2004 Volvo XC90

I HAVE BEEN HAVING AN ISSUE WITH MY 2004 VOLVO XC90 WHICH THE DEALERSHIP HAS NOT BEEN ABLE TO CORRECT FOR MY FOURTH VISIT NOW. THE ENTIRE ELECTRICAL SYSTEM SHUTS DOWN WHILE DRIVING ON THE HIGHWAY. THIS HAS BEEN HAPPENING AND EACH TIME I TAKE IT IN, THEY ARE UNABLE TO REPLICATE THE ISSUE AND OF COURSE FIND SOMETHING ELSE TO REPAIR. I HAVE BEEN LUCKY AS NOT HAVE BEEN IN HEAVY TRAFFIC WHEN IT HAPPENS, BUT I COULD IMAGINE IT COULD CAUSE A HORRIBLE ACCIDENT. THE LAST TIME THIS HAPPENED WAS ABOUT 7/18. I WAS DRIVING ABOUT 70MPH ON THE FREEWAY AND THE CAR MADE A 'THUMP' AND ALL THE LIGHTS AND GAUGES TURNED OFF MOMENTARILY AND STARTED BACK UP AGAIN. I SLOWED DOWN TO ABOUT 60MPH AND MOVED TO THE RIGHT SIDE AND THE EXACT SAME THING HAPPENED AGAIN ABOUT 5 MIN LATER. LUCKILY I WAS CLOSE TO THE EXIT WHERE MY MECHANIC SHOP WAS SO I SLOWED DOWN TO EXIT. ALL OF THE LIGHTS ON THE INSTRUMENT PANEL TURNED OFF, AS WELL AS THE AIRCONDITIONING (115 DAY IN PHX) AND A WARNING LIGHT FLASHED SAYING I HAD A BREAK FAILURE. I WAS ABLE TO LIMP TO THE MECHANICS AND LEFT THE CAR RUNNING SO THEY COULD SEE THE ENGINE WAS ON, BUT NOTHING ELSE. THEY DID NOT HAVE THE EQUIPMENT TO CHECK THE 'CODE' ON A VOLVO. THEY WERE ABLE TO RE-SET IT BY DISCONNECTING THE BATTERY, AND THE LIGHTS WORKED AGAIN. AS I PULLED OUT OF THE MECHANICS, THE CAR THUMPED AGAIN AND I ONCE AGAIN LOST ALL POWER. I LIMPED THE CAR HOME WITH PLANS TO DRIVE IT EARLY IN THE MORNING BEFORE IT GOT TOO HOT, TO THE VOLVO DEALERSHIP. IN THE MORNING, THE CAR WOULD NOT START AT ALL. I CALLED A TOW TRUCK AND HAD IT BROUGHT OVER. THE VOLVO DEALERSHIP ONCE AGAIN COULD FIND NOTHING WRONG, BUT FOUND SOMETHING TO FIX AND CHARGE ME FOR, THE IMPULSE SENSOR ($250). I FINALLY GOT THE CAR BACK ON JULY 29TH, 10 DAYS LATER. THIS ISSUE HAS BEEN EXPERIENCED BY MANY 04/05 XC90 OWNERS AS DESCRIBED IN THIS FORUM,HTTP://WWW.VOLVO-FORUMS.COM/T23397-XC90-ELECTRICALENGINE-POWER-FAILURE.HTM. I ASK THAT YOU HAVE VOLVO FIX THIS ISSUE, BEFORE SOMEONE DIES. *TR

ON OUR 2004 VOLVO XC90 THE HEADLIGHTS SUDDENLY WENT DARK, NO LOW OR HIGH BEAMS AT ALL. I AM NOW BEING TOLD IT IS A MODULE AND THE REPAIR COST IS IN EXCESS OF $1200. THE CAR HAS HID HEADLIGHTS. THIS OUTAGE CREATED A VERY SERIOUS SAFETY ISSUE IN THAT WE WERE DRIVING UP HIGHWAY 395 AT NIGHT WHEN THE COMPLETE FAILURE OF THE HEADLIGHTS OCCURRED. IN RESEARCHING THE ISSUE ON THE INTERNET IT APPEARS IT IS A RELATIVELY COMMON FAILURE. *TR

AFTER DRIVING 125 MILES WITHOUT INCIDENT, WE LEFT OUR 2004 VOLVO XC 90 T6 AWD PARKED FOR 4 HOURS BEFORE DRIVING AGAIN. AFTER LESS THAN A HALF MILE AT LOW SPEED, THERE WAS A "THUMP" FROM THE FRONT OF THE CAR, THE WIPERS CYCLED, THE GAUGES ALL WENT BLANK, SOME OF THE WINDOWS STOPPED WORKING, THE A/C WENT OUT (BLOWER STAYED ON). THE CAR STAYED ON, BUT SEEMED "STUCK" IN SECOND GEAR AND THE BRAKES BECAME "SPONGY," BUT OPERABLE. TURN SIGNALS WERE INOPERABLE AND THE POWER STEERING WENT OUT. THE INDICATOR LIGHT ON THE GEAR SHIFT WENT OUT AND THE CENTRAL LOCKING SYSTEM STOPPED FUNCTIONING. WE GOT OUT OF TRAFFIC AND INTO THE SHADE. I CHECKED ALL FUSES AND TRIED TO RESTART THE CAR. IT WOULD RESTART, BUT WITHIN SECONDS THERE WERE MULTIPLE "CLICKS" COMING FROM THE AREA NEAR THE FUSE BOX IN THE PASSENGER COMPARTMENT FOLLOWED BY THE ELECTRICAL FAILURES DESCRIBED ABOVE. AFTER LETTING THE CAR SIT FOR A COUPLE OF HOURS WE MOVED IT TO A SECURE LOCATION TWO MILES AWAY. DURING THAT DRIVE ALL OF THE ABOVE PROBLEMS HAPPENED AGAIN, INCLUDING THE ENGINE BEING "STUCK" IN SECOND GEAR. AFTER LETTING THE CAR SIT OVERNIGHT, IT STARTED AND RAN WITHOUT INCIDENT. HOWEVER, THE "CHECK ENGINE" LIGHT AND THE "SRS" LIGHT HAVE REMAINED ON. A REPAIR SHOP COULD NOT DIAGNOSE THE PROBLEM. PRIOR TO THIS INCIDENT, THE SAME THINGS HAPPENED TO MY WIFE IN THE SAME CAR. THE SYMPTOMS LASTED A FEW SECONDS AND DISAPPEARED. *TR

2004 VOLVO XC90 2.5T AWD. INTERMITTENT "THUMPING" AT HIGH SPEEDS CAUSING THE CAR TO JOLT/LURCH SLIGHTLY. THIS HAS HAPPENED ON AND OFF FOR 2 MONTHS NORMALLY AT HIGHWAY SPEEDS. YESTERDAY I WAS ON A 4 HOUR HIGHWAY DRIVE HOME FROM VACATION AND THE THUMPING/JOLTING HAPPENED ABOUT 5 TIMES. ULTIMATELY MY CAR LOST COMPLETE ELECTRICAL POWER AT HIGHWAY SPEED AND FORTUNATELY I WAS ABLE TO COAST OFF THE HIGHWAY UNSCATHED BUT OTHERS MAY NOT BE AS FORTUNATE. INCREDIBLY DANGEROUS ISSUE. *TR

I OWN A 2004 VOLVO XC-90. I HAVE OWNED THE CAR SINCE APRIL 2004. APPROXIMATELY SEVEN MONTHS AGO, I STARTED EXPERIENCING INTERMITTENT ELECTRICAL PROBLEMS (RADIO AND NAVIGATION DISPLAY DISAPPEARING, ENGINE SERVICE ALERTS, ETC). SINCE THE INITIAL PROBLEMS WITH THE RADIO, THE PROBLEMS HAVE PROGRESSED TO THE POINT OF COMPLETE ELECTRICAL FAILURES WHILE DRIVING ON THE HIGHWAY AT SPEEDS OF OVER 55MPH. THESE INCIDENTS INVOLVED A COMPLETE SHUT DOWN OF THE GAUGES (TACHOMETER, SPEEDOMETER, FUEL GAUGE, AS WELL AS AUDIO SYSTEM). I HAVE LEARNED FROM ONLINE SEARCHES (SPECIFICALLY, WWW.ABOUTAUTOMOBILE.COM/COMPLAINT/2004/VOLVO/XC90/ELECTRICAL+SYSTEM) THAT THESE INCIDENTS ARE BEING EXPERIENCED BY MANY OTHER VOLVO XC-90 OWNERS. SUCH INCIDENTS HAVE CAUSED MANY OWNERS TO TAKE THE CAR TO THEIR VOLVO SERVICE DEPARTMENT ONLY TO BE TOLD, AS I WAS THAT DETERMINING THE PROBLEM WOULD BE COSTLY AND THAT THERE HAVE BEEN NOT OTHER COMPLAINTS OR RECALLS BY VOLVO. THE PROBLEMS I AM EXPERIENCING ARE NOW ONGOING WHETHER I AM IN TOWN OR ON THE HIGHWAY. IT WAS WITH AN INITIAL EXPENDITURE OF NEARLY $400 AND AN EXPECTED UPCOMING EXPENDITURE OF $1200. THE LATTER AMOUNT IS THE PRICE FOR LABOR AND PARTS TO REPLACE THE CEM BOARD. I TOLD MY MECHANIC OF THE FINDINGS FROM MY ONLINE SEARCH AND HAD TO REQUEST THE REPLACEMENT OF THIS PART. THE PROBLEMS I AM EXPERIENCING ARE NOT ONLY DANGEROUS AT HIGH SPEEDS BUT I HAVE FOUND THAT I AM NOW HAVING PROBLEMS WITH THE LATCH THAT UNLOCKS THE HATCHBACK TRUNK AND ACCESS TO THE GAS TANK. MY CAR HAS LESS THAN 50,000 MILES AND REQUIRED SERVICE HAS BEEN DONE AT THE SAME DEALERSHIP SINCE MY PURCHASE OF THE VEHICLE. I HAVE TALKED WITH VOLVO CUSTOMER SERVICE AND THEY HAVE NOT YET ISSUED A RECALL. I HAVE NOT FOUND ANY RECORDS OF DEATHS OR INJURIES BEING CAUSED BY THE ELECTRICAL FAILURES, BUT IF THE SITUATIONS ENCOUNTERED BY OTHER OWNERS ARE LIKE MINE IT IS ONLY A MATTER OF TIME. THE VEHICLE LITERALLY CAN CAUSE A SLOWDOWN AND IMPAIR THE ABILITY OF THE DRIVER TO AVOID ACCIDENTS. *TR

I HAVE A 2004 XC90. I HAVE BEEN HAVING ELECTRICAL FAILURE PROBLEMS WITH MY CAR WHERE THE CAR JUST STALLS WHILE DRIVING AT SPEEDS OF 50MPH RANDOMLY FOR THE PAST THREE YEARS AND HAVE BROUGHT THE CAR INTO THE CALABASAS DEALER NUMEROUS TIMES AND ALSO TO AN INDEPENDENT AUTO MECHANIC AND NO ONE IS ABLE TO DUPLICATE THE STALL OF THE ELECTRICAL SYSTEM AND THEREFORE NOONE IS ABLE TO DIAGNOSE THE SOLUTION TO THE HAZARD THAT OCCURS WHEN THE CAR STALLS AND THEREFORE NO ONE IS ABLE TO FIX THE PROBLEM. THE DEALER ASSURES ME THAT IT IS NOT A SAFETY ISSUE, JUST A NUISANCE. I RESEARCHED AND FOUND THAT THERE ARE 100S OF COMPLAINTS OF SIMILAR ISSUES FOR THIS CAR. TODAY THIS SAME ISSUE HAPPENED AT MUCH LOWER SPEEDS TWO TIMES WITHIN FIVE MINUTES. I REQUEST THAT THIS ISSUE BE RESEARCHED AND THE MANUFACTURER FIX THE PROBLEM. *TR

IN MARCH 2010, 04 XC90 LOST POWER WHILE DRIVING ON HIGHWAY AT ABOUT 65MPH. DASHBOARD LIGHTS, RADIO ALL CUT OFF, CAR LUNGED FORWARD, AND IN 1-2 SECONDS DASHBOARD LIGHTS AND RADIO POWER ON AGAIN. TOOK TO VOLVO DEALERSHIP, THEY COULDN'T DUPLICATE THE ISSUE BUT DIAGNOSTICS SAID THEY NEEDED TO REPLACE THE STEERING COLUMN MODULE WHICH SHOULD FIX PROBLEM. THIS DIDN'T FIX THE PROBLEM BECAUSE CAR DID THE SAME THING (LOSE POWER, LUNGE FORWARD) AROUND SAME SPEED 2 MONTHS LATER. DEALER COULD NOT DUPLICATE, RETURNED CAR TO ME. A WEEK LATER, JUNE 3, CAR WON'T START AT ALL, TOWED TO VOLVO DEALERSHIP. THIS TIME THEY SAY THE CEM (CENTRAL ELECTRONIC MODULE) NEEDS TO BE REPLACED AND THAT SHOULD SOLVE IT. THEY REPLACED CEM, SO FAR CAR RUNS FINE. THERE HAVE BEEN TOO MANY COMPLAINTS ABOUT THIS AND VOLVO IS NOT TAKE OWNERSHIP OF THIS PROBLEM. *TR

TL* THE CONTACT OWNS A 2004 VOLVO XC90. WHILE DRIVING AT SPEEDS OF 65 MPH, THERE WAS AN UNUSUALLY LOUD NOISE FOLLOWED BY AN IMMEDIATE LOSS OF ALL PANEL LIGHTS. THE CONTACT WAS ABLE TO MOVE THE VEHICLE FROM THE ROADWAY AND SHUT OFF THE ENGINE. UPON RESTARTING, THE SRS AIR BAG AND CHECK ENGINE WARNING LIGHTS REMAINED ILLUMINATED. THE VEHICLE WAS TAKEN TO THE DEALER TWICE BUT THE FAILURE WAS UNABLE TO BE DUPLICATED. THE VEHICLE WAS NOT REPAIRED. THE FAILURE MILEAGE WAS 89,000 AND THE CURRENT MILEAGE WAS 99,000. UPDATED 6/21/10 *CN THE CONSUMER STATED AFTER DRIVING FOR ABOUT THREE HOURS, THE RADIO TURN SIGNALS STOPPED WORKING. UPDATED 06/24/10.*JB