2016 Volvo XC90 Body & Structure Problems

I am filing a safety complaint regarding a failed rear door latch actuator in my 2016 Volvo XC90. This is a known issue among Volvo owners, yet there appears to be no recall or corrective action. The defect causes the door latch actuator to seize, rendering the affected rear door completely inoperable from both the inside and outside. This means passengers seated in the rear are unable to open the door to exit the vehicle. This is an extremely dangerous and potentially life-threatening hazard. In the event of an emergency—such as a fire, collision, or submersion—rear seat passengers would be trapped inside the vehicle with no way to escape. This failure compromises basic vehicle safety standards, as all doors should be fully functional to allow for emergency egress. I strongly urge the NHTSA to investigate this recurring defect in Volvo vehicles and require Volvo to address it promptly before it results in serious injury or death.

In cold weather, doors will not close back once opened. It just bounces back at you. Thought door was closed a few times and it flew open on highway when exiting. My niece was in the back seat. How is this not recalled with multiple complaints on the Volvo forum?

Rear doors will fail to latch shut in cold weather. Repeated closings of the door (slammed or gentle) fails to latch shut for up to 10 minutes or more. On last occasion door appeared to be shut, but while driving door came open (almost hitting 2 children waiting for school bus). TSB exists for this problem but some claim problem to persist after repair. Do not feel safe driving the car anymore for fear of a repeat incident of door coming open, especially while moving at speed with passengers in the back.

The door locks FREEZE SHUT in the winter. You CANNOT open the affected door(s). This is a widespread, serious safety issue and Volvo has done nothing about it. A passenger could die if unable to exit the vehicle. Note that both of my rear passenger door LOCKS - not just the door seals, the LOCKS - have done this repeatedly during my ownership. The vehicle is kept out of the elements in a garage.

When temperatures drop below freezing, the rear door latches will not latch closed. Our children have to hang onto the doors to keep them from swinging open on corners while they also try not to fall out of the vehicle. Dealer says this is a common problem on this model, and is known to Volvo. They’ve attempted to regrease, and advised that the technical service bulletin provided by Volvo does not fix the issue (attempting to reseal window above latch to keep from water intrusion/freezing).

In freezing weather conditions the rear door latches become inoperable. They close fully, but do not latch. My wife was backing out of the driveway this morning an a door opened next to my son. This is UNACCEPTABLE and Volvo has not responded in an acceptable manner. I was told to bring it in for service.... it has only 3 functioning doors at the moment!

Door lock unable to open. Door is unlocked and the outside and inside fail to open the door. Door lock actuator is jammed

Rear Door lock failed with the first symptom of not being able to open the door. Once door was opened the door failed to close/latch. I think this is a safety concern because it would be impossible to get at the rear seat occupant in the event of a crash/heath issue. Then once the door finally opened it failed to latch which made it dangerous to drive the car at all because the door would fling open.

WHEN DRIVING MY VOLVO AFTER IT HAS RAINED AND I BEGIN TO BREAK, WHILE ON A ROAD WITH A MINIMAL DECLINE, RAIN WATER POURS INTO THE CABIN. I WAS TOLD BY VOLVO SERVICE TECHNICIANS THE WATER IS NOT ABLE TO CHANNEL THROUGH THE SUNROOF CHANNELS CORRECTLY DUE TO CORROSION OR CLOGGING IN THE DRAINAGE TUBES/SUNROOF TRAY ASSEMBLY. THE WATER POURS INTO THE CABIN NEAR THE INTELLISAFE/REARVIEW MIRROR AREA. THIS EVENT CREATES A DISTRACTION TO THE DRIVER ESPECIALLY IF BREAKING WHILE ON A RIGHT HAND CURVE AS THE WATER POURS OUT TOWARDS THE DRIVERS FIELD OF VISION. FOR FEAR OF WATER DAMAGING ANY ELECTRICAL SAFETY COMPONENTS, OR THE INTEGRITY OF THE INTERIOR MATERIALS I PULL OVER TO DRY THESE COMPONENTS. THIS EVENT OCCURS WHEN EVER IT RAINS.

MY PASSENGER REAR DOOR HANDLE BROKE INTERNALLY WHERE IT COULD NOT BE OPENED FROM THE INSIDE OR THE OUTSIDE OF THE VEHICLE. BOTH REAR DOOR HANDLES FAILED AND AFTER DRIVING AROUND WITH MY KIDS HAVING TO GO IN AND OUT OF THE CAR THROUGH THE FRONT I FINALLY RECEIVED A LOANER FOR 5 WEEKS UNTIL THE PARTS WERE AVAILABLE TO REPAIR THE DOORS. IT APPEARS THE FRONT DRIVER AND FRONT PASSENGER HANDLE MAY FAIL. IT IS VERY SCARY TO HAVE YOUR KIDS IN A CAR AND NOT BE ABLE TO OPEN THE DOOR FROM THE INSIDE OR THE OUTSIDE. I LOOKED ONLINE AND THERE WERE LOTS OF RECENT ACCOUNTS OF XC90 AND XC60S HAVING THIS ISSUE IN EUROPE AND AMERICA. THE DEALERSHIP SAID IT WASN'T COVERED UNDER THE WARRANTY. I ENDED UP PAYING FOR THE LABOR AND VOLVO CORPORATE PAID FOR THE $900 PART INSIDE THE DOOR.

REAR LEFT DOOR SPONTANEOUSLY UNLATCHED AND OPENED WHILE DRIVING WITH 6-YEAR-OLD DAUGHTER IN ADJACENT SEAT. DOOR WILL SUBSEQUENTLY NOT LATCH.

VEHICLE EXPERIENCING SUN ROOF LEAKAGES DURING RAIN OR SNOW. THIS MAKES DRIVING DANGEROUS WHEN IT IS RAINING OR SNOWING. DEFECTS DUE TO POOR SUNROOF DESIGN AND COMPONENTS CAUSING WATER TO ENTER VEHICLE WHEN RAINING OR SNOWING. DISCUSSIONS PANELS ON LINE IDENTIFIES OTHER OWNERS EXPERIENCING THIS PROBLEM WITH NO CONCRETE SOLUTIONS AS MOST ARE TRIALS AND ERRORS.

TL* THE CONTACT OWNS A 2016 VOLVO XC90. EACH TIME THE CONTACT ATTEMPTED TO FUEL THE VEHICLE, THE FUEL TANK DOOR DID NOT OPEN. THE CONTACT ATTEMPTED TO OPEN THE FUEL TANK DOOR WITH THE KEY FOB AND MANUALLY. THE VEHICLE WAS NOT DIAGNOSED OR REPAIRED. THE DEALER AND MANUFACTURER WERE NOT NOTIFIED OF THE FAILURE. THE APPROXIMATE FAILURE MILEAGE WAS 62,000.

REAR DOORS ON THE 2016 XC90 CAN BECOME UNABLE TO CLOSE/LATCH UNDER CERTAIN CIRCUMSTANCES. IF THE WEATHER IS EXTREMELY COLD AND WATER HAS MADE IT INTO THE RUBBER DOOR SEALS DUE TO EITHER MELTING SNOW OR RAIN, THE WATER CAN FREEZE PREVENTING THE DOOR FROM CLOSING ENOUGH TO LATCH. THIS CAN LEAVE THE DRIVER AND THEIR PASSENGER STRANDED ON THE SIDE OF THE ROAD OR AT A REMOTE LOCATION AND UNABLE TO DRIVE THEIR VEHICLE UNTIL THE PASSENGERS ARE ABLE TO REMEDY THE ISSUE BY EITHER MELTING THE ICE OR REMOVING THE ICE FROM THE RUBBER DOOR SEALS. NOTE: THE ICE EXPANDING DOESN'T CAUSE THE DOORS TO OPEN ON ITS OWN, BUT IF ICE IS BUILT UP IN THE RUBBER DOOR SEALS, ONCE THE DOOR IS OPENED (WHETHER THE VEHICLE IS MOVING OR STATIONARY), THE DOORS MAY NOT CLOSE AGAIN DUE TO THE EXPANDED RUBBER DOOR SEALS WITH ICE BUILT UP INSIDE.

DURING MODERATE TO HEAVY RAIN, WATER STREAMED INTO THE CAR FROM THE AREA BEHIND THE REAR VIEW MIRROR (WHICH HOUSES THE RADAR SYSTEM). I FIRST NOTICED THE PROBLEM WHILE DRIVING AT APPROX 20 MPH WITH WINDSHIELD WIPERS SET TO MEDIUM, CONTINUOUS. WATER DRIPPED ONTO THE COIN STORAGE AREA IN FRONT OF THE GEAR PADDLE. MOON ROOF WAS THOROUGHLY CLOSED (AND HAD BEEN REPAIRED IN THE SUMMER AFTER AN EARLIER RECALL). I PARKED UNDER COVER. A FEW HOURS LATER, I WENT OUT AGAIN. AFTER DRIVING FOR 10 MINUTES, THE PROBLEM REAPPEARED. IT WAS ALMOST AS IF SOME SPACE WAS FILLING UP AND THEN RELEASING A STREAM OF WATER. OR MAYBE IT WAS A STEADY DRIP. WATER COULD HAVE BEEN POOLING IN THE INTELLI-SAFE SYSTEM. AT ONE POINT, I PARKED ON A HILL, CAR FACING DOWNWARD. A LARGE THAN NORMAL TRICKLE OF WATER THEN STREAMED INTO THE CAR. THAT MADE ME THINK THAT THE PROBLEM MIGHT BE WINDSHIELD SEAL. IT'S ALSO POSSIBLE THAT WATER IS GETTING INTO THE MOONROOF IN SOME WAY AND THEN RUNNING TO THE FRONT OF THE CAR AND FINDING ITS WAY DOWN THROUGH THE ELECTRONIC CASING BEHIND THE REARVIEW MIRROR. I HAVE DRIVEN THE CAR IN THE RAIN BEFORE WITHOUT EXPERIENCING THIS PROBLEM. THIS WAS A HEAVIER RAIN THAN NORMAL THOUGH. I HAVE ATTACHED TWO PHOTOS THAT SHOW AREAS DRIPPING. I ALSO HAVE TWO MOVIES FILES WHICH MIGHT BE A BIT MORE HELPFUL. IF YOU WOULD LIKE THOSE, PLEASE CONTACT ME AT [XXX] I CANNOT ATTACH THEM AS FILES. INFORMATION REDACTED PURSUANT TO THE FREEDOM OF INFORMATION ACT (FOIA), 5 U.S.C. 552(B)(6). *TR

THE CAR IS EQUIPPED WITH AUTOMATIC HANDSFREE FOOT MOVEMENT TAILGATE OPERATION (OPEN AND CLOSE). THIS ALLOWS THE OPENING OR CLOSING OF THE TAILGATE WHEN YOUR HANDS ARE FULL. IN MY SITUATION, THE VEHICLE IS OFF. WHILE THE TAILGATE IS OPEN AND I AM STANDING NEXT TO THE REAR BUMPER LOADING/UNLOADING ITEMS FROM THE TRUNK, THE REAR TAILGATE HAS CLOSED ON ME UNEXPECTEDLY ON SEVERAL OCCASIONS AND HIT MY HEAD/BACK. ON ONE OCCASION, MY CHILD WAS STANDING NEXT TO ME WHEN THE TAILGATE CLOSED ON US UNEXPECTEDLY AND FORTUNATELY THE TAILGATE HIT ME INSTEAD OF MY CHILD. IT APPEARS THAT IF THE FOOT MOVEMENT SENSOR UNDER THE REAR BUMPER SENSES ANY OBJECTS MOVING UNDER/NEAR THE REAR BUMPER (EG. A FOOT, A CHILD STANDING BY THE REAR BUMPER, BAGS, ETC), IT WILL AUTOMATICALLY CLOSE THE REAR TAILGATE. THIS IS A MAJOR SAFETY DESIGN FLAW AND A SAFETY HAZARD. THIS CAN BE PARTICULARLY DANGEROUS IF THE TAILGATE CLOSES UNEXPECTEDLY ON A SMALL CHILD OR A LIMB. VOLVO NEEDS TO ADD AN OPTION IN THE SETTINGS OR A SWITCH TO DISABLE THE AUTOMATIC HANDSFREE FOOT MOVEMENT TAILGATE OPERATION IMMEDIATELY. I HAVE CONTACTED VOLVO USA BUT THEY WERE UNABLE TO PROVIDE A SOLUTION.

WITHIN A MONTH OF PURCHASE ISSUES WITH THE CARGO DOOR STARTED,DOOR WOULD NOT CLOSE, PARKED IN MY GARAGE UNLOADING GROCERIES,CALLED OUR VOLVO SERVICE MANAGER REPEATEDLY FOR HELP,NO ANSWER, IT FINALLY CLOSED AN HOUR LATER.THEN THE BATTERY LOW CHARGE LIGHT KEPT COMING ON, FINALLY TOOK IT IN FOR BOTH ISSUES, THEY UPDATED, SHOWED ME THAT THE DOOR WORKED AND CHARGED THE BATTERY.ANOTHER MONTH WENT BY AND HAD A LOW BATTERY ISSUE TOOK IT BACK IN THEY UPDATED AGAIN AND CHARGED THE BATTERY AGAIN.HAD A BAD SENSOR ISSUE AND THE CARGO DOOR DECIDED NOT TO OPEN, CARGO BUTTON WOULD NOT WORK.TOOK IT IN THEY UPDATED AND CHANGED THE SENSOR.ANOTHER MONTH OR SO LATER HAD A RECALL ON IT, TOOK IT IN, UPDATED IT. THEN ANOTHER RECALL, UPDATED IT.STARTED AUTO CORRECTING AND BRAKING WHILE BEING DRIVEN ON A MAJOR STREET.THEN THE CONTROL PAD WOULDN'T WORK, TOOK IT IN IT NEEDED AN UPDATE. ANOTHER RECALL A MONTH OR SO LATER, WENT TO TAKE IT IN AND IT WOULDN'T DRIVE, PUT IT IN REVERSE,IT WENT FORWARD, PUT IT IN FORWARD IT WENT IN REVERSE, THEN THE HEATER WOULDN'T WORK, THE CONTROL PAD STARTED FREEZING ALL ON THE WAY TO TAKE IT IN FOR A RECALL. WE WERE TOLD IT WOULD BE FIXED WITH THE UPDATE.CAR TURNED OFF AND LOCKED BECAUSE I MOVED MY PURSE TO THE OTHER SIDE OF MY BODY WHILE DRIVING.THEN ABOUT ANOTHER MONTH LATER IT DOES THE SAME REVERSE WHEN PUT INTO DRIVE,THE CONTROL PAD STARTS ACTING UP, RADIO, PHONE AND CLIMATE CONTROL FREEZE.THEN THE CARGO BAY DOOR CLOSES ON MY SON WHILE WE ARE UNLOADING GROCERIES WITHOUT ANYONE TOUCHING IT OR BEING IN THE CAR BESIDES HIM PARTIALLY IN THE BACK TO REACH THE FURTHEST GROCERY BAGS. TAKING IT IN AGAIN THIS WEEK, BUT THAT'S THE LAST STRAW!I WILL NO LONGER DRIVE IT AS I DO NOT TRUST WHAT WILL MALFUNCTION NEXT, MY SON NARROWLY ESCAPED INJURY BY DIVING OUT TO THE GROUND BECAUSE I COULD NOT STOP THE CARGO DOOR FROM CLOSING, CAR WAS PARKED AND TURNED OFF INSIDE MY GARAGE

WHEN PARKED IN A SCHOOL CAR PARK IN NJ IN A RAINSTORM THE TAILGATE OPENED ON ITS OWN WHEN AN ELECTRICAL STORM WAS ON. I WAS SITTING IN THE CAR AT THE TIE SHELTERING FROM THE RAIN. I CLOSED THE DOOR FROM THE INSIDE AND LOCKED THE CAR. THE TAILGATE OPENED AGAIN. AND REPEATEDLY DID IT FOUR TIMES IN ALL SPECIFICALLY DURING THE ELECTRICAL PERIOD OF THE STORM. THIS WAS AN EXPLICIT PERIOD OF 20 MINUTES DURING A 2 HOUR RAINSTORM. THERE WAS A BIKE RACK IN A HITCH AT THE TIME SO I WONDER IF THE CAR HAS EITHER A POOR EARTH OR STATIC SENSITIVITY FOR THE ELECTRONIC DOOR SWITCH. THIS IS A SAFETY ISSUE IN CASE IT CAN HAPPEN WHEN DRIVING ESPECIALLY IF MY DOGS WERE IN THE BACK AND FELL OUT ON THE INTERSTATE. ITS A THEFT ISSUE IF IT HAPPENED WHEN PARKED ON A STREET AND ALLOWED PEOPLE ACCESS TO MY CAR. *TR

WHILE THE CAR WAS RUNNING IN MY GARAGE AND THE FRONT DRIVER SIDE DOOR CLOSED, I BELIEVE I PUT IT IN REVERSE THEN WENT TO OPEN THE FRONT DOOR TO SEE IF MY DAUGHTER WAS TIGHTENED IN HER CAR SEAT, THE CAR DIDN'T MOVE. I AM NOT SURE IF I PUT IT BACK IN PARK BUT AFTER I TOOK MY FOOT OFF THE BRAKE, IT DIDN'T MOVE. AFTER A FEW SECONDS AND MY FEET AND BODY COMPLETELY OUT OF THE CAR, IT STARTED TO GO BACK AND ALMOST RAN ME OVER. LUCKILY I JUMPED BACK IN THE VOLVO TRUCK AND THE DOOR CRASHED INTO THE GARAGE. THIS IS A BRAND NEW TRUCK AND HAS BEEN IN THE SHOP WITH SOME RECALLS ON THE COMPUTER SYSTEM A FEW WEEKS PRIOR. THE COMPUTER SYSTEM HAS SHUT DOWN SEVERAL TIMES WHILE DRIVING AND I BELIEVE THE LONG DELAY IN GOING BACK MIGHT HAVE TO DO WITH SOMETHING WITH THE ELECTRONICS/MOTOR. THERE IS NO WAY ONE SHOULD BE ABLE TO COMPLETELY GET OUT OF A CAR WITHOUT KNOWING IT IS IN GEAR.

WHILE DRIVING ON A CITY STREET I PUT THE CAR IN ECO MODE. THE CAR WAS MOVING AT THE TIME. I NOTICED THAT THE CAR SEEMED TO BE DRIVING LOUDLY. AS I TURNED LEFT, I SAW THE CAR WAS IN MANUAL MODE AND WAS IN FIRST GEAR. SO I TOOK MY FOOT OFF OF THE BRAKE TO SLOW DOWN THE CAR AND TRY TO PUT IT INTO DRIVE. AS I TRIED TO MOVE THE GEAR SHIFTER, THE CAR CAME TO A COMPLETE, SUDDEN STOP. IT FELT LIKE ALL FOUR WHEELS WERE SUDDENLY AND IMMEDIATELY LOCKED. I COULD NOT MOVE THEM, EVEN AS I HIT THE GAS. I DID NOT SEE ANY INDICATION ON THE DASHBOARD THAT THE EMERGENCY BRAKE HAD BEEN ACTIVATED. I HAD NOT FIDDLED IN ANY WAY WITH THE BUTTON THAT ALLOWS ME TO CHANGE TO ECO MODE OR WITH THE PARKING BRAKE. IN THE MOMENT IMMEDIATELY PRECEDING THE STOP, I HAD MY LEFT HAND ON THE STEERING WHEEL AND MY RIGHT HAND ON THE GEAR SHIFTER. THE PERSON BEHIND ME REAR-ENDED ME. THE DAMAGE TO MY CAR WAS MINIMAL. I HAD BEEN THE FIRST PERSON IN THE LINE TO TURN LEFT, SO THERE WAS NO ONE IN FRONT OF ME. I AM NOT SURE HOW I WAS ABLE TO GET THE CAR STARTED AGAIN. I THINK I TURNED THE STOP/START BUTTON A COUPLE OF TIMES. I LATER ATTEMPTED TO RECREATE THE AUTOMATIC STOP. BEFORE MAKING A LEFT TURN, I PUT THE CAR INTO ECO MODE. AS I TURNED, I SLOWLY RELEASED THE GAS AND SLOWLY BRAKED. THE CAR AGAIN CAME TO AN IMMEDIATE STOP, AS THOUGH ALL 4 WHEELS WERE LOCKED AT THE SAME TIME. WHEN THEN HAPPENED, I MANAGED TO GET THE CAR GOING AGAIN, AND THE NEXT TIME I PUT MY FOOT ON THE BRAKE, THE CAR CAME TO A SCREECHING HALT AGAIN. I HAVE NOT BEEN ABLE TO RECREATE THIS SCENARIO SINCE THEN, INCLUDING WHILE TRYING TO DRIVE THE CAR WITH A DEALER REP. THE DEALER HAD A TECHNICIAN COME IN FROM KY, AND HE WAS NOT ABLE TO FIND ANY PROBLEMS.