Table 1 shows one common equipment related problems of the 2018 Volvo XC90.
| Problem Category | Number of Problems |
|---|---|
| Equipment problems |
2018 Volvo Xc90, VIN [xxx] , 54,618 miles. Original owner. All service performed exclusively at Volvo cars west houston (same dealer, all three failures). Volvo technical journal tj 34648. 1. 2, titled "prior approval - lack of airflow causing poor cabin cooling," is classified as a product fix and explicitly lists the 2018 Xc90 as an affected vehicle. This tj required the dealer to submit a prior approval report to Volvo corporate when installing the resistor fix. At 12,017 miles (August 2020), the dealer installed the evaporator resistor per tj 34648. 1. 2, part no. 32241228, under vst operation 98734-2 — meaning Volvo corporate has documentation of this vehicle's evaporator vulnerability on file since 2020. At 15,930 miles (March 2021), the ac compressor failed and was replaced under warranty, consistent with refrigerant starvation from the same underlying evaporator leak. The evaporator has now failed completely at 54,618 miles despite Volvo's own corrective measure being applied at 12,017 miles. The current failure (April 2026) includes a confirmed front evaporator refrigerant leak and ac discharge hose leak, documented by dealer borescope inspection showing corrosion on the evaporator fins and visual evidence of refrigerant oil residue at the discharge hose fitting. Dealer repair estimate is $4,406. This is a documented pattern failure across 2016-2018 Volvo Xc90 models. Volvo cars USA was contacted for goodwill assistance and denied the request within 24 hours without meaningful review. Case number [xxx]. Information redacted pursuant to the freedom of information act (foia), 5 u. S. C. 552(b)(6).
My 2018 Volvo Xc90 had repeated water leakage from the panoramic sunroof. In most cases, when the vehicle is parked flat or the front is at a slight angle, water leaks in and collects in the cargo area. It collects into a plastic compartment over the battery located on the right side of the cargo area and/or on top of the rear cargo mat. When the vehicle is moving and it is raining, water leaks in from the rearview mirror, making the entire dash, screen, shifter and both driver and passenger wet. The rain also comes in from the rear right side of the second row making the entire seat or any passenger sitting there wet. Volvo is not acknowledging this defect nor are there any solutions in place. This is extremely concerning.
Door handle for drivers side door breaks off into hand. Exiting vehicle made extremely complicated: if window is compromised in any way or lock system is compromised in any way, exit of vehicle is impossible.
Rear passenger door handle inoperable from both inside and outside the car. A quick google search shows this is a common, well known issue in all 2016 - 2024 and beyond Volvo Xc90s. Concerning is this prevents egress from the vehicle in case of emergency. Confirmed issue exists while car is unlocked and child locks deactivated as can be seen in video. Rear driver door works as appropriately, rear passenger fails to open. No warning lights or codes. Issue first appeared 7/10/2024 and persists. Door cannot be opened. Videos available upon request.
Chrome plated trim peels away from the surface on middle console and exterior door handles and is extremely sharp causing deep cuts, seems to be a common and known issue but Volvo will not repairs or address the issue.
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. The car was inspected by the insurance company and is on hold pending further investigation. He indicated that the fire started in the engine compartment near the dashboard but he could not pinpoint why. The care is available for further inspection, for now. Please contact me if you would like to discuss further. I will provide all the documentation that I have available. Thank you.
When the car is parked, I unlock the driver's door, the tailgate opens on it's own (possibly into traffic) then afterwards, every time when starting the car, a "12v battery charging fault stop safely" error occurs twice. It seems to be ok to drive, but it is not clear as to whether the fault can cause a safety issue, as the message implies. So many of the systems in the car are electric. This is a reoccurring problem that has happened 4 times now, and Volvo has not been able to fix it.
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.
Spontaneous sunroof breakage.