What breaks most · 1998 to 2018 model years
Volvo VNL problems by year
Owners have filed 111 safety complaints with NHTSA about the Volvo VNL across model years 1998 to 2018. Three years stand out: 2007 for exterior lighting complaints, 1999 for suspension complaints and 2016 for powertrain and transmission complaints. The quietest years are 2001, 2002 and 2003.
- Years to check closely: 2007, 1999, 2016
- Fewest complaints: 2001, 2002, 2003
- Complaints on file
- 1111998 to 2018, all trims
- Worst year
- 200714 complaints
- Crashes reported
- 125 fires · 7 injuries · 0 deaths
- Typical failure mileage
- 100kMedian where owners gave mileage
- Recall campaigns
- 154Across the years shown
Complaints by model year
Raw filings with NHTSA, not adjusted for how many were sold.
| Model year | Complaints | Crashes | Recalls | Most-reported component |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 8 | 0 | 5 | Suspension (7) | |
| 11 | 0 | 5 | Suspension (11) | |
| 10 | 1 | 4 | Suspension (4) | |
| 1 | 0 | 8 | Unknown or other (1) | |
| 1 | 0 | 7 | Service Brakes, AIR (1) | |
| 2 | 0 | 9 | Interior Lighting (1) | |
| 5 | 1 | 6 | Steering (2) | |
| 6 | 2 | 6 | Steering (4) | |
| 7 | 0 | 7 | Steering (3) | |
| 14 | 2 | 9 | Exterior lighting (4) | |
| 3 | 0 | 12 | Body and structure (1) | |
| 2 | 0 | 4 | Tires (2) | |
| 4 | 0 | 12 | Suspension (1) | |
| 5 | 1 | 14 | Suspension (2) | |
| 7 | 1 | 14 | Tires (2) | |
| 6 | 1 | 12 | Wheels (1) | |
| 5 | 0 | 9 | Suspension (3) | |
| 11 | 2 | 6 | Powertrain and transmission (6) | |
| 3 | 1 | 5 | Air bags (1) |
What fails on the 2007 Volvo VNL
| Component | Share of complaints | Filings | Crashes | Parts for this job |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Exterior lightingHeadlights, tail lights and bulbs | 29% |
4 | 0 | Shop all exterior lighting parts, not filtered to this vehicle |
| SteeringPower steering pumps, racks and hoses | 14% |
2 | 2 | Shop all steering parts, not filtered to this vehicle |
| VisibilityMirrors and glass | 14% |
2 | 0 | Shop all visibility parts, not filtered to this vehicle |
| Service Brakes, AIR | 14% |
2 | 0 | — |
| Tires | 7% |
1 | 0 | — |
| Speed control and throttleThrottle and pedal sensors | 7% |
1 | 0 | Shop all speed control and throttle parts, not filtered to this vehicle |
| SuspensionStruts, springs and control arms | 7% |
1 | 0 | Shop all suspension parts, not filtered to this vehicle |
| Body and structureDoors, latches and body hardware | 7% |
1 | 0 | Shop all body and structure parts, not filtered to this vehicle |
One complaint can name more than one component, so shares add to more than 100%. "Unknown or other" is NHTSA's uncategorized bucket and is shown but never ranked.
In owners' words
Complaint narratives as filed with NHTSA, trimmed for length.
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Bunk windown has fallen out on several occations. Driver says "he did set up a case" with volvo and they would not do anything about it. Not covered under any warranty driver says he fixed problem with a general motors valve cover washer and a sheet metal screw but is not able to open this window any longer.
-
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
How to read this page
Every figure comes from the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration's public complaint database, which holds every safety-related defect complaint filed by owners since 1995. We refresh it monthly and count each complaint once per component it names. Data through September 30, 2026.
NHTSA only accepts safety-related complaints. Rattles, paint, infotainment bugs and other annoyances are under-reported here, so this page is a map of what fails in ways owners consider dangerous, not a full reliability score.
Counts are raw. Use the year-over-year shape and the component mix, not the absolute numbers. Where a component maps to parts we stock, the row links to that category filtered to the year you are viewing. Air bag and seat belt complaints link to the recall checker instead, because those repairs are almost always covered.
Common questions
Which Volvo VNL years have the most problems?
By NHTSA complaint volume, 2007, 1999, 2016 carry the most filings on the Volvo VNL. The 2007 alone has 14 complaints, led by exterior lighting.
What is the most common Volvo VNL problem?
On the 2007 model year, the most-reported component is exterior lighting with 4 complaints. The table above lists the top components for every year.
At what mileage do Volvo VNL problems start?
The median mileage at failure across all Volvo VNL complaints that include mileage is about 100,000 miles. Older model years skew higher; the per-year figure is in the "at a glance" card.
Are these complaints verified?
No. NHTSA publishes complaints as submitted and does not investigate individual filings. Patterns across hundreds of complaints are meaningful; a single one is not.