There are 8 owner-reported suspension complaints for the 2003 Volvo XC90in NHTSA's database. These are unverified consumer reports and may not reflect confirmed defects.
LEAVING A PARKING LOT AND HEARD LOUD SOUND CAR WOULDN'T MOVE. VOLVO SAYS THE FOLLOWING IS BROKEN: LOWER CONTROL ARM, CV AXLE, ROTOR AND DAMAGED RIM. WE HAD BEEN PARKED AND WERE ATTEMPTING TO LEAVING PARKING LOT(.BARELY MOVING) COULD HAVE BEEN KILLED IF THIS HAPPENED AT HIGHER SPEED. WE HAVE CONSTANTLY SPENT MONEY ON THIS VEHICLE AND I FEEL IT IS UNSAFE AND THAT WHEN THE RECALLS WERE MADE THERE COULD HAVE ALREADY BEEN A FRACTURE. THIS CAR IS ONLY DRIVEN TO WORK AND HOME ON A REGULAR BASIS. NO ROUGH ROADS. WE HAVE NOT CAUSED ANY DAMAGE. THIS WEBSITE DOES NOT ALLOW PROPER SELECTION UNDER VOLVO AND MAKE TO ALLOW SELECTION OF THE SUSPENSION/CONTROL ARM / ROTORS / AXLE / TIRE RIMS / BALL JOINT, ALL OF WHICH WERE DAMAGED IN THIS 4 MPH ACCIDENT. HAD THIS HAPPENED AT 65 MPH I HAVE NO DOUBT ME AND MY FAMILY WOULD NOT HAVE SURVIVED. *TR
OPERATING VEHICLE SINCE OCT '08, SINCE THAT TIME THERE HAS BEEN A NOISE EMANATING FROM FRONT PASS-SIDE WHEEL AREA. PURCHASING DEALER(HALL CHEVY, CHESAPEAKE, VA) PERFORMED WHEEL-ALIGNMENT TO "FIX" THE NOISE WHICH DID NOT REMEDY. VOLVO DEALER IN ARVADA, CO DIAGNOSED IT AS FAILED, OR FAILING WHEEL HUB, TO BE REPLACED AT COST OF $500. THIS VEHICLE ALSO HAD TRANS FAILURE AT APPX 76K MILES, AND THROTTLE CONTROL MODULE FAILURE IN OCT '09. I BELIEVE THERE ARE MANY CONCERNS ABOUT OPERATING AND HAVING CONFIDENCE IN ITS ABILITY TO OPERATE "SAFELY AND RELIABLY" THE VEHICLE HAS BEEN IN THE SHOP NEARLY AS MUCH AS ON-THE-ROAD SINCE IT'S I PURCHASED IT IN OCT '08. *TR
2003 VOLVO XC90 AWD. 55K MILES REPLACED LR WHEEL HUB ASSEMBLY, 72K MILES REPLACED RF WHEEL HUB ASSEMBLY. *TR
1.FRONT AND REAR WHEEL HUB ASSEMBLY FAILURES ON VOLVO XC90. I HAVE MODEL YEAR 2003, BUT I UNDERSTAND THE FAILURE IN ALSO FOR OTHER MODEL YEARS 2. PARTS ARE KNOWN DEFECT TO VOLVO NORTH AMERICA. I HAVE REPLACED MINE THREE (3) TIMES WITHIN 40,000 MILES. 3. VOLVO DEALERSHIP ACKNOWLEDGES THIS IS A SYSTEMIC SUPPLY CHAIN DEFECT, BUT NATIONAL CUSTOMER CARECENTER REFUSES TO MAKE A WRITTEN EXTENDED WARRANTY AVAILABLE TO VEHICLE OWNERS. *TR
I HAVE HAD THIS VEHICLE FROM 64,000 MILES TO 75,000 MILES AND HAVE REPLACED THE FOLLOWING - REAR WHEEL BEARINGS, LOW BEAM HEADLIGHTS 4 TIMES, AND NOW THE ANGLE GEAR HAS GONE AT 75,000 MILES - NOT A VERY RELIABLE USED CAR. *TR
MULTIPLE FAILURES; DOOR LOCK,TIRES WERE WORN TO THE CORD. * BF THE LUG NUTS WERE REPLACED BECAUSE THEY WERE RUSTED WHEN THE VEHICLE WAS DELIVERED, THE DOORS DID NOT FIT PROPERLY, THE RADIO FAILED, THE KEY WOULD NOT TURN IN THE IGNITION, THE LEFT REAR DOOR COULD NOT BE OPENED DUE TO THE PROBLEM WITH THE SEAT MOLDING AND THE TIRE DISPLAYED UNUSUAL WEAR AND WERE WORN SMOOTH TO THE CORD. THE LUG NUTS THAT WERE INSTALLED RUSTED AGAIN. (TIRES/PERRILLI SCORPIAN) *SC *JB
RIGHT REAR WHEEL BEARING FAILED. SYMPTOMS WERE THAT THE VEHICLE WOULD NOT ACCELERATE OVER 35 MPH. DASHBOARD WARNING LIGHT INDICATED THAT VEHICLE WAS AT RISK OF TIPPING. CAR WAS STRANDED ON HIGHWAY WHILE RETURNING FROM VACATION SOME 400 MILES FROM HOME. WAS ABLE TO LIMP OFF AND INVOKE VOLVO ROADSIDE ASSISTANCE PROGRAM. VEHICLE WAS TOWED TO DEALER WITHIN 30 MINUTES. DEALER WAS UNABLE TO DIAGNOSE PROBLEM FOR 2 DAYS BECAUSE NO FAULT INFORMATION WAS PROVIDED BY ON-BOARD DIAGNOSTIC COMPUTER. INITIAL SUSPICION WAS A FUEL PRESSURE PROBLEM. DEALER EVENTUALLY DETERMINED THAT RIGHT REAR WHEEL BEARING FAILED, WHICH CAUSED ABS SYSTEM FAULT, WHICH SIGNALED ENGINE NOT TO EXCEED 35 MPH. BEARING REPLACED. STILL WORKING THROUGH DETAILS WITH MY LOCAL DEALER AND VOLVO ZONE REP. I HAVE ALSO EXPERIENCED MANY OF THE ELECTRICAL, TURBO BACK-PRESSURE "HOWL", AND FIT-AND-FINISH PROBLEMS (LOOSE MOLDINGS, DRIVER'S DOOR HANDLED) THAT HAVE BEEN REFERENCED BY OTHERS. NOT WHAT I EXPECTED FOR A VEHICLE IN THIS CATEGORY. *AK
I OWN A VOLVO XC90 T6 AWD. THIS CAR HAS HAD PROBLEMS WITH THE TWIN TURBO-CHARGERS, THE WARNING LIGHTS, A TIRE BLOWOUT, VIBRATIONS IN THE STEERING WHEEL, ALIGNMENT ISSUES, SHORT CIRCUIT IN THE DRIVER'S SIDE CONTROL PANEL, POOR FIT AND FINISH OF THE DRIVER SIDE DOOR PANEL AND A HOST OF OTHER FIT AND FINISH PROBLEMS. THE MOMENTUM VOLVO DEALERSHIP IN HOUSTON, TEXAS AND VOLVO NORTH AMERICA SERVICE REPRESENTATIVE DENIED ANY PROBLEMS BEING A SERIOUS OR RECURRING PROBLEM. THIS ALL TOOK PLACE IN A SPAN OF LESS THAN 10 MONTHS FOR A BRAND NEW VEHICLE.THE CAR SPENT MORE TIME IN THE SHOP THAN IN OUR POSSESSION INITIALLY. THE DEALERSHIP CONTINUED TO FIX THE RECURRING PROBLEMS AND DENIED ANY CHRONIC ISSUES EXISTED. I WISH TO ALERT NHTSA IN THE EVENT ANY OTHER OWNER OF VOLVO XC 1990 HAS SIMILAR COMPLAINTS OR A TRAGEDY OCCURS AS A RESULT OF THE PROBLEMS I HAVE LISTED. *AK
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