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What 7 owners told NHTSA about the 2016 Volvo XC70

These are the actual owner complaints behind this car’s reliability verdict, filed with the federal government, unedited. They’re unverified reports, not confirmed defects: read them as leads for your pre-purchase inspection, not a diagnosis.

All (7)Engine (2)Electrical system (1)Seat belts (1)Transmission & drivetrain (1)Visibility & wipers (1)

Newest first · 7 complaints

Jan 24, 2024Seat belts

The seatbelts on the front driver and passenger side have failed to release when trying to unbuckle. This is a hazard. If there was a moment where it's imperative to leave the car (fire, water, etc) Driver and passenger could get locked in their seatbelts without the ability to exit the vehicle. Volvo would have covered it if the factor warranty was still active. My complaint wa ignored while the vehicle was under warranty. Now that it is out of warranty I am forced to replace the failed parts out of my pocket.

NHTSA ODI 11567540

Apr 12, 2023Engine

VOLVO. CONSUMER WRITES IN REGARD TO A DEFECTIVE ENGINE.

NHTSA ODI 11516657

Feb 27, 2023Electrical system

We have experienced three major defects with this vehicle. First and most concerning is the intermittent blackout of the driver's instrument panel (aka driver's information module, DIM). Second most conerning is the defect in the trailer lighting control module that leaves stop, running and signal lighting on our trailer unreliable. Both of these defects appear to be design or manufacturing defects that can be corrected by upgrading the relevent parts. The third defect is in the design of the traction control system that has no physical switch readily accessible to the driver for temporary use in emergency situations, but rather is buried in the MyCar software selection, labeled "Sport Mode." This design requres a driver to override the traction control during the entire driving session, leaving the car without traction control when it might be needed during the same inclement road conditions that would warrant momentary deactivation of the system. Ie, in icy conditions one would want traction control on most times, but not when starting on ice or mounting snow berms at driveway exits, etc.

NHTSA ODI 11509297

Oct 6, 2021Engine

Car stalled at an intersection twice. We took it to a repair shop after the first instance and they told us the battery had died, though they were able to charge it and it restarted fine. They could not find any other issues. We continued to drive it and two days later the car died at another intersection just after my wife had picked up our kids from school. We had it towed to the dealer this time. I relayed the recall information for an earlier or different model of my car that sounded like the same issue: the starter motor fuse. I believe this to be the same issue even though my car did not show up on the recall.

NHTSA ODI 11435794

Oct 15, 2018Visibility & wipers

THE BACKUP CAMERA IS MALFUNCTIONING NOW BECAUSE THE VIEW FIELD IS PARTIALLY BLOCKED BY THE VEHICLE BODY. I WAS TOLD THAT THERE'RE SOME OTHER CARS (INCLUDING SOME NEW CARS AT DEALER) HAVE SIMILAR PROBLEMS. I VISITED THE RETAILER AND THEN CONTACTED THE CUSTOM CARE CENTER OF VOLVO. HOWEVER, THE RESPONSE IS DISAPPOINTING (HONESTLY, UNACCEPTABLE) BECAUSE I WAS TOLD THAT VOLVO CANNOT FIX IT.

NHTSA ODI 11140377

Mar 22, 2018Transmission & drivetrain

WHEN COLD SOMETIMES NOT ABLE TO SHIFT FROM PARK TO ANY OTHER GEAR OR NEUTRAL. AFTER DRIVING, ABLE TO SHIFT FROM DRIVE OR REVERSE BACK TO PARK BUT GET MESSAGE SAYING "CAR IS NOT IN PARK - SHIFT TO PARK". WHEN IN NEUTRAL SOMETIMES NOT ABLE MOVE SHIFTER FROM NEUTRAL TO DRIVE OR PARK. WHEN CONTACTED DEALER FOR SERVICE THEY SEEMED TO BE FAMILIAR WITH THE PROBLEM. MY CONCERNS ARE NOT BEING ABLE TO DRIVE CAR ON DEMAND, AS WELL AS NOT KNOWING IF CAR IS TRULY IN PARK OR NOT.

NHTSA ODI 11080901

Mar 14, 2018

OWNER ON INTERSTATE AT POSTED SPEED (65) HEARD EXPLOSIVE SOUND OF THE SUNROOF EXPLODING. NO OTHER CARS WERE AHEAD OR ALONGSIDE, AND NO EVIDENCE OF A THROWN OR DROPPED OBJECT WAS APPARENT AT THAT TIME OR AFTERWARD. FORTUNATELY THE SUNSHADE SHIELDED HER FROM MOST OF THE BROKEN GLASS. DEALER CALLED IT AN 'ACT OF GOD' AND WOULD NOT HONOR A WARRANTY CLAIM FOR THE DAMAGE ' ESTIMATED AT OVER $1,100. INSURANCE COMPANY IS COVERING ALL COSTS, INCLUDING RENTAL CAR, UNTIL REPAIRS ARE COMPLETED.

NHTSA ODI 11079132

Working with the data? Download all 7 complaints as CSV · fetched from NHTSA July 27, 2026

How to use these: a complaint is one owner’s report, filed voluntarily and published unverified. Patterns matter more than any single story. If several owners describe the same failure at similar mileage, put that system at the top of your pre-purchase inspection list. Back to the full 2016 Volvo XC70 verdict →