VOLVO Complaints

Recall identified over a year ago during Q1 2025. Manufacturer and dealer have failed to provide appropriate updates for the repair, and no ETA has been given for repair. The only direction received from manufacturer and dealer was to not plug in the vehicle until the recall is completed. So as it stands, I paid for a plug in hybrid vehicle I haven’t been able to plug it in for over a year as it has a flawed hybrid system that apparently can’t be repaired.

This vehicle recently started experiencing a peeling dashboard on the passenger side immediately near/on the airbag region. This peeling has caused the upholstered leather to come apart from the underpinning of the dashboard and is now a safety issue. There is concern that the passenger side airbag system will not work as intended given the delamination on the dashboard. After some Googling, this was apparently a known issue that Volvo knew about as early as 2017 through 2020. They issued at least two verifiable Technical Journals (TJ 29012.6.0 and TJ 29012.5.0) and requested that anyone with this issue bring it to their dealership for replacement. However, after contacting the dealership and Volvo North America, I was told that they would not be fixing this safety issue.

Windshield leaks water into cabin. Volvo dealership charged $190 to diagnose problem. Told me I need a new windshield but they do not do glass replacement or repairs. They said sealant is bad at top of windshield. This is the original factory windshield. They referred me to a independent glass company who quoted $900 - $1285 for replacement. Cannot repair only install new windshield. This seems to be a known problem with Volvo cars and the sealant that was used at factory? Not covered by insurance. Car was parked outside during rain.

I was completely stopped at a left turn. The rear collision sensor went off for no reason. The seat belt locked up so aggressively I could not get a breathe in and it ripped my insulin pump patch right off my stomach. If I was a couple hours away from home my blood sugar would go through the roof and cause ketones which could be fatal. Luckily I was 20 mins away from home. Being a [XXX] since [XXX] I am now [XXX] Volvo told me this is normal safety feature after inspecting the log. I don’t think it’s normal for collision sensors to go off while not moving as well as the seat belt aggressively pulling to the point were I can’t breathe and it rips off a life depending medical device right out of my stomach. If it is normal then they should have a warning for [XXX]. I’m currently trying to get out of the car lease completely as this feature could literally kill me. INFORMATION REDACTED PURSUANT TO THE FREEDOM OF INFORMATION ACT (FOIA), 5 U.S.C. 552(B)(6)

Our Volvo 2025 EX90 was a lemon. We experienced two recalls (one for headlight failure) and repetitive charging unit failures. The dealer traded us a 2026 EX90. They said the failures of the 2025 model had been corrected. While driving home from the dealer at 70 mph on the interstate, I received a warning of steering fault. Just after getting it back, the car charging unit failed. Even the Volvo dealer cannot charge the car. It’s either dangerous to drive or it can’t be driven. corporate Volvo knows this and should be stopped from selling until they fix it.

NHTSA Vehicle Safety Complaint – 2023 Volvo XC40 Recharge Plus Vehicle: 2023 Volvo XC40 Recharge Plus BEV VIN: [[XXX]] Date of Incident: [XXX Approximate Mileage: [26,9333] Location: [[XXX]] – occurred while going downhill Component: Service Brakes, Electric; Parking Brake; Vehicle Speed Control Summary: I experienced complete loss of braking while driving my 2023 Volvo XC40 Recharge on a highway. One Pedal Drive was active. After coasting downhill for approximately 1.5-2 minutes with no accelerator or brake pedal input, I applied the brake pedal to slow for traffic and discovered the vehicle had no braking capability. The pedal was firm but the car did not decelerate. There were no warning lights, messages, or alerts before or during the failure. This resulted in a collision with other vehicle Damage to my vehicle to the front left etc.]. Police responded and generated report #[XXX]. Additional Details: 1. Drive mode: One Pedal Drive was ON at the time of incident. This matches the failure mode described in NHTSA Recall 25V-392 for 2020-2026 Volvo BEV/PHEV models, which warns of total brake loss after 1 minute 40 seconds of coasting in One Pedal Drive/B mode. 2. No warnings: No dashboard alerts, sounds, or messages occurred before brake failure, inconsistent with a safe design. 3. After incident: Braking function returned intermittently after the vehicle came to a complete stop, also consistent with 25V-392. 4. Recall status: My VIN currently shows no open recalls on NHTSA’s lookup tool. However, 2023 XC40 BEV is explicitly listed in NHTSA Recall 25V-392. I was never notified to disable One Pedal Drive or that my vehicle was unsafe to operate. Vehicle Status: I still have possession of the vehicle and it has not been repaired. It is available for inspection. INFORMATION REDACTED PURSUANT TO THE FREEDOM OF INFORMATION ACT (FOIA), 5 U.S.C. 552(B)(6)

My 2018 Volvo XC90 T8 Plug-In Hybrid experienced a catastrophic, premature component failure of the Electric Rear Axle Drive (ERAD) propulsion system while driving. The ERAD unit suffered a total failure of internal bearings and sensors, completely disabling the electric rear wheel propulsion system and suddenly forcing the vehicle into a reduced-power "limp mode" on the road. This sudden loss of hybrid propulsion creates an immediate highway safety hazard, removing expected acceleration and vehicle control in traffic. Volvo has documented this exact engineering flaw internally under Technical Journal TJ 36665, recognizing a manufacturing vulnerability in these specific hybrid components. However, the manufacturer is refusing to provide remedy or financial cost-sharing to repair this vital propulsion and safety defect, leaving a hazardous, compromised vehicle on the road.

I have a 2025 Volvo EX 90 in the US and I had the manufacturers tow hitch attached. The Error: Max trailer weight is 4,850lbs or 2,200kg, but tow ball weight is mistakenly listed as 220lbs instead of 485lbs or 220kg. Tow ball should be 10% of the trailer weight in the US. 4,850lbs or 2,200kg with 485lbs or 220kg tow ball limit would make sense. The proof: the Volvo accessories catalog has it listed correctly for the 2” ball kit: Member kit 70.8 lbs (32.1 kg) Max. towing capacity: 4850 lbs (2200 kg) Towball diameter: 2" Class III Max. ball pressure: 485 lbs (220 kg) This is a safety issue because if someone tows a 4850lb trailer with less than 5% of the weight on the hitch, they could have severe trailer sway. It appears to me to be a clear error in the digital owners manual tow ball weight limit. The hitch itself lists 5000lbs trailer limit and 500lbs tongue weight on the limit sticker.

While I was driving, the infotainment system turned itself off twice during the same trip. First time was on a highway and was extremely scary. I wasn’t in a place I could easily pull over to assess. Both the main screen in the middle console and the screen behind the steering wheel went dark. Volvo NEEDS to figure it out re infotainment. It shouldn’t be turning itself off mid drive and then ultimately rebooting itself while the car is moving. I have already installed all the updates, but clearly it wasn’t enough/effective.

At approximately 6:30 PM, after normal driving and parking at a local park, our family was unloading children from the vehicle. One child was standing next to the vehicle while we removed a younger child from the rear seat. The child suddenly screamed and stated that he had burned himself. We later determined that he had accidentally come into contact with the exterior exhaust outlet. As we continued walking, we noticed the injury was more severe than initially believed. We took photographs of the burn and later sought medical evaluation. The physician determined that the injury was a second-degree burn due to blistering and provided treatment recommendations. The vehicle was operating normally, and there were no warning lights, messages, or signs of a malfunction before the incident. The concern is that the exposed exhaust outlet becomes hot enough during normal vehicle operation to cause a serious burn from brief accidental contact. We believe the location and accessibility of the exhaust outlet may present a burn hazard, especially to children during routine loading and unloading activities around the vehicle. The vehicle and photographs are available for inspection. The vehicle has not yet been inspected by the manufacturer or a dealer regarding this incident.