1. Home
2. Volvo
3. XC90 2016–2025

Volvo XC90 2016–2025

2nd generation · Volvo SPA (Scalable Product Architecture)

NHTSA data through 12 August 2026863 complaints, 281 with mileageMethod

On this generation, 46% of failures fall within the first 12,000 miles — a rate roughly 7 times higher than during the rest of the car's life.

10%

800

25%

4,000

Median

16,000

75%

50,000

90%

92,000

Tallest bin: 153 complaints between 0 and 20,000 miles. Based on 281 complaints that record mileage. Bin width 20,000 miles.

What this can and cannot tell you: these are complaints owners chose to file, not a failure rate. Popular models accumulate more of them simply by being common. How this is built.

What fails, and when

Each bar spans the middle half of reports for that system; the tick marks the median.

1. Electrical system12,000median 11,500 miles, middle half 4,000 to 32,000
2. Engine18,000median 18,500 miles, middle half 3,000 to 79,000
3. Problems owners could not categorise19,000median 18,700 miles, middle half 5,500 to 38,000
4. Brakes5,000median 5,000 miles, middle half 2,000 to 23,000
5. Body structure19,000median 19,000 miles, middle half 10,000 to 80,000
6. Transmission and driveline6,500median 6,383 miles, middle half 3,000 to 45,000
7. Forward collision avoidance23,000median 23,000 miles, middle half 10,000 to 90,000

Which systems, and when

Complaints about this generation are not spread evenly across the vehicle, and the systems that generate the most of them do not all fail at the same point in a car's life. The median failure across all systems here is 16,000 miles; the figures below show which parts of the car run ahead of that and which run behind.

The electrical system accounts for 18.0% of complaints (155 reports, 59 of them with a mileage figure), with a median of 11,500 miles, close to the vehicle's overall pattern. The middle half of these reports falls between 4,000 and 32,000 miles.

The engine accounts for 17.1% of complaints (148 reports, 48 of them with a mileage figure), with a median of 18,500 miles, close to the vehicle's overall pattern. The middle half of these reports falls between 3,000 and 79,000 miles.

Problems owners could not categorise accounts for 12.9% of complaints (111 reports, 18 of them with a mileage figure), with a median of 18,700 miles, close to the vehicle's overall pattern. The middle half of these reports falls between 5,500 and 38,026 miles.

The brakes account for 6.4% of complaints (55 reports, 25 of them with a mileage figure), and they fail early — a median of 5,000 miles, well before the vehicle's overall median. Failures clustered this far below the rest of the car usually point to a design or manufacturing problem rather than wear, because wear does not selectively target one system on low-mileage examples. The middle half of these reports falls between 2,000 and 23,000 miles.

Body structure accounts for 5.0% of complaints (43 reports, 15 of them with a mileage figure), with a median of 19,000 miles, close to the vehicle's overall pattern. The middle half of these reports falls between 10,000 and 80,000 miles.

The transmission and driveline accounts for 3.8% of complaints (33 reports, 10 of them with a mileage figure), and it fails early — a median of 6,383 miles, well before the vehicle's overall median. Failures clustered this far below the rest of the car usually point to a design or manufacturing problem rather than wear, because wear does not selectively target one system on low-mileage examples. The middle half of these reports falls between 2,800 and 45,000 miles.

Differences between model years

Within this generation, complaint volume is not constant across model years. The 2016 model year drew the most — 310 complaints — while 2025 drew the fewest at 37. The median year sits at 56.

That makes 2016 an outlier: roughly 5.5 times the median year of this generation. A single year standing that far apart usually reflects either a first-year issue that was later corrected, or a component change introduced for that year. Anyone shopping this generation has a straightforward reason to prefer a different year, all else being equal.

Recalls and what they cover

NHTSA records 23 recall campaigns covering vehicles in this generation. A recall means the manufacturer or the regulator concluded there was a safety defect or a standard was not met, and that a free remedy is owed to owners — including second and later owners.

The campaigns cluster around the electrical system (5), the seat belts (4), the airbag system (4). Repeated recalls against the same area of the car generally mean the first remedy did not fully resolve the underlying problem.

Recall status is specific to the individual vehicle, not the model. Checking a VIN against NHTSA's lookup is free and takes under a minute, and it is the only way to know whether a particular car has had the work done.

Reported severity

Of the 863 complaints filed against this generation, 45 reported a crash; 41 reported a fire; 51 reported an injury. Crash-involved reports represent 5.2% of the total.

These are owner-reported outcomes, not verified investigations, and they are not adjusted for how many of these vehicles are on the road. They are included because the distinction between a fault that strands a car and a fault that causes a collision is the one that matters most, and it is not visible in a complaint count alone.

What this means if you are buying one

For a buyer, an early-failure pattern is comparatively good news on a used example: 46% of the reported failures occur in the first 12,000 miles, which on a car of this age means they have already happened or they were never going to. Service history matters more than mileage here.

On inspection, the electrical system and the engine are where this generation's reports concentrate, so those are the areas worth a specific look. The electrical system in particular shows a median failure mileage of 11,500, which gives a concrete number to compare against the odometer of any car you are considering.

None of this is a substitute for a pre-purchase inspection on the individual car. Aggregate patterns describe a population; the example in front of you has its own history.

Documented problems

By model year

Recalls (23)

What owners reported

The contact owned a 2016 Volvo XC90. The contact stated that while her daughter was driving at an unknown speed, white smoke began to emit from the vehicle as fellow motorists alerted her daughter that a fire had started underneath the vehicle. The contact's daughter immediately pulled over as all occupants exited the…

2016 · Engine

Second row seat's on the driver side slided to the front , because of which both legs of my brother were squeezed between the driver seat and the seat he was sitting on. Fortunately, the vehicle was on going slow - he could have broken his leg if it was moving on high speed. Note: second row seat showed on the…

2016 · 15 miles · Seats

The "auto braking" function related to the passive collision avoidance activates with no other object in the automobiles path. It has activated 6 times in the past 4 months. The car went into the dealership in september 2016 and they said they could not replicate the incident (not surprising as it happens on a…

2016 · 50 miles · Brakes

Tl* the contact owns a 2016 Volvo XC90. While driving 45 MPH, the vehicle decelerated to 5 MPH and accelerated again without warning. The contact stated that the vehicle was equipped with an autonomous braking system. The vehicle was towed to midwestern auto group (614-889-2571, located at 6335 perimeter loop rd…

2016 · 220 miles · Electrical system

Built from 281 NHTSA complaints with mileage · snapshot 2026-08-12 · open data · reproduce this page

Other generations

• XC90 2003–2014