There are 4 owner-reported steering complaints for the 2003 Volvo XC90in NHTSA's database. These are unverified consumer reports and may not reflect confirmed defects.
MY 2003 VOLVO XC90 HAS BEEN TO THE DEALER SEVERAL TIMES INCLUDING OVER 3 TIMES FOR SAME PROBLEM WHEN I PURCHASED THE VEHICLE IN 2006. ALL RECALLS HAVE BEEN FIXED, FRONT AXLE, WIPERS ETC. I HAVE PURCHASED 4 SETS OF TIRES, TIRES BOSTON VOLVO INSTALLED AND MY 17 YEAR OLD SON RECEIVED A COMPLETE BLOW OUT BECAUSE WRONG SIZE TIRES. I CONTINUE TAKING TO SAME DEALER AND SINCE OWNING THE CAR HAVE HAD THE SAME NOISES IN FRONT OF CAR. BOSTON VOLVO HAS STATED IN OCTOBER AND SINCE OWNING THE VEHICLE CAN FIND NOTHING WRONG, APRIL DIAGNOSED WITH NEED NEW DRIVE SHAFT AFTER HAVING CAR FOR 2 DAYS BUT COULD NOT REALLY FINE ANYTHING BUT DRIVE SHAFT. A STRONG FUEL SMELL STATED FUEL PUMP DOES NOT NEED TO BE CORRECTED. I NEED NEW MUFFLER AND TAKING TO MY OWN MECHANIC THE REAL ISSUE IS TRANSMISSION SERVICE URGENT AND NEED NEW TRANSMISSION. VOLVO DID NOT DIAGNOSE THIS PROBLEM AND MY SON IS DRIVING THE CAR! MY SON IS DRIVING A LEMON THAT IS A DANGER TO HIMSELF. TAKING TO VOLVO DOES NOTHING, THEY CANNOT EVEN DIAGNOSE AND GIVE WRONG INFO GIVEN TO ME. I AM CURRENTLY UP TO OVER $8,000 IN DAMAGES AND STILL OWE ON THIS LEMON. I NEED NEW TRANSMISSION, MUFFLER, STILL CAR VIBRATES AND FRONT END NOISES FROM WHINING, THUMPING ETC. *TR
TL*THE CONTACT'S CUSTOMER OWNS A 2003 VOLVO XC90. THE CONTACT STATED THAT THE VEHICLE WAS INITIALLY BROUGHT INTO HIS SHOP DUE TO A LEAK IN THE POWER STEERING PUMP. THE CONTACT REPLACED THE POWER STEERING PUMP PURCHASED FROM A DEALER. THE CUSTOMER RETRIEVED THE VEHICLE AND, APPROXIMATELY 3 WEEKS LATER, IT SHUT OFF WITHOUT WARNING WHILE DRIVING. THE DEALER HAS BEEN NOTIFIED. THE SPEED WAS UNKNOWN. THE CURRENT AND FAILURE MILEAGES WERE 56,627.
TL* THE CONTACT OWNS A 2003 VOLVO XC90. THE CONTACT STATED THAT THE VEHICLE WOULD JERK ABNORMALLY AND WITHOUT WARNING. IN ADDITION, THE SHIFT GEAR LEVER WAS DEFECTIVE AND BOTH THE POWER STEERING FLUID AND TRANSMISSION FLUIDS WERE LEAKING. THE VEHICLE WAS TAKEN TO THE DEALER WHO ADVISED THE CONTACT THAT THE VEHICLE AGE HAD EXCEEDED THE TIME FRAME IN WHICH THEY WERE WILLING TO OFFER ANY ASSISTANCE. THE MANUFACTURER WAS NOTIFIED OF THE FAILURE AND ADVISED THE CONTACT THAT THE VEHICLE WAS NO LONGER UNDER WARRANTY AND OFFERED NO ADDITIONAL ASSISTANCE. THE FAILURE MILEAGE WAS 500 AND THE CURRENT MILEAGE WAS 65,000.
WHILE BACKING PUT OF A PARKING LOT POWER STEERING FAILED, VEHICLE SMOKED THEN CAUGHT ON FIRE. DRIVER SUFFERED FROM SMOKE INHALATION. *AK PRIOR TO THE VEHICLE CATCHING ON FIRE THE CONSUMER WAS INVOLVED IN AN ACCIDENT THE YEAR BEFORE (JULY 12, 2003). THE CONSUMER WAS PRESSING ON THE HORN WHEN THE CRASH OCCURRED. THE CONSUMERS HAND WAS ON THE WHEN THE AIR BAG DEPLOYED. THE DRIVER SUSTAINED SEVERAL BROKEN ONES IN HER RIGHT HAND WHICH REQUIRED 2 SURGERIES, EXTENSIVE PHYSICAL THERAPY AND MANY OTHER MEDICAL PROCEDURES. *NM *LA
Complaints are unverified consumer reports submitted to NHTSA. A high complaint count may reflect vehicle popularity, not defect severity. Data sourced from NHTSA public records.
Data synced from NHTSA on Apr 26, 2026