2003 Volvo XC90 Engine Problems

TL*THE CONTACT OWNS A 2003 VOLVO XC90. WHILE DRIVING AT SPEEDS OF 30 MPH, THE VEHICLE STALLED WITHOUT WARNING. HE ATTEMPTED TO RESTART THE VEHICLE SUCCESSFULLY BUT BEFORE HE COULD MOVE THE VEHICLE, IT STALLED AGAIN. THE "MAINTENANCE REQUIRED" WARNING LIGHT ILLUMINATED ON THE INSTRUMENT PANEL AT THAT TIME. THE CONTACT WAS AWAITING A TOW TO THE DEALER FOR FURTHER INSPECTION. NO REPAIRS WERE MADE TO DATE AND THE MANUFACTURER HAD NOT BEEN CONTACTED. THE FAILURE AND CURRENT MILEAGES WERE UNDER 62,000.

WE BOUGHT OUR 2003 VOLVO XC90 T6 IN JULY OF 2005 WITH 40,000 MILES FROM A DEALER WHO STATED IT WAS A LOCAL TRADE IN. I MET THE ORIGINAL OWNER OF THE CAR AFTER WE PURCHASED IT AND WAS TOLD THEY GOT "RID OF IT" BECAUSE OF SO MANY TRIPS TO THE DEALERS SERVICE DEPARTMENT. WE HAVE TAKEN THE CAR TO THE SAME VOLVO DEALER WHO DID NORMAL MAINTENANCE AT FIRST, BUT THEN THINGS STARTED TO GO DOWNHILL FROM THERE. WE HAD A "CHECK ENGINE" LIGHT THAT WOULD NOT GO OFF AFTER NUMEROUS COMPUTER DOWNLOADS. WE WERE TOLD THE COMPUTER HAD TO RESET ITSELF FOR THIS TO GO OFF. IT IS STILL ON AS OF TODAY. WE REPLACED BOTH TURBOS ON THIS MODEL IN JUNE OF '08 FOR OVER $6,000.00 AND ONLY 70,000 MILES. THE CAR SAT AT THE DEALERS SERVICE DEPARTMENT FOR OVER A MONTH AND THEY HAD TO BRING IN A VOLVO EXPERT FOR THIS REPAIR. IN SEPT. OF THIS YEAR THEY ARE BOTH NEEDING TO BE REPLACED AGAIN. I CANNOT BELIEVE THAT I COULD ONLY GET 25,000 MILES FROM THIS REPAIR. IF I HAD KNOWN THEN, I WOULD HAVE TRADED IT IMMEDIATELY. ALSO IN '08 THE "SERVICE TRANSMISSION URGENT" LIGHT CAME ON. THERE WAS CLUNKING AND GRINDING IN THE TRANSMISSION SO WE TOWED IT TO THE DEALER (AGAIN). THE PROBLEM WAS A YAW SENSOR FAILURE WITH WAS REPLACED AT THE DEALER. THIS IS WHERE I BELIEVE OUR NEW PROBLEM STARTED. WE NOW HAVE THE LIGHT ON AGAIN. IT SLIPS IN 1ST GEAR AND SOMETIMES GETS CAUGHT IN 3RD AND WON'T COME OUT. THIS, AS WE HAVE NOW FOUND OUT IS A VERY COMMON PROBLEM WITH THIS MODEL. I HAVE FOUND OVER 1,800 XC90 OWNERS WITH THE SAME PROBLEM. WE ARE LOOKING AT OVER $11,000.00 FOR BOTH OF THESE REPAIRS AND I HONESTLY CANNOT SEE SPENDING THIS ON A CAR THAT IS WORTH ONLY $14,000.00!!!!! I NEED HELP WITH THIS PROBLEM FROM VOLVO NORTH AMERICA OR FROM THE DEALER. I HAVE FRIENDS WITH VOLVOS WITH OVER 300,000 MILES. I WANTED TO BE ABLE TO DRIVE MINE THAT LONG, BUT I GUESS MY SLOGAN IS "FIX FOR LIFE" NOT "VOLVO FOR LIFE" . *TR

POWER TRAIN - AUTOMATIC TRANSMISSION FAILURE. DAYS AFTER COMPLETING A 90,000 MILE SERVICE AND OTHER REPAIRS (BRAKES, BROKEN ENGINE MOUNT BRACKET) AND TRIP TO BOSTON FROM WASHINGTON DC, THE "TRANSMISSION SERVICE URGENT" MESSAGE CAME UP FOR THE FIRST TIME SINCE PURCHASING THE VEHICLE NEW IN 2003 FROM DON BEYER VOLVO IN FALLS CHURCH, VIRGINIA. THE FAILURE OCCURRED ON NEW YEAR'S EVE DURING A SNOW STORM IN THE BOSTON AREA. THE CLOSEST DEALERSHIP WAS CLOSED FOR THE HOLIDAY. ON JANUARY 2, 2009, WE BROUGHT THE VEHICLE TO DALZELL VOLVO IN DEDHAM, MASSACHUSETTS. AFTER CONDUCTING A DIAGNOSTIC TEST, THE SERVICE MANAGER INFORMED ME THAT THE TRANSMISSION WAS FAILING AND THAT RADIATOR FLUID HAD MIXED WITH THE TRANSMISSION FLUID. I WAS QUOTED A PRICE OF $7000 TO REPLACE THE TRANSMISSION, RADIATOR, AND RELATED EQUIPMENT. AFTER RESEARCHING THIS ISSUE, I DISCOVERED THAT THE TRANSMISSION FAILURE IS WIDESPREAD FOR XC90 MODEL YEARS 2003-2004 AND THAT THIS SIGNIFICANT SAFETY ISSUE IS WELL-KNOWN BY VOLVO. THE VEHICLES COVERING THESE MODEL YEARS SHOULD HAVE BEEN RECALLED TO REPLACE THE TRANSMISSIONS. *TR

FOLLOWING A LOUD "BANG", THE ENGINE STARTED MAKING A VERY LOUD AND SUSPICIOUS NOISE. MOOERS VOLVO IN RICHMOND, VIRGINIA CLAIMED THAT THEY "COULD NOT RECREATE THE NOISE" AND THEREFORE WOULD NOT PERFORM ANY WARRANTY REPAIRS. A LOCAL MECHANIC AGREED THAT THE ENGINE WAS INDEED MAKING A VERY LOUD NOISE AND FOUND THAT THE PCV VACUUM TUBE ASSEMBLY WAS CRACKED. FURTHER INVESTIGATION FOUND THAT A SERVICE BULLETIN (#2-25-0038) HAD BEEN ISSUED FOR THIS PROBLEM, BUT MOOERS VOLVO REFUSED TO MAKE THE REPAIRS UNDER WARRANTY. *JB

PROBLEMS WITH VEHICLE'S TRANSMISSION, SEAT BELTS DO NOT LATCH, DRIVER'S SEAT RECLINES BY ITSELF. *MR THE RADIO WENT OUT AND THE ENGINE MADE A GRINDING NOISE *SCC *JB