2012 Volvo XC90

Routine

Owners filed 3 complaints about this vehicle with federal regulators, most often about the electrical system. No safety recall has been issued.

What fails
ComponentReportsCrashesFiresInjuries
Steering1
000
Power Train1
000
Electrical System1
000

What owners reported

Newest filings
Steering
Filed Mar 5, 202051,500 milesCA

ON MORNING OF 2/15/2020, I WAS DRIVING MY XC90 (2012, BASE, AUTO TRANSMISSION) ON A CITY STREET WHEN I REALIZED THE STEERING WHEEL WAS NO LONGER IN CONTROL. IT CAUSED THE VEHICLE TO SWING LEFT AND RIGHT BETWEEN THE 2 LANES. I PRESSED HARD ON THE BRAKE TO SLOW DOWN -- THANK GOD THAT CARS BEHIND ME WERE ABLE TO AVOID ME. AFTER 10 SECONDS OR SO OF MANEUVERING, I MANAGED TO PULL OVER BY THE STREET. AN ORANGE TRIANGLE LIGHT CAME ON THE DASHBOARD, WITH A WARNING MESSAGE: "AUTO-SKID TEMPORARY OFF". I CALLED THE ROADSIDE ASSISTANCE TO TOW IT TO MY GO-TO DEALERSHIP. AN HOUR LATER, A FLATBED TOW TRUCK CAME. THE TOW GUY MANAGED TO STILL DRIVE IT UP THE SLOPE OF THE FLATBED. WHEN WE GOT TO THE DEALERSHIP, THE TOW GUY HAD A HARD TIME UNLOADING THE VEHICLE. AS HE REVERSED THE XC90 BACK DOWN FROM THE SLOPE OF THE FLATBED, WE COULD TELL THE FRONT TWO TIRES WERE POINTING IN DIFFERENT DIRECTIONS. THE LEFT FRONT TIRE EVEN MOVED BACK AND FORTH. IF THE STEERING WHEEL TURNED LEFT, THE LEFT TIRE WOULD CRUSH INTO THE BACK OF THE FRONT BUMPER; IF THE STEERING WHEEL TURNED RIGHT, THE LEFT TIRE WOULD BACK OFF. THE GUY HAD TO INSERT A SMOOTH PLANK UNDER THE FRONT LEFT TIRE TO UNLOAD. ON MONDAY 2/17/2020, A REP FROM DEALERSHIP CALLED ME, SAYING THAT THE CONTROL ARM WAS DAMAGED WITH SCREWS AND BOLTS COMPLETELY MISSING!!! SHE SPECULATED THAT WE DROVE OVER A VERY LARGE POTHOLE OR HIT SOME CURB. MY WIFE DID HIT A CURB ON 2/14/2020, ONE DAY PRIOR, BUT IT WAS JUST A NORMAL SIZED CURB, IMPACTING ON THE FRONT RI

Power Train
Filed Oct 4, 201675,000 milesMO

THERE APPEARS TO BE AN INTERMITENT DEFECT WITH THE TRANSMISSION WHEN THE VEHICLE GETS WET. WHEN WET THE VEHICLE LOCK UP AND NOT EASILY GO INTO FORWARD OR REVERSE. THIS OCCASIONALLY OCCURS AFTER GOING THROUGH A CAR WASH OR WHEN THE VEHICLE IS DRIVEN IN WET WEATHER AND THEN, PARKED. AFTER A FEW HOURS, WHEN IT IS ATTEMPTED TO PUT THE VEHICLE IN GEAR, THE TRANSMISSION IS LOCKED UP AND THE VEHICLE WON'T MOVE. ONLY BY ROCKING THE VEHICLE DOES THE TRANSMISSION LOOSEN UP AND THE VEHICLE GOES INTO REVERSE. THE PARKING BRAKE IS NOT ENGAGED. THIS ISSUE IS MENTIONED MULTIPLE TIMES ON VOLVO RELATED FORUMS.

Electrical System
Filed May 2, 201644,013 milesFL

TL* THE CONTACT OWNS A 2012 VOLVO XC90. THE CONTACT STATED THAT THE REAR BACK UP CAMERA AND GPS SYSTEM WORKED INTERMITTENTLY. THE FAILURE OCCURRED WITHOUT WARNING. THE VEHICLE WAS TAKEN TO THE DEALER APPROXIMATELY SIX TIMES WHERE THE TECHNICIAN DIAGNOSED THAT THE VEHICLE NEEDED A SOFTWARE UPDATE AND THE MULTIMEDIA MODULE AND CAMERA NEEDED TO BE REPLACED. THE VEHICLE WAS REPAIRED; HOWEVER, THE FAILURE RECURRED. THE MANUFACTURER WAS NOTIFIED OF THE FAILURE. THE MANUFACTURER INFORMED THE CONTACT THAT DUE TO THE SOFTWARE COMPANY GOING OUT OF BUSINESS, THEY WOULD NO LONGER TRY TO REPAIR THE VEHICLE. THE FAILURE MILEAGE WAS 44,013. ..UPDATED 06/08/16 *BF ....UPDATED 06/15/16 *BF *CN

3 of 3 complaints, reproduced as filed.

Across model years

Worst on record: 2004
YearComplaintsRecallsFiresDeathsAssessment
202527200Routine
202436300Routine
202339600Routine
202229410Routine
202134600Routine
202031720Routine
201941630Routine
201850310Routine
201776770Routine
20161978100Routine
20150100Routine
20144000Routine
201311010Routine
2012 — this page3000Routine
201119110Routine
201012300Routine
20097100Routine
200829310Routine
200738250Routine
200653340Routine
2005223630Above average
2004462630Above average
200393520Routine

Compare every XC90 year →

Reading this record

No unusual pattern of severe incidents in the complaint record.

Complaint counts track how many cars were sold and how long they have been on the road as much as they track quality. A common model from 2013 has had a decade to accumulate reports; a rare one from last year has not. The signal worth weighing is in the severity columns, in whether the same component keeps appearing, and in whether the manufacturer eventually opened a recall for it.

Most recent recall on file: none. Source: NHTSA Office of Defects Investigation.