The 2016 Volvo XC90 has 8 NHTSA recall campaigns affecting an estimated 189,581 vehicles. Recall repairs are always free at any authorized dealer. Owners have filed 307 complaints with NHTSA, most often about the engine. Last updated July 5, 2026.
Recall campaigns
SEAT BELTS23V8270002023-12-072,911 affected
Defect
Volvo Car USA, LLC (Volvo Car) is recalling certain 2015-2024 XC90 vehicles. The second-row seat belt buckle and lower belt anchor bolts may not be tightened properly.
Consequence
An improperly tightened seat belt buckle may not restrain an occupant as intended, increasing their risk of injury during a crash.
Remedy
Dealers will inspect and tighten the second-row seat belt buckle anchorage bolts, as necessary, free of charge. Owner notification letters were mailed January 19, 2024. Owners may contact Volvo Car customer service at 1-800-458-1552. Volvo Car's number for this recall is R10259.
ELECTRICAL SYSTEM21V2730002021-04-21162 affected
Defect
Volvo Car USA, LLC (Volvo Car) is recalling certain 2016-2020 XC90 Excellence vehicles. Liquid or condensation on the rear seat control display may cause the front passenger seat to move back as far as possible.
Consequence
The rear passenger may become trapped by the front seat without the ability to cancel the seat's movement, increasing the risk of injury.
Remedy
Volvo Car will notify owners, and dealers will update the rear seat control display software, free of charge. Owner notification letters were mailed July 14, 2021. Owners may contact Volvo Car customer service at 1-888-458-1552. Volvo Car's number for this recall is R10093.
ENGINE AND ENGINE COOLING19V3080002019-04-1734,006 affected
Defect
Volvo Cars of N.A., LLC (Volvo Cars) is recalling certain 2016 XC90 vehicles. Exposure to heat and humidity may cause the engine coolant bleeder hose to crack, resulting in a coolant leak.
Consequence
If the coolant leak goes unnoticed, coolant may accumulate in the catalytic converter heat shield insulation and catch fire when the vehicle is stationary, increasing the risk of injury.
Remedy
Volvo Cars will notify owners, and dealers will replace the engine side coolant bleeder hose, free of charge. The recall began June 12, 2019. Owners may contact Volvo customer service at 1-800-458-1552. Volvo's number for this recall is R29936.
SEAT BELTS16V7980002016-11-0274,027 affected
Defect
Volvo Car USA LLC (Volvo) is recalling certain model year 2016-2017 XC90, S90, XC60, V60 Cross Country, V60, S60 Cross Country, S60, and S60 Inscription vehicles manufactured February 16, 2015, to August 22, 2016. On the affected vehicles, the front passenger seat belt buckle attaching stud may loosen, allowing the…
Consequence
If the seat belt buckle separates from the bracket, the front seat passenger may not be adequately restrained in the event of a crash, increasing their risk of injury in the event of a crash.
Remedy
Volvo will notify owners, and dealers will inspect the front passenger seat belt buckle stud, replacing the seat belt buckle as needed, free of charge. The recall began January 2017. Owners may contact Volvo customer service at 1-800-458-1552. Volvo's number for this recall is R89708.
EQUIPMENT16V6900002016-09-2643,766 affected
Defect
Volvo Cars of North America, LLC (Volvo) is recalling certain model year 2016-2017 Volvo XC90 and S90 vehicles manufactured April 15, 2015 through September 19, 2016. In the affected vehicles, the drain hose for the air conditioning may leak into the passenger compartment due to a drain hose installation error…
Consequence
Significant water drainage into the passenger compartment may adversely affect air bag deployment in the event of a crash, increasing the risk of occupant injury.
Remedy
Volvo will notify owners, and dealers will inspect the air conditioning drain hose for proper installation, replacing the hose as necessary, free of charge. The recall is expected to begin on November the 14, 2016. Owners may contact Volvo at 1-800-458-1552. Volvo's number for this campaign is R89707.
VISIBILITY16V2680002016-05-0430,214 affected
Defect
Volvo Car USA LLC (Volvo) is recalling certain model year 2016 XC90 vehicles manufactured January 27, 2015, to April 23, 2016. The sunroofs on the affected vehicles have a switch on the overhead console that may not be adequately recessed to prevent the switch from being unintentionally pressed. When pressed, the…
Consequence
If the switch is unintentionally pressed and the sunroof panel closes, there is an increased risk of occupant injury.
Remedy
Volvo will notify owners, and dealers will perform a software upgrade that disables the auto-close function, free of charge. The recall began June 24, 2016. Owners may contact Volvo customer service at 1-800-458-1552 or by visiting http://Volvo.custhelp.com. Volvo's number for this recall is R89702.
AIR BAGS15V4970002015-08-063,911 affected
Defect
Volvo Cars of N.A., LLC (Volvo) is recalling certain model year 2016 Volvo XC90 vehicles manufactured January 27, 2015, to July 10, 2015. The third row seating side curtain air bags may not fully inflate.
Consequence
Underinflated air bags may not fully protect third row occupants, increasing the risk of injury in the event of a crash.
Remedy
Volvo will notify owners, and dealers will modify the D-pillar interior panels to allow full inflation of the third row airbags, free of charge. The recall began on September 21, 2015. Owners may contact Volvo Customer Care at 1-800-458-1552.
AIR BAGS15V3420002015-06-03584 affected
Defect
Volvo Cars of N.A., LLC (Volvo) is recalling certain model year 2016 Volvo XC90 vehicles manufactured January 27, 2015, to May 19, 2015. The affected vehicles have front seats whose wiring harness for the Side Impact Protection System (SIPS) may have been routed incorrectly.
Consequence
If the wiring harness is routed incorrectly, the wiring may be damaged, disabling the front seat side impact air bag, and increasing the risk of injury to the seat occupant in the event of a crash necessitating deployment of the front seat side impact air bag.
Remedy
Volvo will notify owners, and dealers will inspect the routing of the SIPS wiring, correcting the routing and installing a protective sleeve as necessary, free of charge. The recall began on June 30, 2015. Owners may contact Volvo customer service at 1-800-458-1552. Volvo's number for this recall is R89571.
Complaints by component
ENGINE
84
1crashes7fires
ELECTRICAL SYSTEM
55
3crashes2fires
UNKNOWN OR OTHER
34
1crashes4fires3injuries
STRUCTURE:BODY
21
2crashes
SERVICE BRAKES
14
1crashes
FUEL/PROPULSION SYSTEM
12
1fires
POWER TRAIN
10
1crashes
VEHICLE SPEED CONTROL
10
1fires3injuries
AIR BAGS
8
1crashes2injuries
STEERING
7
Total complaints307
What owners report
Verbatim reports filed with NHTSA, lightly edited for readability and with personal
information removed.
“About a month ago I received an engine coolant low warning from the vehicle so the fluid was topped off. This past friday, april 17th as I was driving home around midnight, I received an engine temperature is high, please pull over notice so I stopped the vehicle and had it towed home. Saturday…”
“The contact owns a 2016 volvo xc90. The contact stated that while coming off a red light at 10 mph, the contact was involved in a vehicle accident. The front end of the vehicle impacted the vehicle on the passenger side, which impacted more of the contact's front side on the passenger side. The…”
“Hey I purchased a volvo xc90 2016 seven months ago and I currently still have this car. Also others with the same model, are having problems with oil consumption who is the problem that i’m sadly dealing with, my car burns so much oil and i’m only 19 I got this hoping for a reliable car but in…”
“Vehicle start shaking violently out of control. Aaa picked up the vehicle and took it to their european shop and discovered it’s the piston rings . I asked volvo to do a goodwill repair and they rejected my claim on a well know issue that I was not brought aware while having the vehicle serviced…”
“My car started smoking on the road, I parked it. It smoked, then it caught on fire.”
“My vehicle was signaling me to add oil every 600 - 1000 miles around 85,000 miles. The dealership charged me for a chemical treatment to stop the oil burning around 90,000 miles. At about 95,000 miles, my engine failed while driving on the interstate. There was no warning light or degradation of…”
“The erad (electric rear axle drive) on my 2016 volvo xc90 t8 phev failed completely. The warning light appeared approximately 11/3/2025, within one week of purchasing the vehicle at 88,000 miles. The failure was confirmed by a volvo dealership. The erad is the component that powers the rear…”
“On september 30, 2025, a 2016 volvo xc90 t6 experienced sudden engine failure while driving westbound on I-75 (alligator alley) at highway speed. The vehicle abruptly went into reduced power mode (“turtle modeâ€�) without warning. This forced the driver to stop on the roadside, creating a…”
Defect investigations
InvestigationDP22005 Opened 2023-01-27 · closed 2023-08-07
Pedestrian alert sounds
NHTSA received a petition on or about July 18, 2022, requesting that Federal Motor Vehicle Safety Standard (FMVSS) 141 be applied to all electric and hybrid vehicles operating in the United States. The petition can be reviewed at NHTSA.gov under ODI Number 11486072. FMVSS 141 establishes performance requirements for…
Recall, complaint, and investigation records from official NHTSA datasets (FLAT_RCL,
FLAT_CMPL, FLAT_INV), synced weekly. Counts reflect NHTSA records for the 2016 Volvo XC90 as of
July 5, 2026. Complaint narratives are consumer-submitted and unverified. This page
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