2005 Volvo XC90 Problems, Complaints & Recalls

Source: NHTSA · Updated Mar 5, 2025 · 223 owner complaints analyzed

Compared with other XC90 years
Far more complaints than other years 2nd of 23 for complaints
NHTSA crash rating
Not rated

Owners have filed 223 complaints with NHTSA about the 2005 Volvo XC90. That ranks 2nd out of 23 XC90 model years for complaints. The most reported problem area is power train (62 complaints, 28%), typically at around 71,500 miles. Complaints mention 1 crash, 3 fires, 1 injury. There are 6 safety recalls covering this model year. NHTSA has opened 4 defect investigations involving it.

Volvo XC90
2025 Volvo XC90 II in Stuttgart-Vaihingen. Representative photo; appearance varies by model year. Photo: Alexander Migl, CC BY-SA 4.0, via Wikimedia Commons.

Complaints are unverified owner reports and are not adjusted for sales volume.

Compare with another car

Most common 2005 Volvo XC90 problems

Complaints grouped by the part of the car owners reported, with the median mileage when the problem happened.

Power Train62 · ~71,500 mi
Electrical System51 · ~95,417 mi
Engine and Engine Cooling40 · ~73,000 mi
Engine29 · ~99,400 mi
Exterior Lighting25 · ~96,500 mi
Fuel/propulsion System22 · ~121,000 mi
Fuel System, Gasoline9 · ~82,417 mi
Unknown or Other9 · ~115,000 mi
Steering8 · ~14,058 mi
Tires6 · ~14,000 mi
Problem areaComplaintsShareMedian milesOwners mention mostTypical repair cost
Power Train problems6228%71,500“transmission failed” (26%)$7,750
Electrical System problems5123%95,417“windshield wipers” (14%)—
Engine and Engine Cooling4018%73,000——
Engine2913%99,400——
Exterior Lighting2511%96,500——
Fuel/propulsion System2210%121,000——
Fuel System, Gasoline94%82,417——
Unknown or Other94%115,000——
Steering84%14,058——
Tires63%14,000——
Equipment52%11,900——
Air Bags42%111,000——
Electronic Stability Control (esc)42%109,500——
Structure42%112,000——
Vehicle Speed Control42%120,000——
Visibility42%110,000——
Service Brakes, Hydraulic31%80,275——
Visibility/wiper31%169,000——
Fuel System, Other21%71,450——
Latches/locks/linkages21%61,500——
Suspension21%39,350——
Interior Lighting10%———
Traction Control System10%122,000——
Wheels10%8,700——

One complaint can list several problem areas, so shares can add up to more than 100%.

Complaints by year received

Peak: 2011, with 39 complaints
2005: 3200532006: 992007: 7200772008: 11112009: 172009172010: 32322011: 392011392012: 23232013: 162013162014: 24242015: 112015112016: 992017: 7201772018: 662019: 2201922020: 332023: 3202332025: 11

n = 223 complaints · Source: NHTSA

2005 Volvo XC90 recalls (6)

Tap a recall to see the problem, the risk and the fix.

Equipment:electrical:navigational system(global positioning system)Nov 8, 2010 · NHTSA campaign 10V566000 · 416 vehicles

Problem: Volvo is recalling certain vehicles equipped with garmin 760 portable global positioning system (gps) units because the batteries on those units may overheat.

Risk: An overheated battery could lead to a fire.

Fix: 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.

Fuel system, gasoline:delivery:fuel pumpDec 18, 2009 · NHTSA campaign 09V483000 · 158,733 vehicles

Problem: 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.

Risk: If the condition occurs vehicle owners may notice fuel smell and/or fuel leak which, in the presence of an ignition source, could result in a fire.

Fix: 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.

Electrical system:12v/24v/48v battery:cablesMay 25, 2007 · NHTSA campaign 07V221000 · 42,211 vehicles

Problem: 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.

Risk: Misplacement of the jack's crank handle can pose a safety risk as it can result in a short circuit of the battery which could then lead to a fire.

Fix: 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.

Steering:linkages:tie rod assemblyMay 5, 2006 · NHTSA campaign 06V155000 · 126,743 vehicles

Problem: 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.

Risk: The driver may notice that the vehicle is difficult to maneuver increasing the risk of a crash.

Fix: 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.

Visibility:windshield wiper/washerApr 28, 2006 · NHTSA campaign 06V144000 · 122,431 vehicles

Problem: 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.

Risk: Inoperative wipers under inclement weather conditions could cause a crash due to impaired visibility.

Fix: 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.

Electrical system:starter assembly:solenoidNov 17, 2005 · NHTSA campaign 05V529000 · 10,259 vehicles

Problem: 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.

Risk: Smoke may appear from under the hood and it may be impossible to start the car. If the short circuit happens during driving, electrical power could be lost resulting in the warning lamps being deactivated. An electrical short could result in a fire.

Fix: 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.

To see whether a specific car still has an open recall, enter its VIN on NHTSA's official recall lookup. You can also decode a VIN here.

NHTSA defect investigations

  • Central Electronic Module Failure (PE10025) — opened Jul 20, 2010, closed Nov 22, 2010.
  • Volvo xc90 battery cable failures (EA06006) — opened Mar 21, 2006, closed Jun 14, 2007, led to recall 07V221000.
  • Windshield wiper arm performance (PE05064) — opened Dec 2, 2005, closed May 10, 2006, led to recall 06V144000.
  • Volvo xc90 battery cable failures (PE05057) — opened Nov 2, 2005, closed Mar 23, 2006, led to recall 05V529000.

Recent owner reports

Short excerpts of the latest complaints filed with NHTSA, with personal details removed. Full reports can be searched on NHTSA.gov.

I was getting off the highway and made a left turn. As I was accelerating the motor gentle cut off.. (You wouldnt even notice if you wasnt driving) Full Traffic was behind me, so luckily I was able to get out of the way and pull to shoulder. It was the day before Christmas and car hasn't ran since…

Electrical System · received Mar 5, 2025 · NHTSA complaint 11646424

I’ve had to change my fuel injection pump and catalytic convert twice on one year.

Fuel/propulsion System · received Jul 15, 2023 · NHTSA complaint 11532420

ADAS, AIR BAR Warning lights/urgent and High Gas fumes coming out from the rear seats when fully filled gas. We had called [redacted] and guided us to plug in our VIN [XXX] on www.volvocars.com and nothing showed as far as recall and told us that these recalls expired and our 2005 Volvo are not…

Fuel/propulsion System · received Jun 2, 2023 · NHTSA complaint 11525043

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.

Visibility/wiper · received Jan 17, 2023 · NHTSA complaint 11502170

I had filled an earlier complaint and this to be added to the earlier form that i had filled needs to go to the engineering department. See photo the electrical complaint from the magnetic electrical beings in me and in this picture i believe is about design of the fuses in vehicle and what they…

Electrical System · received Jul 21, 2020 · NHTSA complaint 11340785

Other Volvo XC90 years

← 2004 XC90 · 2006 XC90 →

See all Volvo XC90 problems by year, every Volvo model, or the Volvo VIN decoder.

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Frequently asked questions

What are the most common problems with the 2005 Volvo XC90?

Owners most often report power train, electrical system, engine and engine cooling problems. The top one, power train, accounts for 62 complaints.

Was there a recall on the 2005 Volvo XC90?

Yes, 6 safety recalls. Enter your VIN at NHTSA.gov to check whether the repairs were done on your car.

Was the 2005 Volvo XC90 a good year?

Complaint data can't fully answer that, because counts aren't adjusted for sales. Compared with other XC90 model years, the 2005 has far more complaints than most years. Always get a pre-purchase inspection and check the VIN for open recalls.