"How reliable is the 2008 Volvo Xc90?"

"Based on 44 NHTSA complaints, the 2008 Volvo Xc90 has a median complaint mileage of 73160 miles. The most common issue is ELECTRICAL SYSTEM."

"What are common problems with the 2008 Volvo Xc90?"

"The most frequently reported component in NHTSA complaints for the 2008 Volvo Xc90 is ELECTRICAL SYSTEM, accounting for a significant portion of the 44 total complaints filed."

2008 Volvo Xc90: Reliability Data

Source: NHTSA — 44 complaints

Total Complaints

73,160mi

Median Mileage

ELECTRICAL SYSTEM

Top Issue

Crash Reports

When Do Complaints Happen?

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

25,521 25th Percentile

73,160 Median Mileage

116,580 75th Percentile

What Fails?

Most reported component issues from NHTSA complaints.

ELECTRICAL SYSTEM

ENGINE

SEAT BELTS

POWER TRAIN

UNKNOWN OR OTHER

FUEL/PROPULSION SYSTEM

ELECTRONIC STABILITY CONTROL (ESC)

ENGINE AND ENGINE COOLING:ENGINE

POWER TRAIN:AUTOMATIC TRANSMISSION

SEATS

Severity Assessment

Crashes

Fires

Injuries

Deaths

Sample Complaint Reports

"MY 2005 T6 HAS ALREADY HAD A TRANSMISSION REPLACED AT 25K MILES (UNDER WARRANTY). THE REPLACEMENT TRANSMISSION RECENTLY SLIPPED GEARS WITH 32K MILES AND THE DEALER SAID THAT IT WAS "OLDER" VERSION OF THE ENGINE MANAGEMENT SOFTWARE CODE WHICH CAUSED IT TO HAPPEN. *TR"

"TOOK DELIVERY OF VOLVO XC90 ON FEB 4, 2008. ON FEB 11, 2008 WITH 435 MILES, THE CAR LOST ALMOST ALL ITS ENGINE OIL AND THE COMPUTER DISPLAYED "LOW OIL LEVEL" MESSAGE. ALL THE TIME, IT WAS SPEWING BLUISH/WHITE SMOKE DURING INITIAL START UP AND ACCELERATION. WAS FLAT-BEDDED TO THE DEALER AND IT TOO..."

"MY 4 YEAR OLD SON WAS IN AN ACCIDENT WITH OUR BRAND NEW VOLVO XC90. I GOT OUT OF CAR TO TAKE A PICTURE (LEAVING THE ENGINE ON FOR AIR CONDITIONING) AND HE SHIFTED THE CAR OUT OF PARK, CRASHING THANK GOODNESS INTO A FENCE THAT SLOWLY STOPPED HIM. KNOWING HE CANNOT REACH THE BREAK I IMMEDIATELY TEST..."

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