Volvo
Volvo XC90 years to avoid
Years to avoid: 2016, 2023 and 2024.
The 2016, 2023 and 2024 Volvo XC90 draw the most owner complaints for their age: 2016 has 197 complaints (18 for each year on the road), 2023 has 40 complaints (10 for each year on the road) and 2024 has 36 complaints (12 for each year on the road), against a median of 6 a year across the 9 model years old enough to judge. The most reported problem on the 2016 is oil consumption (32 reports).
- 197complaints
- 8recall campaigns
- 1model years with a page
Newest report Aug 17, 2026 · checked Oct 2, 2026
Pick your model year
Owner complaints on file for each year.
Years to avoid
2016
Most reported: oil consumption (32 reports, median 50,000 miles) and infotainment (23 reports, median 13,500 miles).
2023
Too few complaints for a page of its own.
2024
Too few complaints for a page of its own.
Best years
- No year since 2016 is clearly better than the rest.
Complaints for each year on the road
Each model year's NHTSA complaints divided by the calendar years it has been on sale, counting this one (a 2018 model has had 9). Older cars have had longer to collect complaints, so raw totals flatter the new ones. Blue bars are the years to avoid. Too new to judge: 2025.
Within one model, sales change less from year to year than they do between models, so a jump here is mostly a jump in problems. The call: the years to avoid are the (up to three) highest at 1.5 times the model's median rate or more, and the best are the (up to three) lowest at two thirds of it or less, from 2016 on.
Guide How much should a years-to-avoid list decide? What these lists get wrong
At a glance
- Where the complaints sit
- The 2016 has the most complaints of any Volvo XC90 year here: 197 of 197 (100%).
- Problem across the years
- Oil consumption is the top problem in every model year with a page, 32 reports in all. Pooled across the years, half of the 15 owners who gave a mileage for oil consumption were under about 50,000 miles.
- Crash, fire and injury reports
- 9% of Volvo XC90 complaints report a crash, a fire or an injury, against 6% for the typical vehicle on this site.
- Recalls on the top problem
- Every model year where owners report oil consumption also has a recall on the same system. A recall on the same system doesn't always cover the failure owners describe, so compare its summary with the complaints.
- When owners filed
- Filings peaked in 2024 at 33 (full calendar years only). In 2025 there were 13. So far in 2026, 13 more have come in.
Photo: OWS Photography, Wikimedia Commons, CC BY 4.0
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Model years with too few complaints for a page of their own: 2017 (79), 2018 (50), 2019 (42), 2020 (32), 2021 (37), 2022 (29), 2023 (40), 2024 (36), 2025 (29).
Year by year
2016 Volvo XC90 avoid
197 owner complaints, 18 for each year on the road (2.9 times the model median). Most reported: oil consumption (32 reports, median 50,000 miles), infotainment (23 reports, median 13,500 miles) and stalling (22 reports, median 11,000 miles). 5 reports involved a crash and 8 people were hurt. 8 recalls, including 19V-308 on the engine and 23V-827 on the seat belts.
Questions
What Volvo XC90 years should you avoid?
The 2016, 2023 and 2024 Volvo XC90 draw the most owner complaints for their age: 2016 has 197 complaints (18 for each year on the road), 2023 has 40 complaints (10 for each year on the road) and 2024 has 36 complaints (12 for each year on the road), against a median of 6 a year across the 9 model years old enough to judge. The most reported problem on the 2016 is oil consumption (32 reports).
What are the best years for the Volvo XC90?
No Volvo XC90 model year since 2016 draws clearly fewer complaints for its age than the rest.
What is the most common problem on the Volvo XC90?
Oil consumption, with 32 reports across the 1 model years that have a page here. It's the single most reported problem on the 2016.
How many recalls does the Volvo XC90 have?
8 recall campaigns cover the Volvo XC90 model years 2016 on this site.
How many Volvo XC90 complaints involve a crash, fire or injury?
9% of them, against 6% for the typical vehicle on this site.
Is there a recall for oil consumption on the Volvo XC90?
Yes, on every model year where owners report it.