2004 Volvo XC90

MY 2004 XC90 AWD BEGAN EXPERIENCING ODD ELECTRICAL PROBLEMS THIS SPRING AT ABOUT 45000 MILES. WHILE DRIVING AT CRUISING SPEED, THE VEHICLE WOULD SUDDENLY AND WITHOUT WARNING EXPERIENCE A HARD JERK FOLLOWED BY ACTIVATION OF THE WINDSHIELD WIPERS AND LOSS OF POWER TO THE RADIO. FIRST TIME, THE DEALER COULD NOT REPLICATE THE PROBLEM BUT DOWNLOADED ELECTRICAL SOFTWARE UPDATES. SAME THING SECOND TIME AND BACK TO DEALER, AGAIN COULD NOT REPLICATE, AND THEY DOWNLOADED TRANSMISSION UPDATES FOCUSING MORE ON THE JERKING ISSUE. THIRD TIME IT HAPPENED, I CONTINUED TO DRIVE THE CAR TO THE DEALER SO THEY COULD SEE WHAT I WAS EXPERIENCING. ON THE WAY THERE, I HAD COMPLETE LOSS OF ELECTRICAL POWER: NO POWER TO SPEEDOMETER, TO GAS GAUGE, TO WINDOWS, TO AIR CONDITIONING, RADIO, ETC. ALSO HAD LESS THAN FULL POWER TO DRIVE WITH. THE DEALER AGAIN DOWNLOADED ELECTRICAL SOFTWARE UPDATES AND GAVE ME THE VEHICLE BACK. SAME PROBLEM FOR 4TH TIME THIS FRIDAY AND THEY TELL ME THEY HAVE PUT NEW COMPUTER INTO CAR. FORTUNATELY THERE HAVE NOT BEEN ANY DEATHS OR CRASHES, BUT THIS DEFECT CAUSES A SERIOUS SAFETY PROBLEM WITHOUT ANY WARNING. *JB

I PARKED MY VEHICLE IN MY DRIVEWAY ON THE EVENING OF FRIDAY, AUGUST 12, 2005. I LEFT ON VACATION THE FOLLOWING MORNING LEAVING MY VEHICLE IN THE DRIVEWAY. I RETURNED FROM VACATION LATE ON THE EVENING OF AUGUST 21, 2005. THE FOLLOWING MORNING WHEN I WENT OUT TO LEAVE FOR WORK, THE VEHICLE WOULD NOT START. I CALLED AAA IN ORDER TO HAVE THE CAR JUMPED. IT WOULD NOT JUMP. I THEN CALLED THE VOLVO DEALERSHIP AND THEY TOLD ME TO CALL THE VOLVO HOT LINE FOR A TOW. THE VEHICLE WAS TOWED TO THE GENGRAS VOLVO DEALERSHIP IN EAST HARTFORD, CT ON THE MORNING OF AUGUST 22, 2005 AND IT REMAINS THERE AT THIS TIME. THE DEALERSHIP SERVICE DEPARTMENT REPORTS THAT ALL OF THE COMPUTERS ARE MALFUNCTIONING. THEY REPORT THIS TO BE "AN ACT OF GOD" AS IN THE CAR WAS STRUCK BY LIGHTENING. I WAS ADVISED TO REPORT THIS TO MY INSURANCE COMPANY WHICH I DID. AN APPRAISER WAS DISPATCHED TO LOOK AT THE VEHICLE AND THEN SPECIAL ENGINEERS FROM NORTH EASTERN TECHNICAL SERVICES. INC IN FALL RIVER, MA WENT TO THE VOLVO DEALERSHIP TO VIEW THE VEHICLE. THEY REMOVED TWO COMPUTER MODULES WITH PERMISSION OF THE SERVICE DEPARTMENT AND MICROSCOPICALLY EXAMINED THEM TO DETERMINE IF ANY CONNECTORS, CIRCUIT BOARD OR COMPONENT DAMAGE WAS PRESENT. NEITHER MODULE SHOWED ANY INDICATORS OF DAMAGE. AT THIS POINT THE CLAIM HAS BEEN DENIED BY MY INSURANCE COMPANY SAYING THAT THE PROBLEM IS A WARRANTY PROBLEM. VOLVO DISPUTES THIS SAYING IT IS "AN ACT OF GOD". THE VEHICLE IS LESS THAN TWO YEARS OLD AND HAS LESS THAN 24,000 MILES ON IT. I HAVE NOT BEEN ABLE TO DRIVE THE VEHICLE SINCE AUGUST 12, 2005. IT DOES QUALIFY FOR THE LEMON LAW, BUT MORE IMPORTANTLY, I FOUND THAT THERE HAVE BEEN OTHER REPORTED ELECTRICAL SYSTEM FAILURES OF THIS MODEL. I AM CONCERNED THAT THIS IS INDEED A PROBLEM WITH THIS PARTICULAR MODEL AND THE VOLVO IS TRYING TO COVER IT UP. *JB

WE LEASED OUR VOLVO XC90-T ALMOST EXACTLY 1 YEAR AGO TO DATE FROM SOUTH COUNTY VOLVO. LESS THAN 3 MONTHS LATER, THE CAR WOULDN'T START. THEY SAID THAT MY WIFE MUST HAVE LEFT A LIGHT ON; THE BATTERY WAS RECHARGED AND WE TOOK THE CAR BACK. 2 MONTHS LATER, THE CAR AGAIN WOULD NOT START; AGAIN IT WAS TOWED-BACK TO THE DEALERSHIP. THIS TIME, THEY SAID THE BATTERY WAS BAD. THE THIRD TIME THEY SAID THERE WAS BAD SWITCH WHICH CONTROLS THE LIGHTS AND THAT WAS CHANGED. ON THE FOURTH OCCASION, WHICH INCIDENTALLY OCCURRED EXCATLY ONE YEAR LATER ON JULY 7TH, 2005, THEY (AGAIN) SAID WE MUST HAVE LEFT A LIGHT ON...NO ONE CAN BE THAT DUMB, NOT EVEN ME!. I AM FAST LOSING MY CONFIDENCE IN VOLVO!

SINCE I HAVE OWNED THIS CAR I HAVE HAD SMALL ELECTRICAL PROBLEMS - MOONROOF WON'T OPEN OR CLOSE, G DOOR OPENER NOT WORKING AFTER 3 DAYS, MUST PRESS UNLOCK BUTTON SEVERAL TIMES TO UNLOCK DOORS. ALSO, THE CAR BOUNCES AT ALL SPEEDS, AND SHIFTS LATE. LABOR DAY, 2004, I WAS DRIVING THE CAR WHEN ALL GAGES WENT OUT - SPEED OD, GAS, OIL PRESS, ENTIRE ABS SYSTEM, ETC. I FOUND IT WAS FUSE 24 AND REPLACED IT. THIS FUSE BLEW 4 MORE TIMES OVER THE NEXT 3 DAYS - ONCE IT BLEW WHEN REPLACING IT. THE DEALERSHIP SAID THIS WAS NOT A SAFETY ISSUE AND SCHEDULED REPAIR FOR 2 WEEKS LATER. (THE ABS SYSTEM STILL REPORTED WARNINGS ON THE MESSAGE DISPLAY). ONCE THE DEALERSHIP FINALLY WORKED ON IT, THEY REPLACED THE CENTRAL ELECTRICAL BOX AND ORDERED A NEW TRANSMISSION WHICH STILL NEEDS TO BE INSTALLED. I STILL HAVE THE ABOVE ELECTRICAL PROBLEMS ALONG WITH THE OTHER PROBLEMS WHICH THE DEALERSHIP CLAIMS ARE ALL RELATED. THERE IS 10,000 MILES ON THIS CAR. PREVIOUSLY, I OWNED A 1999 XC. I CONTINUED TO HAVE ELECTRICAL PROBLEMS WITH THIS CAR UNTIL I STARTED IT AT A DAYCARE TO HAVE THE BATTERY EXPLODE. SOLUTION TO THIS PROBLEM WAS TO UPGRADE ME TO THE 2004 WITH THE ASSURANCE THE PROBLEMS I HAD ON THE 1999 WERE "HIGHLY UNUSUAL AND UNHEARD OF". DUE TO MY PAST EXPERIENCE, AND THE VERY SIMILAR PROBLEMS I AM HAVING WITH THE 2004, I FEEL VERY UNSAFE IN THIS VEHICLE. *AK

ON AUGUST, 26, 2004 THERE WAS A MAJOR MALFUNCTION IN OUR VOLVO XC90 (2004). WHILE DRIVING WITH 2 SMALL CHILDREN IN CAR SEATS AND 2 ADULTS ON A MAJOR HIGHWAY; SUDDENDLY, THERE WAS NO ACCELERATION IN THE GAS PEDAL AND THE STEARING WHEEL DID NOT FUNCTION. WE MANAGED TO SLOWLY MOVE TO THE SIDE OF THE ROAD FROM WHAT MOMENTUM WAS LEFT IN THE CAR, AND AVOID AN ACCIDENT. WE WERE OBVIOUSLY VERY SHAKEN UP, AND FIND THIS CAR COMPLETELY UNSAFE. IT HAS BEEN 3 WEEKS NOW GETTING THE RUN AROUND WITH THE CHERRY HILL, NEW JERSEY VOLVO DEALER. THEY SAID "THERE'S NOTHING WRONG WITH THE CAR". THE CAR IS UNSAFE FOR OUR FAMILY, AND PRESENTS A DANGER FOR OTHERS ON THE ROAD. WE ARE AFRAID IT WILL STOP DEAD AGAIN ON A MAJOR HIGHWAY WITH DEATH OR INJURIES OCCURING TO EITHER OURSELVES OR OTHERS. THE DEALER ASKED US WHAT WE WANTED "WE FINALLY SAID, (AFTER THEY SAID THEY'D GET US A NEW SUV AND DID NOT) THAT WE WANT OUR MONEY BACK ($3,000 DEPOSIT) AND WE DON'T WANT THIS CAR THEY SOLD US. TODAY, THEY MADE US TAKE THIS CAR BACK AND THEY ARE REFUSING OUR REQUEST TO REFUND OUR MONEY. ALSO, THE CAR WAS TOWED ON A FLAT BED TRUCK IN TO THE DEALER ON JULY 13TH, 2004 AS THE CAR DID NOT START.. "RELAYS WERE LOOSE IN THE ICM AND CEM ETC.," [WE HAVE THE SERVICE ORDER] ON THIS DAY, THE MESSAGE ON THE CAR SAID SOMETHING TO THE EFFECT "URGENT MALFUNCTION IN SUV AIR BAGS..." AND WE UNLOADED THE FAMILY AND IT WAS TOWED TO THE VOLVO DEALERSHIP. AND THE CAR'S 2 SIDE MIRRORS WORK ONE DAY AND NOT THE NEXT. TOMORROW I TAKE MATTHEW TO HIS FIRST DAY AT PRE-SCHOOL, AND I'M HALF THINKING WHAT IF SOMETHING HAPPENS TO THE CAR WHEN WE'RE DRIVING. IT'S AMAZING TO ME THAT VOLVO CAN LET ME LEAVE THEIR PARKING LOT WITH THIS CAR THIS EVENING, AND THE AREN'T TAKING SAFETY SERIOUSLY AT ALL. SO, AT 11:00 PM I AM UP LETTING THE NHTSA KNOW WHAT'S GOING ON. WE ARE WILLING TO HELP IN ANYWAY WE CAN. SINCERELY, THE LAWRENCE FAMILY.*AK