 mph emergency broke to come to a complete stop. The vehicle was able to be steered to the side of the road. The vehicle could not be turned off or the gear placed into park. The vehicle eventually shut off on it's own. The contact let the vehicle sit and was able to turn it back on and drove it to the dealer montrose Volvo of cleveland 9600 brookpark rd building c, cleveland, OH 44129 (216) 351-9999 and they replaced the electronic electric control module. The issue happened again and the dealer replaced the ecm again and reprogrammed it. The contact was in the process of doing a buyback claim. The manufacturer initially denied it but now they reviewing the claim. The vehicle currently is still with the dealer. The VIN was not available. The failure mileage was 12,500. Tf.

1) adaptive cruise control suddenly shuts off while driving on the highway, error message appears on the screen: "windscreen sensor, sensor blocked, see owner's manual", the appearance of the sensor on the outside of the car appears clean and even after scrubbing the sensor area the error still occurs. The car has been repaired for this same problem over 5 times including total replacement of the the windscreen sensors, with the problem still persisting. 2) dashboard went blank and computer rebooted while driving.

Dashboard went black and computer rebooted three times while driving. Engine was not affected. No speedometer and gauges, as they are all part of the electronic dashboard.

The SUV has had lots of problems with the engine. The engine has stopped without warning numerous times while in motion. It even stopped one time on the highway. The vehicle loses power in an instance and few times we have had to tow the vehicle to our house and to the dealership for repair. Even though this problem has occured over and over (which the dealership has attributed to the pistons misfiring), the dealership can not seem to repair the issue. We have asked dealership/Volvo to buy back the vehicle as it is not driveable at all. Everytime we get the vehicle returned after the repair from the dealership, between 100-300 miles the engine light comes on again and makes the SUV not driveable. We have complained numerous times to the dealership to no avail. The service manager has confided in us that this issue has occured on almost all the Volvo Xc90 from 2016 and onwards.

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. ).

Within a month of purchase issues with the cargo door started,door would not close, parked in my garage unloading groceries,called our Volvo service manager repeatedly for help,no answer, it finally closed an hour later. Then the battery low charge light kept coming on, finally took it in for both issues, they updated, showed me that the door worked and charged the battery. Another month went by and had a low battery issue took it back in they updated again and charged the battery again. Had a bad sensor issue and the cargo door decided not to open, cargo button would not work. Took it in they updated and changed the sensor. Another month or so later had a recall on it, took it in, updated it. Then another recall, updated it. Started auto correcting and braking while being driven on a major street. Then the control pad wouldn't work, took it in it needed an update. Another recall a month or so later, went to take it in and it wouldn't drive, put it in reverse,it went forward, put it in forward it went in reverse, then the heater wouldn't work, the control pad started freezing all on the way to take it in for a recall. We were told it would be fixed with the update. Car turned off and locked because I moved my purse to the other side of my body while driving. Then about another month later it does the same reverse when put into drive,the control pad starts acting up, radio, phone and climate control freeze. Then the cargo bay door closes on my son while we are unloading groceries without anyone touching it or being in the car besides him partially in the back to reach the furthest grocery bags. Taking it in again this week, but that's the last straw!I will no longer drive it as I do not trust what will malfunction next, my son narrowly escaped injury by diving out to the ground because I could not stop the cargo door from closing, car was parked and turned off inside my garage.

The touch screen, which controls both basic and complex functions of the car, is so distracting to use that until Saturday it was an accident waiting to happen. On Saturday that accident did happen. The problem is that the touch screen is needed to control basic and frequent functions such as climate control and the radio. Merely changing the temperature requires as much attention - and diversion from driving - as using a cell phone might. While changing the temperature my wife sideswiped a guard rail on a country road. Fortunately the accident was not too bad but I've been worried about the distraction caused by this control screen during these most basic functions. I have, for example, stopped choosing radio stations on the screen as it requires too much attention and have found that just turning off the air conditioning requires far more attention than is safe.

During driving on a local road at approx. 45 mph, the electronic dashboard disappeared (so you have no visibility to speed, fuel, warnings), the car rapidly decelerated to 10 mph and wouldn't go any faster and all non-steering controls (radio, ac, navigation, etc. ) froze. It has remained that way since even after power cycling. Apparently this can be temporarily fixed by disconnecting the 2 batteries. But it can happen again with no warning. This happened to me and has happened to others I know.