CSR

Volvo · NHTSA safety record

2016 Volvo VNL

Every safety complaint, recall and defect investigation the US government holds on this vehicle.

12

Complaints

2

Crashes

0

Fires

0

Injuries

0

Deaths

Owners of the 2016 Volvo VNL have filed 12 safety complaints with NHTSA between March 2016 and June 2019. The most complained-about system is the power train, named in 7 of them (58%). The typical failure was reported at 30,000 miles, the median across the 7 complaints that gave an odometer reading.

NHTSA has issued 6 recalls covering this vehicle.

Recalls (6)

ENGINE AND ENGINE COOLING:ENGINE:DIESEL

18V668000 · September 25, 2018

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 America · up to 3,705 vehicles across all model years covered

STEERING

17V536000 · August 29, 2017

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 America · up to 470 vehicles across all model years covered

SERVICE BRAKES, AIR

16V928000 · December 22, 2016

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 America · up to 5,547 vehicles across all model years covered

SUSPENSION:FRONT:CONTROL ARM:UPPER BALL JOINT

16V095000 · February 19, 2016

The defect
Volvo Trucks North America (Volvo) is recalling certain model year 2009-2010 VT trucks manufactured from April 9, 2008, through September 24, 2009, and certain 2016 model VNL and VNM trucks manufactured from January 2, 2015, through to November 6, 2015. The affected vehicles are equipped with USK non-greasable drag links that may experience corrosion of the ball joints due to the seals being compromised, possibly resulting in accelerated wear and failure of the ball joint.
The risk
Failure of the ball joint may cause separation of the socket and a complete loss of steering, increasing the risk of a crash.
The remedy
Volvo will notify owners, and dealers will replace the drag links, free of charge. The recall began on April 21, 2016. Owners may contact Volvo customer service at 1-800-528-6586. Volvo's number for this recall is RVXX1601. Note: This recall is an expansion of a previous recall 15V-651.

Volvo Trucks North America · up to 2,053 vehicles across all model years covered

STEERING

16V097000 · February 17, 2016

Do not drive until repaired

The defect
Volvo Trucks North America (Volvo) is recalling certain model year 2016-2017 VNL, VNX, and VNM trucks manufactured from May 11, 2015, through April 18, 2016. The trucks may have been manufactured without a roll pin on the steering shafts. If the roll pin is missing, the lower steering shaft may disconnect from the junction block. Also, the bolt connecting the upper steering shaft to the lower steering shaft may not have been properly tightened. Either condition can lead to separation of the steering shaft.
The risk
Separation of the steering shaft will result in complete loss of steering which may lead to a vehicle crash.
The remedy
Volvo is strongly recommending that the affected vehicles not be driven until the interim remedy is applied. An interim notice was sent to Volvo owners on March 16, 2016, and an interim repair is available now. A second notice was mailed on May 13, 2016. The final remedy is now available. Both remedies are free of charge. Owners may contact Volvo customer service at 1-877-800-4945 opt #1. Volvo's recall numbers for this campaign are RVXX1602 and RVXX1603. This recall supersedes safety recall 15V-786.

Volvo Trucks North America · up to 18,116 vehicles across all model years covered

PARKING BRAKE:DRIVELINE:HYDRAULIC:ACTUATOR

15V026000 · January 22, 2015

The defect
Volvo Trucks North America (Volvo) is recalling certain model year 2015 and 2016 VNX and VNL trucks manufactured from May 20, 2014, through March 6, 2015, equipped with certain Haldex Life Seal Type 30/30 Long Stroke Air Brake Actuators manufactured January 9, 2014, to October 28, 2014. The affected actuators may have an incomplete attachment of the internal rubber diaphragm to the actuation mechanism of the parking brake section of the Life Seal actuator.
The risk
If the diaphragm is not completely attached, there may be internal leakage from the service section past the diaphragm, potentially trapping air pressure in the parking brake section. This air pressure in turn, if not vented, may prevent full release of the actuator unit, and may induce brake drag and may result in overheated wheelend service brakes, increasing the risk of a fire.
The remedy
Volvo will notify owners, and dealers will inspect the brake actuator and replace, as necessary, free of charge. The recall began March 20, 2015. Owners may contact Volvo customer service at 1-800-528-6586. Volvo's number for this recall is RVXX1501.

Volvo Trucks North America · up to 170 vehicles across all model years covered

Defect investigations (2)

An investigation means NHTSA has decided a pattern is worth examining. A preliminary evaluation is often closed with no action; an engineering analysis is the stage that usually precedes a recall.

Discrepancies in Required CFR Reporting

AQ18005

Closed audit query · opened October 22, 2018 · closed August 4, 2023

communication

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.

Ride Quality

DP15006

Closed defect petition · opened September 28, 2015 · closed April 8, 2016

the suspension

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

What owners report

Complaints naming each system. One complaint can name several, so these add up to more than 12.

POWER TRAIN 7 58%
SERVICE BRAKES 2 17%
SUSPENSION 2 17%
STEERING 1 8%
STRUCTURE 1 8%
UNKNOWN OR OTHER 1 8%
WHEELS 1 8%

When the complaints arrived

By the year NHTSA received them, which is not the year the failures happened. They peaked in 2016 at 5.

2016 2019
2016 to 2019

In owners' own words

Quoted from NHTSA's complaint file. These are unverified accounts by the people who filed them, not findings of fault.

POWER TRAIN

crash · 11,000 miles

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 complaint 11192317. Filed by an owner and not verified by NHTSA or by us.

POWER TRAIN

crash

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 complaint 11192711. Filed by an owner and not verified by NHTSA or by us.

POWER TRAIN:DRIVELINE:DRIVESHAFT

100 miles

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 complaint 11220825. Filed by an owner and not verified by NHTSA or by us.

POWER TRAIN
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 complaint 11121647. Filed by an owner and not verified by NHTSA or by us.

POWER TRAIN

104,000 miles

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 complaint 11057890. Filed by an owner and not verified by NHTSA or by us.

POWER TRAIN
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 complaint 11057886. Filed by an owner and not verified by NHTSA or by us.

Compare

Other years of the Volvo VNL

Model year Complaints Recalls Deaths
2018 8 5
2014 8 12

Other 2016 Volvo models

Every Volvo on this site — 70 vehicles, 319 recall campaigns and 0 open investigation s.

If this is your car and a dealer keeps failing to fix it, your state's lemon law may require the manufacturer to replace it or buy it back. What each state asks for , read from the statutes.

Where these numbers come from

A complaint is one owner's account and has not been verified by NHTSA or by us. A vehicle with more complaints is not necessarily worse: models that sold in larger numbers collect more of them. How this is counted.

Compiled and maintained by
Independent developer and analyst