Owner-reported complaints naming the transmission system, filed with NHTSA
Data refreshed
Reports naming the automatic or manual transmission, including shifting behaviour, shudder, slipping and transmission control modules. Every record below is an owner-reported complaint about the 2004 Volvo XC90 submitted to NHTSA — not a confirmed defect, not a recall and not a manufacturer bulletin. 105 reports on file name it.
Complaints are reports submitted by owners and drivers to NHTSA. They are not verified and do not establish that a defect exists.
The 25 most recent of 105, in the owner's own words
I WAS DRIVING ON THE PARKWAY AND NOTICE A WARNING LIGHT ON THE DASH. IT STATED URGENT TRANSMISSION NEEDS SERVICE. I'VE TAKEN IT TO THE DEALER AND NEEDED TO REPLACE TRANSMISSION AND RADIATOR AMONG OTHER THINGS. *KB
THE TRANSMISSION ON MY 2004 VOLVO XC90 WENT OUT WHILE I WAS DRIVING WITH MY CHILDREN IN THE CAR. THIS IS A WELL KNOWN DEFECT IN THIS CAR YET VOLVO HAS REFUSED TO RECALL THESE VEHICLES AND REPAIR THEM. THEY HAVE QUOTED US $7700 TO REPAIR AND REPLACE TRANSMISSION AND OTHER PARTS DAMAGED BY THE FAILED TRANSMISSION. DOES SOMEONE HAVE TO BE KILLED BEFORE SOMETHING IS DONE? THESE CARS NEED TO BE RECALLED AND VOLVO NEEDS TO TAKE RESPONSIBILITY FOR PUTTING IN DEFECTIVE TRANSMISSIONS. A SIMPLE WEB SEARCH WILL REVEAL THOUSANDS OF POSTS FROM OWNERS WITH THE EXACT SAME ISSUE WITH THESE FAULTY TRANSMISSIONS. *TR
I HAVE A 2004 VOLVO XC90 WITH 78,000 MILES ON IT AND THE TRANSMISSION NEEDS TO BE REPLACED. THIS IS RIDICULOUS FOR SUCH A NICE CAR. I DON'T HAVE $5,000 TO REPLACE A TRANSMISSION. VOLVO NEEDS TO STEP UP TO THE PLATE. *TR
I OWN A 2004 VOLVO XC90 TC. THE MILEAGE ON THE VEHICLE IS 54,000 APPROXIMATELY. AS OF 7/26 THE TRANSMISSION HAS FAILED, THE COST TO REPAIR IS 5,200 USD. THERE IS A KNOWN PROBLEM WITH THIS YEAR, MAKE, AND MODEL OF TRANSMISSIONS. VOLVO WILL NOT COVER THE COST OF REPAIRS NOR HAVE THEY ISSUED A RECALL FOR THIS WIDELY KNOWN PROBLEM. *TR
TL* THE CONTACT OWNS A 2004 VOLVO XC90. THE CONTACT STATED THE TRANSMISSION WAS REPLACED ON 1/27/2007, BECAUSE THE SEALS FAILED IN THE DRIVE TRAIN. THE CONTACT STATED THE FAILURE RECURRED AND WHEN THE VEHICLE WAS TAKEN BACK TO THE DEALER, THEY STATED THE TRANSMISSION FAILED AGAIN. THE CONTACT STATED THE TRANSMISSION WAS FIRST REPLACED UNDER WARRANTY, BUT THE MANUFACTURER STATED THE RECENT FAILURE WAS NOT A MANUFACTURERS DEFECT. THE CONTACT FEELS IT IS A MANUFACTURERS DEFECT BECAUSE THE TIME FRAME OF BOTH FAILURES WHICH WERE IDENTICAL. THE CURRENT MILEAGE ON THE VEHICLE WAS 80,000.
TRANSMISSION FAILURE ON 2004 VOLVO XC90 T6 AWD. DRIVING ON RURAL ROAD WHEN TRANSMISSION LOCKED IN 3RD GEAR. VEHICLE WOULD NOT SLOW DOWN UTLIZING DOWN SHIFTING ON HILLY ROADS. THE VEHICLE ON HAS APPROX 60K MILES. LOSING THE TRANSMISSION REALLY HINDERS THE PERFORMANCE AND CONTROL OF THE VEHICLE. *TT
2004 VOLVO XC90 T6 "TRANSMISSION SERVICE URGENT" ERROR MESSAGE APPEARS. CAR JUMPS WHEN CHANGING GEAR AND SOMETIMES HAS NO POWER WHEN PUSHING THE GAS. CAR HAS 72K+ MILES. *TR
2ND TRANSMISSION FAILURE ON MY 2004 VOLVO XC90 T6 AAMCO IS QUOTING ME AT $4000 TO REBUILD OR $5500 TO REPLACE, WOULD BE SECOND REPLACEMENT FOR THIS VEHICLE.
LIQUID (PROBABLY WATER) INSIDE THE FRAME OF VOLVO XC90 CAUSING ELECTRICAL ISSUES. *TR
I HAVE A 2004 VOLVO XC90. AT APPROXIMATELY 52K MILES, THE XC90 1ST GENERATION TRANSMISSION WENT BAD AND HAD TO BE REPLACED. CARLSEN VOLVO (PALO ALTO, CA) AGREED TO COVER THE COST OF THE TRANSMISSION REPLACEMENT. I WAS VERY PLEASED WITH THE SERVICE AND WENT ON MY WAY. IN DECEMBER 2010 AT ~107,000K MILES, THE TRANSMISSION STARTED TO HESITATE & FUNCTION ERRATICALLY WHILE DRIVING. WITHIN AFEW DAYS, THE CAR WAS PARKED AT MY HOME, AND WAS UNABLE TO ENGAGE IN FORWARD OR REVERSE. I TOWED THE CAR IN; IT WAS DIAGNOSED W/ INTERNAL TRANSMISSION PROBLEM. THE SERVICE REP SAID THAT SHE WOULD TALK TO THE FACTORY REP REGARDING COMPENSATION. THE DEALER REP CALLED VOLVO N.A. REP, WYATT, WHO OFFERED TO PAY FOR THE PARTS (~$3,500) BUT I WOULD HAVE TO PAY FOR THE LABOR(~$1,500). MY HUSBAND COUNTERED THAT WE WOULD LIKE THE WHOLE THING PAID FOR SINCE IT WAS WELL KNOWN FACTORY DEFECT. WHEN WYATT HEARD OF OUR COUNTER OFFER, HE NOT ONLY DENIED THIS, BUT SIMPLY STATED THAT THE DEAL WAS OFF THE TABLE, PERIOD. THE NEXT DAY, I RECONSIDERED AND ASKED THE SERVICE REP TO CALL WYATT AGAIN WITH OUR ACCEPTANCE OF THE INITIAL DEAL. WYATT REFUSED TO PUT THE DEAL BACK ON THE TABLE AND SAID WE SHOULD PAY FOR THE REPAIRS OURSELVES. THEN CALLED VOLVO CUSTOMER CARE WHO DOCUMENTED THE COMPLETE STORY,CONTACTED WYATT VIA EMAIL TO AGAIN. HOWEVER, WYATT REFUSED. APPARENTLY BECAUSE I HAVE CHOSEN IN THE PAST TO HAVE A PERSONAL MECHANIC SERVICE MY CAR, CHANGE THE OIL AND TIRES, ETC. I AM CONSIDERED TO BE A "DISLOYAL VOLVO CUSTOMER" AND THIS WAS A CONSIDERATION IN WYATT'S DECISION NOT TO PAY FOR MY TRANSMISSION, EVEN THOUGH IT IS A DEFECTIVE PART. AT THIS POINT, I HAD TO HAVE MY CAR BACK, AND TOLD CARLSEN TO REPLACE THE TRANSMISSION. CARLSEN OFFERED A 10% DISCOUNT OFF THE TOTAL PRICE. A VERY KIND GESTURE, HOWEVER, I HAD TO PAY $4,600 OUT OF POCKET FOR ANOTHER NEW TRANSMISSION FOR THIS CAR. IT'S WELL DOCUMENTED THAT THE 1ST AND 2ND GENERATION TRANSMISSIONS FOR THIS MODEL HAVE BEEN DEFECTIVE. I AM DISGUSTED. *LN
TRANSMISSION FAILURE REQUIRING COMPLETE REPLACEMENT OF TRANSMISSION (NO REBUILD), RADIATOR AND TRANSMISSION COOLER. *TR
TRANSMISSION FAILURE ON 2004 VOLVO XC90. THIS IS A KNOWN PROBLEM BY VOLVO BUT THEY HAVEN'T ISSUED A FORMAL RECALL. THE SERVICE DEPARTMENT I DEAL WITH STATED THEY REPLACE ON AVERAGE 10 A MONTH. THE AVERAGE COST THAT OWNERS ARE FACING IS $7000. *TR
"TRANSMISSION SERVICE URGENT"LIGHT IS ON. I PURCHASED THIS VEHICLE "NEW" IN JULY 2003. CURRENTLY HAS 87,000 MILES. NOTICED SLIPPAGE OVER ONE YEAR AGO. ACCELERATION AT TIMES AFTER BEING STOPPED VEHICLE WOULD HESITATE FROM SLIPPAGE, DANGEROUS AT INTERSECTIONS MAKING TURNS IN FRONT OF ONCOMING TRAFFIC. RESEARCHED ONLINE AND DISCOVERED THIS MODEL HAS NUMEROUS, NUMEROUS REPORTS AND COMPLAINTS REGARDING TRANSMISSION FAILURES WITH A WIDE RANGE OF MILEAGE. VEHICLE ROLLED BACK AFTER BEING STOPPED AT A INTERSECTION TODAY 10/04/10 AND I STRUGGLED TO GET VEHICLE TO ACCELERATE AND GET IT HOME. BARELY MADE IT INTO THE GARAGE WHEN I NOTICED THE TRANSMISSION SERVICE LIGHT WAS ON. *TR
2004 VOLVO XC 90 AND TRANSMISSION IS FAILED AS WELL AS MOTOR MOUNTS, WHEEL BEARING BOOTS, ETC. DEALER KNOWS ABOUT THESE RECURRING ISSUES WITH OTHERS OF SAME YEAR, BUT CLAIMS IT IS ONLY MY ISSUE. PURCHASE PRICE WAS ~$55K AND WITH ONLY 106K MILES I SHOULD NOT NOW HAVE TO SPEND ~$5K FOR A NEW TRANNY. *TR
FAILED TRANSMISSION. *TR
VOLVO CX90 2004 FAULTY TRANSMISSION. THE TRANSMISSION ON MY CAR FAILED...NO WARNING, NO TRANSMISSION LIGHT. VOLVO HAS PLACED A FAULTY GM TRANSMISSION IN THE CAR AND THEY NEED TO RECALL IT. IT IS A SAFETY ISSUE AND A COST ISSUE. VOLVO, I BELIEVE IS AWARE OF THIS ISSUE AND THEY NEED TO STEP UP AND FIX IT. *TR
2004 VOLVO XC90 TRANSMISSION FAILURE - THE TRANSMISSION FAILED IN MY VOLVO AT 106,000 MILES. THIS IS THE 3RD TRANSMISSION THAT HAS BEEN INSTALLED IN THE VEHICLE. THE COST TO ME WAS $3000.00. *TR
TL* THE CONTACT OWNS A 2004 VOLVO XC90. WHILE DRIVING AT 35 MPH, THE TRANSMISSION BEGAN DRAGGING AND THE VEHICLE WOULD NOT ACCELERATE. THE DEALER PERFORMED A DIAGNOSTIC AND FOUND THAT THE TRANSMISSION WOULD NEED TO BE REPLACED. IN ADDITION, THE DEALER ADVISED THERE WAS A SMALL LEAK FROM THE POWER STEERING PUMP. THERE WERE NO REPAIRS. THE FAILURE AND THE CURRENT MILEAGES WERE 39,000.
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
TRAVELING ON HIGHWAY 231 NORTH JUST SOUTH OF MONTGOMERY. CAME TO A STOP AT TRAFFIC LIGHT, PROCEEDED THROUGH LIGHT BUT CAR WOULD NOT SHIFT. IN HEAVY TRAFFIC, CAR WAS SLUGGISH AND STUCK IN THIRD GEAR. ALMOST RAN INTO BY TRACTOR-TRAILER BECAUSE WE COULD NOT GET OUT OF THE WAY. *TR
VEHICLE HAS ALREADY HAD THE TRANSMISSION REPLACED AT LEAST ONCE BY PREVIOUS OWNER. IT WENT OUT AGAIN ON US AT ABOUT 70,000 MILES. HAD TRANSMISSION REPLACED WITH "NEW HIGH CLASS VOLVO PARTS" TRANSMISSION. NOW THE ENGINE IS 3 TIMES LOUDER THAN BEFORE AND WE'RE IN SOME SERIOUS MONEY FOR OUR CAR. WE'RE VERY DISAPPOINTED. *TR
2004 VOLVO XC90 T6 TRANSMISSION FAILURE WHILE DRIVING. LOST POWER DIFFICULT TO DRIVE CAR TO SAFE PARKING SPACE. *TR
2004 VOLVO XC 90 AND TRANSMISSION IS FAILING, AS WELL AS MOTOR MOUNTS, WHEEL BEARING BOOTS, ETC. DEALER KNOWS ABOUT THESE RECURRING ISSUES WITH OTHERS OF SAME YEAR, BUT CLAIMS IT IS ONLY MY ISSUE. PURCHASE PRICE WAS ~$55K AND WITH ONLY 90K MILES I SHOULD NOT NOW HAVE TO SPEND ~$5K FOR A NEW TRANNY. RIP-OFF *TR
PURCHASED A 2005 VOLVO SC90. ONE OWNER BEEN TO VOLVO DEALER EVERY TIME IT HAS BEEN SERVICED. SEEMED LIKE A GOOD DEAL. THIS IS A WEEKEND VEHICLE. AND WELL THE TRANSMISSION WENT OUT AT 112000 MILES. ONLY 4500 TO FIX. I REALLY THOUGHT VOLVO WAS A RELIABLE VEHICLE. WHAT A JOKE SOMETHING IS REALLY WRONG WITH THIS. *TR
PURCHASED AN '04 VOLVO XC90 T6 ON MAY 1ST FROM A PRIVATE SELLER. DID RESEARCH ON THE VEHICLE THROUGH MSN RELIABILITY, VOLVO, ETC. ONLY ISSUE HIGHLIGHTED WAS ENGINE CONCERNS, NOT TRANSMISSION. IT WASN'T UNTIL THE TRANSMISSION WENT OUT ON JUNE 6TH THAT I FOUND NUMEROUS CONSUMER COMPLAINTS ABOUT THE TRANSMISSION GOING OUT AT AROUND 60K MILES. MINE WENT OUT AT APPROX. 57K MILES. I'VE CONTACTED VOLVO AND ASKED ABOUT RECALLS, ETC. AND WAS TOLD I SHOULD'VE DRIVEN MY CAR, OR HAD IT TOWED 40+ MILES TO THE DEALERSHIP TO HAVE IT DIAGNOSED TO THEN HAVE IT REPAIRED AT THE DEALERSHIP SO THAT I MIGHT GET A REIMBURSED. ABOUT TWO WEEKS PRIOR TO THE "TRANSMISSION SERVICE URGENT" MESSAGE ON THE DASH I RECEIVED A "COOLANT LOW STOP ENGINE." I'VE TAKEN MY VOLVO TO A CERTIFIED VOLVO REPAIR SERVICE WHERE THE COST IS GOING TO BE $5,335. THE TRANSMISSION WENT OUT AFTER GETTING OFF THE INTERSTATE AND COMING TO A STOP AT A RED LIGHT. WHEN I TRIED TO ACCELERATE THE CAR JUST WOUND. *TR
Higher-selling and older vehicles accumulate more reports. Counts are not failure rates and are not directly comparable between vehicles that sold in very different numbers.
Categories with enough reports to have a page of their own
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