VOLVO Complaints

The driver's side seat airbag system failed. Specifically, diagnostic trouble code SRS-B002011 was retrieved, indicating a circuit short to ground in the left side airbag deployment control system. The technician found a broken clip on the airbag connector housing, causing an intermittent connection failure between the connector and the seat airbag itself. The airbag cannot be relied upon to deploy in a crash. The vehicle is available for inspection upon request. I purchased this vehicle on May 10, 2026, and drove it as my primary means of transportation. During that time, the driver's side seat airbag was non-functional due to a circuit short to ground and a broken connector housing. Had I been involved in a collision during that period, the driver's side airbag may not have deployed, significantly increasing the risk of serious injury or death. I was not informed of this defect at the time of purchase and had no knowledge that the airbag system was compromised. I drove the vehicle believing it to be equipped with functioning safety systems. The defect was confirmed by Volvo Cars Tacoma (O'Brien Auto Group), a franchised manufacturer-certified Volvo dealership in Tacoma. Technician #2101608 performed a comprehensive inspection using Volvo's proprietary VIDA diagnostic system dated May 16–30, 2026. The inspection retrieved diagnostic trouble code SRS-B002011 confirming a circuit short to ground in the left side airbag deployment control system, and physically identified a broken clip on the airbag connector housing. The technician documented: "There is likely an intermittent failure at the connection between the airbag connector and the seat airbag itself. Need to start with replacement of airbag and repin connector." The check engine light illuminated within days of my purchase. This prompted me to bring the vehicle to Volvo Cars Tacoma on May 16, 2026 — six days after purchase. I personally did not observe an SRS warning light.

I took my car in for the 90,000 mile general service at the Volvo dealership. While rotating my tires the tech providing the service noted that the front left suspension fork was broken. The tech and Volvo were unable to provide an explanation for how the damage could have occurred. There was no other notable damage. The tire pressure light was on but that is baseline for my car (the tire pressure gauge is sensitive and usually turns on as soon as I adjust the tire pressure). I provided a picture of the suspension fork to a friend who works in the industry and they recommended reporting it. The part seems to have sheared and given that nothing around it is damaged, I believe and am concerned that this cast aluminum part had a manufacturing defect.

I am submitting this complaint regarding serious safety concerns with my Volvo vehicle that may affect the safety of my family, especially young children. 1. Second-Row Center Seat Integrated Booster Seat Belt Failure The integrated booster seat belt in the second-row center seat is not functioning properly. The seat belt mechanism appears defective and does not secure the child as intended. This presents a significant safety risk. In the event of sudden braking or an emergency stop, a child could be thrown forward due to the seat belt’s failure to restrain the occupant correctly. This defect creates a serious risk of injury and should be investigated immediately. 2. Recurring Check Engine Light Following Recall Repair / Hybrid Battery Concerns Following a recent Volvo recall repair and/or work related to the hybrid battery system, the vehicle began displaying a recurring check engine warning light. The issue was reported to Weaver Brothers Volvo in Raleigh, North Carolina. The dealership performed repairs or adjustments, and the warning light temporarily disappeared. However, the same issue has returned, raising concerns that the underlying problem was not properly diagnosed or corrected. Given the vehicle’s purchase price of approximately $75,000, I am concerned about the reliability and safety of the vehicle, particularly if the warning light is related to the hybrid battery system, emissions system, or another critical component. Headlight Issue: Headlights provide inadequate illumination during nighttime and rainy conditions, reducing visibility and creating a potential safety hazard. Left Speaker Issue: The left-side speaker intermittently produces static and distorted audio during music playback and hands-free phone calls, causing distraction and affecting communication or music while driving Thank you for your attention to this matte

The contact's daughter owns a 2017 Volvo XC90. The contact stated that while her son-in-law was driving at an undisclosed speed, the brake pedal was firmly depressed, but the vehicle failed to stop immediately. No warning light was illuminated. The vehicle was towed to the dealer, who determined that the vacuum hose had detached and needed to be replaced. The vehicle was not repaired. The manufacturer was made aware of the failure. The failure mileage was approximately 85,000.

I pulled into a parking spot with a concrete barrier pole at a pharmacy to pick up my sister. I had my foot on the brake while she was getting into the vehicle when the vehicle suddenly accelerated forward crashing into the pole. I have also had an incident where I tried to start the vehicle and could not get the vehicle to go from park to reverse. This is concerning that there could be some faults in the electrical system, sensors or brakes.

The One Pedal Drive function (regenerative braking) intermittently deactivates without warning after startup. This issue has occurred multiple times under normal driving conditions. When the accelerator is released, expected deceleration does not occur, resulting in reduced braking response. No warning indicates that the system has disengaged, and it appears to deactivate without any driver input. This unexpected change in braking behavior creates a safety risk by increasing stopping distance and requiring immediate corrective driver action to maintain control of the vehicle.

The front and rear evaporator core of my 2019 Volvo XC90 has failed and I no longer have air conditioning. This issue was diagnosed by a dealer. The evaporator core failure is a massive, widely documented issue specifically targeting the 2016–2020 Volvo SPA-platform models. According to my research, Volvo sold approx. 370,000 vehicles in the US during this period. At roughly $5,000 per vehicle, the owners are being asked to spend over a billion dollars on this known, product defect. Volvo is fully aware of this defect, yet they refuse to cover the full cost of the repair. They issued an official Technical Journal (TJ 35912.1.0) admitting that the system over-cools, causing the evaporator to freeze, expand, and crack. When technicians perform this repair, Volvo explicitly mandates installing a retroactive "jumper cable" resistor harness (Part No. 32241228) to prevent the replacement core from cracking again. The question for you is this: Is this a vehicle safety concern. We might consider why one would need air conditioning in the first place. Is it only for comfort or could it sufficiently cool air to help venerable people form having health issues (e.g., elderly, those with asthma). A recent Lancet study, for example, showed heat related deaths in Europe rising to 63,000 per year. This may be extreme, but if one lives in a southern state where temperatures climb to 100s or even a northern state where this routinely occurs in July and August, lack of A/C could be a serious health and safety concern.

My wife was driving at about 40 MPH when the instrument panel displayed a warning "System Failure" and the digital speedometer stopped working and showed the current speed as two dashes instead of a number (ie "--" instead of "40"). After about 5-10 seconds the warning went away and the digital speedometer appeared to start displaying the correct speed again.

Built-in navigation application has on multiple occasions stopped working and stating "searching for GPS". This causes a distraction and increases the chance of a crash because I now have to try to figure out what is going on while I was relying on the navigation to understand where I was going.

Multiple times I have gotten a "Park assistance fault - book a service" message while driving and the parking sensors stop working. The issue temporarily resolves itself only to reoccurring several days later. Took to service and they replaced the car computer and said they could to replicate the issue after replacing the computer. Now a week later and the issue has re-occurred twice again.