2025 Volvo EX90 Owner Complaints

On Saturday, [XXX], I drove from Woodbridge, VA to Fairfax, VA without any issues or error messages. Car was parked and locked for approximately 2 1/4 hours. When I came back out to the car and opened the door, the display behind the steering wheel stated "System communication fault. Pilot Assist deactivated. Find a place to stop and select P to park. When parked, the system will reset." I followed the directions as specified in my parking spot without any change. I moved the car to another location in the parking lot and repeated the process as directed without any change. I then got out of the car, locked the car, walked away from the car so that I was well out of range of the car, and then came back to the car. Despite these efforts, when I unlocked the car with my Key Tag and got back in, I was not able to get the message to clear. This resulted in the following issues: (a) No speedometer on the display or in the HUD; (b) No green graphic for the turn signals to indicate that they were working; (c) No display of information concerning cruise control, headlight function or windshield wiper settings; (d) Speed limit sign reading in HUD was stuck on 25 mph even though I was driving on roads with higher speed limits (e.g., [XXX] - 45 mph and [XXX] - 55 mph); and (e) Center stack stated "1 serious issue detected - Emergency Call System fault - book a service". The car was driven this way from Fairfax, VA to the Service Department of the Volvo dealership with no change and when I left, the cluster behind the steering wheel and the center stack were still in the same condition. INFORMATION REDACTED PURSUANT TO THE FREEDOM OF INFORMATION ACT (FOIA), 5 U.S.C. 552(B)(6)

1/5/2025

I was on the 101 freeway on January 20, 2025. I was driving on the far left lane, driving 72-65 miles an hour. The 2025 Volvo EX90 suddenly wouldn't accelerate more than 36 mph. A turtle error came on the screen. "Driving Performance Reduced Drive with Caution Book a Service" message displayed. Due to the car suddenly slowing down, we almost were read ended by a truck. I have kids in the car. This car had multiple faults. I had the car serviced on 01/20/25 and received it back from the dealer on 01/28/25. After, receiving the car two days later, now the SOS fault System light turned on, and now the Air Bag Fault Light is on. I do have a video of the incident on the freeway when the car started slowing down and the error messages.

2/3/2025

On Saturday, [XXX], I drove from Woodbridge, VA to Fairfax, VA without any issues or error messages. Car was parked and locked for approximately 2 1/4 hours. When I came back out to the car and opened the door, the display behind the steering wheel stated "System communication fault. Pilot Assist deactivated. Find a place to stop and select P to park. When parked, the system will reset." I followed the directions as specified in my parking spot without any change. I moved the car to another location in the parking lot and repeated the process as directed without any change. I then got out of the car, locked the car, walked away from the car so that I was well out of range of the car, and then came back to the car. Despite these efforts, when I unlocked the car with my Key Tag and got back in, I was not able to get the message to clear. This resulted in the following issues: (a) No speedometer on the display or in the HUD; (b) No green graphic for the turn signals to indicate that they were working; (c) No display of information concerning cruise control, headlight function or windshield wiper settings; (d) Speed limit sign reading in HUD was stuck on 25 mph even though I was driving on roads with higher speed limits (e.g., [XXX] - 45 mph and [XXX] - 55 mph); and (e) Center stack stated "1 serious issue detected - Emergency Call System fault - book a service". The car was driven this way from Fairfax, VA to the Service Department of the Volvo dealership with no change and when I left, the cluster behind the steering wheel and the center stack were still in the same condition. INFORMATION REDACTED PURSUANT TO THE FREEDOM OF INFORMATION ACT (FOIA), 5 U.S.C. 552(B)(6)

1/5/2025

Vehicle: 2024 Volvo EX90 VIN: [XXX] While driving on the highway, the entire digital instrument cluster and infotainment screen went completely black without warning. I could not see my speed, gear indicator, or use turn signals. This created an immediate and dangerous safety hazard, especially at high speed. The issue has occurred more than once, and despite taking the vehicle to the dealership, it has not been permanently resolved. I have filed a California Lemon Law claim with Volvo, and while Volvo acknowledged the defect and promised a buyback on March 18, 2025, they have failed to follow through or provide a resolution for over two weeks. I am submitting this complaint because the vehicle presents an active safety risk to myself and others, and I am concerned that this defect could result in a serious accident or injury if not addressed immediately. I also have video evidence of the blackout event. I am requesting that NHTSA open an investigation into this issue and hold the manufacturer accountable for failing to address a known safety defect in a timely manner. INFORMATION REDACTED PURSUANT TO THE FREEDOM OF INFORMATION ACT (FOIA), 5 U.S.C. 552(B)(6)

4/1/2025

On [XXX] I purchased a brand new 2025 Volvo EX90 from Volvo Cars of North Miami. I’ve been having a number of software glitches since then, but the last incident put my life in direct danger. Yesterday, [XXX] I was driving [XXX] on [XXX] (a four-lane motorway) in Aventura with around 55MPH speed and 76% battery charge. While driving the steering wheel display went dark and at that point, I had no information about my speed or vehicle status typically displayed on the screen. Shortly after that outage the larger Volvo screen started to flicker and went dark. At that point I started to lose control and longer able to safely operate the vehicle. Approximately 30 seconds after the larger screen went dark the turning signals stopped working and I was exposed to a direct rear-end impact from oncoming vehicles. Finally, the vehicle itself lost power and I slowed down almost to a complete stop in the middle of the road while bracing for a direct impact. By grace of God, I was somehow able to use the vehicle inertia and pull over to the side of the road and call for help using my cellphone. The vehicle regained power without any intervention roughly about 10 minutes after that incident. After the smaller screen came back online it displayed a number of error messages including “Critical suspension fault. Stop safely”, “Parking brake cannot hold the car” and others. The vehicle is currently at the dealer awaiting inspection. My fear is that similar software outages could happen to others and they may not be as lucky as I was. If this incident would have happened on the highway at higher speed the outcome would have been fatal. My best guess is that the software updated while the vehicle was in motion and took out of operation all components - powertrain, steering, brakes, even the SOS call button. Please investigate and consider stop sale order, this truly was a close call and I simply got lucky. INFORMATION REDACTED PURSUANT TO THE FREEDOM OF INFORMATION ACT (FOIA), 5 U.S.C. 552(B)(6)

5/9/2025

The vehicle gear selector had reverse (R) selected and pressing the accelerator pedal caused the vehicle to drive forwards. This appears to have been a result of enabling the "one pedal drive" function from the infotainment display while the gear selector was already in reverse. The mismatch of selected / indicated direction vs the resulting direction is a safety issue

7/14/2025

One pedal driving randomly turns off when starting the vehicle. This is a safety issue because we often don't notice its off until we're attempting to stop and taking your foot off the accelerator does not result in braking as expected.

8/3/2025

I have documented 42 issues with this vehicle over the past 9 months of ownership, supported by multiple videos. These issues range from minor annoyances to serious safety concerns. The most alarming incidents include: a) Sudden disengagement of the powertrain b) Stability control system disabling unexpectedly c) Malfunctioning airbags d) Faulty or inoperative lighting systems e) Malfunctioning wipers in rain f) Inability to unlock or start the vehicle To date, I’ve documented and categorized 42 distinct issues. The vehicle has been in service four times, totaling over 48 days, yet the problems remain unresolved.

8/15/2025

I was on the 101 freeway on January 20, 2025. I was driving on the far left lane, driving 72-65 miles an hour. The 2025 Volvo EX90 suddenly wouldn't accelerate more than 36 mph. A turtle error came on the screen. "Driving Performance Reduced Drive with Caution Book a Service" message displayed. Due to the car suddenly slowing down, we almost were read ended by a truck. I have kids in the car. This car had multiple faults. I had the car serviced on 01/20/25 and received it back from the dealer on 01/28/25. After, receiving the car two days later, now the SOS fault System light turned on, and now the Air Bag Fault Light is on. I do have a video of the incident on the freeway when the car started slowing down and the error messages.

2/3/2025

The vehicle gear selector had reverse (R) selected and pressing the accelerator pedal caused the vehicle to drive forwards. This appears to have been a result of enabling the "one pedal drive" function from the infotainment display while the gear selector was already in reverse. The mismatch of selected / indicated direction vs the resulting direction is a safety issue

7/14/2025

At 164 miles on the odometer, I had the following issues: a. Received a message that the active high beam was not available and that it would be necessary to run the wipers to clean the front camera. I ran the wipers with washer fluid to clear the camera as instructed, but it did not clear the error message during the drive cycle; b. Car has Driver Support System Fault; and c. Car has Lane Keeping Aid Fault later in drive cycle which turned off the lane keeping aid function. Car was taken to dealership on 12/23/2024 and returned to me on 1/2/2025.

1/5/2025

Vehicle: 2024 Volvo EX90 VIN: [XXX] While driving on the highway, the entire digital instrument cluster and infotainment screen went completely black without warning. I could not see my speed, gear indicator, or use turn signals. This created an immediate and dangerous safety hazard, especially at high speed. The issue has occurred more than once, and despite taking the vehicle to the dealership, it has not been permanently resolved. I have filed a California Lemon Law claim with Volvo, and while Volvo acknowledged the defect and promised a buyback on March 18, 2025, they have failed to follow through or provide a resolution for over two weeks. I am submitting this complaint because the vehicle presents an active safety risk to myself and others, and I am concerned that this defect could result in a serious accident or injury if not addressed immediately. I also have video evidence of the blackout event. I am requesting that NHTSA open an investigation into this issue and hold the manufacturer accountable for failing to address a known safety defect in a timely manner. INFORMATION REDACTED PURSUANT TO THE FREEDOM OF INFORMATION ACT (FOIA), 5 U.S.C. 552(B)(6)

4/1/2025

At 164 miles on the odometer, I had the following issues: a. Received a message that the active high beam was not available and that it would be necessary to run the wipers to clean the front camera. I ran the wipers with washer fluid to clear the camera as instructed, but it did not clear the error message during the drive cycle; b. Car has Driver Support System Fault; and c. Car has Lane Keeping Aid Fault later in drive cycle which turned off the lane keeping aid function. Car was taken to dealership on 12/23/2024 and returned to me on 1/2/2025.

1/5/2025

Lane keeping sensors periodically fault and Volvo's solution is to reboot the vehicle

7/14/2025

On Saturday, [XXX], I drove from Woodbridge, VA to Fairfax, VA without any issues or error messages. Car was parked and locked for approximately 2 1/4 hours. When I came back out to the car and opened the door, the display behind the steering wheel stated "System communication fault. Pilot Assist deactivated. Find a place to stop and select P to park. When parked, the system will reset." I followed the directions as specified in my parking spot without any change. I moved the car to another location in the parking lot and repeated the process as directed without any change. I then got out of the car, locked the car, walked away from the car so that I was well out of range of the car, and then came back to the car. Despite these efforts, when I unlocked the car with my Key Tag and got back in, I was not able to get the message to clear. This resulted in the following issues: (a) No speedometer on the display or in the HUD; (b) No green graphic for the turn signals to indicate that they were working; (c) No display of information concerning cruise control, headlight function or windshield wiper settings; (d) Speed limit sign reading in HUD was stuck on 25 mph even though I was driving on roads with higher speed limits (e.g., [XXX] - 45 mph and [XXX] - 55 mph); and (e) Center stack stated "1 serious issue detected - Emergency Call System fault - book a service". The car was driven this way from Fairfax, VA to the Service Department of the Volvo dealership with no change and when I left, the cluster behind the steering wheel and the center stack were still in the same condition. INFORMATION REDACTED PURSUANT TO THE FREEDOM OF INFORMATION ACT (FOIA), 5 U.S.C. 552(B)(6)

1/5/2025

The screen behind the steering wheel, which provides the car's speed, driver assist, warning lights, turn signals, and other driving information suddenly went blank. I was grateful that I was close to home and no longer on the interstate highway I had just exited. I drove home, reset the car, and the screen was back on. I was lucky. I could have been at the beginning on my drive, over a hundred miles from home and unable to easily exit the highway. The car is being towed today back to the dealer, again. This happened without warning. I was driving and the whole screen just went black.

7/22/2025

The vehicle has exhibited unexpected braking without any apparent external trigger, posing a safety risk. Most troubling, we have now had a third incident of the seatbelt pre-tensioning unexpectedly and forcefully, which caused my wife several days of lower abdominal discomfort. The most recent episode happened while parking at low speed. These experiences have undermined our trust in the vehicle’s safety systems.

10/6/2025

On three occasions my car has initiated automatic emergency braking while I was driving across the same grated bridge deck (Montlake Bridge in Seattle). In each instance there was no potential for collision and my car slammed on brakes and jammed on my seatbelt with varying levels of discomfort and terror. This also created a safety risk because I could have been rear ended as there was so reason to suddenly stop and certainly was shocked to have my car brake urgently and restrain me suddenly with seatbelt. My best guess is that this related to boats traveling under the bridge as this happened three times during higher boat traffic. I reported incident to Volvo and was told a case would be opened and that I would be contacted. I was not contacted. I scheduled a service appointment to address this and other issues with the EX90 that are unrelated but for the third time my appointment was cancelled as the Volvo dealership is refusing to service the ex90s they have been selling.

10/16/2025

The vehicle has exhibited unexpected braking without any apparent external trigger, posing a safety risk. Most troubling, we have now had a third incident of the seatbelt pre-tensioning unexpectedly and forcefully, which caused my wife several days of lower abdominal discomfort. The most recent episode happened while parking at low speed. These experiences have undermined our trust in the vehicle’s safety systems.

10/6/2025

On three occasions my car has initiated automatic emergency braking while I was driving across the same grated bridge deck (Montlake Bridge in Seattle). In each instance there was no potential for collision and my car slammed on brakes and jammed on my seatbelt with varying levels of discomfort and terror. This also created a safety risk because I could have been rear ended as there was so reason to suddenly stop and certainly was shocked to have my car brake urgently and restrain me suddenly with seatbelt. My best guess is that this related to boats traveling under the bridge as this happened three times during higher boat traffic. I reported incident to Volvo and was told a case would be opened and that I would be contacted. I was not contacted. I scheduled a service appointment to address this and other issues with the EX90 that are unrelated but for the third time my appointment was cancelled as the Volvo dealership is refusing to service the ex90s they have been selling.

10/16/2025

I was on the 101 freeway on January 20, 2025. I was driving on the far left lane, driving 72-65 miles an hour. The 2025 Volvo EX90 suddenly wouldn't accelerate more than 36 mph. A turtle error came on the screen. "Driving Performance Reduced Drive with Caution Book a Service" message displayed. Due to the car suddenly slowing down, we almost were read ended by a truck. I have kids in the car. This car had multiple faults. I had the car serviced on 01/20/25 and received it back from the dealer on 01/28/25. After, receiving the car two days later, now the SOS fault System light turned on, and now the Air Bag Fault Light is on. I do have a video of the incident on the freeway when the car started slowing down and the error messages.

2/3/2025

The vehicle gear selector had reverse (R) selected and pressing the accelerator pedal caused the vehicle to drive forwards. This appears to have been a result of enabling the "one pedal drive" function from the infotainment display while the gear selector was already in reverse. The mismatch of selected / indicated direction vs the resulting direction is a safety issue

7/14/2025

I have documented 42 issues with this vehicle over the past 9 months of ownership, supported by multiple videos. These issues range from minor annoyances to serious safety concerns. The most alarming incidents include: a) Sudden disengagement of the powertrain b) Stability control system disabling unexpectedly c) Malfunctioning airbags d) Faulty or inoperative lighting systems e) Malfunctioning wipers in rain f) Inability to unlock or start the vehicle To date, I’ve documented and categorized 42 distinct issues. The vehicle has been in service four times, totaling over 48 days, yet the problems remain unresolved.

8/15/2025

1. The passenger side daytime fog light occasionally fails to operate, which could be a safety concern in certain driving conditions. 2. The one-pedal drive feature automatically switches off, even though it is saved in my profile. This may present a hazard if I accelerate as if one-pedal drive is still active. 3. The blind spot warning system does not provide an audible alert, and it sometimes activates even when no vehicle is nearby. 4. The reverse warning system occasionally alerts when there are no obstacles behind, making it difficult to trust the warnings. This could be dangerous if a real obstacle is present and the alert is ignored. 5. The door handles can sometimes auto-lock while being held, which poses a risk of finger injury, especially to children. 6. The lane-keeping assist feature occasionally stops functioning unexpectedly, which could be dangerous if the driver is relying on this assistance. 7. The infotainment system’s microphone or speaker intermittently stops working, which is particularly risky if a phone call is ongoing through the system. I have had to manually change the mode while driving. 8. The car can sometimes be unlocked or driven simply by having a paired phone present, with no additional verification checks. This could be a security risk if someone gains access to my phone.

10/7/2025

When leaving a downtown parking garage, I noted the following alert on the driver's screen: "Steering fault - Drive with caution. Book a service." The driver's screen also showed that there was a driver support system fault and that the lane keeping aid was not available. The center stack stated the following: "1 serious issue detected. Steering fault Drive with caution. Book a service." At the time that the fault came up, the car had been driven out of its parking spot (by turning left) approximately 50 feet. I had then stopped the car to talk to a friend. When I got back into the car, I noted the fault message on the driver's screen when I went to back the car up so that I could leave the parking garage. During my trip from downtown to the dealership, I did not note anything unusual other than the fact that the fault messages were displayed. The messages were displayed when I arrived at the dealership and stayed displayed until I exited the car. When I got back in the car to turn it on, the error messages had disappeared.

11/9/2025