2016 Volvo XC90

Problems owners report

Complaints filed with NHTSA about the 2016 Volvo XC90, by the system named in each complaint. One complaint can name several.

• Engine86
• Electrical system56
• Unknown or other36
• Structure23
• Service brakes14
• Fuel/propulsion system12
• Vehicle speed control11
• Power train10
• Air bags8
• Steering7

NHTSA ODI complaints (public domain) · updated 23 Oct 2026 · 8 injuries and 0 deaths reported

Compared with other years

NHTSA ODI complaints by model year

Fatal crashes in the US

From 2020 to 2023, 6 2016 XC90 vehicles were involved in crashes on US public roads in which someone died; 1 person died inside them, and 1 of the vehicles rolled over. This is a count, not a crash rate: it grows with the number of cars on the road.

NHTSA Fatality Analysis Reporting System (FARS), crash years 2020–2023 (public domain)

New York safety inspections

At its first New York inspection the 2016 Volvo XC90 failed the safety check 1.24% of the time — 37% less often than the average 2016 passenger car (1.97%). Median odometer at inspection: 83,782 miles.

NY DMV Vehicle Inspections (vezn-fmmk), initial inspections since Aug 2021 · how we count

Registered new in Europe in 2016

31,921 new Volvo XC90 cars were registered in the EU, Norway and Iceland in 2016; the largest markets were Germany (7,410), the United Kingdom (5,787), Sweden (3,968).

Average mass

2,128 kg

Average power

173 kW

Fuel type recorded

Diesel 70% · Petrol/electric 24% · Petrol 6.4%

European Environment Agency, CO₂ emissions from new passenger cars · averages weighted by registrations; CO₂ is the type-approval value; fuel type as recorded at registration, where many non-plug-in hybrids appear as petrol · re-use permitted with acknowledgement

Engines

The most common engines in 2016 Volvo XC90 cars on Dutch roads are the 2.0 hybrid (235 kW, 315 hp), 2.0 diesel (165 kW, 221 hp) and 2.0 diesel (173 kW, 232 hp), out of 6 versions with at least 20 cars.

RDW Open Data (CC0): registered passenger cars and their fuel data · engine size rounded to 0.1 litre, net maximum power · versions with at least 20 cars

In the Netherlands

3,685 first registered in 2016 are on Dutch roads; 41% arrived later as imports. Median list price when new: €91,179.

Most common APK defects

• Stuur- of fuseekogel met slijtage kleiner of gelijk 1,0 mm2,661
• Bandenspanning niet op juiste waarde1,604
• Band onvoldoende profiel1,091
• Fusee(kogel) te veel speling916
• Stuurkogel te veel speling764
• Band(en) aanwezig met een profieldiepte van 1,6 t/m 2,5 mm658
• Dimlicht onjuist afgesteld558
• Stofhoes stuurinrichting beschadigd, dicht niet af385

Colours

RDW Open Data: registered vehicles and APK defects (CC0) · defect descriptions in the RDW's Dutch wording

In the United Kingdom

5,080 cars built in 2016 were licensed for the road at the end of 2025, and 59 more were declared off the road (SORN).

Department for Transport and DVLA, vehicle licensing statistics (table VEH0124, year of manufacture) · Open Government Licence v3.0

MOT test results in Great Britain

In 2023, 5,230 of these cars first registered in 2016 took their annual MOT test. 80% passed first time; among all cars first registered in 2016 the figure was 79%.

DVSA anonymised MOT tests and results, 2023 (Department for Transport) · Open Government Licence v3.0 · first tests only; a fix made at the test station within the hour still counts as a fail

In Finland

12 of these cars first registered in 2016 were in use in Finland on 30 Jun 2026, with an average of 224,000 km on the odometer at their last inspection.

Traficom (Finnish Transport and Communications Agency), open data on vehicles in use · CC BY 4.0

In New Zealand

272 2016 cars are on the New Zealand register; 10% arrived as used imports, 89% were sold new in New Zealand.

NZ Transport Agency Waka Kotahi, Motor Vehicle Register (March 2026) · CC BY 4.0

Fuel consumption

Official Canadian test results for 3 variants: combined 10.0–10.6 L/100 km (about 22–24 mpg US), CO₂ 232–247 g/km.

Litres per 100 km. Natural Resources Canada, Fuel consumption ratings (open.canada.ca) · Open Government Licence – Canada

Recalls in Canada

8 Transport Canada recalls for the 2016 Volvo XC90.

Transport Canada Vehicle Recalls Database · Contains information licensed under the Open Government Licence – Canada

Recalls

Whether a recall was fixed on a particular car is known only to the manufacturer: check the VIN at nhtsa.gov/recalls.

NHTSA recalls · summaries in NHTSA's own words

Service bulletins

What Volvo told its dealers about the 2016 Volvo XC90: known faults, fixes and updates.

NHTSA manufacturer communications (public domain)

NHTSA investigations

NHTSA Office of Defects Investigation