AutoUtility currently tracks 50 official NHTSA owner defect complaints for the 2018 Volvo XC90. Electrical System issues are the most frequently reported category, appearing in 15 complaints (30% of submitted records). Among these NHTSA complaint records, 2 filings cite a crash, 1 cites a fire, 3 report one or more injuries.
- • Total NHTSA Complaints: 50 reports
- • #1 Reported Problem Area: Electrical System (15 reports • 30% of submitted complaints)
- • Secondary Problem Areas: Brakes & Traction Control (11), Fuel & Propulsion System (6)
- • Crash-Citing Complaints: 2 filings
- • Fire-Citing Complaints: 1 filings
- • Complaints Reporting Injuries / Fatalities: 3 injury filings • 0 fatality filings
Most Reported Problems for 2018 Volvo XC90
Top automotive subsystem defect categories ranked by unique owner complaint volume in federal records
Electrical System
NHTSA records list 2 official safety recall campaigns for this model year involving the same broad component area:
- Campaign #21V273000 ELECTRICAL SYSTEM:SOFTWARE
- Campaign #18V800000 ELECTRICAL SYSTEM:SOFTWARE
Brakes & Traction Control
Fuel & Propulsion System
Body & Structure
Powertrain & Transmission
Recent NHTSA Owner Reports for 2018 Volvo XC90
Representative defect filings submitted by owners to the NHTSA Office of Defects Investigation
"This submission supplements NHTSA Complaint #11759206, filed on August 24, 2026, regarding a 2018 Volvo XC90, in order to provide additional relevant information that came to light after the original filing. At the time of the first safety-critical malfunction (in-vehicle warnings including..."
"The vehicle first experienced a safety-critical malfunction while driving on the highway on August 11, 2026, producing in-vehicle warnings reading "Transmission Acceleration Performance Reduced" and "Gear Lever Locked," along with broader electrical system symptoms, requiring the 2018 Volvo XC90 to..."
"At first I was having issues with stop and start, replaced the battery then was told I wasted coffee in my center Console and it cause electrical issues and was told the repairs would be 3,400 in which collision issuance paid for. After the repairs my driver side seat belt would latch then the..."
"The air conditioning evaporator core has been widely known to freeze and crack on 2016-2021 models of the xc90 which sends toxic refrigerant smell thru the vents. This is a big safety hazard and should be recalled. Volvo knows about this but only does a goodwill repair to loyal customers who..."
"VIN: [XXX] •Make/Model/Year: 2018 Volvo XC90 •Mileage at time of each incident (58,385 / 58,480 / 68,261) •Approximate dates of each incident Vehicle has experienced recurring brake system failures. First, a seized rear brake caliper (Sept 2025) requiring caliper/rotor/pad replacement. Four days..."
Complaint History for Volvo XC90
Reported defect complaint volume across sibling model years (2016–2026)
| Model Year | NHTSA Complaints | Crash Reports | Safety Recalls | Detailed Report |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2016 Volvo XC90 | 197 | 5 | 8 | View 2016 Problems → |
| 2017 Volvo XC90 | 75 | 3 | 7 | View 2017 Problems → |
| 2018 Volvo XC90 Current Page | 50 | 2 | 3 | Current |
| 2019 Volvo XC90 | 41 | 2 | 6 | View 2019 Problems → |
| 2020 Volvo XC90 | 30 | 2 | 7 | View 2020 Problems → |
| 2021 Volvo XC90 | 17 | 0 | 6 | View 2021 Problems → |
| 2022 Volvo XC90 | 29 | 0 | 4 | View 2022 Problems → |
| 2023 Volvo XC90 | 39 | 0 | 6 | View 2023 Problems → |
| 2024 Volvo XC90 | 34 | 4 | 3 | View 2024 Problems → |
| 2025 Volvo XC90 | 27 | 4 | 2 | View 2025 Problems → |
| 2026 Volvo XC90 | 0 | 0 | 0 | View 2026 Problems → |
Detailed NHTSA Component Breakdown for 2018 Volvo XC90
Complete distribution of consumer defect reports across all 29 granular NHTSA system and subsystem classifications
| Vehicle Component / System | Total Complaints | Crash Reports | Fire Reports | Reported Injury Entries | Reported Fatality Entries |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Service Brakes NHTSA category: SERVICE BRAKES | 5 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| Other / Uncategorized NHTSA category: UNKNOWN OR OTHER | 5 | 0 | 1 | 1 | 0 |
| Fuel & Propulsion System NHTSA category: FUEL/PROPULSION SYSTEM | 3 | 0 | 0 | 1 | 0 |
| Powertrain NHTSA category: POWER TRAIN | 3 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| Structure & Body NHTSA category: STRUCTURE | 3 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| Visibility & Wipers NHTSA category: VISIBILITY/WIPER | 3 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| ELECTRICAL SYSTEM,SERVICE BRAKES | 2 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| ELECTRICAL SYSTEM,UNKNOWN OR OTHER | 2 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| ENGINE,FUEL/PROPULSION SYSTEM | 2 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| Doors, Latches & Locks NHTSA category: LATCHES/LOCKS/LINKAGES | 2 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| POWER TRAIN,ELECTRICAL SYSTEM,SERVICE BRAKES | 2 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| Electrical System NHTSA category: ELECTRICAL SYSTEM | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| ELECTRICAL SYSTEM,AIR BAGS,SERVICE BRAKES | 1 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| ELECTRICAL SYSTEM,ENGINE,FUEL/PROPULSION SYSTEM | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| ELECTRICAL SYSTEM,FORWARD COLLISION AVOIDANCE | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| ELECTRICAL SYSTEM,SEAT BELTS | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| ELECTRICAL SYSTEM,VEHICLE SPEED CONTROL | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| ELECTRICAL SYSTEM,VISIBILITY/WIPER | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| Engine NHTSA category: ENGINE | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| Engine & Cooling NHTSA category: ENGINE AND ENGINE COOLING | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| EXTERIOR LIGHTING | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| Forward Collision Avoidance NHTSA category: FORWARD COLLISION AVOIDANCE | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| Seat Belts NHTSA category: SEAT BELTS | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| STEERING,ELECTRICAL SYSTEM,ENGINE | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| STEERING,ELECTRICAL SYSTEM,FORWARD COLLISION AVOIDANCE | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| STRUCTURE,UNKNOWN OR OTHER | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| UNKNOWN OR OTHER,SERVICE BRAKES | 1 | 0 | 0 | 1 | 0 |
| Visibility / Glass NHTSA category: VISIBILITY | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| Wheels & Hubs NHTSA category: WHEELS | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
Official NHTSA Defect Investigations (1)
Formal safety defect inquiries and engineering analyses opened by the NHTSA Office of Defects Investigation (ODI)
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 pedestrian alert sounds for motor vehicles. The standard applies to hybrid and electric vehicles that have a gross vehicle weight ra...
The complaint records on this page are retrieved directly from the NHTSA Office of Defects Investigation (ODI) public database.
Local Production Store Compiled: August 2026 • Deterministic Audited Dataset • Zero Dynamic External API Runtime Latency.