2004 VOLVO XC90 Complaints

I WAS DRIVING THE VEHICLE AND THE TRANSMISSION SIMPLY STOPPED PROPELLING THE CAR. IT WAS AS IF IT WENT INTO NEUTRAL WHILE GOING 50 MPH. FORTUNATELY I WAS ABLE TO PULL OVER BEFORE BECOMING A ROAD HAZARD. *TR

TRANSMISSION SIMPLY DIED WITH NO WARNING. I WAS DRIVING THE CAR AND SUDDENLY IT JUST STOPPED. NO ACCIDENT OCCURRED, BUT CERTAINLY COULD HAVE. I BELIEVE THE TRANSMISSION IN THIS CAR IS DEFECTIVE AND THIS HAS HAPPENED TO NUMEROUS OTHERS. *TR

AFTER 60000 MILE SERVICE TRANSMISSION APPEARED TO BE SLIPPING WHEN COLD. "TRANSMISSION SERVICE URGENT" MESSAGE APPEARED. TRANSMISSION WOULD NOT SHIFT FROM THIRD GEAR. SHOP INDICATED THERE IS NO ADJUSTABLE PART. TRANSMISSION REPLACEMENT WOULD LIKELY BE NEEDED, WHEN CONTACTED VOLVO INDICATED THE WARRANTY WAS OFF AT 55K MILES. UPON RESEARCHING THROUGH THE INTERNET THERE ARE AN EXTREMELY LARGE NUMBER OF TRANSMISSION REPLACEMENTS FOR THIS VEHICLE AND YET NO RECALL HAS BEEN ISSUED. I CONTACTED VOLVO OF NORTH AMERICA AND IT APPEARS THEY ARE DEALING WITH THIS ON A SQUEAKY WHEEL CASE BY CASE BASIS AND SOME INDIVIDUALS ARE PAYING FULL REPLACEMENT COST WHILE OTHERS ARE BEING COVERED BY VOLVO. THIS DOES NOT SEEM EQUITABLE TO THE INDIVIDUALS WHO ARE UNABLE TO DO THE RESEARCH OR HAVE TIME AND RESOURCES TO CONVINCE VOLVO TO REPLACE THE DEFECTIVE TRANSMISSIONS GRATIS. *TR

I HAVE A 2004 VOLVO XC90 T6 AWD SUV THAT I PURCHASED FROM A VOLVO DEALER. WHILE ON A CROSS COUNTRY TRIP THE TRANSMISSION SEIZED AND HAD TO BE REPLACE. THE VEHICLE WAS STILL UNDER WARRANTY (LUCKY), BUT THE MECHANIC TOLD ME THAT THIS MODEL AND YEAR HAD A ENGINEERING FLAW AND HE HAD SEEN A NUMBER OF THESE WITH THIS SAME PROBLEM. THE FLAW, THE TURBO ENGINE PUTS TOO MUCH TORQUE ON THE 4 SPEED GM TRANNY IN THE CAR. I ASKED IF VOLVO HAD A RECALL ON THIS ISSUE AND HE SAID NO. THIS FIRST TRANNY WENT OUT AT 60,000. AT 66, 000 MILES THE SECOND TRANNY WENT OUT. WHEN I ASKED WHY THIS ONE WENT OUT, HE EXPLAINED THAT THEY DO NOT KNOW B/C WHEN IT IS UNDER WARRANTY, VOLVO TELLS THE DEALERSHIPS TO JUST REPLACE IT AND THEN SEND IT TO THEM AND THEY WILL TRY AND DIAGNOSIS THE PROBLEM. I HAVE BEEN TOLD THAT SINCE GM DOES NOT MAKE THE TRANSMISSION ANY LONGER THEY HAVE TO PUT A REBUILT INTO IT. I HAVE DONE SOME RESEARCH ON THIS ISSUE AND THERE SEEMS TO BE 100'S OF XC 90 OWNERS WITH THE SAME PROBLEM. I HAVE CONTACTED VOLVO CUSTOMER SERVICE AND THEY HAVE BEEN NICE BUT NOT VERY WILLING TO ADDRESS THIS ISSUE AND I DON'T HAVE VERY MUCH CONFIDENCE IN THIS RECENT TRANNY. I WAS LUCKY WHEN THE FIRST ONE WENT OUT, B/C I WAS NOT DRIVE AT 70 MPH WHEN IT SEIZED, I WAS JUST GETTING BACK ON THE HWY. THE SECOND ONE WENT OUT ALSO AT A SLOW SPEED. I SEARCHED THROUGH YOUR SITE AND DID NOT FIND ANY MENTION OF THIS ISSUE SO I THOUGHT I WOULD POST WITH YOU AND SEE WHAT HAPPENED. IF YOU NEED FURTHER DETAILS PLEASE LET ME KNOW. THANKS *TR

TRANSMISSION REPLACED TWO TIMES, AT APPROX. 38,000 AND AT ABOUT 48,000 MILES. UNITS START SLIPPING WHEN SHIFTING TO SECOND GEAR AND LEAVE YOU RIGHT WHERE YOU ARE UNTIL THEY DECIDE TO RENGAGE. BALL JOINTS AND ALL FOUR HUBS REPLACED BY 50,000 MILES. AXLES (FRONT) NEED REPLACING NOW AT 70,000 MILES. SWAY BAR ENDS REPLACED AT 55,000 MILES. THIS IS THE NEEDIEST VEHICLE I HAVE EVER OWNED. FRONT BEARINGS ON DRIVE SHAFT REPLACED LAST MONTH, WORN SINCE ABUT FIFTEEN THOUSAND MILES, FINALLY GOT SO LOUD THAT WE COULD SHAKE THE DRIVE SHAFT AND GET A QUARTER OF PLAY AT THE BEARING SET. *TR

ON JANUARY 6, 2009, MY WIFE AND DAUGHTER WERE DRIVING ON I-20 WHEN THEY HEARD A "THUMP" AND THEN EXPERIENCED A SUDDEN LOSS OF POWER WITH THE ELECTRICAL SYSTEMS. THE ENGINE NEVER STOPPED, BUT THE RADIO, WINDSHIELD WIPERS, DOOR LOCKS, DASHBOARD AND EVERYTHING SUDDENLY STOPPED WORKING. THEY CONTINUED TO DRIVE AND ABOUT 5 MINUTES LATER IT HAPPENED AGAIN. THEY NEVER STOPPED AND ABOUT 5 MINUTES LATER IT HAPPENED AGAIN. THEY IMMEDIATELY EXITED THE HIGHWAY AND WAITED ABOUT AN HOUR BEFORE TRYING TO DRIVE AGAIN. WE HAVE NOT BEEN ABLE TO DUPLICATE THE PROBLEM SINCE THEN. IN REVIEWING THE WEBSITE, THIS APPEARS TO HAVE HAPPENED TO A FEW FOLKS. *TR

ADD ME TO THE GROWING LIST OF XC90 OWNERS THAT HAVE EXPERIENCED THE REPLACEMENT OF FRONT AXLES AND REAR WHEEL BEARINGS. MY 2004 XC90 HAS LESS THAN 50K MILES AND BOTH OF THE AFOREMENTIONED ITEMS WERE REPLACE AT A COST OF $2K......THIS SEEMS A BIT OF EXCESSIVE FOR VEHICLE THAT IS MARKETED UNDER THE BANNER OF SAFE AND RELIABLE..."BUILT FOR LIFE." *TR

FUEL PUMP LEAKING CAUSING INTERNAL GAS FUMES WITH PASSENGER HAZARD AND VISIBLE LEAKING OF GASOLINE ONTO ROAD FROM THE PUMP-GAS TANK ASSEMBLY. THE FUEL PUMP WAS ON A WARRANTY FROM STATE OF CALIFORNIA. HOWEVER WHEN DEALER REPLACED FUEL PUMP KIT THE PUMP-ASSEMBLY CONTINUES TO LEAK. CAR IS A 2004 XC-90 VOLVO WITH 60K MILES. *TR

AT APPROXIMATELY 62,500 MILES, THE TRANSMISSION OF MY 2004 VOLVO XC90 FAILED. AFTER RESEARCHING, I FOUND THIS TO BE A COMMON PROBLEM FOR THIS PARTICULAR MODEL CAR, AS WELL AS THE 2003 AND PART OF THE 2005 YEAR. I HAD THE TRANSMISSION REBUILT BY AN INDEPENDENT TRANSMISSION REPAIR SHOP, THEY WERE ABLE TO PROVIDE ME ATRA MANUALS, WHICH I HAVE COPIES OF, THAT SHOWS THE PARTICULAR DEFECT WITH THE TRANSMISSION WHICH DEMONSTRATES AS THE DIRECT CAUSE OF WHAT SEEMS TO BE A COMMON PROBLEM. THAT PROBLEM IS THAT THE 2ND AND 4TH CLUTCHES ARE BURNING AND EVENTUALLY SPEWING BITS OF METAL SHAVINGS THROUGHOUT THE ENTIRE TRANSMISSION, DESTROYING IT. THE PROBLEM WAS IDENTIFIED IN THE 2005 ATRA MANUAL AS SOMETHING TO LOOK OUT FOR AND INSPECT, IN 2006, THE CAUSE WAS IDENTIFIED AS IMPROPER MACHINING OF THE ACCUMULATOR HOUSING, THE ANGLE AND DEPTH HAVE NOW BEEN MODIFIED TO AVOID DAMAGE LIKE MY CAR AND MANY OTHERS OWNERS LIKE ME HAVE EXPERIENCED. THE PARTICULAR MODEL IS THE GM 4T65E TRANSMISSION. NOT ONLY AN INCONVENIENCE, BUT IN MY OPINION, A SEVERE SAFELY HAZARD, PRIOR TOT HE REPAIRS, THE TRANSMISSION LIGHT CAME ON AND EFFECTIVELY MADE IT IMPOSSIBLE TO MANEUVER THE CAR FORCING ME TO PULL OVER AND ASSESS THE SITUATION, FORTUNATELY FOR ME, TRAFFIC WAS LIGHT AT THE TIME, THIS MAY NOT HAVE BEEN THE CASE FOR SOMEONE ELSE, POTENTIALLY CAUSING AN ACCIDENT AND EVEN WORSE DEATH OR DISMEMBERMENT. I BELIEVE VOLVO SHOULD ISSUE A RECALL AND REIMBURSE OWNERS FOR THE EXPENSE OF A NEW OR REBUILT TRANSMISSION. *TR

I HAVE A FIVE YEAR OLD 2004 VOLVO XC90 T6 THAT HAS HAD TWO TRANSMISSION FAILURES. IT IS CURRENTLY AT THE DEALER AWAITING A THIRD TRANSMISSION. THE FIRST TRANSMISSION FAILURE WAS IN AUGUST 2007, THE SECOND WAS IN DECEMBER 2008. I WAS TOLD BY THE DEALER THAT THE FIRST TRANSMISSION FAILED DUE TO "EXCESS METAL" AND THAT THE METAL SOMEHOW TRAVELED TO THE COOLING SYSTEM AND THEN TO THE SECOND TRANSMISSION, WHICH CAUSED IT TO FAIL. THIS IS A DANGEROUS ISSUE AND I FEAR THAT THE CAR IS NEITHER SAFE NOR RELIABLE AT THIS POINT. I PAID $1900 FOR THE FIRST TRANSMISSION TO BE REPLACED. ONE WEEK LATER, I RETURNED TO THE DEALER AND COMPLAINED THAT THE TRANSMISSION WAS HESITATING AND WAS NOT SHIFTING SMOOTHLY. THEY COULD FIND NOTHING. I RETURNED FOUR ADDITIONAL TIMES OVER THE NEXT YEAR WITH THE SAME COMPLAINTS AND THE DEALERSHIP COULD NEVER FIND ANYTHING WRONG. NOW I AM WAITING TO FIND OUT IF VOLVO WILL EVEN OFFER TO PAY FOR THIS THIRD TRANSMISSION. *TR