2004 VOLVO XC90 Complaints

1. SINCE DAY 1, THE TRANSMISSION ON MY 2004 VOLVO-XC90 HAS ALWAYS GIVEN ME TROUBLE, IT DOESN'T ENGAGE TROUGH GEAR AS QUICKLY AS IT SHOULD. ON MAY 25TH 2009, THE TRANSMISSION COMPLETELY WENT OUT LEAVING ME IN THE MIDDLE OF THE INTERSECTION WITH CARS BEHIND ME TRAVELING 35 MILES AND ALMOST CAUSED AN ACCIDENT. 2. THE TRANSMISSION HAS NEVER OPERATED PROPERLY SINCE I PURCHASED THE CAR IN APRIL OF 2009. THE SHOP AND EVERY OTHER ONE I CALLED KNEW EXACTLY WHAT THE PROBLEM WAS. THEY SAID THAT THE TRANSMISSION IN THIS MODEL AND YEAR WAS A FAULTY GM TRANSMISSION AND HAVE SEEN MANY IN FOR THIS TYPE OF SERVICE. I DID SOME RESEARCH ON THE INTERNET AND FOUND THAT MANY OWNERS HAVE EXPERIENCED THE SAME PROBLEM, THE EXACT PROBLEM. I BOUGHT IT FROM AUTOWEST ACURA IN SAN JOSE, I ASK THEM FOR HELP WITH THAT MATTER, (4 TIMES) THEY WERE EVASIVE AND REFUSED TO HELP, OR TO GET TO ANY ARRANGEMENT. THE "TRANSMISSION SERVICE URGENT" LIGHT CAME ON. TOOK THE CAR TO THE DEALER AND THEY SAID I NEED A NEW TRANSMISSION. THERE SEEMS TO BE A LARGE NUMBER OF THESE SAME COMPLAINTS FOR THIS SAME CAR FROM VOLVO. THERE IS A SERIOUS PROBLEM WITH THIS CAR AND I'M WRITING YOU FOR CONSUMER PROTECTION. *TR

I'VE BEEN GETTING A ROARING SOUND FROM UNDER MY '04 VOLVO XC90 T6. AFTER SPENDING $3000 REPLACING AN "ANGLE ARM" AT THE VOLVO DEALERSHIP, THERE'S BEEN NO IMPROVEMENT. I'M NOW TOLD I NEED TO REPLACE MY TRANSMISSION. COST ESTIMATE IS $7000. *TR

FAILURE OF TRANSMISSION IN A 2004 VOLVO XC 90 WITH 64,000 MILES WHILE DRIVING ON THE HIGHWAY. ENTIRE TRANSMISSION AND RADIATOR HAD TO BE REPLACED. *TR

WHILE DRIVING IN HEAVY TRAFFIC ON APRIL 25, 2009, MY 2004 VOLVO XC90 BEGAN JERKING AND THEN THERE WAS A SUDDEN LOSS OF POWER, THE INSTRUMENT PANEL SWOOPED TO THE FAR RIGHT AND THEN BACK TO LEFT WITH NO OTHER MOVEMENT, THE RADIO SHUT OFF, THE WINDSHIELD WIPERS BEGAN WIPING, AND THE DOOR LOCKS AND WINDOWS WOULD NOT WORK. SHORTLY THEREAFTER, THE MESSAGE BOX DISPLAYED "BRAKE FAILURE-STOP SAFELY", AND THEN CHANGED TO "SRS AIRBAG _SERVICE URGENT". ONCE WE STOPPED, THE VEHICLE WOULD NOT START AGAIN. I DISCONNECTED THE BATTERY IN HOPES OF RESETTING THE COMPUTER. ONCE THIS WAS DONE THE CAR STARTED AGAIN. MESSAGES ARE STILL DISPLAYED. WE CONTACTED VOLVO CORPORATE AND HAVE AN APPOINTMENT WITH A LOCAL DEALERSHIP TOMORROW. THIS IS A SERIOUS SAFETY ISSUE AND IT IS NOT THE FIRST TIME I HAVE SUBMITTED A COMPLAINT FOR THIS SAME TYPE PROBLEM. I HAVE BEEN A FAITHFUL, REPEAT VOLVO CUSTOMER, AND WOULD LIKE TO CONTINUE TO SUPPORT VOLVO. MY LOYALTY IS SLOWLY FADING, ESPECIALLY AFTER READING SEVERAL COMPLAINTS OF THE SAME NATURE. VOLVO PLEASE DON'T LET A DEATH OCCUR BEFORE YOU TAKE ACTION. *TR

1. THE TRANSMISSION ON MY 2004 VOLVO-XC90 HAS ALWAYS GIVEN ME TROUBLE, IT DOESN'T ENGAGE INTO THIRD GEAR AS QUICKLY AS IT SHOULD. ON APRIL 17TH 2009, THE TRANSMISSION COMPLETELY WENT OUT LEAVING ME IN THE MIDDLE OF THE INTERSECTION WITH CARS BEHIND ME TRAVELING 35 MILES AND ALMOST CAUSED AN ACCIDENT. 2. THE TRANSMISSION HAS NEVER OPERATED PROPERLY SINCE I PURCHASED THE CAR IN JUNE OF 2008. 3. I HAVE AN EXTENDED WARRANTY AND SO THE CAR IS IN THE SHOP NOW FOR REPAIR. THE SHOP AND EVERY OTHER ONE I CALLED KNEW EXACTLY WHAT THE PROBLEM WAS. THEY SAID THAT THE TRANSMISSION IN THIS MODEL AND YEAR WAS A FAULTY GM TRANSMISSION AND HAVE SEEN MANY IN FOR THIS TYPE OF SERVICE. I DID SOME RESEARCH ON THE INTERNET AND FOUND THAT MANY OWNER HAVE EXPERIENCED THE SAME PROBLEM, THE EXACT PROBLEM. MY CAR ONLY HAS 54,000 MILES ON IT AND SOME OF THE COMPLAINTS I FOUND ON THE INTERNET REPORTED WERE AS LOW AS 20,000 MILES. THERE IS A SERIOUS PROBLEM WITH THIS CAR AND I'M WRITING YOU FOR CONSUMER PROTECTION. *TR

MY VOLVO XC90 2004, DRIVER'S SIDE GETS FLOODED DURING HEAVY RAIN. DURING LIGHT RAIN, THE INTERIOR WILL GET DAMP. WHEN I START THE CAR, I HEAR A WATER SLUSHING SOUND, COMING SOMEWHERE FROM THE CAR. MY MECHANIC SAID THIS IS DUE TO A VOLVO DESIGN FLAW. THE SUNROOF DRAINS ARE NARROW, AND IT GETS CLOGGED AND REDIRECTS THE WATER INSIDE THE PANELS OF THE CAR. ALSO THE WINDSHIELD DRAINS HAVE THE SAME PROBLEM. I CANNOT BELIEVE A LUXURY CAR CAN HAVE SUCH A MAJOR FLAW. I NEED THE FLAW FIXED, SINCE IT IS THE MANUFACTURER'S FAULT. I AM TIRED OF DRIVING WITH WATER UP TO MY ANKLES-IT IS DANGEROUS! *TR

AFTER MONTHS OF GEAR SLIPPAGE IN THE TRANSMISSION, THE "TRANSMISSION SERVICE URGENT" LIGHT CAME ON. TOOK THE CAR TO THE DEALER AND THEY SAID I NEED A NEW TRANSMISSION. THERE SEEMS TO BE A LARGE NUMBER OF THESE SAME COMPLAINTS FOR THIS SAME CAR FROM VOLVO. *TR

ON MARCH 22, 2009 I WAS TRAVELING WITH MY TWO DAUGHTERS EAST ON I-75 FROM NAPLES TO MIAMI WHEN THE CAR SUDDENLY JERKED AND THE DASHBOARD AND INSTRUMENTS FLICKERED AND LIT UP, AND THEN THE INSTRUMENT PANEL DISPLAYED THE MESSAGE "SRS - AIRBAG SERVICE URGENT". WAS ABLE TO CONTINUE DRIVING TO LOOK FOR A REST AREA AS THAT STRETCH OF I-75 IS IN THE EVERGLADES. AFTER A FEW MILES THE CAR JERKED AGAIN, BUT THIS TIME ALL THE DASHBOARD LIGHTS, INSTRUMENTS (SPEEDOMETER, RPM), RADIO AND INTERIOR LIGHTS DID NOT WORK. WAS ABLE TO CONTINUE DRIVING TO A REST AREA ABOUT 7 MILES DOWN THE HIGHWAY. I STOPPED, TURNED OFF THE CAR FOR 15 MINUTES THEN IT STARTED UP AGAIN WITH ALL THE ELECTRICAL SYSTEMS WORKING, BUT STILL DISPLAYING THE MESSAGE "SRS - AIRBAG SERVICE URGENT". NOT WANTING TO B STUCK IN THE EVERGLADES I CONTINUED DRIVING, AND THE JERKING MOTION AND ISSUE WITH ELECTRICAL OCCURRED AGAIN TWO MORE TIMES. THE LAST TIME WAS WHEN I WAS PULLING OFF THE HIGHWAY ONTO MY EXIT FOR HOME IT DISPLAYED THE MESSAGE "BRAKE FAILURE! STOP SAFELY". I WAS ABLE TO STOP, TURNED OFF CAR, STARTED IT AGAIN WITH EVERYTHING WORKING, BUT STILL DISPLAYING THE MESSAGE "SRS - AIRBAG SERVICE URGENT". THIS SAME ISSUE HAPPENED LAST SUMMER WHEN MY WIFE WAS DRIVING WITH OUR KIDS FROM MIAMI TO JACKSONVILLE. SHE TOOK IT TO A VOLVO DEALER IN DAYTONA BEACH AND ONE IN JACKSONVILLE. BOTH DEALERS WERE NOT ABLE TO DIAGNOSE THE ISSUE. WHEN BACK IN MIAMI, I TOOK IT TO AN INDEPENDENT MECHANIC WHO IS VOLVO-CERTIFIED AND HE WAS NOT ABLE TO FIX THE ISSUE EITHER. BASED ON WHAT I'VE RESEARCHED IT SEEMS TO BE AN ISSUE WITH THE ONBOARD COMPUTER. THIS IS A VERY SCARY PROBLEM THAT NEEDS TO BE ADDRESSED BY VOLVO, ESPECIALLY WHEN YOU ARE DRIVING 70 MILES AN HOUR ON THE HIGHWAY AND THE CAR SUDDENLY JERKS AND LOSES POWER. *TR

CAR STARTED MAKING A LOUD, METAL GRINDING SOUND WHILE PULLING OUT OF A SHOPPING CENTER PARKING LOT. NO PREVIOUS PROBLEMS OR FAILURES. NO SERVICE CODE. BROUGHT CAR TO DEALER AND CONFIRMED MY FEAR IT WAS THE TRANSMISSION. ONLY 69,000 MILES ON CAR. I'VE BEEN AWARE OF TRANSMISSION PROBLEMS ON XC90'S. I EVEN HAVE A NEIGHBOR WHO HAD TO REPLACE THE TRANSMISSION ON HIS 2004 XC90. HAVE ALWAYS HAD VOLVOS, BUT THIS IS THE LAST ONE. VOLVO NO LONGER STANDS BEHIND ITS VEHICLES. VERY DISAPPOINTING FOR THE PRICE PAID. *TR

WITH EACH SERVICE AT POINT WEST VOLVO NOW PARK PLACE VOLVO SINCE PURCHASING THE CAR, DALLAS TX, I REPORTED A PROBLEM WITH MY 2004 XC90 T6 THAT MY ENGINE SURGES ON TAKEOFF. WITH EACH SERVICE, THEY COULD NOT DUPLICATE THE PROBLEM AND DID NOT LIST THIS ON THE INVOICE. WELL, SINCE THEY DID NOT FIND A PROBLEM, I DID NOT QUESTION WHY IT WAS NOT LISTED. TWO DAYS AGO THE 'TRANSMISSION SERVICE URGENT" LIGHT CAME ON, SO I CALLED THE DEALER TO SEE IF THE CAR IS SAFE TO DRIVE IN FOR SERVICE. ASSURED THAT IT MAY JUST BE A COMMUTER PROBLEM, I DELIVER THE CAR. I AM NOW AT 72000 MILES AND DID NOT PURCHASE EXTENDED WARRANTY. THE DEALER HAS COMPLETED A SOFTWARE DOWNLOAD ($600.00) AND THINKS THIS MAY FIX THE PROBLEM. IF NOT, I WILL NEED A NEW TRANSMISSION TO THE TUNE OF $6,000.00. I HAVE NOT MISSED A SERVICE, EVEN SCHEDULED SERVICE EARLY BECAUSE OF THE CONTINUED PROBLEM WITH THE SURGES. WHY DID THE DEALER NOT ADDRESS THIS PROBLEM, WHEN IT APPEARS TO BE A KNOW PROBLEM WITH MY MAKE AND MODEL? WHEN I WENT TO PICK UP THE CAR TODAY, MY SERVICE REP. WENT TO TALK WITH THE SERVICE MANAGE. THEY KEPT THE CAR OVERNIGHT BUT I AM CONCERNED THAT THIS WAS JUST A STALL. WHAT CAN BE DONE? THIS IS A KNOW PROBLEM AND FORD (VOLVO) IS DOING NOTHING! *TR