2016 Volvo XC90 Engine Problems

Hey I purchased a Volvo xc90 2016 seven months ago and I currently still have this car. Also others with the same model, are having problems with oil consumption who is the problem that I’m sadly dealing with, My car burns so much oil and I’m only 19 I got this hoping for a reliable car but in stead in burns oil just has much as I burn fuel every 500 miles, if that probably less miles. it tells me to had a liter of oil because it says I’m out of oil. I just need some one to help me it hasn’t had anything done to it it’s all original with only 127,000 miles on it and this probably has been happening since I purchased it with only 118,000 miles.

My vehicle was signaling me to add oil every 600 - 1000 miles around 85,000 miles. The dealership charged me for a chemical treatment to stop the oil burning around 90,000 miles. At about 95,000 miles, my engine failed while driving on the interstate. There was no warning light or degradation of power. Suddenly, the engine lost power, went into limp mode and I could not maintain highway speed. The display flashes "Engine Performance Reduced." My SUV is now parked in my yard. I have paid two Volvo dealerships and a Volvo repair shop to inspect it. They reported oil burning, cylinder scoring and spark plug failure. There is scoring in the #3 cylinder and there is also no compression in the #3 cylinder. They further advised me that ALL engines that fit in my vehicle will experience this oil burning issue and the subsequent pathway to failure. I see evidence that this is a known issue with 2.0L and 2.5L Volvo engines between 2013-16. Of particular note is that several other owners have experienced failure in the #3 cylinder. There is an issue of clogged rings causing oil burning. Oil burning leads to damage to internal engine components like pistons, spark plugs, valves and etc..causing engine failure and ultimately engine fires. Oil burning extends into the exhaust system and also damages catalytic converters leading to failure of those components and even fires. I understand Volvo issued Tech Journals to dealerships but, to date, this information has not been published to the consumer that we may be made hole. This is a major design flaw that creates an expensive and extremely dangerous situation affecting numerous engine parts subject to high levels of heat during engine operation. Any of these parts are susceptible to spontaneously combusting during operation and without warning. It is an extremely dangerous situation. However, I see no evidence of a recall on my vehicle.

On September 30, 2025, a 2016 Volvo XC90 T6 experienced sudden engine failure while driving westbound on I-75 (Alligator Alley) at highway speed. The vehicle abruptly went into reduced power mode (“turtle mode”) without warning. This forced the driver to stop on the roadside, creating a serious safety hazard in fast-moving traffic. Component/system that failed: Engine / Power Train. An independent repair facility performed diagnostics on October 6, 2025, including a compression test. Results confirmed that one cylinder had lost compression due to a failed cylinder head. The mechanic attributed this to excessive oil consumption from defective piston rings, a condition documented in Volvo technical bulletins. Inspection: The vehicle was inspected by an independent service center. Photos and test results are available for inspection upon request. The manufacturer was contacted and denied assistance, citing mileage, despite known oil consumption defects in this engine family. Safety risk: The sudden loss of power at highway speed put the driver and other motorists at risk of collision. With no advance warning, the driver was left stranded on a dangerous stretch of interstate. Reproduction: The failure has been confirmed through diagnostic testing and inspection by the independent service center. Manufacturer/police/insurance inspection: The manufacturer has been notified, but no inspection by Volvo has occurred to date. No police or insurance inspection was performed. Warning messages or lamps: Prior to the breakdown, no warning lamps or messages indicated impending failure. The first and only symptom was the sudden loss of power on the highway. Incident cause assessment: Based on mechanic’s findings, the underlying cause is piston ring/oil consumption defect leading to cylinder head failure. This defect is widely reported in Volvo vehicles with this engine and represents a safety-related condition.

This car is consuming oil and has the potential to catastrophically fail, or catch fire.

Piston ring failure, excessive oil consumption. There was an extended warranty regarding the issue, but it has since been closed. I know there have been multiple lawsuits regarding this issue.

*the engine is the part that failed due to excessive oil consumption. *it became a safety risk once it started selecting its own driving speed after dropping driving speed to 31mph on [XXX in Raleigh. *the problem was confirmed by the dealer, Volvo of Cary *it has not been inspected by the manufacturer, police, insurance representatives or others *upon a service visit our technician, Ray Rancell of Volvo of Cary advised that the engine was leaking oil and engine failure would occur if we didn't take care of it so we did to a total of $2879.74 which would keep the engine from seizing. That means we paid to prevent exactly what happened anyway and as I found out later he did not perform an oil consumption test so he had no way of knowing the shape the engine was in but charged for this work anyway. The repair invoice says the customer stated oil leaking on timing belt but that is incorrect. I would have no way of knowing that as the only thing i know about cars is replinishg fluids. We did have to replinish oil often and advised Ray of that but he said it was normal. Thank God I was able to get into the slow lane and prevented any accident but my and my daughter's life was certainly put at risk. There is a known recall for excessive oil consumption which I fould out about later. When I questioned Volvo they said my VIN number was not included in the recall. Clearly, it should have been. INFORMATION REDACTED PURSUANT TO THE FREEDOM OF INFORMATION ACT (FOIA), 5 U.S.C. 552(B)(6)

I have a 2016 XC90 T6 Inscription. The issue started after refill the engine oil and led to malfunction in engine system. The engine list the power and slowed down the car while driving. I brought the car to the dealer 2 times already and had been fine for 3 months. However, the engine oil light showed up to refill after 3 months. I am aware that other Volvo owners are facing the same issue and it is due to defect of piston and piston ring.

The contact owns a 2016 Volvo XC90. The contact stated that while driving at various speeds, the oil light illuminated. The contact stated that the failure was related to NHTSA Campaign Number: 19V308000 (Engine and Engine Cooling). The vehicle was taken to an independent mechanic, where it was diagnosed that an oil change was needed. The vehicle was repaired. The vehicle was taken to another local dealer, who informed the contact that the vehicle was consuming oil and informed the contact about an oil consumption test. The contact was informed that a spark plug had exploded in the engine. The engine was replaced. The contact noticed that water was entering inside the vehicle. There was water dripping on the entertainment center, and the pixels were half out. The vehicle was taken to the local dealer, where it was diagnosed that the infotainment screen needed to be replaced. The vehicle was repaired. While driving at unknown speeds, the brakes became inoperable. While at a car wash, the fenders detached. After driving for several hours, the turn off engine message was displayed. The contact added additional coolant, but the coolant depleted quickly. The vehicle was taken back to the local dealer, where it was diagnosed that the engine line had split open. The vehicle was repaired. The manufacturer was contacted, and opened a case but no assistance was provided. The failure mileage was approximately 140,000.

Started getting high coolant temperature warning, indicating to slow down and then after a short while to stop the vehicle. The vehicle now cannot be driven without the warning showing up after several minutes of driving after sitting. Of course comes on much sooner if it's been running before that. We had to pull over and wait several times during interstate travel. No codes are present using a code reader. It reads the temp at around 215 degrees when warning comes on to slow down. Continues to increase until warning to stop vehicle. I inspected the engine. A lot of symptoms were inline with a bad thermostat. Changed that with no luck. I again inspected the engine and found the broken tube. It was inline with where it's supposed to be attached, so it was missed the first time. I researched online and found recall 19V308 related to a previous version of the part. The newer version is installed (Volvo part 31238231), yet the same exact conditions are present that the replacement was supposed to avoid. Seems reasonable that if that's the case, it should also be covered by another safety recall. The pics also include coolant accumulation in that area as well as corroded plastic conduit for what looks like some type of wire for electrical component. I'm not sure what that part is, but I've sent a pic also of where it goes into the engine. Seems like the higher heat that the coolant can reach eventually melted/corroded the conduit. The wire inside is also not in good shape, but is intact still.

There is a engine coolant leak from the plastic coolant line connector going into the motor

The contact owns a 2016 Volvo XC90. The contact stated that after starting the vehicle, the vehicle failed to accelerate above 15 MPH while depressing the accelerator pedal. The contact stated that a turtle warning symbol appeared on the instrument panel along with an "Engine System Reduced Performance" message displayed. The contact called the dealer and had the vehicle towed to the dealer location. After two days of diagnostic testing, the contact was informed that the engine needed to be replaced due to engine failure. The manufacturer was not notified of the failure. The vehicle was not repaired. The failure mileage was approximately 175,000.

We are a repair facility and the vehicle arrived for a concern with a weak battery and a battery warning light. The battery was testing bad and was replaced but the other issues persisted. The vehicle was scanned for codes and the codes present in the computer were B139F11, P26DC00 & P059700. After researching these codes we discovered a technical service bulletin related to the same issue and codes (Ref. No: TJ 30268.6.0). The bulletin states "If any of above DTC´s are set in the ECM or CEM for the pre-heated thermostat in the cooling system, and/or if the customer complains of a charging system warning message in the Driver’s Information Module (DIM), follow advice under SERVICE". The bulletin then describes the required service "Replace the thermostat according to instructions in VIDA and erase DTC. Not replacing the thermostat can cause consequential damages". After reading this we followed the service in the bulletin and replaced the thermostat but the issue persist. At this point we have replaced multiple components in compliance with the service bulletin but the battery warning light is still displayed as well as auto start stop disabled & the A/C blower not operating correctly. The bulletin also states that if the issue persist to "submit a vehicle report using function group 2627" but it does not state where the report can be submitted.

Excessive Oil consumption. Volvo knowingly allows for the sale and resale of their 2013-2016 vehicles all makes and models even though they know there is an engine issue causing excessive oil consumption due to bad pistons and o rings in the engine. They’ve tried to hide this for years and since has covered a limited number of vehicles to be repaired based on stringent requirements eliminating most of the vehicles that actually should be covered. This oil consumption issue is dangerously causing vehicle to over consumption oil possibly causing the engine to seize or costly repairs up to but not limited to $13,000. This issue has cost me excessive oil changes and oil purchases in just a matter of months since its purchase date. A warranty was issued for this issue but Grubbs Volvo of Grapevine Texas has stated that due to the requirements my vehicle does not qualify to be covered because of the time limitations Volvo put on the repairs. This is a manufacturing issue with defective engine parts which should have been a recall not a warranty allowance. Volvo is deceiving consumers. Not only is this an issue for repairs, this could potentially cause accidents should and engine seize while operating on a roadway and who knows how many lives are at stake. The years 2013-2016 should be cover 100% by recall no matter what if vehicle falls in the all models 2013-2016 manufacturer dates. This has caused me excessive oil change purchases of $189.00 and 1 liter of oil weekly after just driving 1500 miles in 3 weeks. This is a huge problem and is well documented and should be recalled and corrected.

The contact owned a 2016 Volvo XC90. The contact stated that while her daughter was driving at an unknown speed, white smoke began to emit from the vehicle as fellow motorists alerted her daughter that a fire had started underneath the vehicle. The contact's daughter immediately pulled over as all occupants exited the vehicle. The contact called the authorities as the vehicle was quickly incinerated by the fire. The contact stated that her youngest grandson suffered emotional distress as a result of the fire. No physical injuries were reported and a police report was filed(police report unavailable). The fire department extinguished the fire once they arrived. The vehicle was towed to an independent tow yard; the vehicle was deemed a total loss. The manufacturer had yet to be notified of the failure. The failure mileage was unknown. The VIN was not available.

The contact owns a 2016 Volvo XC90. The contact stated that after arriving at his workplace and parking the vehicle, he was alerted that the vehicle was smoking. The contact became aware that coolant was leaking from underneath the front of the vehicle and was puddling underneath the vehicle. The contact drove the vehicle to a local dealer, where it was diagnosed and determined that the coolant hose had failed and needed to be replaced. The vehicle was not repaired. The manufacturer was not informed of the failure. The contact researched online and related the failure to NHTSA Campaign Number: 19V308000 (Engine and Engine Cooling). The failure mileage was approximately 110,000.

The exhaust manifold and supercharger on my 2016 Volvo XC90 have malfunctioned. The exhaust manifold has a visible crack, and the supercharger has seals that are leaking exhaust gases. Both components are available for inspection upon request and have been diagnosed by an independent mechanic who conducted a smoke test revealing these issues. The malfunction poses a significant safety risk as exhaust gases are leaking into the cabin, creating a dangerous environment that could lead to carbon monoxide poisoning. This condition represents a serious health hazard to anyone in the vehicle. Yes, the problem has been confirmed by an independent service center. They diagnosed the issue with the P0171 code indicating the engine is running lean due to a vacuum leak. They also conducted a smoke test that identified the cracked manifold and leaking supercharger seals. The vehicle has not yet been inspected by the manufacturer, police, or insurance representatives. It has been inspected by an independent mechanic. Yes, prior to the failure, the vehicle displayed a warning light for the P0171 code indicating that the engine was running lean. Other symptoms included unusual oil consumption and excessive oil in the intake system, which were previously diagnosed by a Volvo dealer as a factory defect.

The engine is burning oil due to a factory design defect in the piston ring design, as verified by Volvo through a technical bulletin. In the bulletin, Volvo states that there is a free oil consumption test available for up to 100k miles. However, once I brought the car in for the test, they denied doing it for free and did not send any notice by mail. Burning oil can lead to a fire risk and loss of power while driving on the highway, which can cause serious accidents. Their published bulletin confirms the issue. The car has not been inspected, and there are no warning lights.

I have a 2016 XC90, been letting Volvo know of my oil consumption since Feb 2022 when I noticed more oil being used before changes were due! My vehicle failed the oil test performed on 12/6/23 at Volvo on Manchester in St Louis, and now this Volvo extended warranty won’t cover it. Why? Well, I never received anything from Volvo and wasn’t even aware until the service advisor told me to call. A “ticket” was put in with Volvo headquarters on 12/8/23 and they state that I’m out of the extended warranty, yet I NEVER had any opportunity to even get it since I didn’t receive anything! They want to replace where the current leak is, which is $2600, then do another test! This was my first actual oil consumption test! Despite bringing it to my advisor at the time, which I was well within these “extended warranty parameters” such as mileage, my advisor never suggested this test back in 2022. I was just informed in December 2023 there is a Volvo lawsuit regarding oil consumption. Apparently letters were sent out to Volvo customers of this “extended warranty” opportunity to fix the issue, which I never received anything! I was informed by the dealership to reach out to Volvo headquarters, which I have, a case was put in and 24 hours later I received an email stating they would NOT assist as I’m outside of those “warranty guidelines!.” Like I’ve advised them, how is an owner to know of this extended warranty if we weren’t notified!! it will be $2,600 to fix the current consumption THEN they want to do another consumption test to ensure it’s not leaking elsewhere!

What seems to be a plastic coolant line cracked and is leaking antifreeze everywhere. Found a recall that mentions this but my vehicle is not listed. NHTSA campaign number: 19V308. Volvo's own number for this recall is R29936.

The low coolant warning went off and the turn off engine notification came on. I turned off my vehicle and noticed all the coolant leaking out the bottom underneath the car. I had the vehicle towed to the nearest mechanic and I was given this diagnosis: Found cooling system low, pressure tested and located a slip line that runs from the coolant crossover tube to under the intake manifold. Coolant pipe runs from the crossover pipe down to the engine oil cooler. Volvo has an updated part number due to high failure rate of the component.