2004 VOLVO XC90 Complaints

AN ELECTRICAL FAILURE IN OUR 2004 XC90 OCCURRED LATE AT NIGHT WHILE WE WERE NEARING THE END OF A 60 MILE TRIP...AND IT ALMOST KILLED ME AND MY FAMILY. I WAS DRIVING HOME AT NIGHT AFTER ATTENDING A FIREWORKS SHOW IN SAN JOSE, CA AND FOR SOME REASON THE ENGINE STALLED DURING DE-CELLERATION AS I WAS CHANGING LANES WHILE EXITING THE FREEWAY. I FIRST NOTICED IT WHEN THERE WAS A LOSS OF HEADLIGHTS, THEN NO ACCELERATION PLUS A LOSS OF POWER STEERING/BRAKES. I WAS LUCKY TO WRESTLE THE CAR INTO A GAS STATION RIGHT OFF OF THE EXIT AS IT WAS COASTING TO A STOP. I TURNED THE KEY OFF, THEN ATTEMPTED TO RE-START THE VEHICLE...AND IT RE-STARTED RIGHT AWAY AND EVERYTHING WORKED FINE...SO I DROVE THE LAST 6 MILES HOME WITH NO ISSUE. I HAVE READ NUMEROUS COMPLAINTS FROM 2004 XC90 OWNERS AND CANNOT BELIEVE THERE HASN'T BEEN A MORE AGGRESSIVE RECALL ACTION AGAINST VOLVO FOR THIS ISSUE...OR THE TRANSMISSION FAILURE RATE. THIS IS LUDICROUS. I AM THANKFUL THAT IT HAPPENED LATE AT NIGHT WHILE WE WERE EXITING THE FREEWAY: UNDER OTHER CIRCUMSTANCES THE LOSS OF CONTROL OF THIS VEHICLE COULD HAVE HAD SERIOUS CONSEQUENCES. I AM ALSO THANKFUL IT WAS ME DRIVING WHEN IT HAPPENED...AND NOT MY WIFE. I DOUBT SHE COULD HAVE STEERED THIS VEHICLE WITH NO POWER TO THE STEERING OR BRAKES. *TR

THE CAR, INCLUDING ALL BRAKE COMPONENTS, WAS INSPECTED 3 WKS AGO. NINE DAYS AGO, THE EMERGENCY BRAKE SHOE BROKE AND THE PIECES FELL INTO THE WHEEL WORKS SO I COULD NOT DRIVE THE CAR. NOTE: IT HAD BEEN RAINING FOR A LONG TIME, SO THE MECHANIC SUSPECTS THE E-BRAKE CABLE RUSTED, FROZE LIGHTLY INTO THE "BRAKE" POSITION AND THE FRICTION RUBBED OFF THE ADHESIVE AND BROKE THE SHOE. THE CAR HAD BEEN DRIVEN THE PREVIOUS DAY FOR ABOUT 2.5 HOURS ON THE HIGHWAY WITH NO PROBLEMS. *TR

MOVING ABOUT 70MPH IN CRUISE WE FELT A SEVERE JERK FOLLOWED BY NEAR INSTANTANEOUS HARD ACCELERATION. THE JERK/THUD ACTION SO EXTREME IT WAS ALMOST LIKE THE VOLVO TRIED TO REVERSE GEAR BY ITSELF. IT'S STRANGE HOW AN 'EVENT' CAN CONJURE UP COMMON THOUGHTS. AFTER THE UNCONTROLLED HARD ACCELERATION, I HAD THOUGHTS OF THAT STATE PATROL OFFICER DRIVING THE LEXUS IN CALIFORNIA WHO WAS KILLED ALONG WITH HIS FAMILY WHEN HE COULDN'T CONTROL THE BIZARRE BEHAVIOR OF THE CAR. TURNS OUT IT WAS THE SAME THOUGHTS MY BROTHER HAD. 'AS WE PULLED OVER AND CALL FOR HELP OUR VOLVO DID SOMETHING BIZARRE AGAIN. WE THOUGHT THE REAR WHEEL GOING BACKWARD AT THIS TIME, ALMOST AT THE SAME TIME MOST ALL THE POWER IN THE VOLVO WENT DEAD. O GAUGES INCL. SPEEDOMETER, THE TACK, THE GAS, THE BATTERY, ALL OUT. OTHE WINDOWS STUCK IN THE UP POSITION. ONO TAILLIGHTS, NO BRAKE LIGHTS, NO DIRECTIONAL. OTHE TRANSMISSION STUCK IN A GEAR - EITHER 4 OR 5TH. 'WHILE WAITING FOR HELP AT THE AUTO ZONE, I SEARCHED WHAT THIS ISSUE MIGHT BE. I FOUND A VOLVO FORUM THAT SHOWS MANY PEOPLE THAT HAD SIMILAR, DRAMATIC ISSUES WITH SAME YEAR SAME MODEL VOLVO. 'AFTER RE-CONNECTING THE BATTERY, THE POWER CAME BACK ON OABOUT HOUR LATER THE VOLVO REPEATED A VERY DRAMATIC THUMP-JERK AND THE POWER STARTED TO GO OUT. THE TACK AND SPEEDOMETER STARTED DROPPING - DASH LIGHTS DIMMED AND ALL OF SUDDEN THE POWER CAME BACK - LIGHTS BACK AND GAUGES POPPED BACK UP. OONLY TO BE FOLLOWED BY ANOTHER THUMP ABOUT ONE MINUTE LATER AND THIS TIME THE POWER FAILURE WAS SIMILAR TO ABOVE (NOT SURE ABOUT TAILLIGHTS AS I WAS MOVING ON THE HIGHWAY AND NOT ABOUT TO GET OUT AND CHECK.) OON OUR NEXT TRIP EVEN AT THE REDUCED SPEEDS - 5 OR 6 TIMES HE VOLVO DID SOME BIZARRE JERK MANEUVER WITH 3 OF THE TIMES FOLLOWED BY POWER FAILURE. 'WE TALKED ABOUT OPTIONS AND WE AGREED THAT SELLING THIS VEHICLE TO SOMEONE AND POSSIBLY PUTTING ANOTHER FAMILY AT RISK. IT IS NOT THE RIGHT THING TO DO AND NOT A CHRISTIAN THING TO DO. *TR

2004 VOLVO XC90 JERKED, THEN ALL ELECTRIC COMPONENTS WENT OUT SUDDENLY INCLUDING HEADLIGHTS AS WE DROVE ALONG TN HWY 840 CAUSING US TO ALMOST WRECK AS IT WAS NIGHTTIME AND PITCH BLACK ON THIS HIGHWAY. PULLED OVER AND RESTARTED SUV. NORMAL ACTIVITY FOR 30 MINUTES, THEN PROBLEM RECURRED. TOOK SUV TO VOLVO DEALERSHIP AND THEY REPLACED FAULTY CEM. *TR

TRANSMISSION FAILURE ON 2004 VOLVO XC90 T6 AWD. DRIVING ON RURAL ROAD WHEN TRANSMISSION LOCKED IN 3RD GEAR. VEHICLE WOULD NOT SLOW DOWN UTLIZING DOWN SHIFTING ON HILLY ROADS. THE VEHICLE ON HAS APPROX 60K MILES. LOSING THE TRANSMISSION REALLY HINDERS THE PERFORMANCE AND CONTROL OF THE VEHICLE. *TT

I WAS DRIVING MY 2004 XC90 ON THE HIGHWAY WHEN SUDDENLY ALL THE LIGHTS IN THE DASHBOARD WENT OUT. THE CAR SLOWED DOWN. EVERYTHING ELECTRICAL IN THE CAR STOPPED WORKING. I COULD STILL START THE CAR HOWEVER. BUT ACCELERATION WASN'T THE SAME, THE CAR CRAWLED. TOOK THE CAR TO THE VOLVO DEALERSHIP WHO SAY THIS IS A CEM PROBLEM. A COMPUTER DEFECT THE CAR IS BARELY 7 YEARS OLD AND THIS IS APPARENTLY A PROBLEM WITH MANY OTHER XC90 OWNERS AND A REAL SAFETY ISSUE. AND TO REPLACE THIS CEMCHIP IS 1400 DOLLARS. LEASE LOOK INTO THIS MATTER. *TR

TL* THE CONTACT OWNS A 2004 VOLVO XC90. THE CONTACT STATED THAT WHEN DRIVING THE VEHICLE FOR MORE THAN ONE HOUR, THE VEHICLE WOULD EXHIBIT ELECTRICAL FAILURES. THE INSTRUMENT PANEL WOULD FAIL AND WHEN THE VEHICLE WAS TURNED OFF AND THEN RESTARTED, THERE WERE SEVERAL WARNING LIGHTS ILLUMINATED SPORADICALLY. THE CONTACT TOOK THE VEHICLE TO THE DEALER AND WAS TOLD THAT THE VEHICLE WOULD NEED A SOFTWARE UPGRADE. THE CONTACT STATED THAT THE UPGRADE TEMPORARILY CORRECTED THE PROBLEM, BUT THE FAILURE RECURRED WHEN THE WEATHER BECAME WARMER. THE FAILURE MILEAGE WAS 80,000 AND THE CURRENT MILEAGE WAS 91,000.

EARLY CATASTROPHIC ENGINE FAILURE. WE BOUGHT THIS CAR NEW IN 2004. LAST YEAR, AT APPROX 35,000 MILES, WE HAD TO REPLACE THE HEAD GASKET ($5000). TODAY I WAS TOLD BY OUR VOLVO SERVICE CENTER THAT THE ENGINE WAS BLOWN AND WE NEEDED A NEW ONE. ($12,500) THIS CAR HAS ALWAYS BEEN GENTLY DRIVEN, HAS EXTREMELY LOW MILEAGE YET HAS DEMONSTRATED THAT IT'S ENGINE IS A LEMON. *TR

I HAVE HAD TWO INCIDENTS IN WHICH THE CAR CYCLES OFF AND ON AFTER APPROXIMATE THREE HOURS OF HIGHWAY DRIVING A FEW TIMES, AND THEN LOSES ALL AUXILIARY POWER, SRS LIGHT COMES ON, BRAKE FAILURE, BUT CAR CONTINUES TO RUN AND BRAKES OPERATE FINE. ON THE SECOND OCCASION, I PULLED OFF THE HIGHWAY, TURNED THE CAR OFF, THEN ON AGAIN, AND THE CAR WORKED FINE FOR A FEW MINUTES, AND DID THIS AGAIN WHEN THE CAR POWERED DOWN, UNTIL I REACHED MY DESTINATION. THE CAR THEN SAT IN A PARKING LOT AND I RETURNED ON THE 250 MILE JOURNEY HOME. I STOPPED EVERY HOUR TO HOUR AND A HALF, AND MADE IT HOME AFTER FIVE HOURS, WITHOUT INCIDENT. THE MECHANIC INITIALLY TOLD ME IT MIGHT BE THE DRIVER INFORMATION MODULE (DIM), WHICH THE PART COST $1200 AND THEN LABOR, BUT IT MAY OR MAY NOT FIX THE PROBLEM. IT IS IN THE SHOP NOW AFTER THE SECOND EPISODE, 3 WEEKS LATER, AND AGAIN THEY SAY IT LOOKS TO BE THE DIM. I AM NOT WILLING TO SPEND THE MONEY ON THIS IF IT WILL NOT FIX THE PROBLEM. I WILL CONTINUE TO DRIVE THE CAR LIKE THIS UNLESS IT BECOMES A SAFETY HAZARD. *TR

2004 XC-90 AWD: FOR OVER TWO YEARS THE VEHICLE HAS BEEN EXPERIENCING THE SAME ISSUE WHICH APPEARS TO BE AN ELECTRICAL PROBLEM. THE VEHICLE WILL SUDDENLY SEEM TO STALL OR "HICCUP" WHILE DRIVING. THIS OCCURS AT ANY SPEED BUT IT IS MOST PREVALENT AT HIGHWAY SPEEDS. IT NORMALLY HAPPENS AT SPEEDS OF 65MPH OR HIGHER. THE WINDSHIELD WIPERS WILL ENGAGE FOR ONE SWEEP (THEY WILL BE SELECTED ?OFF?), THE RADIO (IF ON) WILL TURN OFF AND ON AGAIN, THE GAUGES ON THE PANEL WILL GO DEAD AND THEN COME TO LIFE. THE MOST UNSAFE THING IS A LOUD ?THUMP? THAT OCCURS IN THE FRONT OF THE VEHICLE. IT FEELS LIKE SOMEONE HAS SUDDENLY SLAMMED ON THE BRAKES AND THEN RELEASED THEM. THIS ALL HAPPENS IN A MATTER OF SECONDS. THE ENGINE DOES NOT STOP DURING THIS SEQUENCE AND THE BRAKES APPEAR TO KEEP WORKING. THIS HAS OCCURRED WITH AND WITHOUT THE CRUISE CONTROL ENGAGED. THERE ARE NO WARNINGS, LIGHTS, OR CAUTION MESSAGES ASSOCIATED WITH THIS DURING OR AFTER IT OCCURS. NONE OF THE DEALERSHIPS WE'VE TAKEN IT TO HAVE DISCOVERED THE CAUSE. I RECENTLY DISCOVERED A NHTSA INVESTIGATION THAT WAS COMPLETED IN NOVEMBER 11, 2010 ON 20 CASES INVOLVING SIMILAR ISSUES WITH 2004 XC-90S. THE INVESTIGATION NUMBER IS PE10-025. IT APPEARS THE PROBLEM MAY BE ELECTRICAL BUT NEITHER I NOR THE DEALERSHIPS CAN NARROW IT DOWN. THE VEHICLE HAS APPROXIMATELY 125K MILES ON IT. I HAVE BEEN THE ONLY OWNER OF THE VEHICLE AND ALL REQUIRED MAINTENANCE HAS BEEN KEPT UP TO DATE WITH VOLVO DEALERSHIPS IN WICHITA, KS, STOCKTON, CA AND NOW TACOMA, WA. MOST RECENTLY THIS OCCURRED THREE TIMES DURING A DAY TRIP WHICH COVERED APPROXIMATELY 288 MILES. *TR