RoadVitals

2016 Volvo Vnl

Recalls, owner-reported complaints, investigations and safety data

Data refreshed

NHTSA has issued a “do not drive” advisory affecting this model year.

Campaign 16V097000. Confirm whether your specific vehicle is covered using its VIN before acting on this.

Check your VIN on NHTSA.gov
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.
12
Latest Jun 18, 2019
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.
6
Latest Sep 25, 2018
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.
2
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.
2

Overview

Our database contains 12 NHTSA owner-reported complaints for the 2016 Volvo Vnl, most frequently naming the powertrain (other), brakes and suspension categories. 6 safety recalls have been issued covering this model year; 2 NHTSA investigations name it; and 202 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

  • Powertrain (other)750.0%
  • Brakes214.3%
  • Suspension214.3%
  • Body & structure17.1%
  • Other / unspecified17.1%
  • Steering17.1%

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

6 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

ENGINE AND ENGINE COOLING:ENGINE:DIESEL

Sep 25, 2018
3,705 units potentially affected
The defect: Volvo Trucks North America (Volvo) is recalling certain 2016-2019 Volvo VNL trucks equipped with Cummins ISX15 diesel engines. In certain driving conditions, such as on a long down-hill grade, the fuel line may burst if the fuel pump cooling circuit screen becomes restricted.
The risk: If the fuel line bursts, fuel may leak onto the road resulting in a roadway hazard for other motorists. The engine may also stall without warning, resulting in the vehicle's inability to restart, increasing the risk of a crash.
The remedy: Cummins will notify owners, and dealers will replace the single screen filter banjo bolt will be replaced with a dual screen filter banjo bolt, free of charge. The recall began November 21, 2018. Owners may contact Volvo customer service at 1-800-528-6586. Volvo's number for this recall is RVXX1802.
Volvo Trucks North AmericaManufacturer number RVXX1802View on NHTSA.gov

STEERING; STEERING:LINKAGES:TIE ROD ASSEMBLY

Aug 29, 2017
470 units potentially affected
The defect: Volvo Trucks North America (Volvo) is recalling certain 2016 Volvo VNL and VNM trucks equipped with certain Dana Spicer D-Series and E-Series steer axles. The castellated nut on the steer axles may not be properly torqued, allowing the tie rod to loosen.
The risk: If the tie rod loosens, it may disconnect from the steering knuckle, causing a complete loss of steering, increasing the risk of a crash.
The remedy: Volvo will notify owners, and dealers will inspect the torque of the castellated nut and tie rod, tightening it as necessary. If the tie rod stud and knuckle on units cannot be sufficiently torqued, the dealer will replace the knuckle and tie rod end assembly, free of charge. The recall began on October 17, 2017. Owners may contact Volvo customer service at 1-800-528-6586. Volvo's number for this recall is RVXX1702.
Volvo Trucks North AmericaManufacturer number RVXX1702View on NHTSA.gov

SERVICE BRAKES, AIR

Dec 22, 2016
5,547 units potentially affected
The defect: Volvo Trucks North America (Volvo) is recalling certain model year 2013-2017 VNL and VNM trucks and certain model year 2017 VNX trucks. In the affected vehicles, incorrect software for controlling the electronic air dryer may result in oil and water contaminating the brake system.
The risk: If the brake system becomes contaminated, braking performance could be affected, increasing the risk of a crash.
The remedy: Volvo will notify owners, and dealers will reprogram the vehicle control module and replace the air dryer filter, free of charge. The recall began on February 16, 2017. Owners may contact Volvo customer service at 1-800-528-6586. Volvo's number for this recall is RVXX1608.
Volvo Trucks North AmericaManufacturer number RVXX1608View on NHTSA.gov

Safety investigations

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

AQ18005ClosedAudit Query

Discrepancies in Required CFR Reporting

Opened Oct 22, 2018
Closed Aug 4, 2023

On October 22, 2018, an Audit Query (AQ18-005) was opened to assess the completeness and timeliness of Volvo Group's early warning reporting, safety recalls, and communications submissions to the agency.NHTSA's investigation determined that Volvo Group failed to recall vehicles in a timely fashion and to comply with other recall and reporting requirements, including notifying owners of recalls and reporting death and injury incidents.NHTSA and Volvo Group entered into a Consent Order on January 27, 2023 to resolve AQ18-005.As part of the Consent Order, Volvo Group agreed to a total civil penalty of one-hundred and thirty million dollars ($130,000,000), of which, sixty-five million dollars ($65,000,000) was paid on February 21, 2023.Also, of that total civil penalty, Volvo Group agreed to spend twenty million dollars ($20,000,000) on the specific performance obligation to create a safety data analytics infrastructure to detect and study emerging safety-related defect trends on its vehicles. The Consent Order also holds forty-five million dollars ($45,000,000) of the civil penalty in abeyance pending Volvo Group's satisfactory completion of the requirements of this Consent Order, and its compliance with the Safety Act, and regulations thereunder.The Consent Order is for a three-year term and may be extended by up to two years if NHTSA reasonably finds that an extension is warranted.In the Consent Order, Volvo Group agreed to several performance obligations, including enhanced oversight of its compliance with the Safety Act and the terms of the Consent Order through a third-party auditor and regular meetings with NHTSA.The third-party auditor will recommend and oversee implementation of process improvements to enhance Volvo Group's safety compliance processes and oversee the company's review of past recalls and submissions to NHTSA for accuracy and completeness.Also, via the Consent Order, Volvo Group agreed to create updated written policies, procedures, and training to ensure that its employees understand the requirements of the Safety Act, the regulations thereunder, and this Consent Order.Volvo Group further agreed to launch a user interface on its websites to allow users to search vehicle identification numbers (VINs) for open recalls and implement a system to support NHTSA's VIN lookup tool.Based on the Consent Order, this audit query investigation, AQ18-005, is closed.Closure of this AQ has no bearing on the terms of the Consent Order, including Volvo Group's ongoing performance obligations or legal obligations, and does not represent a determination by NHTSA as to Volvo Group's performance under the Consent Order to date.

COMMUNICATION
DP15006ClosedDefect Petition

Ride Quality

Opened Sep 28, 2015
Closed Apr 8, 2016

The Office of Defects Investigation (ODI) opened this Defect Petition (DP) assessment in response to a defect petition received from owners of a 2015 Volvo VNL 780 tractor.Prior to submitting the letter the owners had submitted two Vehicle Owner Questionnaires (VOQ).Their concerns included: cab sway, cab alignment , and loss of control.The petitioners further allege that due to a failure of the suspension system caused by cab misalignment one of them sustained a back injury while seated at the work station in the sleeper berth while traveling.The office received a total of six (6) complaints (1 via telephone) related to ride quality on 2013 -2016 Volvo VNL vehicles.Two (2) of the complaints were filed by the petitioners.Of the five (5) unique complaints, three (3) were received during the course of this evaluation.During this evaluation, the Owner/Operators Independent Drivers Association (OOIDA) published an article in their magazine, Land Line, prompting the additional two reports.One owner reported owning three Volvo trucks, all of which had a tendency to sway and lean, yet he preferred the ride over other manufacturers peer vehicles.ODI sent an Information Request (IR) letter to Volvo asking about the three concerns identified in the petition.The response indicated Volvo's cab air ride design has been in use since 2005.When evaluating each of the three concerns raised by the petitioners, ODI found that the complaint and warranty data did not establish existence of a defect trend for cab sway or loss of control.There were no reported injuries or loss of control events and less than 0.02% of the population had a cab sway concern.The majority of claims and complaints received involved cab alignment.The 2015 MY did stand out from the other MYs with over 1% of the 2015 population reporting cab alignment issues.This may indicate there is a defect in the design or production of the cab mounting, however there was no indication it created a safety risk.ODI test drove the petitioners' vehicle, employing an investigator with significant experience driving similar vehicles.This test drive revealed a degree of cab sway that appeared to exceed that of peer vehicles.Nonetheless, the ODI driver did not experience any difficulty controlling the vehicle.For additional details see the attached Evaluation Report.This defect petition is denied. The agency has not identified an actionable trend or unreasonable risk to motor vehicle safety.Should new information become available the agency will take whatever further action is appropriate.The ODI reports cited above can be reviewed at: http://www-odi.nhtsa.dot.gov/owners/SearchNHTSAID under the following complaint identification numbers:10747593, 10715844, 10701592, 10781242, and 10822454

SUSPENSION

Recent owner complaints

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

Powertrain (other)
Filed Jun 18, 2019

TL* THE CONTACT OWNS A 2016 VOLVO VNL630. THE CONTACT STATED THAT THE VEHICLE ARRIVED FROM THE MANUFACTURER WITH A REAR DRIVESHAFT THAT WAS NOT CALIBRATED. THE DRIVESHAFT WAS THREE TIMES OVER THE MAXIMUM SPECIFICATIONS WHERE THE TRANSMISSION AND DRIVESHAFT WERE ATTACHED. THE FAILURE IN MANUFACTURING CAUSED A CONSIDERABLE AMOUNT OF VIBRATION WHILE THE VEHICLE WAS BEING DRIVEN AT ANY SPEED. CIT TRUCKS (LOCATED AT 3440 GATLIN DR, SPRINGFIELD, IL 62707, (217) 544-5300) AS WELL AS SEVERAL UNKNOWN DEALERS WERE NOTIFIED OF THE FAILURE. THE VEHICLE WAS NOT DIAGNOSED OR REPAIRED. THE MANUFACTURER WAS NOTIFIED OF THE FAILURE. THE APPROXIMATE FAILURE MILEAGE WAS 100. THE VIN WAS INVALID.

NHTSA ID
11220825
Incident
Mar 11, 2016
Mileage
100 mi
Other / unspecifiedPowertrain (other)
Filed Mar 31, 2019
Crash reported

FRONT WHEELS LOOSE FROM FACTOR AND DEALER DIDN'T CHECK, TIRES PSI 1/2 WHAT SHOULD BEEN , DRIVE SHAFT OUT OF PHASE . DAMAGE THE TRUCK MORE .I KNOW OF ABOUT 20 OF THESE TRUCK WITH THE DRIVE SHAFT PROBLEM . DEALER AND FACTOR WONT FIX/ THIS IS NOT SAFE

NHTSA ID
11192711
Incident
Mar 11, 2016
Powertrain (other)
Filed Mar 28, 2019
Crash reported

VOLVO AND MACK DRIVE SHAFT OUT OF PHASE. I SHOWED MY DR. MY VIDEO OF MY TRUCK SHAKING. HE SAID YOU MIT AS WILL BE D W I

NHTSA ID
11192317
Incident
Feb 2, 2019
Mileage
11,000 mi
Powertrain (other)
Filed Aug 22, 2018

TL* THE CONTACT OWNS A 2016 VOLVO VNL SEMI-TRUCK. WHILE DRIVING VARIOUS LOW AND HIGH SPEEDS, THE VEHICLE VIBRATED. A SERIES OF INDEPENDENT MECHANICS CONFIRMED THAT THE DRIVESHAFT WAS LOOSE WITHIN THE TRANSMISSION. VOMAC SALES AND SERVICE MACK (5556 EAST MARGARET DRIVE, TERRE HAUTE, INDIANA 47803, (812) 233-6406) WAS CONTACTED, BUT THE VEHICLE WAS NOT DIAGNOSED OR REPAIRED. THE MANUFACTURER WAS MADE AWARE OF THE FAILURE. THE FAILURE MILEAGE AND VIN WERE UNKNOWN. *TT

NHTSA ID
11121647
Incident
Mar 15, 2016
Powertrain (other)
Filed Jan 1, 2018

MY STUPID DEALER CIT TRUCKS COULD NOT FIND Y MY TRUCK WAS SHAKING SO THEY PLAYED WITH TRANSMISSION PROGRAMING ITS AN I SHIFT NO CLUTCH PEDDLE . STONINGTON IL. GOT FUEL AT F.S. COMING BACK CROSS RAIL ROAD TRACKS AND TRIED TO STOP FOR RT 48 . THE CLUTCH WOULD NOT RELEASE .THIS THE 4 TIME .

NHTSA ID
11057890
Incident
Nov 4, 2017
Mileage
104,000 mi
Powertrain (other)
Filed Jan 1, 2018

NEW VOLVO TRUCK MID MARCH 2016 IT HAD A SHAKE THAT GOT WORSE . MY DEALER CIT TRUCKS WAS TO STUPID FIND THE PROBLEM. ANTHER DEALER LOOK AT IT. THE REAR DRIVE SHAFT WAS OUT OF PHASE BUT HOW AFTER ALMOST 80000 MILES THE REAR ENDS ARE GOING OUT . MY TRUCK IS NOT THE ONLY ONE OUT THERE . VIDEOS CAN BE SEEN AT YOU TUBE- VOLVO SHAKES AND VOLVO TRUCK SHAKES

NHTSA ID
11057886
Incident
Apr 5, 2016
Powertrain (other)Suspension
Filed Jul 16, 2017

VOLVO AND MACK TRUCKS DRIVE SHAFTS OUT OF PHASE. MAKING IT SHAKE AND EAT UP TIRES AND WEAR TRUCK OUT SHOULD BE RECALLED

NHTSA ID
11005545
Incident
Mar 14, 2016
Suspension
Filed Aug 28, 2016

MY NEW VOLVO TRUCK SHAKES AND STARTING TO HOP R JUMP 30K MILES HTTPS://YOUTU.BE/EU119G9VYCU

NHTSA ID
10899068
Incident
Aug 22, 2016
Mileage
30,000 mi

Manufacturer communications

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

KC-2350

ELECTRICAL SYSTEM; EQUIPMENT:ELECTRICAL:INFOTAINMENT

CBR - Telematics Gateway (TGW) Connect Ability Issues.

KC-2014

SUSPENSION

CBR - Driveline Noise, Suspension Ride Height Too High, Suspension Will Not Exhaust - Chassis Built 2016w01 And Newer

KC-202

FUEL SYSTEM, OTHER:KINETIC:FLYWHEEL,BEARINGS; POWER TRAIN

CBR - Automated Manual Transmission ( AMT ) Flywheel Pilot Bearing Wear On Input Shaft.

KC-2347

ELECTRICAL SYSTEM; ELECTRICAL SYSTEM: INSTRUMENT CLUSTER/PANEL; PARKING BRAKE

CBR - Active "Set Park Brake" Message On Drivers Information Display (DID)

CBR-2333 202401

ELECTRICAL SYSTEM

CBR: TGW Will Not Connect After SIM Card Replacement

EC0028V 202312

ENGINE AND ENGINE COOLING

Emissions Campaign: Volvo has determined that certain 2014 -2018 model year VN, VHD, and VAH Vehicles require a replacement Diesel Particulate Filter (DPF) along with updated software.

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 Vnl by model year
YearComplaintsRecallsInvestigationsIssue Index
2025010
2024070
2023130
2022270
2021070
2020090
2019480
2018850
2017051
2016Viewing126260.8
2015592
20148123
20137143
20125144
20114124
2010043
2009244
20083123
2007159364.2
2006771
2005663
2004562
2003292
2002173
2001182
2000104259.4
1999115351.6
1998853
1997040
1996010
1995010
1994010
1993010
1992010
1991010
1990010

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.