2003 Volvo Xc90: Reliability Data

Source: NHTSA — 149 complaints
149
Total Complaints
78,172mi
Median Mileage
POWER TRAIN:AUTOMATIC TRANSMISSION
Top Issue
3
Crash Reports

When Do Complaints Happen?

Distribution of NHTSA complaints by vehicle mileage at time of report.

45,000 25th Percentile
78,172 Median Mileage
104,000 75th Percentile

What Fails?

Most reported component issues from NHTSA complaints.

POWER TRAIN:AUTOMATIC TRANSMISSION
39
ELECTRICAL SYSTEM
13
POWER TRAIN
7
SUSPENSION
5
EQUIPMENT
4
AIR BAGS
4
FUEL/PROPULSION SYSTEM
4
STRUCTURE
3
FUEL SYSTEM, GASOLINE
3
ELECTRONIC STABILITY CONTROL (ESC)
3

Severity Assessment

3
Crashes
3
Fires
10
Injuries
0
Deaths

Sample Complaint Reports

"PROBLEMS WITH THE EMERGENCY BRAKE SYSTEM. CAR WAS IN THE SHOP THREE TIMES FOR A TOTAL OF SIX WEEKS. ENTIRE SYSTEM WAS REPLACED USING PARTS THAT WILL BE AVAILABLE ON THE 2005 MODELS. *AK"
"MAXIMUM TIRE PRESSURE DISCREPANCY BETWEEN TIRE MANUFACTURER AND THE TIRE PRESSURE USED BY THE VEHICLE MANUFACTURER.THE MICHELIN PILOT HXMXM4 (235/60-18) WHICH ARE THE DEFAULT 18" TIRES ON THE VOLVO XC90 FROM THE FACTORY HAS A MAX 35PSI WHILE OTHER TIRES OF THE SAME SIZE HAS UPTO 51PSI MAX. THE VEHI..."
"WE BOUGHT A 2003 VOLVO XC 90 IN JANUARY 2003, THE VEHICLE IS LESS THAN A YEAR OLD AND HAS ABOUT 12,600 MILES. IN THE LAST SIX WEEKS, WE HAVE HAD FOUR SYSTEM PROBLEMS, BRAKES, CRUISE CONTROL, AC/ DEFROSTER AND MOST RECENTLY AUTOMATIC TRANSMISSION. I BELIEVE THAT THE TRANSMISSION IS THE MOST SERIOUS P..."

Source: NHTSA ODI Complaints Database. Names and identifying details omitted.

Data source: View this vehicle on NHTSA.gov | NHTSA ODI Complaints Database. Public domain.

Methodology: Complaint counts and mileage distributions are computed directly from consumer-reported NHTSA complaints. This data represents reported issues, not failure rates — vehicles without complaints are not represented. Full methodology.

Data through: 2026-03-28