10.0

really awful
Crashes / Fires:
2 / 1
Injuries / Deaths:
1 / 0
Average Mileage:
96,144 miles

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« Read the previous 20 complaints

problem #70

May 102011

XC90

  • 72,200 miles
As I was driving down a busy road, the dashboard gauges starting flickering on and off, and then the engine completely died out. As I was traveling at about 45 mph, I attempted to steer the car towards the right shoulder. The steering was very tight and difficult. As I moved right, the car behind me came around to pass because my car was slowing rapidly. As I started to move right, I could not correct my steering fast enough to avoid a collision. This is a very dangerous situation. When the dealer hooked the car to the computer, they could not diagnose a problem. It has now happened several more times with no explanation.

- Riverwoods, IL, USA

problem #69

Oct 082011

XC90 6-cyl

  • 113,026 miles
While driving the electronics shut off and the engine dies as if its in neutral. Took to Volvo service and they said a can software upgrade would solve it, this did not solve it, immediately after we left the same thing happened within a few miles, engine shut down, power went out, when restarted the SRS airbag error code came on as well as the ABS break failure message. I see you guys have completed an investigation (PE10025) on this but what the heck is being done about it. This car is very dangerous to my wife and newborn!!!! the car goes from 70 to 10mph on the freeway, how is this not as important as the issue with Toyota excessive acceleration problem, does someone need to die before you guys take this serious!

- Irvine, CA, USA

problem #68

Oct 012011

XC90 5-cyl

  • 123,200 miles
I was driving on the freeway and there was a slight thumping noise and the electrical systems failed and shutdown in a second. The power was lost and the vehicle came to a sudden halt. Luckily I was on the right side of the road and I had pulled over to the side of the road. It was very scary, as I was on the freeway in the night and I could have very well been in an accident causing damage to my life and others. The electrical failure caused the car to loose complete control of the speed and the car came to an immediate halt. There was a message of break failure for a second before the car shut down completely. Request you to please look into this concern as it is a potential safety hazard. I have researched over the internet and I read that most of the owners of 2004/2005 XC90 are facing similar issues, which is very scary. Kindly help us and help save lives. Thanking you.

- Superior, CO, USA

problem #67

Aug 082011

XC90 5-cyl

  • 102,000 miles
Driving down highway and all the gages went off-- had some minor electrical issues for years, tail lights not working one time and then okay. Finally dealership said it needed a new central computer. Just picked up the car $1,100+

- Granville , OH, USA

problem #66

Mar 152011

XC90

  • 70,000 miles
The contact owns a 2004 Volvo XC90. While driving approximately 65 mph, the contact noticed that the headlights began to flash and the instrument panel gauges and windows failed. The vehicle was taken to the dealer for diagnostics where the technician stated that the central control module and the driver information module had to be replaced. The vehicle was not repaired. The approximate failure mileage was 70,000. The VIN was not available.

- Kingston, MA, USA

problem #65

Apr 132011

XC90 6-cyl

  • 99,000 miles
I own a 2004 Volvo XC90 T6 and it has been a disaster the last 4 years. One day I was driving on I90 (nyst) when my car whole dashboard went out. It was a moment I cant forget. I couldn't do anything, I was driving 65 mph and can only force my car off the road because I have lost control of it. This is safety issue in my book. No one is going to do anything until someone gets hurt. I know I am not the only one complaining about this random shut down on the XC90's. Volvo tells me they are unsure on how to fix the problem... how can you be unsure about a safety issue that puts my life on the line. I take it to the dealer (northtown of buffalo). They "fixed" the problem. Now 3 months later its happening again. Everytime I get in this car I am unsure if its going to happen again. I need help and many more citizens out there encounter the same situation. This is not normal. Thank you

- Selkirk , NY, USA

problem #64

Jul 022011

XC90 6-cyl

  • 134,000 miles
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.

- Concord, CA, USA

problem #63

Jun 162011

XC90 5-cyl

  • 87,000 miles
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.

- Yorktown, VA, USA

problem #62

Jun 102011

XC90

  • 80,000 miles
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.

- Brooklyn, NY, USA

problem #61

May 102010

XC90

  • 80,000 miles
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.

- Greenboro, NC, USA

problem #60

May 302011

XC90 5-cyl

  • 124,500 miles
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.

- Lakewood, WA, USA

problem #59

May 172011

XC90

  • miles
The contact owns a 2004 Volvo XC90. The contact stated that when driving various speeds, he could hear a clicking noise coming from under the dashboard and various lights on the instrument panel would illuminate rapidly. The failure recurred intermittently. The contact also stated that after the most recent failure, he was unable to start the vehicle. The vehicle was not taken to have the failure diagnosed or repaired. The failure and current mileages were unavailable. The VIN was unavailable.

- East Palo Alto, CA, USA

problem #58

May 262011

XC90

  • 123,000 miles
Was driving at highway speed when all electrical systems shut down. Dash panel indicated brake failure, stop carefully. No lights, turn signals, speedometer, tachometer, airbags, hazard lights, pwr windows, pwr brakes, radio - no power to anything. Clear, dry weather conditions. This had been happening for short cycles for approx. 2 months. Windshield wipers would turn on for one cycle and all power would shut down to dash, radio, lights etc. But would last for only a second or two. This might happen 2-3 times on approx. 20 mile drive home on highway. This only happens at highway speed. But the incident on Thursday 05.26.11 no power lasted for 10 miles until I got the vehicle home. Had the car sit for an hour and then started again and the dash indicated SRS system failure but all power was restored to car.

- New Market, MD, USA

problem #57

May 042011

XC90 4-cyl

  • 74,000 miles
This is in regards to my Volvo 2004 XC90. While driving my Volvo starts jerking and then all of the electrical systems go out - all the interior dash light go off, signal lights, and hazards will not work. I get a message about brake failure and then SRS airbag service. Once you stop the car and restart it functions normally with just the SRS message remaining.

- Ca, CA, USA

problem #56

May 012011

XC90

  • 110,000 miles
Engine warning light alerted a "bulb failure". replacement of the headlamp cartridge did not fix the problem. Since the incident happened, I noticed several other XC90 SUV's with same daylight lamp out on the driver side.

- Rancho Mirage, CA, USA

problem #55

Apr 122011

XC90

  • 113,000 miles
I own a 2004 Volvo xc-90. I have owned it since 12/2007. Approximately 7 months ago I started having intermittent electrical problems (navigation failure, engine service alerts, security alarm system failure). Messages would appear and then stop. Recently while driving in the mountains a message appeared about a position light failure, then progressed to multiple light failures. This occurred at night on the blue ridge parkway which is poorly lit in many areas and has winding roads with steep drop offs. We had to drive with my passenger aiming a flashlight to see the road until we could turn off on an exit. There is no where on most of the parkway to pull off and we were at great risk without headlights. We checked fuses, and then started again and headlights worked, so drove on. Later on the interstate they failed again and we had to pull off and park and get another ride home. Volvo confirmed that the cem failure is a very common occurrence with Xc90S. They used to keep some of these on hand due to common need to replace. As with other owners, I now have a $1200+ repair to replace this. This should be a recall item - high rate of occurrence and safety issue. Why wait until someone is killed? it is only a matter of time till happens with cem failures..

- Clemmons, NC, USA

problem #54

Mar 202011

XC90

  • 62,000 miles
The contact owns a 2004 Volvo XC90. While driving at any speed, the contact noticed a loud thumping noise coming from the front end of the vehicle folwed by the illumination of all warning lights including the check engine, ABS and SRS warning lights. The engine continued to run; however, all the electrical power failed. The dealer advised the contact to bring the vehicle in for diagnostic testing. The contact did not inform the manufacturer since he was awaiting a service appointment with the dealer. The current and failure mileage was 62,000. The VIN was unavailable.

- Iaea, HI, USA

problem #53

Jan 282011

XC90

  • 77,000 miles
The contact owns a 2004 Volvo XC90. While driving approximately 40 mph the vehicle stalled. The contact stated that the vehicle restarted after pulling onto the side of the road. The vehicle was taken to the dealer. The technicians were unable to diagnose the failure. The technicians performed updates to the computer. The vehicle was at the dealership and had not been driven since the updates were made. The manufacturer stated that the VIN was not included in any recalls and referred the contact to the dealer for further questions and concerns. The approximate failure mileage was 77,000.

- Princeton, NJ, USA

problem #52

Aug 222010

XC90 5-cyl

  • 98,003 miles
The contact owns a 2004 Volvo XC90. While driving approximately 60 mph, the vehicle jerked violently and the instrument panel gauges failed. The engine was shut off and then restarted after several minutes. The vehicle resumed normally for a short period before the failure recurred. The contact stated the malfunction occurred after driving for approximately five hours. The vehicle was taken to an authorized dealer where the faulty cem unit was replaced. The failure mileage was 98,003. Updated 3/21/11

- Bridgewater, NJ, USA

problem #51

Feb 122011

XC90

  • 123,000 miles
Car lost all power. All dashboard went off and power steering went out while driving at over 40 miles an hour on the highway. This happened on 4 different occasions. Mileage 123,000 2004 Volvo XC90 T6.

- Sherman, CT, USA

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