2016 Volvo XC90 4 cylinder from North America
Summary:
A very nice SUV that has good room but is small to drive and park in town
Faults:
Temperature sensor in the passenger outside mirror, programming software issues, A/C drain hose recall, rear brakes replaced at only 28k miles.
General Comments:
Love this SUV. We paid $1800 extra for the 4 wheel air suspension and would do so again. We bought the AWD version and it performs well in Winter weather with proper tires. We like the pickup of the 4 cylinder engine, but wish it were quieter under hard acceleration. We bought the "inscription" edition and it is well worth the added $5k costs.
Would you buy another car from this manufacturer? Yes
Review Date: 22nd June, 2019
26th Nov 2019, 01:08
By the way, same problem on the T5 engines, but not on the T8 engines. The problem happened because of weak piston rings - these were replaced by Volvo from 2017 on - ask the main dealer from which engine serial up were the improved piston rings used. If you buy this car with the weak piston rings, this will damage the cylinder wall and there is a good chance the engine will need replaced - Volvo will not cover this out of the warranty - the job is around $12,000USD.
27th Nov 2020, 18:22
We find more issues with the latest XC90 model. Air suspension doesn't seem to last.
29th Nov 2020, 12:39
Wow Volvo really are not what they once were. I knew many people in the 80s and 90s that had Volvo 850's and 760's, and said they were not just safe, but the most reliable cars they ever had.
Nowadays all you hear about is complex problems with electronics or mechanical on post 2000 cars, not just Volvo to be fair. I'm in the UK and it is the same here; you guys in the USA are not alone. The XC90 seems to be pretty unreliable, the more modern S40 and S60 saloons are a bit better reliability wise however.
12th May 2021, 13:50
More issues. I've found this on a Volvo forum from an actual owner.
"I bought a new XC90 in September 2019. First trip to the dealership 12 days later, while driving on the motorway got a display message “Car key not found Removed from car“. Immediately rang dealer only to be given the Volvo recovery number. Same fault on the way home. The “Car key not found Removed from car“ can appear in motion at 70 mph on a motorway or standing at traffic lights - no set pattern, rhyme or reason. I’ve tried using all three fobs with no luck.
Car occasionally doesn’t start.
Centre display panel occasionally doesn’t come on.
Rear air suspension has collapsed
The car has been into the main Volvo dealership workshop at least 8 times until this day"
17th May 2021, 19:57
You could look on any forum for any car manufacturer and find similar issues. Forums are a place people go when they need help with problems. That said, there are plenty of people that are more than happy with their XC90's - even on that same forum.
24th Nov 2019, 19:40
Be aware of common piston damage on the T6 engines causing high oil consumption - many have been already replaced under warranty.
https://forums.swedespeed.com/showthread.php?610485-2016-Needs-pistons-replaced