Total Complaints
3 filings
VOLVO DL · model year
1990 VOLVO DL
3 NHTSA complaints for this specific cohort.
NHTSA overall rating
Not crash-tested
New Car Assessment Program
The 1990VOLVODL carries 3 consumer safety complaints in NHTSA's Office of Defects Investigation database for this specific model-year cohort. Within that volume, owners reported 0 crashes, 0 fires, 0 injuries, and 0 fatalities. No NCAP 5-star crash-test rating is available for this model year in the federal database.
Component-level analysis is where model-year complaints become actionable: the top complaint category for the 1990 DL is steering:rack and pinion:rack with 1 filings, followed by power train:automatic transmission (1) and engine and engine cooling:engine (1). Concentration in one or two component groups is the classic signature of a systemic defect; a flat distribution usually reflects normal aging, warranty complaints, or isolated build-plant variability.
NHTSA currently has 28 investigation files overlapping the 1990 DL. Owners comparing this cohort against neighboring years should pair the counters above with the complaint-by-year trend on the parent model page — a spike in a single year often tracks to a platform refresh, a new transmission supplier, or an updated ECU calibration. Use the related-complaint feed below to read raw owner narratives before deciding whether any pattern here affects your specific use case.
3
Complaints
0
Crashes
0
Fires
0
Injuries
0
Deaths
Crashes Reported
0 reports
Source
NHTSA ODI
Federal complaints database
Complaints vs. fleet median (215)
At or below the fleet median complaint volume.
Complaints by Component
| Component | Count |
|---|---|
| STEERING:RACK AND PINION:RACK | 1 |
| POWER TRAIN:AUTOMATIC TRANSMISSION | 1 |
| ENGINE AND ENGINE COOLING:ENGINE | 1 |
Recent Complaints
20050816POWER TRAIN:AUTOMATIC TRANSMISSION
MY CAR WOULD STALL IN TRAFFIC, STALL WHILE IDLING AT STOP LIGHTS, VARIOUS THINGS WERE REPLACED IN THE LAST YEAR, INCLUDING THE SPEED SENSOR, AND IT STILL IS DOING IT. IT LOSES POWER AT TIMES WHILE MAINTAINING 60 MPH, SHIMMIES AND SHAKES AT IDLE WHEN STOPPED IN TRAFFIC, IT SOMETIMES "HICCIPS", APPEARS TO STOP THEN ACCELERATES AGAIN WHILE DRIVING ON THE HIGHWAY. *NM
20050816ENGINE AND ENGINE COOLING:ENGINE
MY CAR WOULD STALL IN TRAFFIC, STALL WHILE IDLING AT STOP LIGHTS, VARIOUS THINGS WERE REPLACED IN THE LAST YEAR, INCLUDING THE SPEED SENSOR, AND IT STILL IS DOING IT. IT LOSES POWER AT TIMES WHILE MAINTAINING 60 MPH, SHIMMIES AND SHAKES AT IDLE WHEN STOPPED IN TRAFFIC, IT SOMETIMES "HICCIPS", APPEARS TO STOP THEN ACCELERATES AGAIN WHILE DRIVING ON THE HIGHWAY. *NM
19951005STEERING:RACK AND PINION:RACK
STEERING RACK REPLACED. *AW
Compare 1990VOLVODL to Similar Vehicles
NHTSA Investigations
Frequently Asked Questions
How many complaints does the 1990 VOLVO DL have?▼
The 1990 VOLVO DL has 3 NHTSA complaints, 0 crashes, 0 fires, 0 injuries, and 0 deaths reported.
What are the most common problems with the 1990 VOLVO DL?▼
The most-complained component for the 1990 VOLVO DL is STEERING:RACK AND PINION:RACK with 1 complaints. Other frequently reported areas include POWER TRAIN:AUTOMATIC TRANSMISSION and ENGINE AND ENGINE COOLING:ENGINE.
Is the 1990 VOLVO DL safe to buy?▼
Review the complaint history, crash and fire reports, safety ratings, and recall status on this page to make an informed decision. No NHTSA crash test rating is available for this model year. Compare with other model years using the links above.
Where does this data come from?▼
All complaint, recall, and safety rating data is sourced from the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration (NHTSA). Complaints are filed by vehicle owners through NHTSA's Office of Defects Investigation.
Vehicle Safety Guides
Data as of 2025. Sources: NHTSA Office of Defects Investigation (ODI) complaints database, NHTSA recall campaign API, NHTSA NCAP crash-test ratings, and NHTSA FARS for fatality cross-reference.
Read our methodology — how this data is sourced, computed, and verified.