2005 Volvo XC90: problems, recalls and reliability
6 recalls and 223 owner complaints on record; the weakest area is power train (25% of complaints); the 2003 and 2006 and 2007 model years look more trouble-free.
Data updated weekly · latest recall Nov 2010
All counts are reports filed with NHTSA in the United States - US market only, not worldwide totals.
Common problems
Computed from 223 owner complaints filed with NHTSA for this exact model year.
“Water is leaking from the windshield into the driver and passenger side inside on the window obstructing my view while driving. Cannot drive the vehicle while it's raining. Serious safety problem! Please recall and fix all Volvos with this problem.”Owner report · Visibility/Wiper · Jan 2023
“When cranking it stalls and cuts off and after doing it around 10 times it finally cranks then I have to hurry to put in drive to get the motor going in order to keep her crunk and couple weeks ago because this problem she stalled out and I hit a hole in the road and busted the oil pan so she has been parked every since cause I had my daughter in the car and that wasn't a pretty sight since the hit made her nervous now can't get her to get in the car so I need my car fixed and I see it has several recalls and all and it was on a county street once I got it crunk back up it smoked badly till I turned it off and it took four hours for me to get it out the road”Owner report · Engine · Jul 2020
“Bought car and been having problems every since I have had problems I keep fuel injection in it so I can move the car to point a and b”Owner report · Fuel/Propulsion System · Mar 2020
Show 7 more owner reports
“Tl* the contact owns a 2005 volvo xc90. Ever since the vehicle was purchased in november of 2018, there had been several electrical failures. The headlights, power door locks, and power rearview mirror failed to operate. Also, the transmission caused the vehicle to jerk and stall while driving. The contact took the vehicle to an unknown volvo dealer, but they refused to provide diagnostic testing and stated that there was no recall or warranty coverage on the vehicle. The manufacturer was not contacted. The failure mileage was 14,042.”Owner report · Electrical System · Nov 2018
“Began smelling gas odor and noticed a small leak. Found that there was a recall on the fuel pump for my model and year but when I call volvo about the recall, my vehicle wasn't included even though my vehicle was registered in the states where the recall was associated.”Owner report · Fuel/Propulsion System · Aug 2018
“All the vehicle lights will come on over the dash and the wheel locks then it shuts off while I am driving. This is so unsafe for my family. I am not sure why there is not a recall for my VIN # when google clearly states that this is a hazard and that there are recalls for this problem.”Owner report · Air Bags · Apr 2018
“2005 volvo xc90 has many problems. Transmission jumps and jerks when switching to higher gears. Almost throws the car off the road at times. Also, vehicle has many electrical problems due to car not being sealed properly. This leads to electrical issues including faulty air bag codes, brake lights and rear turn signals going out. Car has no brake lights nor rear turn signals at all. Dealership can not find problem says it is due to the 2005 volvo xc90 not having relays at all. And also from water being introduced to electrical parts.”Owner report · Unknown Or Other · Oct 2017
“My car is a 2005, transmission never had a indicator light showing it needed service, now my transmission needs replacing at 131,000 miles. I know of several others with the same situation. Volvo claims they are the only ones that can service the transmission. I don't trust them and now it's being served at aamco.”Owner report · Unknown Or Other · Jul 2017
“This model is experiencing the same as recalls in similar models but for some reason isn't recalled. Fuel system is faulty. Leaking fuel and cracks in fuel pump. Replaced with 4 pumps from volvo and now it is kicking out ecm code and blowing every fuel system installed.”Owner report · Fuel/Propulsion System · Jul 2017
“Tl* the contact owns a 2005 volvo xc90. The contact stated that the vehicle randomly stalled without warning. The vehicle was towed and parked on the contact's street due to the failure. The manufacturer was notified. The vehicle was not diagnosed or repaired. The failure mileage was not available.”Owner report · Electrical System · Jun 2017
When filing, owners marked a crash in 1 of these complaints and injuries in 1 - self-reported to NHTSA, not verified accident statistics.
Recalls - 6 campaigns
VOLVO IS RECALLING CERTAIN VEHICLES EQUIPPED WITH GARMIN 760 PORTABLE GLOBAL POSITIONING SYSTEM (GPS) UNITS BECAUSE THE BATTERIES ON THOSE UNITS MAY OVERHEAT.
Remedy: VOLVO ADVISES OWNERS TO PLEASE STOP USING THE GARMIN PORTABLE GPS DEVICE IMMEDIATELY, AND VISIT THE GARMIN WEBSITE TO DETERMINE IF THEIR UNIT IS AFFECTED. THE UNIT'S BATTERY WILL BE REPLACED WITH A NEW BATTERY AND A SPACER WILL BE INSERTED ON TOP OF THE BATTERY NEXT TO THE PCB. THIS SERVICE WILL BE PERFORMED FREE OF CHARGE. THE SAFETY RECALL BEGAN ON NOVEMBER 18, 2010. OWNERS MAY CONTACT GARMIN AT 866-957-1981 OR VISIT GARMIN'S WEBSITE AT WWW.GARMIN.COM/NUVIBATTERYPCBRECALL.
ON CERTAIN PASSENGER AND SPORT UTILITY VEHICLES, DUE TO AN ERROR IN THE FACTORY ASSEMBLY INSTRUCTION, THE B+TERMINAL MAY BE IN CONFLICT WITH THE STARTER MOTOR SOLENOID. IF THIS OCCURS, THE CONFLICT BETWEEN THE B+TERMINAL AND THE STARTER MOTOR SOLENOID MAY DEVELOP INTO A SHORT CIRCUIT OF THE BATTERY CABLE TO GROUND.
Remedy: DEALERS WILL INSPECT AND INCREASE DISTANCE BETWEEN THE B+TERMINAL AND THE STARTER MOTOR SOLENOID BY ADJUSTING THE TERMINAL. THE RECALL BEGAN ON JANUARY 31, 2006. OWNERS MAY CONTACT VOLVO AT 1-800-458-1552.
ON CERTAIN PASSENGER VEHICLES, IT HAS BEEN DETERMINED THAT WHILE DOING BATTERY MAINTENANCE THE JACK'S CRANK HANDLE CAN BE MISPLACED UNDER A BRACKET WHICH RETAINS THE BATTERY.
Remedy: DEALERS WILL INSPECT AND ENSURE PROPER PLACEMENT OF THE JACK CRANK HANDLE AND A WARNING LABEL WITH APPROVED TEXT WILL BE AFFIXED TO THE BRACKET WHICH RETAINS THE BATTERY. THIS WARNING LABEL WILL INFORM AN OPERATOR NOT TO PLACE THE JACK CRANK HANDLE BETWEEN THE BRACKET AND THE BATTERY FREE OF CHARGE. THE RECALL BEGAN ON JULY 7, 2007. OWNERS MAY CONTACT VOLVO AT 1-800-458-1552.
ON CERTAIN PASSENGER VEHICLES,THE OUTER TIE ROD BALL JOINT CAN DEFORM AT HIGH LOADS CAUSING A LOSS OF THE CLAMPING FORCE AND THE NUT MAY LOOSEN, WHICH MAY EVENTUALLY LEAD TO A FATIGUE FRACTURE OF THE OUTER TIE ROD BALL JOINT.
Remedy: DEALERS WILL REPLACE THE OUTER BALL JOINT TIE RODS WITH IMPROVED OUTER BALL JOINT TIE RODS FREE OF CHARGE. THE RECALL BEGAN ON JUNE 23, 2006. OWNERS MAY CONTACT VOLVO AT 1-800-458-1552.
VOLVO IS RECALLING CERTAIN MODEL YEAR 2001-2005 S80, MODEL YEAR 2001-2004 V70, S60, XC70 AND MODEL YEAR 2003-2005 XC90 VEHICLES SOLD IN OR REGISTERED IN THE STATES OF ALABAMA, ARIZONA, ARKANSAS, CALIFORNIA, FLORIDA, GEORGIA, HAWAII, KENTUCKY, LOUISIANA, MISSISSIPPI, NEVADA, NEW MEXICO, NORTH CAROLINA, OKLAHOMA, SOUTH CAROLINA, TENNESSEE, TEXAS, UTAH, VIRGINIA AND THE U.S. TERRITORIES. WHEN EXPOSED TO CERTAIN ENVIRONMENTAL CONDITIONS (HOT CLIMATE AND TEMPERATURE CYCLING) OVER TIME AND IN COMBINATION WITH VARYING FUEL QUALITY, THE FUEL PUMP CAN DEVELOP CRACKS IN THE FUEL PUMP FLANGE.
Remedy: DEALERS WILL INSPECT THE FUEL PUMP INSTALLED IN THE VEHICLE, AND IF NECESSARY REPLACE THE FUEL PUMP WITH A PART OF A MODIFIED DESIGN. THIS SERVICE WILL BE PERFORMED FREE OF CHARGE. THE SAFETY RECALL BEGAN ON JANUARY 15, 2010. OWNERS MAY CONTACT VOLVO AT 1-800-458-1552.
ON CERTAIN VEHICLES, IF THE WIPER ARM IS ACTIVATED IN EXTREME WINTER WEATHER CONDITIONS AND WITHOUT LIFTING THE WIPER ARMS AND CLEANING THE WINDSHIELD PRIOR TO MOVING, THE WIPER ARM MIGHT SLIP ON ITS DRIVESHAFT, RESULTING IN AN INABILITY TO MOVE THE WIPERS FROM THE PARK POSITION.
Remedy: DEALERS WILL REPLACE THE WIPER ARMS AND RETAINING NUTS. THE RECALL BEGAN ON SEPTEMBER 5, 2006. OWNERS MAY CONTACT VOLVO CARS AT 1-800-458-1552.
Specifications
Factory options offered for the 2005 model year, decoded from the NHTSA vPIC database. Individual vehicles have one of each.
How other years compare
Check your exact XC90 by VIN
Recalls and equipment differ between individual vehicles. Decode your VIN to see what applies to yours.
Open VIN decoderFrequently asked questions
Is the 2005 Volvo XC90 reliable?
NHTSA has 223 owner complaints and 6 recall campaigns on record for the 2005 Volvo XC90. The most complained-about area is power train (25% of complaints).
At what mileage do 2005 Volvo XC90 problems usually appear?
Half of the complaints that mention mileage were filed at 86,000 miles or less.
Does the 2005 Volvo XC90 have open recalls?
6 recall campaigns have been issued, the latest concerning equipment:electrical:navigational system(global positioning system). Check your specific vehicle by VIN - recall repairs are free at franchised dealers.
Source: NHTSA recall campaigns and owner complaints (public domain). Counts reflect reports on file and are not a defect rate.