Table 1 shows one common electrical system related problems of the 2020 Volvo XC90.
| Problem Category | Number of Problems |
|---|---|
| Electrical System problems |
The contact owns a 2020 Volvo Xc90. The contact stated that while driving 35-40 mph, the message "vehicle not in park" was displayed intermittently, and the vehicle stalled. The contact was able to pull over to the side of the road. The vehicle was restarted after several attempts and was driven to the residence. The vehicle was then taken to the dealer, where the contact was informed that no failure was found. The vehicle was not diagnosed or repaired. While investigating the failure online, the contact became aware that it was a common failure, and that the dealers were unable to duplicate the failure. The manufacturer was not notified of the failure. The failure mileage was approximately 79,000.
If a passenger or child in the second row attempts to open a door before/while the doors are unlocked, the interior and exterior handles no longer function. This can be temporarily fixed by doing a complicated and long random series of enabling/disabling electronic child locks and unlocking and re-locking the doors, but in an emergency situation it would not be possible. Passengers would be trapped in the case of a car fire or submerging event. This needs to be addressed by the manufacturer with a properly engineered lock that does not prevent the door handles from working if the handles are operated while locks are actuated! here are two threads full of people with this issue: https://volvoforums. . Read more...
Supplemental to NHTSA complaint #11713668. This is a supplemental filing regarding the 2020 Volvo Xc90 t8 inscription, VIN [xxx] . The hybrid battery cell module failed in December 2025, disabling the vehicle's hybrid propulsion system, all-wheel drive, and electric-only mode. As of this filing, the vehicle has been without hybrid functionality for over four months. The replacement part remains unavailable. Since the original complaint, the owner initiated civil proceedings against Volvo car USA llc and Volvo car north America llc in the state court of gwinnett county, georgia (case no. [xxx]). Through that litigation, the following facts have been established as deemed admissions under georgia law, which neither defendant contested: 1. This vehicle is excluded from recall 25v-179, yet experienced a catastrophic hybrid battery cell module failure. 2. Battery failures in 2019-2022 Xc90 t8 vehicles are not exclusively caused by the "lg supplier process deviation" identified in recall 25v-179. 3. Volvo is aware of battery failures in 2019-2022 Xc90 t8 vehicles outside the recall 25v-179 population. 4. Volvo possesses internal engineering data showing the battery defect affects vehicles outside the population reported to NHTSA in recall 25v-179. 5. Volvo has not issued a recall for the specific failure mode affecting this vehicle. 6. Expanding recall 25v-179 to cover the full 2019-2022 Xc90 t8 population would cost Volvo tens of millions of dollars. These facts were established against both Volvo entities through separate sets of requests for admission that went unanswered within the statutory deadline. The owner requests that NHTSA evaluate whether recall 25v-179 is adequate to protect the full population of affected vehicles. Supporting documentation, including copies of the deemed admissions and service records, is being submitted by mail to the office of defect investigation. Information redacted pursuant to the freedom of information act (foia), 5 u. S. C. 552(b)(6).
The sunroof has leaked pouring water into the car. October 29, 2025 this is the second time this has occurred. First flood was January 3, 2023. Volvo covered the first repair done by a Volvo dealership. The current estimate to repair is $13,000 by the Volvo dealer. They have the car. The electronics have not been checked yet or are part of the estimate. It is unsafe to drive a car if the electronics may fail. I have filed a claim with Volvo and to date (42 days) there is no resolution. I cannot drive a car that fills with water when it rains. My daughter has a severe heart defect and cannot be in a car with mold and mildew.
The instrument panel just stopped working. Our safety and the safety of others was/is put at risk because you are unable to see how fast you are going in the car. It also doesn’t let us know how much gas we have left in the gas tank so if the car just stalled out on a highway, it could cause a major safety issue. This is also where cruise control is run from. It’s also the panel where any and all vehicle warnings would show up so if there’s another issue in the car, we are unable to see it.
The led instrument panel will intermittently flicker or in some cases completely go out for extended periods of time making the vehicle unsafe to operate. The instrument panel in these instances is completely unusable and the driver is unable to see critical vehicle information such as speed, any warnings lamps or caution messages, remaining fuel, etc. This is obviously a massive safety issue for anyone in the vehicle. The vehicle was taken to a Volvo dealership, who acknowledged that this is a pervasive problem and performed an inspection per our request. We were informed that the entire instrument panel would need to be replaced but were not given any explanation as to what caused the issue. Additionally, the part is marked as backordered with no known arrival date, effectively making our car unusable in a safe condition. We as the owners should not be responsible for rectifying this safety issue and the component(s) responsible for this should be covered under a recall notice with the cost / burden placed on the manufacturer, not the consumer.
The instrument cluster display on my 2020 Volvo Xc90 went completely out while driving my vehicle. This was a single point of failure and safety issue as it affected my speedometer, gas gauge, etc. I was driving without any functioning indicators on the highway when it went out. There was no advanced warning. The issue was fixed by my dealership and part replaced, invoice is attached. We have made multiple attempts to resolve this issue with Volvo corporate, who has been non-responsive to the overall safety concern. Based on research Ford motor company (part 573 safety recall report 23v-506) faced a recall for their escapes because of a similar safety issue.
The airbag system detected a fault and caused an automated vehicle warning message, which, with further dealer diagnosis, caused the driver seat belt to have a ground fault issue, preventing the normal, safe, and fully operating vehicle airbags. The cause and what must be replaced to rectify the problem are unknown. Volvo has poor customer support and satisfaction regarding avoidable repairs, along with various documented airbag failure incidents confirming a severe issue with its system components that require government oversight and correction through a recall to ensure the safety and reliability of the safety systems that protect lives.