VOLVO Complaints

1. OBC failure. Stranded unable to charge. Situational could be dangerous. 2. Rt side mirror defaults to extreme angle after locking car evert time. Dealership could not troubleshoot solution.

Piston ring failure, excessive oil consumption. There was an extended warranty regarding the issue, but it has since been closed. I know there have been multiple lawsuits regarding this issue.

After having our car repaired per NHTSA recall 25V-282 we are still having issues with malfunctions of the backup camera system including warning messages that the camera is unavailable during attempts to drive in reverse.

Car has had a previous software recall done at a Volvo dealership to address issues with the back-up camera, but even after the recall, the camera display is still frequently malfunctioning. When in Reverse, the back-up camera display often freezes for several seconds at a time while the car is in motion. This is very dangerous since anything moving behind the car (such as a small child or animal) is completely invisible until the display unfreezes. At least once a week the camera will fail to work entirely and just display a text error on screen: Camera is Temporarily Unavailable. This generally goes away on its own, but often takes putting the car into Park and back into Reverse. Occasionally, resetting the head unit is required to clear the problem.

02/15/2025 I received a letter for oil consumption recall that was dated on 02/03/2023. Appointment was made same day I received the letter on 02/15/2023 and appointment couldnt be set sooner then 02/23/2023 which is the date the Oil consumption was done at Volvo of Bellevue. They changed the oil and sealed it and had me drive it 1000 miles, they said I didn't have an oil consumption problem and I disagreed because I told them I have to put in oil all the time. They said it has exceeded the 8yr or 100K miles of the extended warranty of the vehicle which ever comes first. I argued it had less then 100K miles when I got the letter on 02/15/2023 and the appointment couldnt be set til 02/23/2025 and Volvo of Bellevue said not to worry about it and they would take care of the recall. But after they had me pay for the oil change they said it exceeded the 100K miles and 8 yrs age of the vehicle. I argued the letter was sent to me after the vehicle was 8 years old and the avg miles of 12K was over 100K miles and I argued this was a known problem with Volvo but they kept on selling these vehicles knowing these vehicles have oil consumption problems. They refused to fix the car unless I paid them Thousands and thousands and thousands of dollars. I trusted what they told me that there was no oil consumption and in less then 7K miles later my engine smoked from their oil change and there was no oil in the vehicle as the engine had consumed all the oil and my car sat in my driveway for 22 months and I replaced many parts and still car wouldn't run. I took it back to Bellevue Volvo on 07/23/2025 to see what was wrong with the vehicle and they said the pistons were bent.

3 weeks ago we had the transmission module fail on our vehicle while it was being driven. According to Volvo forums, this is a multi-model year, multi vehicle issue for those with sunroofs. Accrding to the dealer in our case, the seal failed, and water runs into the compartment where the transmission module is located, causing it to fail. We had it happen twice, and both times on the highway, with the engine running ragged causing it ot accelerate and then quickly decelerate. There were 3 warnings that popped up-"Gear lever locked," "transmission acceleration performance reduced," and "Parking Brake unaavialble." It happened twice and and was towed to the dealer both times, as it was not drivable-once the vehicle was parked it would no longer move out of park. The first time the diagnosis and module reset was comped by the dealer (Borton Volvo, Golden Valley, MN) and the second time, the transmission module was "dried out," and the sunroof seal was replaced, which was just under $700. It is available to be inspected if necessary. The vehicle was a hazard to others on the road while it was "acting up." Dealer was familia with the issue. No inspection was done other than by the dealer Warning lamps as outlined above

Backing in to garage got camera not available, happens intermittently, cause is due to inherently underpowered CPU for head unit Volvo installed, it was out of date at time of manufacture, they have announced a new cpu for 2025/26 model year vehicles. Vehicle is on latest software that was supposed to address this issue

Title: Possible Defect – Uneven Airbag Deployment Description: On July 20, 2025, around 5:30 PM, i was driving a 2021 Volvo XC90 on a main road when another vehicle suddenly entered from the right side without stopping at a stop sign. I was unable to avoid a collision and my vehicle T-boned the other car (front impact on my vehicle). During the crash, I believe the front airbag system did not deploy properly or deployed unevenly. I felt like the left side of the airbag (from the steering wheel) was full of air but not the right side (that side was flat when it deployed), and I believe I hit my head on the steering wheel. I experienced severe injuries to my head, face, and right eye, including commotio retinae, lens displacement, corneal abrasion, corneal edema, phacodonesis, iridodonesis, and concussion. I am concerned that the Supplemental Restraint System (SRS) malfunctioned, contributing to the severity of my injuries. No modifications have been made to the airbag system. I request that NHTSA investigate whether there is a defect in the airbag deployment of the 2021 Volvo XC90, particularly for asymmetric or partial deployment. The automatic emergency braking (AEB) system also did not activate despite the imminent collision. There were no warning lamps, messages, or unusual symptoms prior to the crash. The issue has not yet been reproduced or confirmed by a dealer or service center, but The police was at the scene. My insurance company has inspected the vehicle. I have also reported this to the customer care team at Volvo.

In April 2025, the engine on our 2024 Volvo XC60 B5 Plus AWD failed suddenly with only 7,000 miles on the vehicle. The vehicle is leased and under full factory warranty. Volvo’s dealership confirmed the engine requires a full OEM replacement. However, our insurer, State Farm, is refusing to authorize a new OEM engine and is instead forcing the installation of a salvaged engine from a wrecked vehicle. This creates significant safety risks: • The salvaged engine’s crash history and internal integrity are unknown and cannot be verified. • It bypasses Volvo’s safety testing and voids the factory warranty, removing manufacturer oversight for future issues. • The use of non-OEM parts violates the lease and risks improper compatibility or undetected damage, affecting vehicle safety and reliability. The original dealership admitted they never performed a full internal inspection of the failed engine, relying only on spark plug checks and a borescope scan. State Farm denied coverage for a $1,299 tear-down at another Volvo dealer that would have confirmed the root cause. Instead, State Farm arranged a “second opinion” at the same original dealership without notifying us and presented this repeat review as independent confirmation. We have now been without a safe, functioning vehicle for over 80 days. State Farm’s insistence on using salvaged parts instead of OEM components not only violates our lease terms but undermines manufacturer safety standards and exposes us, and potentially other consumers, to heightened safety risks if this practice is systemic. No warning lamps appeared prior to the engine failure. This refusal to restore the vehicle to OEM condition represents a serious safety concern that should be reviewed.

The contact owns a 2024 Volvo XC90. The contact stated that while the vehicle was parked, the rear-view camera became inoperable. The contact stated the rearview image was blank. The contact received notification of NHTSA Campaign Number: 25V282000 (Back Over Prevention); however, the part to do the recall repair was not yet available. The contact stated that several local dealers were contacted and confirmed that the contact would be added to a waitlist to have the recall repair performed. The contact stated that the manufacturer had exceeded a reasonable amount of time for the recall repair. The manufacturer was made aware of the failure. The approximate failure mileage was 5,500. Parts distribution disconnect.