Volvo is aware of a major safety issue that has to do with the drain hose of AC. They have issued a recall on models 2016 and 2017 and produced replacement parts.My car was purchased in 2017, but is a 2018. I have had the AC hose leak into my passenger compartment and cause my filter behind my glove box to be soaking wet. This has also damaged my speaker in my passenger door. I have paid over two thousand dollars.Trying to get this a c fixed with no results before finding out about the recalls. I have since found out.This leakage can prevent the passenger airbag from deploying in an accident. I have reached out to volvo directly they are denying any responsibility. I not only can not afford what could end up being over 5,000 dollars if not more to repair the AC the speaker and potentially the airbag as I am disabled. Although volvo is refusing to do the right thing, even though they know this is a problem. I have asked them what changes were made between 2016 to 2018 in the production of my vehicle. They are not responding.
The worst 2018 Volvo S90 problems
Ranked by number of owner complaints. Mileage and cost come from what owners wrote.
- Electrical4
- Brakes2
- Locks2
- Wheels2
- Acceleration1
Problems by type
Tap a problem to see which part fails, at what mileage and in which other years.
- Electrical4
- Brakes2
- Locks2
- Wheels2
- Acceleration1
- Airbags1
- Body1
- Driver assistance1
- Engine1
- Fuel system1
- Seats1
- Tires1
Recalls 2
Seats
- What is wrong
- Volvo Car USA LLC (Volvo) is recalling certain 2018-2019 XC60 and S90 vehicles. The driver and passenger front seat rail rear flange nuts may not have been installed during assembly.
- Risk
- If the nuts are missing, in the event of a crash, the front seat structure and position may be affected, increasing the risk of injury.
- Remedy
- Volvo will notify owners, and dealers will inspect the front seat rails for missing flange nuts, installing them as necessary, free of charge. The recall began May 7, 2019. Owners may contact Volvo customer service at 1‑800‑458‑1552. Volvo's number for this recall is R19931.
Recall number 19V220000 · Recall details
Electrical system: software
- What is wrong
- Volvo Car USA LLC (Volvo) is recalling certain 2017-2019 Volvo XC90, S90, V60, V60 Cross Country, V90, XC40, XC60, and V90 Cross Country vehicles. The software installed in the Vehicle Connectivity Module (VCM) may have an error causing the Telematics and Driver Support Systems to function improperly. As a result, the GPS will not provide location information to emergency personnel in the event of an emergency.
- Risk
- If the GPS location is not provided to emergency personnel it can inhibit emergency response in the event of a crash or injury.
- Remedy
- Volvo will notify owners, and dealers will correct the software, free of charge. The recall began December 26, 2018. Owners may contact Volvo customer service at 1‑800‑458‑1552. Volvo's number for this recall is R39917.
Recall number 18V800000 · Recall details
See all 2 recalls for the 2018 Volvo S90
Defect investigations
Pedestrian alert sounds
the federal safety agency 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 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 rating of 4,536 KG or less or are defined as low-speed vehicles. The standard became fully applicable to all such vehicles manufactured on or after March 1, 2021.On January 27, 2023, the federal safety agency opened Defect Petition (DP) 22-005 to evaluate the subject matter described in the petition. On June 24, 2023 and as supplemented on June 25, 2023, the petitioner notified the federal safety agency he was withdrawing his petition. The petitioner indicated that, based on his review of data, there is no justification for asserting potential benefits that could be derived from actions sought by my petition. Based on the petitioner's withdrawal, DP22-005 is closed. Closure of this DP does not represent a determination by the federal safety agency regarding the subject matter of the petition.
DP22005
Technical service bulletins for the 2018 Volvo S90 467
Bulletins tell dealers how to fix known problems. A warranty extension means the manufacturer pays for that repair for longer.
- This is a Technical Journal: Text only no attachments
- This is a Technical Journal text only no attachments : Improved 12V battery test in VIDA. The 12V battery...
- This is a Technical Journal: Text plus 1 .jpg attachment
- This is a Technical Journal: Headlamp condensation inside lens
- This is a Technical Journal: Intermittent knocking noise during acceleration
- This is a Technical Journal: Text plus 2 PDFs and 1 .PNG Oil Consumption test
- This is a TJ text only
- This is a Technical Journal: Text plus 1 jpg and 1 mp4 file -- If there is a strange chafing or creaking...
- This is a Technical Journal: Text plus TJI-516730-1_1_0 Headliner, squeak/rattle noise If a squeaking...
- This is a TJ
What 2018 Volvo S90 owners say
Most recent owner complaints, unedited.
ISSUE 1 – VOLVO ON CALL / VCM "SERVICE REQUIRED" MESSAGE: My vehicle has displayed a persistent "Volvo On Call Service Required" error message in the Driver Information Module (DIM) for over one year. This is directly covered by: • Volvo Technical Journal TJ 36916.1.0 (the federal safety agency ID: MC-10253788), issued April 2024 • Fault code: VCM-U105000 (Vehicle Communication Module) • TSB explicitly covers 2018 S90 vehicles • The TSB states the required software packages are free of charge I contacted Volvo Cars USA at [XXX] , who acknowledged the issue and arranged a complimentary diagnostic and fix with the Manasquan dealer. But, the dealer would not perform the diagnostic at no charge, leaving me unable to confirm the fault code or proceed with the TSB-specified remedy without paying out of pocket. I have had this unresolved warning message for over one year now. The dealer told me that if I did not pay for the repair my car could lose power and stop suddenly. ISSUE 2 – PARK ASSIST SYSTEM FALSE ALERTS: My Park Assist System sensors generate false proximity warnings for objects more than 20 feet away — far beyond the system's normal detection range. Cleaning the sensors did not resolve the issue. This is directly covered by: • Volvo Technical Journal TJ 31558.8.0 (the federal safety agency ID: 10161789), issued April 2019 • Root cause: Water ingress into park assist sensors and connectors due to a defective splice in the cable harness • Volvo introduced a harness splice correction in production starting June 2018 — meaning vehicles built before that correction may contain the defective harness • TSB covers 2016–2019 Volvo vehicles A malfunctioning park assist system is a direct safety concern — drivers rely on accurate proximity alerts when maneuvering, and persistent false alerts undermine confidence in the system and may cause drivers to disregard genuine warnings. INFORMATION REDACTED PURSUANT TO THE FREEDOM OF INFORMATION ACT (FOIA), 5 U.S.C. 552(B)(6)
There is a great deal of vibration at highway speeds. It has been like this since I purchased the car.
The AC system releases refrigerant into the cabin due to Volvo improperly engineering the climate control and allowing the evaporator core to freeze and crack. They acknowledge the issue and have released a resister cable to prevent the evaporator core from cracking. I have tested the air in the cabin, and the VOC level is at a dangerous level due to the refrigerant leak. I have the car currently at a dealer, where they have quoted over $3,800 to repair the issue. A quick search shows a large and quickly growing number of people complaining about this. The leaks in some cases are so bad that you can smell the refrigerant when you open the car door, as was the case with ours. This is a huge environmental and health safety issue. I have reached out to Volvo, and they refuse to assist with the repair, despite acknowledging that it is an engineering error. I don't feel safe having my kids be exposed to that level of refrigerant gas, and we don't know what to do with the car.
Rear right door lock failed, stuck closed. Extremely unsafe if someone was sitting in the back and unable to leave vehicle. It has been confirmed by others. It has been inspected by an independent mechanic. There has been zero warning lights to indicate the issue
At 5pm while driving home, which was 2 hours away, I needed to stop and refuel. At the pump I pushed the fuel door and it would not release to open. After many tries it would not open. I called Volvo On Call and informed them of the problem. The agent relayed that I should go to the back of the car near the fuel door, and with the remote lock and unlock the door which should release the door. It did not work. I tried it again with no success. The agent then informed me that there is no other way to open the door and to go to a Volvo dealership to get repaired. I asked the agent is there a way to open the door from the trunk, for instance like a rope to pull to manually open the door. He said unfortunately no. So, I am no where near a dealership and if I was it would be closed, it is after 5pm on February 17 and its 20 degrees outside and I need fuel to get home. I get in my car and search the internet on a possible way to open the door and I see that this is a big problem with Volvo that has affected many families and individuals that, as I, have been put in a compromised possibly dangerous position. While at the gas station I fortunately saw a tow truck and asked the driver if I could borrow a screw driver to try to pry open the door to which I was successful. A simple pull cord in the trunk, as some vehicles have, would have solved this issue without putting anyone in a precarious situation. I took my car to a mechanic and he replaced the fuel door lock solenoid.
The rear door will not open from the inside or the outside. Apparently this is a door lock actuator issue experinced by many volvo owners. It is extremely dangerous not to be able to open a rear door in the case of an accident or other incident where you need to enter or exit the car. Dealer confirms that there is an issue with these. No warning message appears when inoperable.
255/35 R20 Bleb in sidewall with air leak through tread adjacent. No unusual trauma to tire.
water get inside the car in the back on the floor mat behind driver seat. was not aware of this problem at all.
The contact owns a 2018 Volvo S90. The contact stated that upon the depression of the brake pedal, the steering wheel would violently shake without warning. The contact has had two sets of brake rotors replaced on the vehicle due to the failure. Since owning the vehicle, the contact stated that the failure would occur approximately every 8,000-10,000 miles. After the third failure, the contact was informed that the repair for the rotors would not be covered under warranty. The contact was provided an estimate for the repair. The manufacturer was notified of the failure and filed a claim; the contact was called back and was informed that the claim was denied. The vehicle had been repaired. The failure mileage was approximately 47,000.
Compare the 2018 Volvo S90
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Questions about the 2018 Volvo S90
Is the 2018 Volvo S90 reliable?
Owners have filed 16 complaints about the 2018 Volvo S90, 5.3 times a typical S90 model year.
What is the most common problem with the 2018 Volvo S90?
Electrical system, with 4 complaints. Next is brakes (2).
How many recalls does the 2018 Volvo S90 have?
2 recalls, covering seats and electrical system.
Was there a recall on the 2018 Volvo S90 electrical?
Yes, 1 recall: 18V800000. Check your VIN to see if your car still needs the free repair.
Is there a class action lawsuit over the Volvo S90?
Yes. New class action says Volvo's Google-based infotainment screens freeze and take climate and rearview camera with them (November 9, 2026).
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