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What 28 owners told NHTSA about the 2020 Volvo XC90 T8

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 (28)Crash / fire / injury (4)Electrical system (7)Engine (5)Brakes (4)Speed control (4)Body & structure (3)Fuel system (3)Transmission & drivetrain (3)Latches & locks (2)Airbags (1)Backup camera & sensors (1)

1 of 28 complaints match · Brakes · crash/fire/injury only · clear filters

Apr 28, 2020BrakesCrash

ON FEBRUARY 5, 2020 I WAS INVOLVED IN A MINOR FENDER BENDER WHICH RESULTED WHEN I DROVE OFF ALIGHT AND THE CAR IN FRONT OF ME DID NOT TAKE OFF AND I HIT IT IN THE REAR AT A VERY LOW RATE OF SPEED. THE AUTO BRAKE DID NOT ENGAGE. I WAS NO MORE THAN ONE AND A HALF CAR LENGTHS BEHIND AND THE CAR WAS MOVING AT ONE TO TWO MILES PER HOUR. WHEN I HIT THE REAR OF THE CAR IN FRONT OF ME THE AIR BAGS DEPLOYED WHICH CAUSED ME TO HAVE A SLIGHT CONCUSSION AND CERTAINLY SCARED ME. THERE WAS LITTLE IF NO PHYSICAL DAMAGE TO THE VEHICLE. I CONTACTED VOLVO CUSTOMER CARE A FEW DAYS AFTER ADVISING THAT AUTO BRAKE SYSTEM DID NOT ENGAGE AND THE AIRBAG DEPLOYED. THE REPORT WAS TAKEN. I WAS ADVISED THAT THERE WERE NO PRIOR REPORTS OF THIS ISSUE. VOLVO REPAIR WAS NOT WILLING TO ACKNOWLEDGE MY CONCERN AND WOULD NOT CONFIRM THAT PRIOR TO THE REPAIR THERE-WOULD BE A REPAIR. CANDIDLY THEY WERE NOT GOING TO DO ANYTHING EXCEPT ACCEPT INSURANCE CHECK AND FIX IT. I NOW HAVE RECEIVED A RECALL NOTICE FOR THIS EXACT ISSUE WHICH I HAD REPORTED. I ADVISED THEN I WAS AFRAID OF THE CAR BECAUSE I WAS AFRAID THE AIRBAG WOULD DEPLOY UNNECESSARILY AGAIN. HOW DO I ADDRESS THE FACT THAT I WILL NOT USE THIS CAR ANY LONGER.

NHTSA ODI 11322553

Working with the data? Download all 28 complaints as CSV · fetched from NHTSA July 20, 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 2020 Volvo XC90 T8 verdict →