2025 Volvo EX90 Problems: 13 Known Issues

On the 2025 Volvo EX90, a software error in the EX90's Low Power Controller (LPC) can command the mechanical shutters inside the headlamp assemblies to close over both the high and low beam elements while the vehicle is being driven. The headlamps are still powered but the light output is physically blocked, so the driver loses forward illumination without any bulb or fuse failure to point to. Volvo Car USA filed the defect with NHTSA in February 2025 as campaign 25V071000 (Volvo internal recall number R10298), covering 2025 EX90 vehicles. Because the shutters are electronically actuated on this car rather than being a fixed reflector, a controller fault is enough to darken the beam pattern entirely — a failure mode that does not exist on conventional headlamps.

On the 2025-2026 Volvo EX90, the EX90's Grid to High Voltage Converter A (GHCA) — the onboard unit that rectifies AC from Level 1/Level 2 charging equipment into high-voltage DC for the traction pack — has failed repeatedly on early cars. Owners on the dedicated EX90 owner forum report a session that appears to initiate, then aborts within two to three minutes with a 'Charging Fault' message, after which the charging equipment loops through re-initialization. Other reports describe the car refusing to draw more than 4-16 A from a wallbox that is wired and rated for far more, a session that shows connected but sits at 0 kW or under 1 kW, and audible banging from the charging hardware during the attempt. When the module fails outright the vehicle loses AC charging capability entirely on both Level 1 and Level 2 while DC fast charging may still function. This is a hardware failure of the onboard charger, distinct from the separately documented DC fast-charge rate shortfall. Aggravating the defect, GHCA replacement parts have been backordered, and multiple owners report that a warranty-replaced module subsequently failed a second time.

On the 2025-2026 Volvo EX90, owners have reported to NHTSA that the EX90 throws a 'Critical Electrical Fault' warning during normal driving, including at highway speed, accompanied by the driver display and center screen going dark. With the cluster blank the driver loses the speedometer, the state-of-charge readout and all ADAS status information at once. Reports describe the vehicle dropping propulsion and defaulting to neutral, along with degraded power brake assist and inoperative turn signals during the event. NHTSA complaint data for the 2024-2025 EX90 is concentrated in the Electrical System, Safety Systems and Fuel/Propulsion categories, with roughly 31 electrical-system complaints among about 46 total on the nameplate. This is a high-voltage/vehicle-network fault that shuts systems down mid-drive, not the incomplete-features or update-failure software behavior documented separately — the vehicle stops moving.

On the 2024-2025 Volvo EX90, the EX90 was delivered to early customers with significant software features missing or incomplete, including the Luminar lidar system operating in passive mode only (not providing active safety intervention), Apple CarPlay not available at launch, and reduced towing capacity due to software limitations. The advanced driver assistance features promised at announcement were not ready at initial deliveries. Volvo acknowledged the software delays and has been activating features through OTA updates. Some owners waited months after purchase for features that were advertised as available.

On the 2024-2026 Volvo EX90, the EX90's roof-mounted Luminar LiDAR sensor and associated ADAS sensors require frequent recalibration. Sensor faults cause the advanced driver assistance features to disable unexpectedly. Environmental factors like rain, fog, or road spray can trigger false alerts or system shutdowns.

On the 2024-2025 Volvo EX90, over-the-air software updates fail to install or cause system instability after installation. The vehicle's extensive software stack (Snapdragon Ride compute, NVIDIA Orin, Android Automotive) creates complex update dependencies. Some updates require dealer intervention to complete.

On the 2025-2026 Volvo EX90, the EX90 relies heavily on phone-based digital key and a key card for entry and start, and early owners report being locked out of or unable to start their car. Failure paths documented by owners include the digital key on an iPhone silently ceasing to be recognized after months of working normally — traced in at least one case to the car having quietly disconnected from the owner's Volvo ID account — plus Bluetooth/UWB signal interference defeating the approach-unlock, and long system wake times after the vehicle has been parked for an extended period. Because the EX90 has flush door handles and no conventional key barrel workflow, a key failure is a genuine immobilization rather than an inconvenience. The problem drew enough attention that one Canadian owner published a site documenting the access failures on his car, and Volvo has publicly discussed dropping key-card-based entry and drive because of the reception it has had.

On the 2025-2026 Volvo EX90, the EX90's EPA combined rating of up to 310 miles is not achievable in the conditions most owners of a three-row SUV actually drive. In an independent steady-state highway test at 75 mph, an EX90 returned roughly 255 miles, and about 247 miles once charging and energy losses were counted — a shortfall of roughly 20 percent against the sticker. Cold weather compounds it: an owner in Vermont reports dropping from about 310 summer miles to roughly 260 miles near 20°F and about 215 miles at -10°F. The causes are structural rather than defective — a heavy two-and-a-half-ton body, a large frontal area, and large-diameter wheels — which is precisely why it will not be fixed by a software update, and why it is a planning problem rather than a warranty claim. It is distinct from the separately documented DC fast-charge rate shortfall: this is energy consumed per mile, not power accepted at the plug.

On the 2024-2025 Volvo EX90, dC fast charging speeds are significantly lower than the advertised 250 kW peak rate, especially in cold weather or when the battery is not preconditioned. The battery management system aggressively limits charge speed to protect battery longevity.

On the 2025 Volvo EX90, on EX90 vehicles built with the second-row free-standing (captain's chair) configuration, the bolts securing the seat to the floor structure may not have been torqued properly during assembly. An under-torqued seat mount cannot be relied on to restrain the seat and its occupant in a crash, which degrades the performance of the seat belt and airbag system for that position. Volvo Car USA filed the defect with NHTSA on November 18, 2024 as campaign 24V869000 (Volvo recall number R10292) — the EX90's first safety recall, issued essentially at launch. This is an assembly-process defect, so an affected car shows no symptom at all until it is inspected or until a crash reveals it.

On the 2024-2025 Volvo EX90, the EX90's Luminar Iris lidar sensor, mounted on the roofline, can trigger false alerts and phantom braking events. The lidar system interprets certain objects (overpasses, overhead signs, road debris, heavy rain, snow) as obstacles and initiates emergency braking or collision warnings when there is no actual threat. The issue is more prevalent in adverse weather conditions where the lidar's laser pulses are scattered by precipitation. Volvo and Luminar have been refining the perception algorithms through OTA updates, with each update reducing false positive rates, but the system can still be overly cautious.

On the 2025-2026 Volvo EX90, the EX90's roof-mounted Luminar lidar emits a 1550 nm infrared laser. That wavelength is chosen because it is comparatively safe for the human eye, but it is not safe for silicon CMOS and CCD image sensors: pointing a phone or action camera at the lidar module from close range can burn the sensor, leaving permanent hot pixels, bright spots and horizontal line artifacts in every photo and video the device takes afterwards. Telephoto modules are the most vulnerable because their narrower aperture and focused optical path concentrate the beam. The problem became widely known after a viral video showed a phone camera permanently marked after a short clip of an EX90, and it is not a rumor: Volvo acknowledges the hazard in the EX90's own owner's manual, which states that lidar light waves can damage external cameras and that a camera must not be pointed directly at the lidar. This affects owners photographing their own car, dashcams and aftermarket cameras mounted near other vehicles, and anyone filming an EX90 at close range.

On the 2025 Volvo EX90, a spindle nut can detach from the Power Operated Tailgate (POT) drive unit on the EX90. With the nut gone, the drive unit no longer holds the tailgate's weight, so a tailgate that has been raised can fall suddenly and without warning onto whoever is standing behind the vehicle — a serious hazard given how often a three-row family SUV is loaded with a child or an adult under the open hatch. Volvo Car USA reported the defect to NHTSA on September 29, 2025 as campaign 25V654000 (Volvo recall number R10342), covering 2025 EX90 vehicles. Both drive units are implicated, not one side.