Was driving north on interstate 95 at 55 MPH, went to turn wheel on curve, and had complete loss of steering. Wheel turned, but wheels stayed straight. Was surrounded by at least 10 other vehicles who were able to move out of the way. I then ran off side of road into ditch with trailer attached carrying 40,000 pounds was stuck in the highway.
The worst 2006 Volvo VNL problems
Ranked by number of owner complaints. Mileage and cost come from what owners wrote.
- Steering3
- Lights2
- Suspension2
- Airbags1
- Tires1
Problems by type
Tap a problem to see which part fails, at what mileage and in which other years.
- Steering3
- Lights2
- Suspension2
- Airbags1
- Tires1
- Wheels1
Recalls 7
Steering: linkages: drag: link: connection
- What is wrong
- Volvo trucks is recalling certain model year 2001-2006 vnl and vnm trucks manufactured with a trw sealed drag links. Certain factors can exist, which if left untreated may result in a ball socket separation.
- Risk
- Ball socket separation at the drag link results in complete loss of steering, and therefore can result in a vehicle crash.
- Remedy
- Dealers will inspect and repair the ball socket or the drag link as required if necessary. As parts are limited, volvo trucks mailed an interim owner letter on september 2, 2010. The safety recall began on february 14, 2011. Owners may contact volvo trucks at 1‑800‑528‑6586.
Recall number 10V282000 · Recall details
Visibility: windshield wiper/washer: motor
- What is wrong
- Volvo trucks is recalling 127,764 my 2001-2008 vhd, vnl, vnm, and my 2005-2008 vt trucks. A seal may fail allowing water and contaminants to seep into the windshield wiper motor.
- Risk
- If this happens a short circuit may occur, which over time could possibly lead to a vehicle fire.
- Remedy
- Volvo will replace the wiper motor free of charge. Since this recall involves a large number of vehicles, volvo will release the recall in stages as parts are received. Priority will be given to the vehicles located in the regions/states that have a corrosive environment. The recall began on september 30, 2009. Owners may contact volvo trucks at 1‑800‑528‑6586.
Recall number 09V173000 · Recall details
Service brakes, air
- What is wrong
- Volvo trucks is recalling 366 my 2006-2009 vnl trucks equipped with super single tires, bendix brake cam tubes, and volvo air suspension. The vibration frequency from the suspension with super single tires may result in a fatigue crack of the mounting brackets for the brake cam tube.
- Risk
- If left untreated, the crack can propagate and cause failure of the brake cam tube support bracket(s), which can result in loss of brakes at the corresponding wheel end increasing the risk of a crash.
- Remedy
- Dealers will add a support bracket to the brake cam tube. The recall began on june 30, 2009. Owners may contact volvo trucks at 1‑800‑528‑6586.
Recall number 09V030000 · Recall details
Electrical system: wiring: fuses and circuit breakers
- What is wrong
- On certain heavy duty trucks, the circuit protection (I.e. Automatic circuit breakers) used to protect the vehicle lighting system may not provide adequate protection.
- Risk
- If a short circuit occurs and is left untreated, components and wiring may be subject to overheating which could possibly result in a vehicle fire.
- Remedy
- Dealers will replace the circuit breakers with fuses. The recall began on february 25, 2008. Owners may contact volvo trucks at 1‑800‑528‑6586.
Recall number 07V573000 · Recall details
Engine and engine cooling: exhaust system
- What is wrong
- On certain trucks equipped with d12d engines, the exhaust gas recirculation (egr) cooler inlet pipes or the pipes that connect the egr valves to the cooler may crack or break.
- Risk
- If the pipes or the cooler inlet pipes fail and are left untreated, the air cleaner and inner fender may be subject to hot exhaust gases, which could lead to a fire.
- Remedy
- Dealers will inspect and repair the egr cooler pipes as required and install a heat shield free of charge. An interim owner letter was mailed on february 17, 2006, to advise on precautions that the owner can take until parts become available. Owners are being notified starting march 3, 2006, that parts are now available. Owners may contact volvo trucks at 1‑800‑528‑6586.
Recall number 06V021000 · Recall details
Wheels
- What is wrong
- Certain trucks equipped with front steer axle air suspension may develop a front wheel wobble when the tires become worn.
- Risk
- If the wobble persists and is left untreated, damage may occur which could impair vehicle control and a crash could occur without prior notice.
- Remedy
- Dealers will repair and replace the front vertical shocks on each side of the front suspension and add a horizontal stabilizer. The recall began on february 20, 2006. Owners may contact volvo trucks at 1‑800‑528‑6586.
Recall number 05V498000 · Recall details
Equipment: other: labels
- What is wrong
- Certain heavy duty trucks fail to comply with the requirements of federal motor vehicle safety standard no. 120, "tire selection and rims for motor vehicles other than passenger cars." the tire size designation on the certification label is not shown.
- Risk
- The certification label is incorrect giving improper information.
- Remedy
- Dealers will replace the certification labels. The recall began on september 12, 2005. Owners may contact volvo trucks at 1‑800‑528‑6586.
Recall number 05V346000 · Recall details
See all 7 recalls for the 2006 Volvo VNL
Defect investigations
Volvo Sleeper glass de-bonding
ODI opened Recall Query RQ11-001 after a review of EWR Field Reports identified lower bunk window separations on the subject vehicles.Volvo had issued three recalls for sleeper window separations since 2003.Additionally, Volvo had issued two bulletins for sleeper window issues during the same time period.The frequency of related actions led ODI to open this formal investigation.An Information Request (IR) letter was sent to Volvo on 23 June 2011.Volvo responded on 17 August 2011 and then provided updated warranty information on 9 January 2012.Volvo provided production change data and warranty information which was correlated to vehicle build month and failure date.ODI analyzed the data to determine if additional production time frames should have been included in previous recalls.ODI also requested information from its network of fleet owners.The response from this network reaffirmed the accuracy of the updated warranty information.Based on the information and data received, ODI has concluded that all production periods have been appropriately addressed by Volvo's previous recalls and no additional recall action is required at this time.
RQ11001
Technical service bulletins for the 2006 Volvo VNL 79
Bulletins tell dealers how to fix known problems. A warranty extension means the manufacturer pays for that repair for longer.
- CBR: Volvo VHD & VN Models
- Barksdale Leveling Valve, Leak Test
- CBR: Programming Failure
- Engine Control Module (EMS) Software (MSW) Information – August 2022; Improvement List (Change Log)
- Warranty Automated Manual Transmission ( AMT, I-Shift, mDrive ) Control Housing Assembly; Guidelines For...
- (Back Office)
- DTC U012100
- Programming Failure
- AMT Control Housing Bench Testing
- Volvo Chassis
What 2006 Volvo VNL owners say
Most recent owner complaints, unedited.
Vehicle was inspected at a local shop where they advised that the drag link was on recall and it had to be replaced due to a safety issue. Drag link was in a very bad shape and I was advised that I was not to conduct driving in that condition. Repairs have been processed, now I need to be paid for the recall part. Please contact me directly for more information. Vin: [xxx] yr: 2006 model: vnl make: volvo information redacted pursuant to the freedom of information act (foia), 5 u.s.c. 552(b)(6).
Tl* the contact owns a 2006 volvo vnl. The contact stated that when driving at night, the clear plastic that covered the headlight assembly would impair the distance of illumination causing him to utilize the high beams instead in order to properly see the roadway. The dealer was notified who advised the contact to purchase a kit to improve the illumination distance. The contact did not inform the manufacturer of the failure nor was the vehicle repaired or diagnosed. The current mileage was approximately 430,000 and the failure mileage was approximately 300,000. Updtated 2/17/11 *cn the consumer replaced the lights. Updated 02/28/11
2006 volvo vnl64t, unit 2 tire and rim came off at mile post 57.8. Unit 2 didn't realize he lost his tire and rim until he was at mile post 53. Supplemented oh-2 with turnpike damage. Several vehicles were damage. *bf ohio traffic crash police report numbers;10-0237-89, 10-0238-89, and 10-0240-898. *jb updated 08/05/10 *bf updated 10/13/10. *lj the consumer stated the wheels did not come off the power unit. The tire and rims came off the trailer. Updated 10/19/10
I drive a 2006 vnl volvo when the headlights are on dim you cannot hardly see the road most of the time especially when it is raining I have spoken to many drivers with this same type of truck and they all say the same thing about the poor lighting system when on dim I have checked everything to try and figure out the cause or reason for this including how many volts are getting to the lights and even replacing the bulbs many times with different brands and using a higher wattage bulb with no better results many times I have almost been in a wreck because of this and would like to see volvo correct this problem I have driven this truck since it was new and it has always been this way.
Dt*: the contact stated the tractor trailer's steering system pulled to either side while driving 65 MPH on normal road conditions. The vehicle was taken to the dealership in many different states who determined alignment problems. The dealership did not have the proper equipment for heavy truck alignment so it had been referred to other companies with the specialized alignment equipment. After a short period of time, the vehicle was out of alignment again. The vehicle had been taken in for alignment nine times, however the problem persisted. Also, the tread located in middle of both front tires were excessively worn out. The dealership determined the alignment as the source of this irregular wear. The third problem was on the semi rear axle, which was not parallel to the middle axle creating irregular angular displacement of the trailer, which entailed a serious risk to other vehicles on the road. The inner tire of the rear axle wore excessively indicating structural defect in the axle mounting.
Russo trucking, corp. Owns two volvo trucks with major steering and front axle problems, which volvo trucks of north america and the dealer nextran truck center at pompano beach, fl seems that can't fix, we have taken our trucks to try to fix the problem to several places, and nobody has been able to fix it, we are afraid that our volvo trucks can cause an accident. I will mention some of the shops where we have taken our trucks: ml tire in miami, volvo in pompano beach, fl, josan in orlando, fl, volvo dealer in nc, volvo dealer in knoxville, tn, volvo dealer in arkansas, volvo dealer in chattanooga, tn, volvo dealer in ct. Etc.
Compare the 2006 Volvo VNL
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Questions about the 2006 Volvo VNL
Is the 2006 Volvo VNL reliable?
Owners have filed 7 complaints about the 2006 Volvo VNL, 1.4 times a typical VNL model year.
What is the most common problem with the 2006 Volvo VNL?
Steering, with 3 complaints. Next is lights (2).
How many recalls does the 2006 Volvo VNL have?
7 recalls, covering steering, visibility and service brakes, air.
Was there a recall on the 2006 Volvo VNL steering?
Yes, 1 recall: 10V282000. Check your VIN to see if your car still needs the free repair.
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