2004 VOLVO XC90 Complaints

FRONT LIGHTS GO OFF GOT A TICKET FOR THAT REASON AND ONLY THRU THAT TICKET DID I KNOW THAT THE LIGHTS GO OFF IT HAPPENS ONCE IN A WHILE AND WHEN SO I HAVE TO GO TO SIDE OF THE ROAD AND TURN CAR OFF AND TURN ON AGAIN, WONT HAPPEN FOR A PERIOD AND THEN SURPRISE IT HAPPENS AGAIN.WE BOUGHT THE CAR USED AND WE DONT KNOW IF THERE IS ANY RECALLS IT MIGHT NOT HAVE BEEN TAKEN CARE OF. *TR

TODAY, WE LEARNED OUR VOLVO XC90'S YAW RATE SENSOR HAS FAILED. THE ROOT CAUSE WAS WATER LEAKING INTO THE PASSENGER SIDE OF THE CAR DUE TO BLOCKED MOONROOF (I.E. SUNROOF) DRAINS, WHICH SHORTED THE YAW RATE SENSOR. THIS IMPAIRED THE ELECTRONIC STABILITY CONTROL AND BRAKES OF OUR VOLVO, PUTTING US AT RISK OF ACCIDENT. RESEARCH SHOWS THIS IS A FREQUENT AND RECURRING PROBLEM KNOWN SINCE AT LEAST 2004. IT HAS CAUSED THOUSANDS OF DOLLARS IN DAMAGE TO NUMEROUS XC90S. VOLVO IS AWARE OF THIS ISSUE UP TO AND INCLUDING THE PRESIDENT OF VOLVO USA. EVEN THOUGH EASY AND INEXPENSIVE REGULAR MAINTENANCE WOULD PREVENT EXPENSIVE DAMAGE, NEITHER THE VOLVO USER MANUAL NOR MAINTENANCE SERVICE OPERATIONS GUIDES MENTION THE NEED. THE DAMAGE WE AND OTHERS HAVE SUFFERED WAS COMPLETELY PREVENTABLE. THE ROOT CAUSE IS A DESIGN DEFECT, WHICH VOLVO SERVICE PROVIDERS REGULARLY CORRECT BY CUTTING THE BOTTOM END OF THE HOSES. A SERVICE PROVIDER IS REPORTED AS SAYING, "THIS IS A BAD DESIGN. WE DON'T KNOW WHY VOLVO DESIGNED IT THIS WAY, SO WE JUST CUT OFF THE BOTTOM TWO INCHES OF THE HOSES." GIVEN THE RISK THIS DEFECT PUTS OWNERS AT AND VOLVO'S ONGOING FAILURE TO CORRECT THIS DESIGN DEFECT AND/OR NOTIFY OWNERS OF THIS ISSUE AND THE REQUIRED MAINTENANCE TO ADDRESS IT, I BELIEVE A RECALL OF ALL AFFECTED VOLVO XC90S IS WARRANTED AND SHOULD BE INSTITUTED IMMEDIATELY. [XXX] INFORMATION REDACTED PURSUANT TO THE FREEDOM OF INFORMATION ACT (FOIA), 5 U.S.C. 552(B)(6). *TR

TL* THE CONTACT OWNS A 2004 VOLVO XC90. THE CONTACT STATED THAT WHILE DRIVING, A FUEL ODOR WAS EMITTED. THE VEHICLE WAS TAKEN TO THE DEALER WHERE THE CONTACT WAS INFORMED THAT FUEL WAS LEAKING FROM THE FUEL TANK. THE CONTACT WAS TOLD THAT THE FUEL PUMP NEEDED TO BE REPLACED. THE MANUFACTURER WAS CONTACTED AND INFORMED THE CONTACT THAT THE VEHICLE WAS NOT INCLUDED IN NHTSA CAMPAIGN ID NUMBER: 09V483000 (FUEL SYSTEM, GASOLINE: DELIVERY: FUEL PUMP). THE FAILURE AND CURRENT MILEAGES WERE 200,000.

LAST NIGHT MY 2004 VOLVO XC90 LEFT ME ON THE SIDE OF THE ROAD INTERSTATE 88 NEAR ROCK FALLS, IL WEATHER 7:00 PM 28 HUMIDITY: 73% WIND: NNE DEW POINT: 22 PRESSURE: 30.16 IN BONE DRY WHILE DRIVING 65MPH FELT A "THUMP" IN THE FRONT END, FOLLOWED BY A SPLIT SECOND WHERE ALL DASHBOARD LIGHTS, WENT BLACK. WHILE TRYING TO PUSH THE GAS PEDAL THE CAR WOULD NOT ACCELERATE. THEN NORMAL FUNCTION RESUMED. A MINUTE OR TWO LATER, SAME THING AND ALL LIGHTS INTERNALLY COMPLETELY WENT OUT, I PULLED OVER IMMEDIATELY AND TURNED THE CAR OFF. HAZARD LIGHTS COULD NOT BE TURNED ON. AFTER CALLING FOR A TOW TRUCK, AND WAITING ABOUT 45 MINUTES I RESTARTED IT. THERE WERE 2 MESSAGES ON THE DASH, THE YELLOW EXCLAMATION POINT DASHBOARD ICON/ALERT LIT UP, A SERVICE MESSAGE FLASHED REFERRING TO THE ANTI-LOCK BRAKE FAILURE, THE SRS NEEDED URGENT ATTENTION. I PURCHASED THIS VEHICLE IN EARLY NOVEMBER 2012 I CALLED THE CLOSEST VOLVO DEALERSHIP AND WAS TOLD THERE WERE NO OPEN RECALLS AND THEY HAD TO HAVE THE VEHICLE FOR DIAGNOSIS BECAUSE OF THE DIFFERENT SYMPTOMS I REPORTED NOT A SINGLE MENTION OF NHTSA DEFECT INVESTIGATIONS FOR THE 2004 VOLVO XC90 THAT SEEMS SPECIFICALLY RELATED TO MY SYMPTOMS EXPERIENCED. FROM: ERICA HENRY [MAILTO:[XXX]] SENT: FRIDAY, DECEMBER 28, 2012 11:55 AM TO:[XXX] SUBJECT: RE: SERVICE REQUEST - YES I WOULD LIKE TO MAKE AN APPOINTMENT FOR JAN 10TH. THERE ARE NO OPEN RECALLS ON YOUR VEHICLE. BECAUSE OF THE DIFFERENT SYMPTOMS THAT YOU EXPERIENCED, WE REALLY NEED TO HAVE THE CAR HERE TO PERFORM A DIAGNOSIS. THERE SHOULD HAVE BEEN SOME TROUBLE CODES STORED IN THE SYSTEM, AND THOSE WILL HELP MY TECHNICIAN FURTHER DIAGNOSE THE PROBLEM. IF YOU'D LIKE TO SCHEDULE STILL PLEASE LET ME KNOW. [XXX], SERVICE ADVISOR -[XXX]WORLD AUTO DIRECT LINE 815-991-2770 INFORMATION REDACTED PURSUANT TO THE FREEDOM OF INFORMATION ACT (FOIA), 5 U.S.C. 552(B)(6). *TR

WHILE DRIVING ON THE HIGHWAY WITH MY TWO SMALL CHILDREN, THE CAR MADE A KNOCKING NOISE AND DRIVER CONSOLE/DASH STOPPED WORKING. THE LIGHTS WENT OUT, AND ALL GAUGES WENT TO "ZERO." I NO LONGER HAD TURN SIGNALS EITHER. I FEARED FOR OUR LIVES. I HAVE DONE RESEARCH, AND HAVE FOUND THAT OTHERS HAVE THIS SAME ISSUE WITH 2004 XC90S. *TR

WHILE DRIVING BETWEEN 65 AND 70 MILES ON A MAJOR INTERSTATE MY 2004 VOLVO XC 90 HAS A SEVERE "THUMP" IN THE FRONT END, WHICH IS THEN FOLLOWED BY A VERY BRIEF (SPLIT SECOND) INTERNAL (MEANING ALL DASHBOARD LIGHTS, HI-FI, DOME LIGHTS, RADIO AIR CONDITION, OIL GAGE, FUEL GAGE CLOCK ) POWER FAILURE. WHILE TRYING TO PUSH THE GAS THE CAR WOULD NOT ACCELERATE. AT FIRST I HIT SOMETHING ON THE HIGHWAY. A MINUTE OR TWO LATER THE "THUMP" WAS HARDER AND THE LIGHTS INTERNALLY COMPLETELY WENT OUT, HAZARD LIGHTS COULD NOT BE TURNED ON, BLINKERS COULD NOT BE SWITCHED ON, HI-FI WENT OUT, THE DOOR LOCKS WOULD NOT WORK, THE WINDSHIELD WIPERS WOULD NOT CUT ON OR THE ELECTRIC WINDOWS. I PULLED OVER IMMEDIATELY AND TURNED THE CAR OFF, WAITED 10 MINUTES AND RESTARTED IT. THERE WERE 3 MESSAGES ON THE DASH, THE YELLOW EXCLAMATION POINT DASHBOARD ICON/ALERT LIT UP, A SERVICE MESSAGE FLASHED REFERRING TO THE ANTI-LOCK BRAKE FAILURE, THE SRS NEEDED TO BE CHECKED, AND CHECK ENGINE. THE NEXT DAY I TOOK IT TO A VOLVO DEALERSHIP, THEY COULDN'T DIAGNOSE THE PROBLEM. THEY ASSURED ME THAT THE CAR WAS OK TO DRIVE. FOUR DAYS LATER THE PROBLEM STARTS AGAIN. SO AFTER DOING A LITTLE RESEARCH I FIND OUT THAT THIS IS A COMMON OCCURRENCE ON THE VOLVO XC 90 AND THERE WAS AN INVESTIGATION ON THIS SAME ISSUE IN NOVEMBER 2010 IN WHICH VOLVO IS FULLY AWARE OF AND "ACKNOWLEDGES A PROBLEM AFFECTING SOME SUBJECT VEHICLES INVOLVING WATER SEEPAGE INTO THE PLENUM BOX AREA IN THE ENGINE COMPARTMENT. WHEN THIS OCCURS WATER MAY ENTER INTO THE INTERIOR PASSENGER COMPARTMENT AND TRACK ALONG THE WIRING HARNESS FOR THE CENTRAL ELECTRONIC MODULE, THE DEVICE THAT CONTROLS MANY OF THE VEHICLES ELECTRICAL FUNCTIONS INCLUDING WIPER OPERATION, LIGHTING, AND TRANSMISSION OPERATION. IF THE WATER REACHES THE CENTRAL ELECTRONIC MODULE CONNECTOR ELECTRICAL FAULTS MAY RESULT." THIS IS A $1200.00 REPAIR WHICH VOLVO SHOULD PAY. *TR

MY WIFE AND I WERE DRIVING TO A FRIEND'S HOW'S WHEN SUDDENLY THE RADIO STARTED ACTING UP ,IT WOULD GO ON AND OFF . AFTER WE NOTICED THAT I SLOWED DOWN A BIT THEN ALL OF A SUDDEN MY HOLE DASH BOARD WENT OUT . I TRIED PULLING OVER BUT THE TRANSMISSION WOULD NOT RESPOND ,THEN THE DASHBOARD CAME BACK ON BUT I HAD ALL THESE WARNINGS LIKE BRAKE FAILURE ,SRS AIRBAG SERVICE URGENT , ENGINE SYSTEM SERVICE URGENT . AFTER ALL THE HAPPENS THE TRUCK DIED ,LUCKILY I WAS ABLE TO GET OFF THE ROAD BEFORE OTHER CARS HIT US .AFTER A COUPLE A MINUTES I TRIED TURNING IT ON AND IT CAME BACK ON BUT I STILL HAD THE WARNING LIGHTS ON BUT THE TRUCK WAS RUNNING FINE ,AFTER WE GOTTO OUR FRIENDS HOUSE I TURNED IT OFF AND LEFT IT THEIR BECAUSE I FELT IT WASN'T SAFE TO DRIVE , THE NEXT MORNING I WENT OVER TO PICK UP THE TRUCK , TURNED IT ON AND ALL THE LIGHTS WERE OF AND IT RAN FINE . I LOOKED ITUP ONLINE AND IT SEEMS I'M NOT THE ONLY ONE WHO'S HAD THIS PROBLEM ,IT SEEMS ITS HAPPENED A LOT BUT VOLVO DOESN'T WANT TO DO ANYTHING ABOUT IT . I LIKE MY VOLVO BUT I AM ALSO CONCERNED ABOUT HOW SAFE IT REALLY IS. *TR

AT 65 MPH WIPERS WENT ON BY THEMSELVES THEN FOLLOWED BY SPLIT SECOND POWER FAILURE,MEANING DASHBOARD LIGHT OUT,HAZARD LIGHTS COULD NOT BE TURNED ON,WINDOWS WOULD NOT OPEN,A/C OUT,IN THE MESSAGE SCREEN AT THAT MOMENT ANTILOCK BRAKE FAILURE WAS DISPLAYED BEFORE EVERYTHING WENT OUT,DRIVING ANOTHER 20 MILES TILL NEXT EXIT AT THE DUSK,AFTER PULLING OVER AND RESTART ( TO RESET) SRS FAILURE IN THE MESSAGE SCREEN. CAR CHECKED BY VOLVO DEALER AND STATEMENT FROM THEM:FAULT IN CEM IS SHUTTING DOWN NETWORK AND CAUSING DIM TO BLACK OUT. REPLACEMENT WILL RUN ABOUT $1500,THIS CAR HAD AUTOMATIC TRANSMISSION FAILURE AT 91822 MILES AND IGNITION FAILURE RECENTLY,AND MANY MANY OTHER COSTLY PROBLEMS. *TR

TL* THE CONTACT OWNS A 2004 VOLVO XC90. THE CONTACT STATED THAT WHILE DRIVING 65 MPH, THE RADIO AND ALL OF THE INTERIOR LIGHTS TURNED OFF INDEPENDENTLY. THE CONTACT STATED THAT THE AIR BAG AND BRAKE WARNING LAMPS ALSO ILLUMINATED. IN ADDITION, THE WINDSHIELD WIPERS BECAME INOPERABLE. THE VEHICLE WAS TAKEN TO THE DEALER, WHO DIAGNOSED THAT THE CENTRAL ELECTRONIC MODULE NEEDED TO BE REPLACED. THE MANUFACTURER WAS MADE AWARE OF THE FAILURE WHO DID NOT OFFER ANY ASSISTANCE SINCE THE VEHICLE WAS NO LONGER UNDER WARRANTY. THE VEHICLE WAS NOT REPAIRED. THE FAILURE MILEAGE WAS 111,000 AND THE CURRENT MILEAGE WAS 113,000.

THE SUNROOF DRAIN HAS A DESIGN FLAW THAT CAN CAUSE WATER TO ENTER THE PASSENGER COMPARTMENT AND/OR ELECTRICAL SYSTEMS. THIS CAN PRESENT SIMPLY AS WATER ON THE FLOOR BOARDS. BUT IT CAN ALSO PRESENT IN MORE SUBTLE WAYS WITH WATER COMING IN CONTACT WITH ELECTRICAL SYSTEMS AND BEING DRAWN THROUGHOUT THE CAR THROUGH COPPER WIRES ACTING AS CONDUIT (THIS EFFECTS SPEAKER QUALITY, RADIO FUNCTION, CRUISE CONTROL FUNCTION ETC). MOST IMPORTANTLY, WATER CAN ACCUMULATE IN THE COMPARTMENT UNDER THE FRONT PASSENGER SEAT THAT HOUSES THE DYNAMIC STABILITY TRACTION CONTROL SYSTEM PUTTING SAFETY AT RISK. WE HAVE EXPERIENCED THIS WITH OUR XC90 BUT SEE MANY COMPLAINTS REGARDING OTHER VOLVO MODELS. THIS IS A SIGNIFICANT SAFETY CONCERN BUT MOST CONCERNING BECAUSE OF ITS SUBTLE NATURE, SLOW PROGRESSION, AND PROHIBITIVE COSTS TO REPAIR. MANY PEOPLE ARE DRIVING AROUND WITH COMPROMISED SYSTEMS AND ARE NOT YET AWARE, UNABLE TO RECOGNIZE THE CAUSE, OR UNABLE TO FUND THE REPAIR. *TR