2020 VOLVO XC90 Recalls, Complaints & Safety

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.

My tire somehow got a nail in it. I drove straight to Volvo when noticing the issue around 730am on 3/13/26. At 745am I spoke with [XXX] at Schumacher Volvo, he advised that they were too busy today to assist me. I advised I was afraid to drive with this and needed help and he told me to buy a tire lock kit and I could do it at another tire store. When I went to the parts department they advised the brake lock would not work and the only way to fix my tire would be to have Volvo remove the special lock nuts or replace them with common ones. Of course x they had no time to do this so they left me with zero options or ability to fix my car. I was forced to drive 30+ minutes home with zero solution. Completely unsafe and unfair I have absolutely no way to resolve this issue with my car. Unacceptable and scary considering Volvo claims they are all about safety but no concerns letting a single mother and her 2 children drive in a tire with a nail. XXX, INFORMATION REDACTED PURSUANT TO THE FREEDOM OF INFORMATION ACT (FOIA), 5 U.S.C. 552(B)(6)

Vehicle: 2020 Volvo XC90 Mileage at first incident: ~60,000 miles Mileage at second incident: ~70,000 miles In July 2025, while my wife was driving our 2020 Volvo XC90 the vehicle experienced a sudden and complete loss of braking. The brake pedal did not provide stopping power, and the vehicle had to be steered off the roadway in order to come to a stop and avoid a serious accident. The incident created a serious safety risk. The vehicle was taken to an Wynn Volvo PA dealer and the brake booster and master cylinder were replaced at our expense (approximately $2,500). After the repair, the brake pedal initially felt abnormally soft and required a return visit for correct repair. Approximately six months later, in January 2026, while my teenage son was driving the same vehicle, the vehicle again experienced a complete loss of braking. Braking performance was lost without warning. He narrowly avoided a serious accident. The vehicle was brought to Wynn Volvo in PA and the hydraulic control unit (brake control module) was diagnosed as failed. Repair cost is approximately $3,000. This vehicle has now experienced two separate complete brake failures involving different hydraulic braking components within six months -- with both my wife and son narrowly avoiding serious accidents. Given that this is a safety-critical braking system failure with repeat occurrence, I am filing this complaint for investigation.

In early December (2025), I experienced Hybrid System Failure, with the vehicle showing this fault in the dashboard and the check engine light coming on. I took it to the dealership, as the hybrid system is still within warranty, and they diagnosed a failed hybrid battery module. They said I could continue to drive the care in combustion-only mode and would order the module. Having heard nothing, I checked in early January and was told the module would not be available until May or June of 2026. I escalated to Volvo corporate. They opened a case and keep promising to have a manager reach out to update me, but they have failed to follow-through for almost a month. I am now faced with the prospect of operating an impaired vehicle that can't pass an emissions test (and which is under warranty) for more than half a year.

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: [XXX] [XXX] INFORMATION REDACTED PURSUANT TO THE FREEDOM OF INFORMATION ACT (FOIA), 5 U.S.C. 552(B)(6)

The contact owns a 2020 Volvo XC90. The contact stated while attempting to open the rear passenger's side door from the inside or the outside of the vehicle, the door failed to open as intended, causing passengers to exit the rear driver's side door of the vehicle. No warning light was illuminated. The vehicle was taken to the dealer, where it was diagnosed and determined that the door lock kit needed to be replaced. The door lock kit was replaced; however, the failure persisted. The manufacturer was notified of the failure and filed a case. The approximate failure mileage was 71,000.

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 camera system when backing up becomes unavailable intermittently. Sometimes it works and sometimes it doesn’t. System has been updated and restarted but it fails to fix the issue. When it happens it states camera unavailable and service required. Shutting off the vehicle and restarting multiple times sometimes corrects it. Automotive dealer said there is no issue with it. We have pictures of when it happens and the vehicle is available for inspection.

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 contact owns a 2020 Volvo XC90. The contact stated that after plugging in the charger to the vehicle, the cable charger started blinking red. The contact had to jumpstart the vehicle to open the doors. The blinking red light on the cable charger had not stopped blinking. The contact related the failure to NHTSA Campaign Number: 18E086000 (EQUIPMENT); however, the VIN was not included in the recall. The vehicle was not diagnosed or repaired. The manufacturer was not made aware of the failure. The failure mileage was unknown.

Spontaneously the left back side door has failed to close on several occasions. It happened first while parked in the driveway and I had to use my body to get it shut. I went to have it checked out at the Volvo dealer and when I described it they told me several people had been in for service with the same issue. They told me one lady had it on 2 doors and another realized her door was open when it flung open mid-drive. They told me the car was just cold and that I needed to make sure the handle was flush with the door when trying to close it. The next day, I picked up my dry cleaning and hung it by that door and drove away. I wasn’t aware it failed to latch yet again and only realized it when it flung open while I was driving on the road. This is the same door next to my son’s car seat which is terrifying to think about. I ensured the handle was flush and it still wouldn’t close until I hip checked it shut 3 times. Without a clear cause or reasonable solution (it is not reasonable to expect this just because it’s cold out), it is imperative that Volvo address this on behalf of the safety of its customers.

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 sunroof of the vehicle started leaking water after 4 years of ownership. Upon bringing it to Volvo dealer, I am quoted $2500-3000 to fix and check for faulty electrical or mold in carpeting. This is a safety issue as the water could damage critical electrical components. This is a 2020 vehicle, basic faulty sealing should be covered as recall or known issue that the consumer is not liable for.

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.

The electrical rear axle system fails at around 39k miles in the Volvo XC90 with little notice. I purchased my pre owned 2020 XC90 recharge in Jan of 2023. The failure of the ERAD system Caused complete power failure instantly and the engine to cease operating at a high rate of speed (55mph) on the highway in flowing NYC traffic . After researching, I have found hundreds s of complaints of this issue as most happen just after warranty expiration . Leading me to believe that Volvo is knowingly selling cars with one product defects that could result in injury or death.

The vehicle shudders randomly when taking off from a stopped position around 18mph. The vehicle shudders randomly when slowing down to make a right turn. The vehicle shudders when driving at higher speeds. It's not a violent shudder, but those riding in the vehicle feel it as well. The safety concern is two fold in that there is a fear of losing control at an inopportune time. Secondly, the constant shuddering over time is going to result in damaging other part of the vehicle, particularly the engine, that will present a safety hazard while driving. The vehicle was purchased used(certified). The dealer replaced collapsed engine mounts on left and right side and considered it resolved. Forman at dealer stated it is common with XC90's to have engine shudder as if this should be accepted. Because the engine shudder is happening at higher speeds now, we're going to return to dealer, but I do not expect a solution. I've seen others report similar issues with shuddering on Volvo forums and I haven't seen 1 solution that worked. This is a problem in a lot of XC90's. The attached documents also contain some attempted fixes to correct a drifting issue.

The issue started a few months ago. The brake sensor light on the dash turned on and stayed on. We took it to the dealer and they said that they will not fix it because they can see coffee stains on the sensor. Basically they have brake sensors right under the center console where people drink coffee and the brake sensors are exposed so this can happen to any customer. Now they want to charge us 1600 dollars even though the SUV is about 2 years old and under full warranty. They want to screw their customers and don't care about their safety. This is the brake system of the car and now it's having issues with the adaptive cruise control inwhich the system turns off while in use. We are concerned about our safty and don't know what to do.

The contact owns a 2020 Volvo XC90. The contact stated that while his wife was driving at an undisclosed speed, the vehicle experienced unintended acceleration while the brake pedal was depressed, causing the vehicle to crash into a parked vehicle. The contact's wife did not sustain any injuries, and no medical attention was received. A police report was filed. The manufacturer was not made aware of the failure. The failure mileage was approximately 25,000.

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I need new rear brakes and rotors at 26,296. I have leased cars for the past twenty plus years and never had to replace brakes/rotors after a year and a half.

I was driving the speed limit on the highway in my Volvo 2020 XC90 which was less than one year old. The vehicle lost acceleration power and then an engine performance light came on, then a check engine light. I pulled over immediately and my car engine caught fire under the hood. The entire front of vehicle was engulfed in flames within minutes. There were approximately 11k miles on the car and it had never been maintenanced or worked on in any way that would have caused an engine fire. It was clearly a fuel line fire and Volvo did not properly investigate. My insurance company said it was a fuel line fire but could not get information from the black box because it was destroyed. This car is incredibly unsafe and should be recalled. I have multiple videos and case files concerning this "thermal event". Volvo recalled this car in Europe because of this issue and says there are none in the USA.

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I was driving the speed limit on the highway in my Volvo 2020 XC90 which was less than one year old. The vehicle lost acceleration power and then an engine performance light came on, then a check engine light. I pulled over immediately and my car engine caught fire under the hood. The entire front of vehicle was engulfed in flames within minutes. There were approximately 11k miles on the car and it had never been maintenanced or worked on in any way that would have caused an engine fire. It was clearly a fuel line fire and Volvo did not properly investigate. My insurance company said it was a fuel line fire but could not get information from the black box because it was destroyed. This car is incredibly unsafe and should be recalled. I have multiple videos and case files concerning this "thermal event". Volvo recalled this car in Europe because of this issue and says there are none in the USA.

Fire

I was driving the speed limit on the highway in my Volvo 2020 XC90 which was less than one year old. The vehicle lost acceleration power and then an engine performance light came on, then a check engine light. I pulled over immediately and my car engine caught fire under the hood. The entire front of vehicle was engulfed in flames within minutes. There were approximately 11k miles on the car and it had never been maintenanced or worked on in any way that would have caused an engine fire. It was clearly a fuel line fire and Volvo did not properly investigate. My insurance company said it was a fuel line fire but could not get information from the black box because it was destroyed. This car is incredibly unsafe and should be recalled. I have multiple videos and case files concerning this "thermal event". Volvo recalled this car in Europe because of this issue and says there are none in the USA.

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THE SPOILER COVER OVER THE THIRD BRAKE LIGHT CAME OFF ON I-95 IN THE MIDDLE OF THE FREEWAY FOR UNKNOWN REASONS.

PURCHASED A NEW 2020 XC90 T6 INSCRIPTION WITH THE AIR SUSPENSION. FROM THE FIRST TIME PULLING INTO OUR DRIVEWAY, THERE WAS A DISTINCT, MUFFLED, AGGRESSIVE "THUMP" IN THE FRONT AND REAR END. THE SOUND IS INDEPENDENTLY FROM THE FRONT OR REAR SUSPENSION, DEPENDING ON WHICH IS GOING OVER A BUMP. THIS OCCURS CONSISTENTLY WHEN IN SLOW SPEEDS AND GOING OVER AN ABRUPT BUMP, SUCH AS A SPEED BUMP OR AN AGGRESSIVE CUT OUT IN A DRIVEWAY WHICH IS MADE FOR WATER RUN OFF. ONCE THE SUSPENSION COMPRESSES, THE THUMP OCCURS ON DECOMPRESSION (REBOUND). I TOOK IT INTO THE ORIGINAL DEALER (VOLVO OF TUCSON). A 2019 XC90 T8 MOMENTUM (WITH AIR SUSPENSION) WAS GIVEN AS A LOANER. AS EXPECTED, THE LOANER VEHICLE MADE THE EXACT SAME THUMP SOUND FROM THE FRONT AND REAR SUSPENSION OVER THE EXACT SAME BUMPS. THE DEALER COULD NOT REPLICATE THE SOUND ON MY CAR. I PROVIDED THEM WITH NHTSA ID #'S: 10148803 AND 10128173 (VOLVO BULLETIN #'S: TJ32978 AND TJ3303.1.1). NO RESPONSE YET AS TO THE PROBLEM OR CORRECTION. *TR

ON FEBRUARY 5, 2020 I WAS INVOLVED IN A MINOR FENDER BENDER WHICH RESULTED WHEN I DROVE OFF ALIGHT AND THE CAR IN FRONT OF ME DID NOT TAKE OFF AND I HIT IT IN THE REAR AT A VERY LOW RATE OF SPEED. THE AUTO BRAKE DID NOT ENGAGE. I WAS NO MORE THAN ONE AND A HALF CAR LENGTHS BEHIND AND THE CAR WAS MOVING AT ONE TO TWO MILES PER HOUR. WHEN I HIT THE REAR OF THE CAR IN FRONT OF ME THE AIR BAGS DEPLOYED WHICH CAUSED ME TO HAVE A SLIGHT CONCUSSION AND CERTAINLY SCARED ME. THERE WAS LITTLE IF NO PHYSICAL DAMAGE TO THE VEHICLE. I CONTACTED VOLVO CUSTOMER CARE A FEW DAYS AFTER ADVISING THAT AUTO BRAKE SYSTEM DID NOT ENGAGE AND THE AIRBAG DEPLOYED. THE REPORT WAS TAKEN. I WAS ADVISED THAT THERE WERE NO PRIOR REPORTS OF THIS ISSUE. VOLVO REPAIR WAS NOT WILLING TO ACKNOWLEDGE MY CONCERN AND WOULD NOT CONFIRM THAT PRIOR TO THE REPAIR THERE-WOULD BE A REPAIR. CANDIDLY THEY WERE NOT GOING TO DO ANYTHING EXCEPT ACCEPT INSURANCE CHECK AND FIX IT. I NOW HAVE RECEIVED A RECALL NOTICE FOR THIS EXACT ISSUE WHICH I HAD REPORTED. I ADVISED THEN I WAS AFRAID OF THE CAR BECAUSE I WAS AFRAID THE AIRBAG WOULD DEPLOY UNNECESSARILY AGAIN. HOW DO I ADDRESS THE FACT THAT I WILL NOT USE THIS CAR ANY LONGER.

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