RoadVitals

2020 Volvo S90

Recalls, owner-reported complaints, investigations and safety data

Data refreshed

Owner complaintsComplaints are reports submitted to NHTSA by owners and drivers. NHTSA does not verify most reports before publishing them, and a complaint does not establish that a defect exists. Volume is influenced by how many of a vehicle were sold, how long it has been on the road, and how much attention an issue has received.
3
Latest May 26, 2026
Safety recallsA safety recall is issued when a manufacturer or NHTSA determines that a vehicle has a safety-related defect or does not comply with a federal motor vehicle safety standard. Recall repairs are free. Whether a specific vehicle is covered depends on its VIN — a recall listed for a model year does not necessarily apply to every vehicle of that year.
3
Latest Mar 24, 2025
InvestigationsNHTSA opens an investigation to examine whether a safety defect may exist. An open investigation is not a determination that a defect exists, and many investigations close without a recall. Investigations can, however, lead to one.
1
Crash or fire reportedComplaints whose submitter recorded that a crash or a fire occurred. These are the reporter's own answers on the NHTSA form, not verified findings.
0

Overview

Our database contains 3 NHTSA owner-reported complaints for the 2020 Volvo S90, most frequently naming the driver assistance, brakes and other / unspecified categories. 3 safety recalls have been issued covering this model year; 1 NHTSA investigation names it; and 216 manufacturer communications are on file.

Complaints are reports submitted by owners and drivers to NHTSA. They are not verified and do not establish that a defect exists.

What owners report

Complaints grouped by the component NHTSA recorded

  • Driver assistance240.0%
  • Brakes120.0%
  • Other / unspecified120.0%
  • Suspension120.0%

Percentages are of component mentions. A single complaint can name more than one component, so these do not sum to the total complaint count.

Safety recalls

3 campaigns cover this model year

Recalls apply to specific vehicles, not to every vehicle of a model year. Check your VIN with NHTSA or your manufacturer's dealer to confirm whether a recall affects your vehicle.

Check a VIN on NHTSA.gov
25V179000

ELECTRICAL SYSTEM:PROPULSION SYSTEM:TRACTION BATTERY; ELECTRICAL SYSTEM:SOFTWARE

Mar 24, 2025
7,483 units potentially affected
The defect: Volvo Car USA, LLC (Volvo Car) is recalling certain 2020-2021 S90, 2020-2022 S60, V60, XC60, XC90, and 2022 V90 plug-in hybrid vehicles. The high-voltage battery may experience a short circuit within the battery module when the battery is fully charged and the vehicle is parked.
The risk: A short circuit in a high-voltage battery increases the risk of a fire.
The remedy: Owners are advised not to charge their vehicles until the remedy has been completed. Dealers will inspect and replace the high-voltage battery module as necessary. In addition, dealers will update the software to monitor the battery. All repairs will be performed free of charge. Owner notification letters were mailed May 28, 2025. Owners may contact Volvo Car's customer service at 1-800-458-1552. Volvo Car's number for this recall is R10312.
Volvo Car USA, LLCManufacturer number R10312View on NHTSA.gov
21V414000

ELECTRICAL SYSTEM:WIRING:FUSES AND CIRCUIT BREAKERS; FUEL SYSTEM, GASOLINE:DELIVERY:FUEL PUMP

Jun 2, 2021
85,550 units potentially affected
The defect: Volvo Car USA, LLC (Volvo Car) is recalling certain 2019-2020 V90, XC60, S60, V60, V60CC, S90, V90CC, S90L, and XC90 vehicles. The low-pressure fuel pump can blow a fuse and fail.
The risk: Failure of the low-pressure fuel pump can cause a stall, increasing the risk of a crash.
The remedy: Dealers will replace the fuse, free of charge. Owner notification letters were mailed July 2, 2021. Owners may contact Volvo Car customer service at 1-888-458-1552. Volvo Car's number for this recall is R10100.
Volvo Car USA, LLCManufacturer number R10100View on NHTSA.gov
20V144000

FORWARD COLLISION AVOIDANCE: AUTOMATIC EMERGENCY BRAKING; FORWARD COLLISION AVOIDANCE:SOFTWARE:PEDESTRIAN/CYCLIST/OBJECT/OBSTACLE/ RECOGNITION

Mar 12, 2020
121,605 units potentially affected
The defect: Volvo Cars USA LLC (Volvo Cars) is recalling certain 2019-2020 S60, V60, V60 Cross Country, S90L, V90, V90 Cross Country, XC40, XC60, and XC90 vehicles. Due to a software/hardware incompatibility, the Automatic Emergency Brake (AEB) system may not detect obstacles and engage as intended.
The risk: If the automatic emergency braking system does not engage as intended, it can increase the risk of a crash.
The remedy: Volvo will notify owners, and dealers will update the Active Safety Domain Master (ASDM) software, free of charge. The recall began April 9, 2020. Owners may contact Volvo customer service at 1-800-458-1552. Volvo's number for this recall is R29998.
Volvo Car USA LLCManufacturer number R29998View on NHTSA.gov

Safety investigations

NHTSA inquiries naming this vehicle. An investigation is not a finding of a defect.

DP22005ClosedDefect Petition

Pedestrian alert sounds

Opened Jan 27, 2023
Closed Aug 7, 2023

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 matter described in the petition. On June 24, 2023 and as supplemented on June 25, 2023, the petitioner notified NHTSA he was withdrawing his petition. The petitioner indicated that, based on his review of data, there is no justification for asserting potential benefits that could be derived from actions sought by my petition. Based on the petitioner's withdrawal, DP22-005 is closed. Closure of this DP does not represent a determination by NHTSA regarding the subject matter of the petition.

ELECTRICAL SYSTEM:PROPULSION SYSTEMLed to recall 22V063000

Recent owner complaints

Reports submitted to NHTSA, shown in the owner's own words

Driver assistance
Filed May 26, 2026

While driving on a rainy day my forward collision warning (FCW) system cam on signifying and impending collision via the "Red Warning Vehicle Crash" in the heads-up display. The car started to automatically break as well. There were no other vehicles in my land or close to me at the time. It was purely heavy rain. This is not the first occurrence of the FCW system engaging automatically. The same situation occurs during heavy rains or if water splashes from the other land in front of the car. The situation seems similar to the Hyundai recall just issued by NHSTA https://static.nhtsa.gov/odi/rcl/2026/RCLRPT-26V316-9486.pdf Luckily I have avoided being rear ended as no one has been close to me or they have been able to react to the sudden unexpected deceleration of my vehicle without my intervention or desire to do so. I ask NHTSA to broaden its investigation into other vehicles as this seems to be an issue across vehicle platforms and manufacturers.

NHTSA ID
11740086
Incident
May 23, 2026
Driver assistance
Filed Aug 23, 2022

On 8/22 while driving on a city road in extreme rainy conditions the vehicle in front of me drove through standing water, which created significant spray. As a result the City Safety feature of my Volvo S90 engaged in an extreme fashion. Without any risk of an impending collision the City Safety feature determined the water spray to be an obstacle and fully engaged the brakes (ABS event) to avoid the impending collision including engaging seat-belt pre-tensioning. I was lucky as the drive behind me was paying attention and swerved to avoid rear ending my abruptly stopping vehicle without any intervention from me as the driver. I believe that the issue was caused due to the City Safety system incorrectly detecting the water spray as an impeding crash. This seems to be a system calibration that could have been addressed during development. I wanted to notify NHTSA of this situation so you can be aware and monitor the impact of these driver assist features on overall road safety.

NHTSA ID
11480704
Incident
Aug 22, 2022
BrakesOther / unspecifiedSuspension
Filed Dec 7, 2021

- Brakes, Wheels, and possibly suspension. - Car shudders under braking, impacts stopping ability. All tires vibrate while driving. Wheels are warped/damaged. - Vehicle went to the dealer. Replaced all four rotors, repaired all for rims. - I have reached out to the manufacturer for support. They declined to get involved. - No messages or warnings

NHTSA ID
11442995
Incident
Dec 1, 2021

Manufacturer communications

A bulletin sent by a manufacturer to its dealers. Not a recall, and repairs are not necessarily free.

33031.6.0

This is a Technical Journal: Text plus 1 .jpg attachment - If remote control key is not detected by the car and shows message in DIM "Car key not found" or if functions such as lock/unlock are not working, please follow advice for detecting key

34521.11.1

EXTERIOR LIGHTING

This is a Technical Journal: Headlamp condensation inside lens - information/leak test. If the result is not ok (air leak), it is ok to replace the headlamp

36496.10.0

POWER TRAIN

This is a Technical Journal: Intermittent knocking noise during acceleration. If the sound corresponds to attached sound file, change front drive shafts to the below part numbers.

35526.1.8

ENGINE

This is a Technical Journal: Text plus 2 PDFs and 1 .PNG Oil Consumption test. Perform the test. Follow service procedure
 Description and Service sections updated to clarify that vehicle reports are not required.

37809.1.1

This is a TJ text only - The purpose of this TJ is to be a master reference list to easily identify any components that are on prior approval. This TJ will be regularily updated as items are added or removed from prior approval.
 Current items under prior approval are listed in the "Service" section

35842

This is a Technical Journal: Text plus 1 jpg and 1 mp4 file -- If there is a strange chafing or creaking noise when turning the steering wheel, follow the advice under Service.

Manufacturers file copies of the bulletins they send to dealers with NHTSA. These often describe diagnostic or repair procedures for a known condition. They are not recalls: repairs described in a bulletin are usually only free if the vehicle is still under warranty or the manufacturer has extended coverage.

Compare model years

Complaint and recall counts across every year of this model

Volvo S90 by model year
YearComplaintsRecallsInvestigationsIssue Index
2025030—
2024120—
2023230—
2022231—
2021021—
2020Viewing331—
2019341—
2018162153.7
2017840—
2016020—
1999102—
1998250139.1
1997700—
1996000—
1995000—
1994000—
1993000—
1992000—
1991000—

Higher-selling and older vehicles accumulate more reports. Counts are not failure rates and are not directly comparable between vehicles that sold in very different numbers. Older model years have had longer for reports to accumulate.