A software update (version 5.0.5) was complete on my 2024 Volvo XC90 at the end of March. The software was marketed in emails to have an enhanced infotainment display to support a safer experience. Since the upgrade, I have experienced the opposite of enhanced safety. My infotainment screen and dash displays randomly go black and it restarts itself several times a day while driving. In addition to that, the blinkers malfunction when this happens. The most important safety issue is navigation outage on the displays. The inability to rely on the Google maps navigation within Volvo, or within CarPlay, results in my having to use my phone to input and view directions, taking my eyes off the road. It also disables to cameras when I need them. On 3/31 I emailed my sales rep asking if he'd heard of others having this complaint, he did not appear to be aware and asked me to make an appt with service center. I brought the car to Volvo on 4/2 where the service check-in employees did mention they were seeing many cars coming in with the same concerns. The technician was not able to confirm the issue but said they would contact Corporate and let me know of a response, which was 15 days ago. According to online searches, multiple other Volvo drivers are experiencing the same. Since we have become so dependent on the driver assistance features, and this issue is now occurring, I have become a nervous driver in a brand of car that is marketed as one of the safest vehicles in the world. I get worried that my BLISS or lane assistance or other driver assisted features will malfunction as well. No notifications from Volvo have been received thus far. I have not contacted the Corporate offices of Volvo yet. Please take this safety issue seriously.
Volvo XC90 screen failure problems
18 of the 1,546 owner complaints about the Volvo XC90 describe screen or infotainment failure, most of them for the 2024 model year.
- owner complaints
- 18
- worst model year
- 2024
- typical mileage
- 6,800
By model year
- 20251
- 20245
- 20231
- 20221
- 20211
- 20191
- 20181
- 20164
- 20043
Often reported together
Backup camera 2Wipers 1Transmission failure 1Stalling 1Hesitation 1Headlights 1
What owners say
The contact leased a 2024 Volvo XC90. The contact stated while driving at various speeds, the infotainment screen and instrument cluster went black with the message "Critical Error - Pull Over When Safe". The contact stated that the failure had occurred several times at various speeds. The contact pulled over and turned off the vehicle. The vehicle failed to restart and was towed to a local dealer. The contact stated that the failure occurred often, and the warning light was ignored while driving to the dealer. The contact stated that occasionally, the system was independently rebooted when the vehicle stopped. The dealer diagnosed the vehicle several times and replaced several batteries; however, the failure reoccurred. The manufacturer was informed of the failure and dispatched technicians to consult with the technicians at the dealer; however, the failure persisted. The failure mileage was approximately 32,000.
On the morning of January 12, 2026, I attempted to unplug my 2023 Volvo XC90 Recharge (plug-in hybrid) from my home charging station in order to drive to an appointment. I had turned on the climate control remotely from the Volvo app while inside the house. When I went to unplug the vehicle, the charging connector was locked in the vehicle’s charging port and could not be removed. I contacted Volvo customer service, who instructed me to try several troubleshooting steps, including locking and unlocking the vehicle multiple times with the key fob and resetting the infotainment system. These steps did not resolve the issue. Because the charging plug remained locked, I was unable to use my vehicle and had to borrow a neighbor’s car, causing me to arrive late to a scheduled appointment. While away from home, I contacted my Volvo dealer, whose service representative advised me to use force to remove the plug, stating it would likely break the internal clip in the charging port. When I returned home several hours later and unlocked the vehicle, the charging plug released normally without any physical intervention. This suggests a software or electronic malfunction rather than a mechanical obstruction. The incident temporarily immobilized the vehicle and could pose a safety or reliability concern if it occurs in other situations. Furthermore, we have been experiencing intermittent issues with the infotainment system, including the backup cameras not coming on, random radio stations playing and complete blackout of the screen and/or flickering. The last software update was completed on Aug 15, 2025.
SPEED LIMIT indicator incorrect (example: indicator shows 80 mph speed limit on a small road in Alabama where it should be 35 mph; also, there is no road in Alabama greater than 75mph.) LANE DEPARTURE ASSIST has a hard time identifying lanes in some construction zones (this is extremely dangerous as the car is constantly trying to over-correct me) - infotainment system randomly reboots, presents a problem mostly when navigating - I have reported this issue way too many times and the infotainment system has been replaced once. REAR CAMERA comes on randomly, often when no car or object is near INFOTAINMENT system touch sensitivity is unacceptable
Some critical functions on the center display console instrument panel are freezing up while driving - we are unable to change the drive mode while the car is in motion. This has not happened before, and it is glitching a lot lately. The display has been extremely slow and unresponsive, and the problem is multiplied as all critical functions of the car are controlled through the display panel. There were no warnings issued when we tried to change the drive mode. We had to pull over to the roadside, turn off the car for 30 seconds, then restart the car to fix the issue. We have [XXX] and [XXX] ) in the car, so this is becoming increasingly risky to drive this "safe" car by Volvo. We have reported such issues with the display to our Volvo service unit multiple times, and the car has been returned to us with such issues still lingering (despite the service reloading/updating the software multiple times) for the last 6 months since March of this year. INFORMATION REDACTED PURSUANT TO THE FREEDOM OF INFORMATION ACT (FOIA), 5 U.S.C. 552(B)(6)
Several times a month the infotainment system on my car completely freezes. When this happens, my blinkers do not work, my CarPlay does not work, I cannot use voice commands, I cannot play the radio or answer calls, the backup and parking sensors do not make an audible sound. The only way to fix this is to hold down the home button to restart the entire system which does take a few minutes so not ideal to do while driving. Turning the car off and back on does not even fix it. This is an extreme safety issue, as when this happens I am driving without the use of blinkers until my system finishes restarting. Not only am I unable to use blinkers, but I am unable to make calls over Bluetooth or CarPlay which is incredibly dangerous in the event of an emergency. I am unable to park or backup and be able to hear the beep of the sensors. I cannot hear the audio of my gps. It happens out of the blue and is so unsafe.
The park button does not always engage the park setting. Instead it takes 2-3 presses for park to engage. It happens several times a week when I am driving the vehicle multiple times per day. I come to a complete stop, press the park button, wait for my dash to show I’m in park, if it doesn’t, I press it until it does. This has resulted in the vehicle rolling forward several times while passengers were trying to exit the vehicle, because I had not first checked to be sure the park button worked. Huge safety concern. I have owned this vehicle since August 2023 and it has happened at about this frequency since I’ve owned the vehicle. For the first time, my vehicle actually trolled enough to hit an appliance in my garage. I have a maybe related issue with the infotainment system freezing since I’ve owned the vehicle as well. The screen will freeze and we have to reset it by holding down the clean screen button for like 20 seconds.
Car shut off while driving and rebooted. Was precessed by the infotainment system crashing and then rebooting a minute prior. Car made a sound like a grunting sound right as it shut down.
I plugged my usb to usb-c charging cable into my iphone 20 seconds after starting the vehicle. I proceeded to exit my driveway when the infotainment screen went completely blank and the same thing to the driver's display 10 seconds later. I drove to the end of my street to a stop light where the car completely shut off and automatically restarted within a few seconds. I was traveling with my wife and [XXX] daughter. I have yet to reproduce the problem but have an appointment scheduled with the dealership later this week. Zero warnings or messages were present before, during or after the incident. INFORMATION REDACTED PURSUANT TO THE FREEDOM OF INFORMATION ACT (FOIA), 5 U.S.C. 552(B)(6)
There have been three incidents where the following happens: While driving in regular suburban driving, the entire infotainment system and cluster panel (all digital--odometer, tachometer, everything) shut off entirely (go black) and the climate system also shuts off. It goes through some reset cycle and then eventually restarts after several seconds. Both times it has been right after pressing some button on the steering wheel that controls the infotainment or doing some operation with the infotainment system such as skipping a track or making a call. Apple Car Play has not been in use. The first time it was 4-5 months ago (2024). The second time was about 2 months ago. The third time was on June 6, 2024. This third time, while at a red light, everything went black and even the car shut off. Luckily, the car was not moving and within a couple of seconds, without touching anything or changing anything, it restarted itself and the infotainment system and cluster rebooted. I am concerned that this may eventually happen while the car is moving. Will be taken to the dealer for review/repair immediately.
Related recalls
Electrical system: propulsion system: traction battery
- What is wrong
- Volvo Car USA, LLC (Volvo Car) is recalling certain 2020-2021 S90, 2020-2022 S60, V60, XC60, XC90, and 2022 V90 plug-in hybrid vehicles. The high-voltage battery may experience a short circuit within the battery module when the battery is fully charged and the vehicle is parked.
- Risk
- A short circuit in a high-voltage battery increases the risk of a fire.
- Remedy
- Owners are advised not to charge their vehicles until the remedy has been completed. Dealers will inspect and replace the high-voltage battery module as necessary. In addition, dealers will update the software to monitor the battery. All repairs will be performed free of charge. Owner notification letters were mailed May 28, 2025. Owners may contact Volvo Car's customer service at 1‑800‑458‑1552. Volvo Car's number for this recall is R10312.
Recall number 25V179000 · Recall details
Electrical system
- What is wrong
- Volvo Car USA, LLC (Volvo Car) is recalling certain 2023 S60, V60CC, XC60, XC90, XC40, and C40 vehicles. A diagnostic trouble code (DTC) may be falsely detected for the emergency call system (e-call) and display "e-Call Service Required" in the driver information module (DIM).
- Risk
- The false warning message could prevent the detection of an actual e-call system failure, which could delay an emergency response during a crash, increasing the risk of injury.
- Remedy
- Dealers will update the telematics and connectivity antenna module (TCAM) software, free of charge. Owner notification letters are expected to be mailed May 16, 2023. Owners may contact Volvo Car's customer service 1‑800‑458‑1552. Volvo Car's number for this recall is R10225.
Recall number 23V188000 · Recall details
Electrical system: software
- What is wrong
- Volvo Car USA, LLC (Volvo Car) is recalling certain 2016-2020 XC90 Excellence vehicles. Liquid or condensation on the rear seat control display may cause the front passenger seat to move back as far as possible.
- Risk
- The rear passenger may become trapped by the front seat without the ability to cancel the seat's movement, increasing the risk of injury.
- Remedy
- Volvo Car will notify owners, and dealers will update the rear seat control display software, free of charge. Owner notification letters were mailed July 14, 2021. Owners may contact Volvo Car customer service at 1‑888‑458‑1552. Volvo Car's number for this recall is R10093.
Recall number 21V273000 · 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
Electrical system: 12v/24v/48v battery: cables
- What is wrong
- On certain passenger vehicles, it has been determined that while doing battery maintenance the jack's crank handle can be misplaced under a bracket which retains the battery.
- Risk
- Misplacement of the jack's crank handle can pose a safety risk as it can result in a short circuit of the battery which could then lead to a fire.
- Remedy
- Dealers will inspect and ensure proper placement of the jack crank handle and a warning label with approved text will be affixed to the bracket which retains the battery. This warning label will inform an operator not to place the jack crank handle between the bracket and the battery free of charge. The recall began on july 7, 2007. Owners may contact volvo at 1‑800‑458‑1552.
Recall number 07V221000 · Recall details
Electrical system: starter assembly: solenoid
- What is wrong
- On certain passenger and sport utility vehicles, due to an error in the factory assembly instruction, the b+terminal may be in conflict with the starter motor solenoid. If this occurs, the conflict between the b+terminal and the starter motor solenoid may develop into a short circuit of the battery cable to ground.
- Risk
- Smoke may appear from under the hood and it may be impossible to start the car. If the short circuit happens during driving, electrical power could be lost resulting in the warning lamps being deactivated. An electrical short could result in a fire.
- Remedy
- Dealers will inspect and increase distance between the b+terminal and the starter motor solenoid by adjusting the terminal. The recall began on january 31, 2006. Owners may contact volvo at 1‑800‑458‑1552.
Recall number 05V529000 · Recall details
Questions about the Volvo XC90 screen failure
Which Volvo XC90 years have screen or infotainment failure problems?
The model years with the most reports are 2024 (5 complaints), 2016 (4 complaints) and 2004 (3 complaints).
VIN decoder
See the problems and recalls for an exact car
Buying a used Volvo XC90?
Check the exact car before you pay: accidents, salvage or flood titles, odometer readings and previous owners.
Check its history