2018 Volvo XC90 Problems

What owners report

Owners of this 2018 Volvo XC90 most often describe brake wear, squealing, and sudden brake pedal failure, along with sudden loss of drive power, which some complaints tie to the plug-in hybrid's electric rear axle drive or transmission. Water entering through the sunroof and window seals and door latch or handle problems also come up often, while air conditioning failures appear less often. Brake wear is reported from low mileage onward, while the pedal failures are described at higher mileage.

1. 1
   Transmission and drivetrain

   Sudden loss of drive power or engine shut-off

   • 11 complaints (21%)
   • median 101,000 mi at 5.4 yrs old (1 states mileage, few)
   • filed 2023–2026

   Owners describe drive power dropping suddenly while driving or after stopping, often with warnings about reduced acceleration, a locked gear lever, or engine performance. Some complaints involve the electric rear axle drive on the plug-in hybrid, with limp mode or a car that could not be driven. Others describe the engine cutting off, the dashboard going dark, or power limits after an overheating warning. According to a complaint, the dealer found the rear drive housing had likely not been torqued correctly during earlier service. Where mileage is given, these failures are reported at about 59,300 and 101,000 miles, and some happen while driving on the highway.

   What to check: Ask for service records covering the rear drive and transmission, and check for stored reduced-power or gear lever warnings during a pre-purchase scan. Ask whether the transmission module area has been checked for water exposure.

   2 excerpts from owner complaints in NHTSA records

   “3 weeks ago we had the transmission module fail on our vehicle while it was being driven. According to Volvo forums, this is a multi-model year, multi vehicle issue for those with sunroofs. Accrding to the dealer in our case, the seal failed, and water runs into the compartment where the transmission module is located, causing it to fail. We had it happen twice, and both times on the highway, with the engine running ragged causing it ot accelerate and then quickly decelerate. …”

   NHTSA complaint #11676768, filed 2025-07

   “My car completely locked up on the road and came to a screeching stop. This car is known for having the ERAD completely fail and it could have caused it to have a serious accident. It has also caused my car to plummet in value losing over 30k in just 3 years. Now my repairs cost nearly what it’s worth and aren’t guaranteed to actually fix it. It’s terrible. I’m so upside down n my loan due to this issue that they dealerships refuse to help on. The dealership acknowledges it is a design flaw but yet they won’t help. …”

   NHTSA complaint #11691437, filed 2025-10
2. 2
   Brakes

   Brake wear, squealing, and pedal failure

   • 13 complaints (25%)
   • median 13,580 mi at 1.1 yrs old (5 state mileage, few)
   • 1 mention a crash, fire or injury
   • filed 2017–2026

   Owners describe brake pads and rotors wearing quickly, often with squealing or squeaking, and separately describe brake pedals that suddenly felt hard or stopped working. Pedal complaints mention a hissing sound, a seized rear caliper, and a brake booster found to have failed. According to complaints, the dealer sometimes replaced rotors or pads again within months, and in other cases described the wear as normal. Wear and squeal complaints appear from about 3,400 miles to about 50,000 miles, while the pedal-failure reports describe about 58,000 to 104,000 miles.

   What to check: Ask for records of brake pad, rotor, caliper, and booster work, and check whether rotors or pads were replaced more than once. During a test drive, note any hard or stiff pedal feel, hissing, or squealing when braking.

   2 excerpts from owner complaints in NHTSA records

   “Brakes continously squeak. The dealer has inspected the break system twice and made one attempted repair. One week later the brakes are backing to squeaking. I have owned the vehicle less than 90 days, I've had issues with the brakes for more than half that time. The center display computer screens freezes constantly, but recently freezes and will not restart until after the car is stopped and restarted.”

   NHTSA complaint #11056836, filed 2017-12, 3,400 miles

   “We have owned our XC90 since november 11, 2017. The brakes were squealing when braking in normal condition(s), no rain on road or water on brakes whether we were driving on city streets, highways or freeways. Volvo service technicians had to replace all 4 rotors and brake pads on 30 march 2018, just a little over 4 months of owning the vehicle. Four months later 8 august 2018, Volvo service technicians had to replace all 4 rotors again, but not the brake pads. …”

   NHTSA complaint #11121658, filed 2018-08, 25,000 miles
3. 3
   Body and structure

   Water leaks from sunroof and window seals

   • 14 complaints (27%)
   • median 21,200 mi at 1.7 yrs old (4 state mileage, few)
   • filed 2018–2026

   Owners report water coming in through the panoramic sunroof or nearby seals, collecting in the cargo area or under the floor mats, and making the dashboard, screen, and shifter wet. Some complaints say the water reached the driver-assist electronics and the transmission module compartment, and the dealer reportedly said a failed seal let the water in. Another complaint describes water running down a rear window channel and reaching the door latch. Most of these complaints give no mileage, and the leaks are described both while the car is parked and during rain or highway driving.

   What to check: Look for damp carpet under the floor mats, especially after rain, and check the sunroof and windshield seals during a walk-around. Ask whether the dealer has inspected the sunroof seal and the area behind the rearview mirror.

   2 excerpts from owner complaints in NHTSA records

   “This morning and a few days ago, ice cold water was dripping onto my control display pad and on me. The leakage came from the ourside down the plastic compartment behind my rearview mirror. This was distracting while I was driving since there was now water on me, and it was shorting out and affecting my control display. It would continue to be buggy while driving. I believe this issue is a result from a cracked seal between the windshield and the car body. I have seen other documented cases on volvo forums.”

   NHTSA complaint #11602688, filed 2024-07

   “The vehicle first experienced a safety-critical malfunction while driving on the highway on August 11, 2026, producing in-vehicle warnings reading Transmission Acceleration Performance Reduced and Gear Lever Locked, along with broader electrical system symptoms, requiring the 2018 Volvo XC90 to be towed to Volvo Cars Brooklyn on August 11, 2026. At that time, dampness was discovered under the driver’s floor mat, leading to the discovery of a sunroof leak and resulting water intrusion. …”

   NHTSA complaint #11759206, filed 2026-08
4. 4
   Body and structure

   Door latch or handle failures

   • 7 complaints (13%)
   • typically at 7.0 yrs old
   • filed 2023–2026

   Owners describe rear doors that do not latch or open, a rear door handle that stopped working from inside and outside, and a driver's door handle that broke off. Some complaints say doors opened on their own while driving in cold weather, and others say the problem made it hard to exit the vehicle in an emergency. A complaint links a rear door latch failure to water running through the window channel into the latch mechanism. The sample gives no mileage for these complaints, and the reports describe doors that sometimes fail to open at random times or open unexpectedly in cold weather.

   What to check: Test every rear door from inside and outside, and make sure each latches and its handle works normally. Ask whether the rear door latch and window seals have been inspected or replaced.

   2 excerpts from owner complaints in NHTSA records

   “At random times the back doors will not open, from the inside or outside…hit all the unlock buttons and will NOT open. If this is not a massive safety issue, I don’t know what is…. If we get in a wreck and our car is on fire and we cannot instantly get ourselves or our children out quickly that’s a problem… if we wreck on the freeway and we see vehicles coming at us and we cannot quickly exit. This is a problem. …”

   NHTSA complaint #11711121, filed 2026-01

   “Door handle for drivers side door breaks off into hand. Exiting vehicle made extremely complicated: if window is compromised in any way or lock system is compromised in any way, exit of vehicle is impossible.”

   NHTSA complaint #11622921, filed 2024-10
5. 5
   Other or unknown

   Air conditioning failure or weak cooling

   • 5 complaints (10%)
   • median 55,750 mi at 4.3 yrs old (2 state mileage, few)
   • filed 2018–2026

   Owners report air conditioning that stops cooling, blows weak air, or gives off a refrigerant-like odor through the vents. According to complaints, the dealer found a cracked evaporator core, the replacement part was on backorder, and the manufacturer offered no help. Another complaint says the evaporator freezes and cracks and that goodwill repair is limited to original owners with full dealer service records. Mileage is given in only some of these complaints, from about 12,000 miles, when a resistor fix was made, to about 100,000 miles for a cracked core.

   4 related service bulletins

   What to check: Ask whether the evaporator core has been inspected for cracks and whether the airflow resistor service bulletin repair has been done. Run the climate system on all fan speeds and check for a refrigerant-like smell from the vents.

   2 excerpts from owner complaints in NHTSA records

   “At first I was having issues with stop and start, replaced the battery then was told I wasted coffee in my center Console and it cause electrical issues and was told the repairs would be 3,400 in which collision issuance paid for. After the repairs my driver side seat belt would latch then the passenger side wouldn’t latch either so I currently don’t have working A/C or working seatbelts which is known problem for these vehicles.”

   NHTSA complaint #11757883, filed 2026-08

   “The air conditioning evaporator core has been widely known to freeze and crack on 2016-2021 models of the xc90 which sends toxic refrigerant smell thru the vents. This is a big safety hazard and should be recalled. Volvo knows about this but only does a goodwill repair to loyal customers who purchased the vehicle new and have all service records from the dealership. This is a $4000 repair for everyone else for a manufacturer defect and safety issue”

   NHTSA complaint #11749955, filed 2026-07

Buying note. Prospective buyers should ask for service records covering the rear drive, transmission, brakes, sunroof seals, door latches, and air conditioning, and check whether those areas have been inspected or repaired. A pre-purchase inspection can check for stored warnings in the drive, brake, and body systems.

Summary written with AI from a sample of 50 NHTSA complaints for this model year (picked at random, with complaints that state a mileage and recent ones taken first), then checked automatically against the source records. Where a problem shows a complaint count, every complaint for this model year was matched with fixed keyword rules (written with AI and tested against the sample), and the mileage, age and repair figures are calculated from those complaints; owners' figures are as stated, not verified. Other counts refer to the sample. The excerpts come from NHTSA's public complaint records and are unverified; capitalisation is normalised, NHTSA staff notes are removed, and shortened text ends with “…”. Something wrong? Request a correction.