2004 Volvo XC90

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

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

ON OCTOBER 18 AT APPROXIMATELY 8PM WE WERE TRAVELING WEST BOUND ON I-4 WHEN WE EXPERIENCED A SEVERE "JERK" OF THE VEHICLE AND THE INTERIOR SEATBELTS LIGHTS LIT UP. WE CONTINUED TO DRIVE AND EXPERIENCED THE SAME THING A FEW MILES LATER. WE DECIDED TO EXIT AND THEN THERE WAS ANOTHER "JERK" OF THE VEHICLE AND WE LOST ALL INTERIOR ELECTRICAL, NO DASH LIGHTS, NO A/C, NO WINDOWS, NOTHING! WE LIMPED TO A PARKING LOT AND CALLED ROAD SIDE ASSISTANCE TO HAVE THE VEHICLE TOWED. THIS IS A SERIOUS ISSUE WITH THIS VEHICLE AND I HAVE FOUND MULTIPLE INSTANCES OF THE SAME ON YOUR WEBSITE! VOLVO NEEDS TO RECALL THE VEHICLE AND MAKE THE REPAIRS BEFORE SOMEONE IS KILLED! VOLVO CAN'T SEEM TO REPLICATE THE PROBLEM AND THE COMPUTER IN THE CAR DID NOT REGISTER AN EVENT! SEEMS LIKE THE COMPUTER IS THE PROBLEM, BUT THEY WON'T "OWN" UP TO THE FACT THAT IT'S A VOLVO PROBLEM! *TR

WHILE DRIVING ON I-10 AT NIGHT AT APPROXIMATELY 75MPH WITH MY FAMILY, WE EXPERIENCE COMPLETE FAILURE OF THE VEHICLE'S ELECTRONICS SUCH AS LOSS OF BRAKING, STEERING, ODOMETER, SPEEDOMETER, ALL INSTRUMENTS, AND TRANSMISSION. WE HAD A TOTAL LOSS OF EVERY ELECTRICAL FUNCTION OF THE VEHICLE AT THE MOST DANGEROUS POINT AND TIME OF OUR TRAVEL - AT NIGHT, ON AN INTERSTATE, AND FAR FROM MAJOR CITIES. AFTER MUCH STRESS AND FEAR, WE LIMPED TO OUR DESTINATION BARELY. IN SHORT, WE HAD THE CAR TOWED TO A VOLVO DEALER. THE DEALERSHIP STATED THAT THE C.E.M. (ONE OF FEW "BRAINS" OF THE VEHICLE FAILED) NEEDED TO BE REPLACED, AND OF COURSE WE DID. I KNOW FOR A FACT THAT C.E.M FAILURES ARE AN COMMON PROBLEM WITH THIS TYPE OF VEHICLE. TWO DEALERSHIPS HAVE TOLD ME THAT THEY HAVE DEALT WITH THIS ISSUE RECENTLY. THIS IS A MAJOR ISSUE. OUR LIVES WERE AT RISK GIVEN OUR CIRCUMSTANCE. I CANNOT IMAGINE WHAT OTHERS HAVE EXPERIENCED. A FIRE, PROPERTY DAMAGE, CRASH, AND REPORT TO POLICE SHOULD NOT IN THIS CASE BE THE GENESIS OF A RECALL. THE SIMPLE FACTS OF OUR NEAR GRAVE EXPERIENCE SHOULD BE SUFFICIENT TO HAVE A RECALL. *TR

WHILE DRIVING MY 2004 VOLVO XC-90 AT NIGHT I EXPERIENCED A MOMENTARY LOSS OF CONTROL, FOLLOWED BY THE HEADLIGHTS PAUSING AND THEN GOING FROM HIGH BEAMS TO LOW. THE INSTRUMENT CLUSTER LOST SOME OF IT'S DISPLAYS AND THE DOOR LOCKS BECAME INOPERATIVE. THE DATA DISPLAY WARNED ME OF AN "URGENT SRS FAILURE". I WAS AT LOW SPEED A BLOCK FROM HOME SO I CREPT HOME AND THE NEXT DAY SENT THE CAR TO TRIAD VOLVO BY ROLL-BACK WRECKER. PROBLEM WAS FAILURE OF CENTRAL ELECTRONIC MODULE. I CALLED VOLVO CORPORATE AND THEY SEEMED DISINTERESTED. *TR

UNSAFE FRONT SUSPENSION REPAIRED 4 TIMES BY VOLVO INVOLVING DISTRICT FACTORY TECHNICAL SUPERVISOR AND TECHNICIANS ON 3 OF FOUR OCCASIONS AND THE VEHICLE STILL HAS SERIOUS SAFETY AND HANDLING CONCERNS - NO ONE IN THE FAMILY WILL DRIVE THE CAR. IT HAS ALSO HAD SERIOUS PERFORMANCE RELATED SAFETY ISSUES REGARDING VEHICLE ELECTRONICS VIRTUALLY SHUTTING THE VEHICLE DOWN IN THE MIDDLE OF AN INTERSTATE. ANTI SKID PROBLEMS ON MULTIPLE OCCASIONS. DRIVERS SEAT BELT ANCHOR WAS IMPROPERLY ATTACHED AND WOULD NOT HAVE HELD IN AN ACCIDENT. THE STEERING WHEEL CAME DANGEROUSLY LOOSE WHILE DRIVING AND THE DEALERSHIP STATED THAT IT HAD NEVER BEEN PROPERLY AFFIXED. (I HAVE OWNED 300 CARS IN MY LIFE AND NEVER HAS A STEERING WHEEL COME LOOSE)! TIRES WERE ABNORMALLY BADLY AND QUICKLY DUE TO SIGNIFICANT SUSPENSION PROBLEMS AND WERE NOT WARRANTY BY THE MANUFACTURE.. ELECTRICAL PROBLEMS CAUSED SEVERAL FUSES TO BLOW IN THE DARK EFFECTIVELY TURNING ALL REAR MARKER AND TAIL LIGHTS OFF. IT WAS NECESSARY TO DRIVE WITH THE HAZARD LIGHTS ON TO AVOID BEING HIT BY ANOTHER DRIVER. *TR

ON JUNE 15, 2007, WHILE ON A HIGHWAY TRAVELING 65 MPH, MY 2004 VOLVO XC90 MADE A JERK, AS IF IT HAD SUDDENLY FALLEN OUT OF GEAR. ABOUT 5 MINUTES LATER, THE SAME THING HAPPENED. IT FELT AS IF SOMETHING LOCKED THE TIRES FOR AN INSTANT, THEN LET GO. ABOUT ANOTHER 5 MINUTES LATER, WE RECEIVED AN ERROR MESSAGE THAT SAID "BRAKE FAILURE, STOP SAFELY". MOMENTS LATER, WE LOST ALL CONTROL OF THE CAR - TOTAL ELECTRONIC SHUTDOWN. NO LIGHTS, NO HAZARDS, NO POWER STEERING, NO BRAKES. MY HUSBAND WAS ABLE TO GLIDE TO THE BREAKDOWN LANE, AND WE ROLLED UNTIL THE CAR STOPPED. WE HAD OUR TWO YOUNG CHILDREN IN THE CAR, ON THE SIDE OF THE HIGHWAY, IN THE DARK. IT WAS A TERRIFYING PREDICAMENT, AND WE COULDN'T LEAVE THE CAR DUE TO THE DANGER OF NOT BEING SEEN. WE HAD THE CAR TOWED, AND A FEW DAYS LATER, THE VOLVO DEALER SAID IT WAS A $60 SOFTWARE UPGRADE THAT NEEDED TO BE DONE. AFTER THE CAR WAS RETURNED TO US, WE TOOK IT TO ANOTHER VOLVO DEALER AND HAD THEM PERFORM A 45K CHECK-UP, HAD THEM REEVALUATE THE SITUATION, AND ALSO HAD A VA STATE INSPECTION DONE, AND THEY TOLD US EVERYTHING WAS FINE. JUST BARELY 3 MONTHS LATER, IN EXACTLY THE SAME SCENARIO, THE SAME EXACT THING HAPPENED. ON 9/21/07, WE WERE ON A HIGHWAY AT NIGHT, AND ONCE AGAIN FELT THE CAR JERKING, FOLLOWED A FEW MINUTES LATER BY TOTAL ELECTRONIC FAILURE. NO LIGHTS, NO HAZARDS, NOTHING. ONCE AGAIN, WE MANAGED TO GET OFF THE HIGHWAY SAFELY, BUT I FEAR THE NEXT TIME THIS HAPPENS, WE MAY NOT GET SO LUCKY. ALL 3 DEALERS THAT HAVE LOOKED AT THIS CAR HAVE NEVER HEARD OF THIS PROBLEM BEFORE, WHICH IS VERY UNSETTLING, AS I CAN NEVER BE CONVINCED IT IS FIXED. I AM TERRIFIED TO EVER DRIVE MY CAR AGAIN, EVEN IF THEY DO "FIX IT". THE CAR IS CURRENTLY STILL BEING EVALUATED, SO WE DO NOT KNOW THE LATEST PROGNOSIS FOR IT. *TR

2004 XC90 HAS HAD THREE COMPUTER/ELECTRICAL PROBLEMS, PERHAPS RELATED. URGENT MESSAGE APPEARS ON PANEL, "SRS NEEDS ATTENTION - URGENT". CAR TAKEN TO DEALER WITH MESSAGE ACTIVE, DEALER UNABLE TO DIAGNOSE PROBLEM, RESETS SYSTEM. 3 MONTHS LATER, SRS MESSAGE REAPPEARS, CAR WON'T START, NO LIGHTS OR OTHER ACCESSORIES LEFT ON. BATTERY DIAGNOSED AS DEAD, REPLACED, SRS MESSAGE CLEARS WITH NEW BATTERY. 3 MONTHS LATER, SRS MESSAGE REAPPEARS, TWO CONTROL MODULES REPLACED. *JB

DT*: THE CONTACT STATED WHILE THE VEHICLE WAS PLACED IN PARK WITH THE IGNITION TURNED ON, THE DRIVER ATTEMPTED TO TURN OFF THE IGNITION WHILE STANDING OUTSIDE THE VEHICLE AND THE VEHICLE ROLLED FORWARD AND CRASHED INTO THE GARAGE. NO INJURIES WERE SUSTAINED. THERE WAS MODERATE DAMAGE TO THE FRONT OF THE VEHICLE AND THE GARAGE. THE POLICE WERE NOT ALERTED. THE VEHICLE WAS TOWED TO A DEALER WHO WAS UNABLE TO DUPLICATE THE PROBLEM. THE MANUFACTURER WAS ALERTED.