2003 Volvo XC90 Engine Problems

DRIVING THE XC90 AND SUDDENLY THERE IS A HUGE THUMP AND CLICKING FROM THE DASHBOARD. ALL THE DIALS AROUND THE SPEDOMETER STOP WORKING.. IF WE KEEP DRIVING THERE ARE MORE THUMPS AND WE QUICKLY LOSE ENGINE POWER - IT IS EXTREMELY SCARY WHEN IT HAPPENS.. ALL THE LIGHTS COME ON (INSIDE THE CAR), DASHBOARD GOES DEAD ETC ETC. IT IS EXTREMELY DANGEROUS .. IT HAPPENED TO USE A NUMBER OF TIMES WITH 3 CHILDREN IN THE CAR. IT HAS OCCURRED WHEN WE WERE DRIVING ON THE HIGHWAY, 2-3 TIMES, IT HAS OCCURRED ON SHORT TRIPS - IT HAPPENS AT SEEMINGLY RANDOM TIMES, USUALLY AFTER DRIVING FOR OVER 30 MINUTES, BUT THEN YESTERDAY IT HAPPENED ON A TRIP JUST DOWN TO THE PARK, NOT 5 MINUTES DOWN THE ROAD.. ON THIS OCCASION THE CAR HAD BEEN SITTING IN THE SUN FOR A WHILE (MAYBE HEAT RELATED?). IT HAS HAPPENED IN HOT WEATHER, COLD WEATHER .. WE ARE IN CONSTANT FEAR WHEN DRIVING THE CAR. I HAVE CONTACTED VOLVO AUSTRALIA ABOUT THE ISSUE BUT THEY SAID THEY HAVE NO RESPONSIBILITY, THAT THERE IS NO RECALL FOR THE PROBLEM AND DIDN'T WANT TO HELP AT ALL!! I SEE A LOT OF PEOPLE HAVE THIS SAME PROBLEM, IS VOLVO NOT GOING TO FIX IT UNTIL SOMEONE IS KILLED??? WHAT WILL IT TAKE!?!?!?! IT IS A JOKE ! WE BOUGHT A VOLVO TO HAVE SOMETHING SAFER THAN NORMAL BUT ITS MORE DANGEROUS! I CANNOT EVEN SELL THE CAR BECAUSE I DON'T KNOW WHAT'S WRONG WITH IT AND I DON'T WANT ANOTHER FAMILY / PERSON TO BE INJURED .. NO RESALE VALUE, NO SAFETY! COME ON VOLVO, THIS IS CRAZY!

NHTSA ID

10810354

Incident

Dec 15, 2015

Mileage

230,000 mi

WHEN THIS VEHICLE WAS PURCHASED IT STARTED WITHIN 4 DAYS TO HAVE PROBLEMS WITH THE TRANSMISSION, AFTER THE TRANSMISSION THE TRANSFER CASE BEGAN TO HAVE PROBLEMS, SO THE VEHICLE WAS PLACED IN THE SHOP BEFORE THE THIRTY DAYS TAGS COULD EXPIRE AND BOTH PARTS WERE REBUILT BY AN OUTSIDE COMPANY WHICH WAS ADDED TO THE ORIGINAL PRICE TAG OF THE VEHICLE. THEN A YEAR LATER THE VEHICLE WAS PLACED IN THE SHOP FOR THE TURBO'S HAD GONE OUT ON THE VEHICLE ON APRIL 11, 2015 UNTIL CURRENT DATE. THEY ARE NOW SAYING THE VEHICLE HAS A BLOWN HEAD GASKET AND IT IS STILL IN THE SHOP.

NHTSA ID

10760442

Incident

Apr 10, 2014

Mileage

114,687 mi

MY 2003 VOLVO XC90 HAS BEEN TO THE DEALER SEVERAL TIMES INCLUDING OVER 3 TIMES FOR SAME PROBLEM WHEN I PURCHASED THE VEHICLE IN 2006. ALL RECALLS HAVE BEEN FIXED, FRONT AXLE, WIPERS ETC. I HAVE PURCHASED 4 SETS OF TIRES, TIRES BOSTON VOLVO INSTALLED AND MY 17 YEAR OLD SON RECEIVED A COMPLETE BLOW OUT BECAUSE WRONG SIZE TIRES. I CONTINUE TAKING TO SAME DEALER AND SINCE OWNING THE CAR HAVE HAD THE SAME NOISES IN FRONT OF CAR. BOSTON VOLVO HAS STATED IN OCTOBER AND SINCE OWNING THE VEHICLE CAN FIND NOTHING WRONG, APRIL DIAGNOSED WITH NEED NEW DRIVE SHAFT AFTER HAVING CAR FOR 2 DAYS BUT COULD NOT REALLY FINE ANYTHING BUT DRIVE SHAFT. A STRONG FUEL SMELL STATED FUEL PUMP DOES NOT NEED TO BE CORRECTED. I NEED NEW MUFFLER AND TAKING TO MY OWN MECHANIC THE REAL ISSUE IS TRANSMISSION SERVICE URGENT AND NEED NEW TRANSMISSION. VOLVO DID NOT DIAGNOSE THIS PROBLEM AND MY SON IS DRIVING THE CAR! MY SON IS DRIVING A LEMON THAT IS A DANGER TO HIMSELF. TAKING TO VOLVO DOES NOTHING, THEY CANNOT EVEN DIAGNOSE AND GIVE WRONG INFO GIVEN TO ME. I AM CURRENTLY UP TO OVER $8,000 IN DAMAGES AND STILL OWE ON THIS LEMON. I NEED NEW TRANSMISSION, MUFFLER, STILL CAR VIBRATES AND FRONT END NOISES FROM WHINING, THUMPING ETC. *TR

NHTSA ID

10326221

Incident

Apr 8, 2010

Mileage

104,000 mi

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.

NHTSA ID

10314570

Incident

Feb 26, 2010

Mileage

62,000 mi

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

NHTSA ID

10286978

Incident

Sep 20, 2009

Mileage

107,000 mi

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

NHTSA ID

10253963

Incident

Dec 31, 2008

Mileage

94,000 mi

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

NHTSA ID

10174944

Incident

Oct 21, 2005

Mileage

45,500 mi

I OWN A VOLVO XC90 T6 AWD. THIS CAR HAS HAD PROBLEMS WITH THE TWIN TURBO-CHARGERS, THE WARNING LIGHTS, A TIRE BLOWOUT, VIBRATIONS IN THE STEERING WHEEL, ALIGNMENT ISSUES, SHORT CIRCUIT IN THE DRIVER'S SIDE CONTROL PANEL, POOR FIT AND FINISH OF THE DRIVER SIDE DOOR PANEL AND A HOST OF OTHER FIT AND FINISH PROBLEMS. THE MOMENTUM VOLVO DEALERSHIP IN HOUSTON, TEXAS AND VOLVO NORTH AMERICA SERVICE REPRESENTATIVE DENIED ANY PROBLEMS BEING A SERIOUS OR RECURRING PROBLEM. THIS ALL TOOK PLACE IN A SPAN OF LESS THAN 10 MONTHS FOR A BRAND NEW VEHICLE.THE CAR SPENT MORE TIME IN THE SHOP THAN IN OUR POSSESSION INITIALLY. THE DEALERSHIP CONTINUED TO FIX THE RECURRING PROBLEMS AND DENIED ANY CHRONIC ISSUES EXISTED. I WISH TO ALERT NHTSA IN THE EVENT ANY OTHER OWNER OF VOLVO XC 1990 HAS SIMILAR COMPLAINTS OR A TRAGEDY OCCURS AS A RESULT OF THE PROBLEMS I HAVE LISTED. *AK

NHTSA ID

10067880

Incident

Mar 15, 2004

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

NHTSA ID

10045003

Incident

Sep 15, 2003

Mileage

12,000 mi