Owners have filed 111 complaints on the Volvo VNL, covering 1998–2023. The system named most often is Suspension (27 reports). Worst years by volume: 2007, 1999, 2016; cleanest: 2001, 2002, 2023. 11 reports describe a crash, 4 a fire. On average the car was 2.5 years old when the problem happened.
What breaks on Volvo VNL
Grouped by the system owners named — percentages are shares of all 111 VNL complaints. Open any row for the full reports in owners' own words.
Suspension 27 Read
The contact owns a 2019 volvo truck. The contact stated while driving at 65 mph, the contact had to turn the steering wheel 45 degrees to the left because the vehicle was pulling to the right. As the vehicle drove over some bumps in the road, a thump could be felt in the steering wheel. The contact pulled over and…
My new volvo truck shakes and starting to hop r jump 30k miles https://youtu.be/eu119g9vycu
Volvo and mack trucks drive shafts out of phase. Making it shake and eat up tires and wear truck out should be recalled
Steering 24 Read
Drag link failed, a known issue to the manufacturer resulting in total loss of control. Crashed into center wall then thru guardrail and down embankment. Air bags failed to deploy also. Passenger was hurt very bad, driver slightly hurt. Large truck out of control on the interstate from a problem the company knew to…
The contact owns a 2007 volvo vnl. While driving 55 mph, the steering wheel locked and then eased up. While turning the steering wheel to make a left turn, the steering wheel made a clanking sound and the load shifted and relocked. The contact had to forcefully turn the wheel to the right to gain control of the…
The contact owns a 2007 volvo vnl truck. The contact was driving 20 mph when he lost control of steering and crashed into a pole. The vehicle was towed to a local mechanic who performed a diagnostic that located the failure at the drag link. The drag link separated from the fire wall. The drag link and the tie rod was…
Service Brakes 10 Read
The contact owns a 2007 volvo vnl. The contact stated that the brake chambers caught fire while the vehicle was in motion. The fire department extinguished the fire and there were no injuries. A police report was filed. The manufacturer was notified and is investigating the issue. The contact has not received any…
2000 volvo conventional fire started in axle #2. *ts the brake caught on fire on axle #2 inside wheel of duals
The contact owns a 2022 Volvo VNL. The contact stated that while driving at an undisclosed speed, the vehicle lost motive power and was unable to accelerate above 10 MPH, after which the low coolant warning light illuminated on the instrument panel. After a visual inspection of the engine compartment, the contact…
Power Train 8 Read
The contact owned a 2019 Volvo Truck VNL. The contact stated that the check engine warning light was illuminated intermittently. The contact stated that while the driver was driving approximately 50 mph when they noticed the rear axle smoking. They pulled to the side of the road where they attempted to detach the…
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
Transmission goes into neutral when coasting down hill, or when you let up off the accelerator. Doesn't the regulations state that ' the vehicle shall be operated in gear at all times, except as necessary to shift or stop'?
Tires 6 Read
On 10/1, unit was located at mile marker 153 on I-40 near ash fork az, when their front passenger steer tire's tread detached (michelin xza 3+ 275/80/r22.5 DOT#m5ej00ex3213). The tread acted like a flail and caused approximately $12,000 in damage to the vehicle. The driver was able to maintain control and bring the…
The owner states that his drivers experienced two separate tire failures on same volvo 430 auto hauler (model 2013 vnl64t). The tires involved in the failures were michelin xza2 energy 295/60 r22.5. The first tire failed on 6/19/2012 with approximately 12,000 miles on it. The tire was a steer tire on the driver's side…
On 5/29/2015 after leaving rest area and doing a walk around my rig, I was driving north on I-95 in my 2009 super class c rv, haulmark, model 3303ts, 44' long w/ suburban in tow, traveling 70 mph, kaboom, right front tire blew. Safely slowed vehicle down (foot off gas) and merged to safety lane. After getting my self…
Structure 6 Read
The contact owns a 2016 volvo vnl. The contact stated that while driving at an unknown speed, the cab would sway back and forth causing the vehicle to lean to the side. The vehicle was taken to the dealer. The technician diagnosed that the cab bushings were and cab needed to be leveled. The manufacturer was made aware…
From receipt of this vehicle, and especially since placed into service, we have complained to volvo about the ride of the truck. Initially, the cab would bottom out and it swayed excessively from left to right. We consulted with volvo techs, with regards to what this might be, and were told that they had been seeing…
The contact owns a 2014 volvo vnl. While driving at a low speed, the contact noticed coolant leaking underneath the vehicle. In addition, the contact noticed that the grill was bent from the continual opening and closing of the hood. The dealer diagnosed that a valve and the grill needed to be replaced. The vehicle…
Fuel System 5 Read
The contact owns a Volvo 2018 VNL64 Commercial vehicle. The contact stated that the vehicle would shut down while driving at various speeds. There was no further information provided. The vehicle was towed to the dealer, where the high pressure fuel pump filter, the differential pressure sensor, the rear wire harness…
On the first day I took this brand new 2014 volvo vnl sleeper truck off the lot the def system failed and shut my truck down I was barely able to get it back to the dealer's. Massive drive line vibration also felt but dealer could not figure out the problem six months later transmission failure. I also suffered 3 of 8…
2007 volvo vnl semi-truck was leaking diesel fuel due to a hole in the fuel tank. *nj (ohio traffic crash report # 10-0413-90) *jb updated02/24/10
Exterior Lighting 5 Read
Tl-the contact owns a 2007 volvo vnl64t truck. While inspecting the vehicle he notice the headlights covers was deteriorating and the plastic was flogged. The covers deteriorating reduces visibility for the drivers. The vehicle has not been repaired. He has contact the dealer and was told there were no recall. The…
The contact owns a 2007 volvo vnl64t truck. The contact stated the headlight covers were deteriorating and reducing visibility for the driver. In addition, the failure would cause the headlights to become extremely foggy and hazy. There were no recalls for the vehicle and the dealer advised any repairs would be at the…
I have ~15 years experience driving most make/models of class 8 trucks in alaska and lower 48 states. I have never operated any truck with low beam headlights so bad that I had to risk blinding on-coming traffic with my high beams in order to operate at all after sunset - until this one. The projector style lens sheds…
VNL years to avoid — and the clean ones
Complaints per model year. More reports usually means more cars on the road as well as more trouble, so read the crash and fire columns alongside the count.
| Model year | Complaints | Top system | Crashes | Fires |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2023 | Electrical System | — | — | |
| 2022 | Engine And Engine Cooling,structure | — | — | |
| 2019 | Power Train | — | 1 | |
| 2018 | Air Bags,vehicle Speed Control,service Brakes | 1 | — | |
| 2016 | Power Train | 1 | — | |
| 2015 | Steering,suspension | — | — | |
| 2014 | Engine | 1 | — | |
| 2013 | Engine And Engine Cooling | 1 | — | |
| 2012 | Service Brakes, Hydraulic | 1 | — | |
| 2011 | Electrical System | — | — | |
| 2009 | Steering,suspension,engine And Engine Cooling,power Train,electrical System,vehicle Speed Control,tires,electronic Stability Control (esc) | — | — | |
| 2008 | Service Brakes | — | — | |
| 2007 | Exterior Lighting | 2 | 2 | |
| 2006 | Exterior Lighting | — | — | |
| 2005 | Exterior Lighting | 2 | — | |
| 2004 | Engine And Engine Cooling | 1 | — | |
| 2002 | Service Brakes, Air | — | — | |
| 2001 | Unknown Or Other | — | — | |
| 2000 | Fuel System, Gasoline | 1 | 1 | |
| 1999 | Fuel System, Gasoline | — | — | |
| 1998 | Steering | — | — |
The same model year, different builds
Every complaint carries the first 11 characters of the VIN — plant, year, body and engine. That is a production series, and complaints are spread across them very unevenly.
| Measure | Value |
|---|---|
| Distinct production series | 95 |
| Average complaints per series | 1.2 |
| Worst single series | 5 complaints |
| Average age at failure | 2.5 years |
A model average of 1.2 hides a worst series at 5. Enter a VIN above to see the numbers for that exact build instead of the model as a whole.
Owners reported these. Find out if yours is one of them.
- Complaints matched to the exact production run, not just the model
- What the car is worth given what tends to fail on it
- The original window sticker and factory options
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How we count
Every figure here comes from complaints owners filed with NHTSA — 1,100,006 of them, covering 1,982 models built between 1981 and 2026.
A complaint is an unverified report: someone wrote down what happened to their car. It is not a confirmed defect and not a recall. What makes the volume useful is the pattern — when thousands of owners of the same build describe the same failure, that is a signal no marketing brochure will give you.
Two things we do that the source does not. First, we compute the age of the car at the moment of failure from the incident date and the model year. Second, we group complaints by the first 11 characters of the VIN — the production series — so a bad plant run does not disappear into a model-wide average.
Frequently asked questions
What are the worst years for the VNL?
By complaint volume, 2007, 1999, 2016 drew the most owner reports. Bear in mind that popular years put more cars on the road, so check the crash and fire columns too.
Which VNL years are the cleanest?
2001, 2002, 2023 have the fewest complaints on file. For recent years that can simply mean the cars are young.
How many complaints does the Volvo VNL have?
111 owner complaints filed with NHTSA, covering 1998–2023. Of those, 11 describe a crash and 4 a fire.
Are these complaints verified?
No. They are unverified reports from owners. NHTSA publishes them as filed and investigates only a fraction. The value is in the pattern, not in any single report.
Can I check complaints for one specific car?
Yes — enter its VIN above. We match the first 11 characters, which identify the plant, year, body and engine, so you get complaints on that exact production series rather than the whole model.