2017 Volvo XC90
Plug-in hybrid Gas Midsize / large SUV
The 2017 Volvo XC90 is sold in the U.S. as a plug-in hybrid and gas midsize or large SUV with 4 EPA-rated configurations. The most efficient version, the XC90 AWD PHEV, is EPA-rated at 25 mpg combined. NHTSA lists 7 recall campaigns for this model year, which gives it a Safety Signal grade of F. Owners have filed 77 complaints, most often about engine. NHTSA crash-tested it at 5 stars overall.
Specs & fuel economy (EPA)
| Configuration | Powertrain | Drive | Engine / motor | City | Hwy | Comb | Range | kWh/100mi | Charge (240V) | Annual fuel* |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| XC90 AWD PHEV | Plug-in hybrid | AWD | 2.0L 4-cyl turbo + 34 and 65 kW DCPM | 24 | 27 | 25 (30 MPGe blended) | 14 mi electric | 60 | 3 h | $3,100 |
| XC90 FWD | Gas | FWD | 2.0L 4-cyl turbo | 22 | 26 | 24 | — | — | — | $3,250 |
| XC90 AWD | Gas | AWD | 2.0L 4-cyl turbo | 22 | 25 | 23 | — | — | — | $3,350 |
| XC90 AWD | Gas | AWD | 2.0L 4-cyl turbo | 20 | 25 | 22 | — | — | — | $3,500 |
*EPA estimate at 15,000 miles/year and EPA reference fuel/electricity prices. Source: fueleconomy.gov vehicle records.
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Recalls (7)
Seat Belts
highProblem: Volvo Car USA, LLC (Volvo Car) is recalling certain 2015-2024 XC90 vehicles. The second-row seat belt buckle and lower belt anchor bolts may not be tightened properly.
Risk: An improperly tightened seat belt buckle may not restrain an occupant as intended, increasing their risk of injury during a crash.
Fix: Dealers will inspect and tighten the second-row seat belt buckle anchorage bolts, as necessary, free of charge. Owner notification letters were mailed January 19, 2024. Owners may contact Volvo Car customer service at 1-800-458-1552. Volvo Car's number for this recall is R10259.
Electrical System
minorProblem: Volvo Car USA, LLC (Volvo Car) is recalling certain 2016-2020 XC90 Excellence vehicles. Liquid or condensation on the rear seat control display may cause the front passenger seat to move back as far as possible.
Risk: The rear passenger may become trapped by the front seat without the ability to cancel the seat's movement, increasing the risk of injury.
Fix: Volvo Car will notify owners, and dealers will update the rear seat control display software, free of charge. Owner notification letters were mailed July 14, 2021. Owners may contact Volvo Car customer service at 1-888-458-1552. Volvo Car's number for this recall is R10093.
Electrical System
minorProblem: Volvo Car USA LLC (Volvo) is recalling certain 2017-2019 Volvo XC90, S90, V60, V60 Cross Country, V90, XC40, XC60, and V90 Cross Country vehicles. The software installed in the Vehicle Connectivity Module (VCM) may have an error causing the Telematics and Driver Support Systems to function improperly. As a result, the GPS will not provide location information to emergency personnel in the event of an emergency.
Risk: If the GPS location is not provided to emergency personnel it can inhibit emergency response in the event of a crash or injury.
Fix: Volvo will notify owners, and dealers will correct the software, free of charge. The recall began December 26, 2018. Owners may contact Volvo customer service at 1-800-458-1552. Volvo's number for this recall is R39917.
Seat Belts
highProblem: Volvo Car USA LLC (Volvo) is recalling certain 2017 XC90 vehicles. The Micro Gas Generator (MGG), a subcomponent part used within the right hand side seat belt retractor for the third row seats, may detach after the seatbelt retractor pretensioner is deployed.
Risk: Although, the seat belt will operate as intended in the event of a crash, if the MGG detaches, it may be a projectile within the vehicle cabin, increasing the risk of injury.
Fix: Volvo will notify owners, and dealers will replace the third row passenger's side seatbelt retractor, free of charge. The recall began August 4, 2017. Owners may contact Volvo customer service at 1-800-458-1552. Volvo's number for this recall is R89716.
Air Bags
highProblem: Volvo Car USA LLC (Volvo) is recalling certain 2017 XC90, S90, and V90 Cross Country vehicles. The bolts that secure the Inflatable Curtain (IC) air bags in place may break, possibly resulting in the IC air bag deploying improperly in the event of a crash. As, such, these vehicles fail to comply with the requirements of Federal Motor Vehicle Safety Standard (FMVSS) number 226, "Ejection Mitigation."
Risk: If the IC air bags do not deploy properly in the event of a crash, the vehicle occupants have an increased risk of injury.
Fix: Volvo will notify owners, and dealers will inspect and replace the bolts, as necessary, free of charge. The recall is expected to begin April 1, 2017. Owners may contact Volvo customer service at 1-800-458-1552. Volvo's number for this recall is R89714.
Seat Belts
highProblem: Volvo Car USA LLC (Volvo) is recalling certain model year 2016-2017 XC90, S90, XC60, V60 Cross Country, V60, S60 Cross Country, S60, and S60 Inscription vehicles manufactured February 16, 2015, to August 22, 2016. On the affected vehicles, the front passenger seat belt buckle attaching stud may loosen, allowing the buckle to separate from the seat belt bracket. As such, these vehicles fail to comply with the requirements of Federal Motor Vehicle Safety Standard (FMVSS) number 210, "Seat Belt Assembly Anchorages" and number 209, "Seat Belt Assemblies."
Risk: If the seat belt buckle separates from the bracket, the front seat passenger may not be adequately restrained in the event of a crash, increasing their risk of injury in the event of a crash.
Fix: Volvo will notify owners, and dealers will inspect the front passenger seat belt buckle stud, replacing the seat belt buckle as needed, free of charge. The recall began January 2017. Owners may contact Volvo customer service at 1-800-458-1552. Volvo's number for this recall is R89708.
Air Bags
highProblem: Volvo Cars of North America, LLC (Volvo) is recalling certain model year 2016-2017 Volvo XC90 and S90 vehicles manufactured April 15, 2015 through September 19, 2016. In the affected vehicles, the drain hose for the air conditioning may leak into the passenger compartment due to a drain hose installation error during manufacturing.
Risk: Significant water drainage into the passenger compartment may adversely affect air bag deployment in the event of a crash, increasing the risk of occupant injury.
Fix: Volvo will notify owners, and dealers will inspect the air conditioning drain hose for proper installation, replacing the hose as necessary, free of charge. The recall is expected to begin on November the 14, 2016. Owners may contact Volvo at 1-800-458-1552. Volvo's number for this campaign is R89707.
NHTSA investigations
Electrical System:Propulsion System — Pedestrian alert sounds (closed)
NHTSA received a petition on or about July 18, 2022, requesting that Federal Motor Vehicle Safety Standard (FMVSS) 141 be applied to all electric and hybrid vehicles operating in the United States. The petition can be reviewed at NHTSA.gov under ODI Number 11486072. FMVSS 141 establishes performance requirements for pedestrian alert sounds for motor vehicles. The standard applies to hybrid and electric vehicles that have a gross vehicle weight rating of 4,536 KG or less or are defined as low-speed vehicles. The standard became fully applicable to all such vehicles manufactured on or after March 1, 2021.On January 27, 2023, NHTSA opened Defect Petition (DP) 22-005 to evaluate the subject matt
Opened Jan 27, 2023 · closed Aug 7, 2023 · action DP22005
Owner complaints
77 complaints filed
3 involved a crash, 7 a fire, 9 injuries, 0 deaths reported by owners.
Filed by year — 2017: 10 · 2018: 6 · 2019: 7 · 2020: 1 · 2021: 4 · 2022: 6 · 2023: 5 · 2024: 13 · 2025: 12 · 2026: 13
Most-cited components
- Engine — 24
- Unknown Or Other — 21
- Electrical System — 18
- Structure — 7
- Service Brakes — 7
Complaint counts are raw owner reports to NHTSA, not verified defects, and scale with how many were sold. Use them to spot patterns, not to rank.
Crash ratings
| Configuration | Overall | Frontal | Side | Rollover | Rollover risk |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| SUV AWD | ★★★★★ | ★★★★★ | ★★★★★ | ★★★★☆ | 18% |
| SUV AWD | ★★★★★ | ★★★★★ | ★★★★★ | ★★★★☆ | 18% |
| SUV AWD | ★★★★★ | ★★★★★ | ★★★★★ | ★★★★☆ | 16% |
| SUV FWD | not rated | ★★★★★ | ★★★★★ | not rated | — |
| SUV FWD | not rated | ★★★★★ | ★★★★★ | not rated | — |
NHTSA New Car Assessment Program. Standard driver-assist: forward collision warning, lane departure warning.
Other XC90 model years
2027 XC90
0 recalls · 0 complaints
A2026 XC90
1 recalls · 6 complaints
A2025 XC90
3 recalls · 27 complaints
B2024 XC90
4 recalls · 34 complaints
F2023 XC90
7 recalls · 39 complaints
F2022 XC90
5 recalls · 29 complaints
F2021 XC90
7 recalls · 35 complaints
F2020 XC90
9 recalls · 30 complaints
D2019 XC90
6 recalls · 41 complaints
B2018 XC90
3 recalls · 50 complaints
F2016 XC90
8 recalls · 198 complaints
Sources & method
Safety Signal starts every model-year at 100 and subtracts points per open NHTSA recall campaign by severity: critical 15 (fire risk, park-outside or do-not-drive advisories), high 8 (brakes, steering, airbags, loss of drive power, structure, battery), moderate 6, minor 3 (software, labels, lighting fixed by an update). Floor 35. A ≥ 90, B ≥ 80, C ≥ 70, D ≥ 60, otherwise F. Complaint counts and NHTSA crash ratings are shown separately and are not blended into the grade.
EPA figures come from fueleconomy.gov vehicle records (ids 37703, 37687, 37548, 37547). Recalls, complaints, investigations and crash ratings come from NHTSA's public flat files, refreshed weekly.