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Exterior lightingPart report

2005 Volvo XC90 Exterior lighting Problems

Complaints
25about this part
Share
11%of 223 total for the year
Median mileage
96,500miles
Trend
RisingComplaints filed in the last 3 full calendar years are at least 25% higher than in the 3 years before.

NHTSA recorded 25 complaints about the exterior lighting of the 2005 Volvo XC90, 11% of the 223 complaints for this model year. Where a mileage was given, the median is 96,500 miles. 1 of these say a crash was involved, according to the filers.

Example complaints

Selected from NHTSA records; personal details are removed. They are consumer reports, not findings.

“Driving in pitch black night on backroads of charleston, sc. Lights went out after left headlight flickered for a few days. Lights went out and car went off road as we were in a curve. Regained control after spinning on wet grass. I need the headlights repaired by Volvo at their expense and reimbursement for the failed engine I had to replace.”

NHTSA complaint #10490743, filed 2013-01, 103,000 miles

“While driving back from work the passenger low beam went out. I bought a new bulb and the light still did not work l then checked. The wiring going into the headlight and there was no power for the low beam how does this happen it was bad enough I had to replace the whole transmission just 3months ago and now this I also read nonlinear they had problems with the trannys.”

NHTSA complaint #10543169, filed 2013-09, 146,342 miles

“While driving vehicle at 55-60 MPH all dashboard lights came on and car lost power. This caused a frightening and extremely dangerous situation. Without headlights or tail lights I could not be seen by other drivers. I tried to cross 2 lanes and get onto the shoulder with no power steering or engine power. While I was very fortunate I was not in or did not cause a serious accident I had an extremely close calls. I changed lanes and almost collided with another vehicle traveling at 55. …”

NHTSA complaint #10649780, filed 2014-10, 170,000 miles

“I have a 2005 Volvo XC90 awd. My head lights have intermittent failures almost every time I am driving at night. It started about 10 months ago and has been getting more frequent. Sometimes left head light fails, sometimes right head light fails, sometimes both go out. They will resume working, sometimes if I do nothing, but always if I turn them off & back on. But will continue to fail. The dealer said they cannot find any problem.”

NHTSA complaint #10358883, filed 2010-10, 41,000 miles

“Aside from normal care, I have only replaced my tires and a gas cap. I started to experience some water seepage onto the driver-side. I covered the vehicle when it rained and figured I would have a look at it when I had time. July 2015, I took my Volvo to savannah Volvo, fixed my breaks along with other safety fixes, after 14 hrs of having my vehicle and 2800 later, pete stated everything was taken care of and the water seepage was due to the drains being clogged, but, they are all clear now, we did a water test and everything is ok. …”

NHTSA complaint #10779801, filed 2015-10, 130,000 miles

Related service bulletins

Exterior lighting: other model years

YearComplaintsShare of year
202425%
202112%
201812%
201722%
201621%
201115%
200813%
200738%
200648%
20052511%
2004327%
200333%

Other parts of the 2005 Volvo XC90

Transmission and drivetrain
62 complaints
Electrical system
51 complaints
Engine cooling
40 complaints
Fuel system
33 complaints
Engine
29 complaints
Other or unknown
10 complaints
Steering
8 complaints
Visibility (wipers, defrost, mirrors)
7 complaints
Tires
6 complaints
Equipment
5 complaints
Air bags
4 complaints
Electronic stability control
4 complaints

← All problems reported for the 2005 Volvo XC90

About this data. Data from NHTSA (ODI) complaints, recalls, TSBs and investigations, updated Oct 31, 2026. Complaints are unverified consumer reports and may be duplicated or inaccurate.

To check a specific vehicle for open recalls, use its VIN at nhtsa.gov/recalls. Methodology