I have a 06 XC90 and I am having a tire wear problem. They are wearing on the inside of the tire. To the point where they are bald on the inside and still have tread else where.Has anyone else had this same problem???

 

Hi gotahaveaxc90,

I don't have a specific answer for the inside wear you describe, but wanted to point you to another thread here on the XC90 forum that talks about tire recommendations (link below).

In that thread there is a post that describes a recall on 03-06 XC90's, andalso some good information on replacementtire selection, anda good tech tip on not being able to adjustthe toe on theXC90.

Hope this helps a bit, andimaginesome of the experienced techs will be able to better answer thewear condition you're seeing.


https://volvoforums.com/m_21499/tm.htm

 

We just have discovered the same problem. We have a 2004 XC90 and all 4 Bridgestone tires are bald on the inside. The tire people say its our maintenance (we've owned the truck for 6 months and had the new tires installed at the time of purchase), the dealership says it's the tire's fault, the wheels are aligned, the tires are balanced/rotated frequently due to highway driving. We've had to replace all four tires today due to safety issues.

6 months - 4 tires and only 15,000 miles on the vehicle (all highway driving). I've read other forums on the tires and some indicate it's the tire mfg and others say its the car - not sure what the problem is, but it's $1500 and if it's every 6 months the truck will be sold right quick.

 

I do not believe it was the tyres that caused this problem, since many others have had problems on the OEM Micheline tyres. The following recall applies to 2003-2006 XC90s; data on the 2007 models was not available at the moment. This recall might have affected the alignment (toe-setting) when the vehicle was under heavy load.





2003 VOLVO XC90 Recall ID from NHTSA: 06V155000

Auto Recall Date: 20060505
Vehicle Component: STEERING:LINKAGES:TIE ROD ASSEMBLY
Estimated Vehicles Affected: 108766
2003 VOLVO XC90 Defect Summary:
ON CERTAIN PASSENGER VEHICLES,THE OUTER TIE ROD BALL JOINT CAN DEFORM AT HIGH LOADS CAUSING A LOSS OF THE CLAMPING FORCE AND THE NUT MAY LOOSEN, WHICH MAY EVENTUALLY LEAD TO A FATIGUE FRACTURE OF THE OUTER TIE ROD BALL JOINT.
Defect Consequence:
THE DRIVER MAY NOTICE THAT THE VEHICLE IS DIFFICULT TO MANEUVER INCREASING THE RISK OF A CRASH.
Remedy:
DEALERS WILL REPLACE THE OUTER BALL JOINT TIE RODS WITH IMPROVED OUTER BALL JOINT TIE RODS FREE OF CHARGE. THE RECALL BEGAN ON JUNE 23, 2006. OWNERS MAY CONTACT VOLVO AT 1-800-458-1552.
Notes: VOLVO CARS OF N.A. LLC., R157


JPN

 

Thanks to those who responded. I just called volvo and they said there is no recall on my xc90, the tire wear is just that a tire wear issue.. All tires wear out.. But not only the inside when the rest of the tire still has good tread.. I am very unhappy with Volvo that they are not standing behind there product.. I had to get new tires and have the car alinement done. Volvo did do the alinement but could not tell me why it was so far out of wack!!! Never been hit never hit anything normal driving.. I was also just told there is no warrenty on tires, which I beg to differ--.. Food for thought.. Loved the volvo but now I am not so sure about it.. I to may be getting rid of it, I should not be having to buy tires after a year or so.. to much money!!! Oh yea the service reps never noticed any tire wear on my xc90!!!! If I ever questioned anything about my tires they sent me to dicsount tire... wanted nothing to do with it... Again thanks

 

I'm sorry about the inferior product & services. I've been feeling that the XC90 was hurried to sell, just to catch up with other mfgs because the market for SUVs has expanded faster than many people had imagined.

I would switch the dealerbut if there is no alternate dealer in your area, I would look for an independent shop thatspecialises in Swedish/Euro makes and have their ASE Master Technician work on your XC90. Replacing tyres every year is not acceptable, unless it is an exotic sports car with extremely soft treads (Honda suggests that the rear tyres on an NSX can wear out as quickly as 10,000 miles).

Recently, there have been way too many inferior products in almost every industry; the hard drive on myJapanese domesticmfg lap-top crashed only after a year, and whenI called the technical support theysuggested that I buy a new one. I then decided to fix it on my own and have beenusing it with much more durable aftermarket HDD than the OEM HDD(The OEM was "I Beat'em"'s T@velst@r, which is probably the worst HDD of all).

When they say "it's cheaper to buy a new one", I dare to fix them on my own[8D].


JPN

 

well 6k lbs car, v rated tires, hate to tell you this, but not a good mix for longivity of tires

 

Very confusing, this XC90 tire wear issue. Some report poor tire wear experiences, and yetothers myself included, are not having this problem.

We're now at 57K miles on our factory tires (Michelin MXMH4, size 235 60R/18)and these tiresstill have lots of tread wear left; they'll probably go another 7-10K miles.

Given that several posters have complained about the inside of the tires wearing prematurely makes me wonder if there's a suspension / steering component issue that's out of whack on some vehicles and not others which Volvo either hasn't caught yet (as in an intermittent parts issue from a supplier), or maybe just have not owned up to yet. This as opposed to the root cause being the vehicle weight and v rated tires combination.

If tire rating and vehicle weight were the root cause,wouldn't ALL XC90's have this same issue and not just some? Some have said they get premature tire wear and accept it because they drive "sporty". Those sporty drivers would have a difficult time keeping up with my wife on her way home from work in Detroit traffic, lol, so its not that she just drives the XC9020 mph to church and back. She does have a lead foot, is not adverse to lots of lane changes, and travels both highway and city streets to and from work. I would expect her driving to also be prone to this "sporty" driving condition or premature inside wear from lots of lane changes, but we don't see it.

I'm responding only as food for thought, as I think there is something more going on with this...

 

This isn't rocket science. If the tires are wearing on the inside relative to the rest of the tire face it's an alignment problem. Now the cause of the problem is another story with a host of possible reasons, but it's an alignment problem. Period.

Here's what I would do in your case. Find someone in the local Porsche Club (fussy bunch they are) and ask where they take their cars for alignment. Personally, I'd never take an alignment issue to any dealer. I'll spend the money and go to the best specialist I can find.

Allow a personal story. Less than one year old Audi Quattro 4000. Getting ready to drive cross country. Dealer services the car and I ask him to check alignment. He calls me and says I need a 4-wheel alignment, but it will take awhile to set up his fancy machine and will cost $120, and take all day - very complex says he. $120 later I drive cross country and his alignment ruins the tires. Eats them up on the inside. Had to get new tires. I do exactly as described above re. the Porsche Club. Explain what has happened to the alignment shop, they wheel it in and do a 4-wheel alignment in 30 minutes, charge me $40 and I never have another alignment problem in 12 years and 140,000 miles.

That said... Alignment can't correct a vehicle that can't "track" down the road correctly. if you have a suspension part that needs replacing, something bent, something broken, etc., get that fixed first.

 

Yes, V rated tires have very short life spans - any tire dealership would tell you that. I upgraded my rims to 20" and had problems with two sets of Pirelli tires, which were all manufacture defects (go figure), but my story had a happy ending. The Tire Rack, replace both sets after confirming the issue. Had new sets up to me in Canada, from the US, overnight - both times. And yes, I went through several balancings and one alignment to make sure it wasn't a suspension issue, but the alignment was off a bit, due to a suspension mod I did. They used their fancy alignment machine, but didn't charge me for the alignment, because they were just as frustrated with the situation as well. I was so appreciative of their support, I bought a set of performance Bridgestone Blizzacks from them for both my XC90 and my wife's C30. There are still some reputable businesses out there thank god! BTW, my Volvo dealership "Hamilton Volvo" is probably the best dealership I have every dealt with! Yes, I have sunny skies over my head - lol

Sorry for all the advertising support, I just think we should give credit when credit is due. These business people care about their business and support the franchisor very well!

Cheers!

 

Agreed.


JPN

 

This is for sure an alignment (camber) issue and not a tire issue. The way the XC90 is built and aligned (with negative cambers) it will by default wear more on the inside than the outisde (depending on tire pressure, load, etc.). I would take the XC90to a good old fashionedalignment specialist (not your typical Volvo dealer!!!!) to check the alignment. I had to do that to adjust my left rear camber (which was outside specs) today. Volvo dealer said they could not adjust rear cambers, but the alignment specialist was able to take care of this by shimming the camber 0.5 degrees. If alignment (camber) is OK you may want to consider increasing the tire pressure somewhat- resulting in morecenter wear. Regardless, expect to replace tires more frequently with V-rated (soft) performance tires.

 

Yes, I experienced a few balancings and an adjustment to ensure that it is not a temporary problem, but the road is a bit off, because I have not hoisted the Ministry of National Defense. With their fancy-ray machine, but did not receive my way, because they have the same situation also disappointed. I am very grateful to them for their support, I bought them for my XC90 and my wife's C30 in a performance Bridgestone Blizzacks. There are some there, thank God, reputable company! BTW, my Volvo dealer, "Hamilton Volvo" might be the best dealer I have a deal! Yes, I have in my head the skies clear - lol

All of the advertising-supported I am sorry, I just think we should give credit, loans, has expired. These business people care about and support their business license good!

small business advertising

 

We have 2007 Volvo S40 and we have the same issue with the rear tires getting bald in the inside. We bought this car used and the tires we new at the time of purchase. According to the manual Volvo suggests that you don't rotate the tires. So I didn't. Not sure if that was good idea.
Anyone getting long tire life without rotating? We are looking at replacements. Anyone try the Continental Extreme Contact DWS. We live in a northern climate and thought these would be a good all around tire.

 

JimJam nailed it, This is not a tire issue, but an alignment one. I have an excellent dealer but all of my vehicles go to an indie alignment specialist. Alignment needs to be done every 8-15k, as well along with rotate, balance, etc

 

Thanks for the reply. What JimJam said makes sense. Just wanted to put it out there that it's not just a XC90 issue.
Being new to Volvo's I wanted to get a little more info on what to watch for on these vehicles. Been pretty happy with the vehicle so far except for the lack of IPOD integration. But's that another topic.

 

I use the Continetla Extreme Winter Contact tires on both by XC70 and XC90. Fantastic winter tire.

 

your tires might be under inflated it could be a toe situation or it could be camber but i highly doubt that it is camber because you would notice it if it was. Also if your using a V rated tire your going to go through tires like they are going out of style this car doesnt need V rated tires you might be better of switching ot A H/T tire or a A/T

 

I put Continental Extreme Contact DWS tires on my 09 Pontiac G8 GT, and I am perfectly satisfied. I cannot think of a thing that could be better about them, starting with price.

As for the Volvo, my new 05 T6 XC90 came with 235/60/R18 Michelins which were totally shot at 20K. People can justify it however they want, but this is totally unsatisfactory to me. I do not think Michelins are at all worth the difference in price. I then tried Kumho Road Ventures from Tire Rack, which wore out just about as fast and did not impress me. They were $100 each from Tire Rack, and I feel I got what I paid for. Now I have Yokohama Parada Spec-X tires from Tire Rack ($616.16 for 4 after shipping). I had my Chevy Dealer mount them since I know they balance 200 mph Corvette tires and use a a roller that puts a load on the tire to simulate road conditions whlle they balance it. I have 15K on them and love them. I desparately need to rotate them, but they are still not showing significant wear. My wife and I think they ride like a dream. BTW I try to avoid Goodyear tires because I have had a lot of bead leaks and the sidewalls seem to crack and dry rot sooner than other tires.

Here is the qualifier for the poor mileage statement about the Michelins and Kumhos. Just after I had the Yokohamas put on, I had to have the fifth tie rod end and the third hub bearing replaced. The hub was probably damaged by the Chevy dealer because the wheels seem to fuse themselves to the hubs on this vehicle, and they probably had to beat on them to get the wheels to release from the hub. Next time I have them rotated, I am going to put anti-sieze between the hubs and wheels to see if that helps. For the tie rod and hub bearing replacements, I finally took it to Merrill Axle in Des Moines instead of Willis Volvo. I asked them to ignore Volvo's pigeon toed alignment spec, and align it with all 4 wheels pointing the same direction. Willis Volvo kept aligning my front wheels very pigeon toed which I now know was clearly contributing to this vehicle chewing through tires, tie rod ends, hub bearings, rotors and brakes, etc., etc., etc. Our XC90 is finally squared away and NEVER drove this good even brand new. I love these Yokohamas in this size on this vehicle. I take every tire purchase on a case by case basis, and start by putting my vehicle in Tire Rack's website and reading whatever articles and customer reviews are available. I have not found a cheaper way to buy tires, and I have usually been very satisfied with my choices, but I do a lot of research first. Sorry the post is so long, but if I can save somebody from the very expensive learning experience I went through with this very lemony vehicle, I think it is worth it. If everything on the front of your Volvo is wearing out prematurely, I highly recommend having a non-Volvo shop align your wheels straight regardless of what the Volvo spec is.

 

I had Nokians installed in October '09 and they seem to be doing pretty well.

Nokian N WR G2 SUV XL $185.95 107V

I purchased them at Jack Williams Tire Company in Harrisburg, PA.

I noticed much better ride and handling and a slight improvement in mileage. The tires were filled with nitrogen, so maybe that helped on the mileage.