NHTSA — Electrical System Problems

2004 Volvo XC90 (Page 1 of 8)

CarComplaints.com Seal Of This Might Hurt

CarComplaints.com Notes: The XC90 took its “freshman 15” of transmission complaints and turned it into a “sophomore 45.” The 2004 XC90 saw 3X as many complaints about the transmission failing as it did in its inaugural North American model year! By the following year, transmission complaints fell back in line with the 2003. That sharp spike in complaints means we recommend avoiding the 2004.

On top of transmission complaints, the 2004 XC90 also has problems with a sudden loss of power. The lucky ones are met with a “reduced engine performance” message, while others are left stranded on the side of the road waiting for a tow.

10.0

really awful
Crashes / Fires:
2 / 1
Injuries / Deaths:
1 / 0
Average Mileage:
96,144 miles

About These NHTSA Complaints:

This data is from the NHTSA — the US gov't agency tasked with vehicle safety. Complaints are spread across multiple & redundant categories, & are not organized by problem.

So how do you find out what problems are occurring? For this NHTSA complaint data, the only way is to read through the comments below. Any duplicates or errors? It's not us.

2004 Volvo XC90 electrical problems

electrical problem

Find something helpful? Spread the word.
Get notified about new defects, investigations, recalls & lawsuits for the 2004 Volvo XC90:

Unsubscribe any time. We don't sell/share your email.

2004 Volvo XC90 Owner Comments (Page 1 of 8)

problem #150

Mar 102023

XC90

  • miles

A D V E R T I S E M E N T S

Unknown..but water accumulated under the passenger seat under the amp and electrical components after a storm or rainy day.and its a lot of water when I brake i can hear a water fall..and water rushing and moving along the bottom. Of the car as I am steering im worried that the wiring and electrical will be damaged by water exposure the battery always dies wires soaked and sitting in water underneath passenger and never can completely get the moisture smell out of front seat area..mildew..why is this water leaking or not draining correctly ??

- Modesto, CA, USA

problem #149

May 262022

XC90

  • miles
On May 26, 2022, I was stuck in traffic for four hours, and the car's CEM (central electronic module) overheated causing the dashboard to shut down three times, meaning I lost all instrument readings. After each time the dashboard shut down, I had to pull over and reset fuse #27 to have the dashboard come back online temporarily. Because the CEM was already overheated due to its design flaw with improper ventilation, the dashboard would shut down again and again. A Google search would show this is a very common issue for 2004 Volvo models and before. Driving without any instrument readings is totally unsafe. I strongly urge you to force Volvo to issue a recall for 2004 and before models and fix the CEM overheating problem.

- Upper Saddle River, NJ, USA

problem #148

Oct 162021

XC90

  • miles
While driving on the highway "SRS urgent" text came on, also hear clicking sounds under dash on driver side, then dashboard indicator lights completely disappear (speed, fuel, temperature, etc). Extremely hot under driver side dash. Fortunately, still able to steer and brake. This has happened twice now. Mechanic believes most likely CEM failure or DIM failure. My vehicle also has a wet A-pillar fabric (Volvo forums indicate possible cause of failure). I removed drivers A-pillar and found a clogged drain tube from the sunroof. However, did not notice any obvious signs of water inside the vehicle, though it hasnt rained for over a month when this happened.

- Bedford, NH, USA

problem #147

Dec 292020

XC90

  • miles

A D V E R T I S E M E N T S

is been stolen

- Colorado Springs, CO, USA

problem #146

Jun 152017

XC90 6-cyl

  • 116,000 miles
While I'm motion the SRS airbag light came on transmission urgent light came on and ABS light the battery keeps bubbling like its gone blow up in my trunk I have to jump it off every morning I paid alot for this SUV can you please help me keep my only car in working order I have had all maintains done in past now the coolant system is leaking what is going on with this Volvo XC90 T6 AWD [xxx] information redacted pursuant to the Freedom Of Information Act (FOIA), 5 U.S.C. 552(B)(6).'

- Union, SC, USA

problem #145

Jun 302018

XC90

  • 168,000 miles
Similar to many others, while driving our 2004 Volvo XC90, we hear a click, then the climate, radio and windshield wipers (if on) shut off and their display lights black out, then another click in a fraction of a second and they come back on. This was happening randomly, and nothing else was affected, until this weekend, while on a trip. We were driving on highways, outside temp in the 80's, no rain, average speed about 70mph. It happened a few times over about 45 minutes, then began happening every 5 miles or so. When I turned up the ac fan, within about a minute it clicked and we lost the usual things, but they did not come back on. Then we heard another click and lost all dashboard lighting and controls; we could not see the instrument panel, the climate control was blowing hot air and could not be shut off or turned down, and we had no idea what speed we were going as it was nighttime. Extremely frightening and dangerous. We made it to the first exit that had a gas station and stopped. The car was very hard to accelerate when we got off at the exit as well. I was able to open the windows but when I opened the moon roof, it stopped half way and then would not close or open. We were stranded for hours awaiting a family member to come get us and then hours longer waiting for the vehicle to be towed. Our mechanic researched this and encouraged me to report, as he said there seem to be hundreds of reports of similar things happening with this year, make and model vehicle.

- Des Moines, IA, USA

problem #144

May 282017

XC90

  • 78,000 miles

A D V E R T I S E M E N T S

TL-contact owns a 2004 Volvo XC90 ---- contact called Volvo dealer in white plains NY... contact stated airbag light came on while driving and was on for a month.... vehicle stalled going 50mph... power steering went out on main highway vehicle lost power and shut off.... vehicle restarts and then shuts off again after going a couple miles...spoke with mechanic at dealership who stated that airbags are recalled....mechanic by the name of anthony.... told contact that airbag light being on was not a big deal....that airbag was faulty so it would not deploy in accident........ 0 recalls associated with this VIN..

- East Chester, NY, USA

problem #143

Aug 152017

XC90

  • miles
Hi, when driving my car up any slight little hill, I have no power and it doesn't seem to want to drive. It's very frustrating!! I have read there are recalls in the fuel pumps and also other recalls with the model Volvo XC90. I hope they can repair it and pay for it!!

- Pasadena, CA, USA

problem #142

May 182017

XC90

  • 137,500 miles
My Volvo xc 90 cannot shift to park or reverse, it remained in drive or neutral position. Was unable to remove keys from ignition due to problem. It is a safety hazard that when I searched U-tube found there were numerous people that encountered the same problem. It just had a service 1 month ago

- Skokie, IL, USA

problem #141

Dec 062016

XC90

  • 166,000 miles
When traveling at high rates of speed (on the highway) the car completely shuts off. The dashboard and all electrical shuts off, the hazards do not seem to work or the turn indicators, ABS does not work so it is a very slow heavy stop. This happened to me in this car one other time in 2010, and there was an immediate computer module upgrade issued.

- Cincinnati, OH, USA

problem #140

May 292016

XC90

  • 130,000 miles

A D V E R T I S E M E N T S

2004 Volvo XC90 sudden engine stall with lose of headlights: I was traveling on the interstate at night with the cruise set at 75 mph when suddenly it was like someone turned the ignition key to off for about 3 seconds, and then turned the key back on without restarting the engine. With all the warning lamps illuminated, and the engine at a stall I pulled into the emergency lane, and stopped. I then shifted to park and attempted to start the vehicle, where it took several attempts to start. The headlights did not stop working while pulling over, and when I stopped I switched the lights off before I restarted the engine. The first thing at mind was a fuel pump that was starting to act up. After restarting I revved the engine up a few quick times (to clear the engines throat). I then got back on the interstate accelerating to 75 mph, but doing so manually this time(no cruise control). About 10 min had passed when suddenly the engine started losing power as I was having to press the accelerator harder to maintain speed. While still coasting at 65 mph or so I placed the transmission into neutral, and attempted to restart the engine, when I turned the key to the start position I lost all the lights, I quickly released the key to the on position, and the lights remained off. I quickly pulled to the emergency lane and used the force to avoid the guardrail and the ditch. All the warning light were illuminated, and the engine was at a stall. I then turned the ignition key off and then back on, and that restored the headlights. It took 5-8 attempts to restart the engine, and again I'm thinking fuel pump acting up. Each time I attempted to restart the engine it would spit and sputter like if the fuel pump were only delivering half the pressure needed for the fuel injectors. After the engine restarted I made it home, and the problem has not arisen since,

- Austinville, VA, USA

problem #139

May 042016

XC90

  • 237,000 miles
The car is leaking a substantial amount of water my driver and passenger side floods with water. Now when I brake I can hear so much water moving back and forth. I have water damage on the roof of my car floor is damaged so badly. Just waiting on electric problems to arise. This has happened over 5 times... sunroof does not open so security alert as well. The car has been stationary parked in the parking lot of our townhouse 0

- Elgin, IL, USA

problem #138

Oct 072015

XC90

  • 84,500 miles
After driving for at least an hour the vehicle suddenly shuts down for a split second. All gauges go out, loss of power briefly, wipers sometimes kick on and fog lights reset and shut off and there is a thump from the transmission. This happens mainly at freeway speeds but has happened a few times at 30 mph and slower. Can happen several times on a 2.5 hour trip. Once it happens it can happen anytime. Doesn't do it on trips around town. Called Volvo of North America and they denied any problems with the cem and said since it's an '04 with 85,000 miles that I'm out of warranty and they can offer no help.

- Vancouver, WA, USA

problem #137

Jan 192016

XC90

  • 160,000 miles
I had this problem a few times a year ago and now it has returned. I was driving my car at night in the rain on a two lane freeway when all of a sudden I lost the headlights, dash lights, speedometer, radio, power windows, electric transmission, and much more function of the car. The engine is still running but it seems to almost reset or something then start shutting stuff down. I see on your website someone put this in as a complaint also this is very dangerous you cant see at night the car is hard to drive its obviously this same problem with water getting into the ECM. I read through your information and it seems like Volvo knew something was up with ones produced before or after March. It seems like they have been well aware of the problem and still want to charge you $2000 to fix it! people shouldn't have to pay to fix a problem Volvo has been well aware of and has had a cheap and easy solution for years. I called my local Volvo dealers and not one of them had any information or knowledge of this problem. When Volvo has a service notice about this problem and has obviously spent a lot of time looking into it. The problem seems to be really bad when it rains or I use the wipers further leading me to see that it is the same thing in investigation PE-10-025. These are only the people who are complaining to you this seems to be a very common issue that Volvo is sweeping under the rug to make a buck. It's disgusting.

- Bellingham, WA, USA

problem #136

Jan 152016

XC90

  • 170,000 miles
The contact owns a 2004 Volvo XC90. While driving various speeds, the power steering failed and several warning indicators illuminated on the instrument panel. The vehicle stalled. The contact stated that a new alternator was placed in the vehicle two days prior to the failure. The vehicle was not diagnosed or repaired. The manufacturer was made aware of the failure. The failure mileage was 170,000. The VIN was not available.

- Deale, MD, USA

problem #135

Oct 272015

XC90

  • 133,000 miles
This report is about a hazardous situation with our 2004 XC90. The engine shut down without warning on the I5 freeway! the car suddenly lost power and we had to coast to the side in the dark. We were lucky to not get hit! the display showed the following error code: ECM-981A. We are aware of the fact that this problem is not new to NHTSA and that you have received several reports on it already. It appears that the problem has to do with the cruise control, and ever since the incident we have been driving the car without engaging it without any problems. The mileage on the car is 138,000 miles. The problem occurred when engaging the cruise control on an uphill slope. We speculate that it might be caused by engaging the cruise control at the same instant as the car shifts down automatically. I talked to a Volvo service technician who aid that he had experienced the same problem with his own 2004 XC90 but he was unable to find what had caused it.

- Redmond, WA, USA

problem #134

Oct 022015

XC90

  • 140,000 miles
While driving at any speed the vehicles electrical system completely shuts down with out warning as if the vehicle was off. The engine stays running with very minimal power. This happened to me at night while driving on the highway, it was raining and all the lights, wipers, every electrical part just shut off, I am lucky I did not crash. After researching I that a lot of owners have the same problems and that Volvo is aware of the dangerous problem but does nothing about it.

- Arlington, VA, USA

problem #133

Jan 152015

XC90

  • 113,000 miles
The contact owns a 2004 Volvo XC90. While driving at any speed, the vehicle jerked and lost power. The contact also heard water running on the right passenger side door and underneath the dashboard. The air bag warning light illuminated. The vehicle was not diagnosed or repaired. The manufacturer was not notified of the failure. The failure mileage was 113,00. The VIN was not provided.

- Baltimore, MD, USA

problem #132

Feb 012015

XC90

  • 104,000 miles
The contact owns a 2004 Volvo XC90. While driving at approximately 65 mph, the vehicle began to jerk and the instrument panel failed. The accelerator pedal was depressed and failed to respond. The vehicle was restarted and the failure recurred frequently. The contact also stated that on several occasions it took several attempts to start to vehicle. The vehicle was taken to the dealer, but the failure was unable to be determined. The vehicle was not repaired. The manufacturer was not made aware of the failure. The approximate failure mileage was 104,000.

- Baltimore, MD, USA

problem #131

Sep 212015

XC90

  • 180,000 miles
The contact owns a 2004 Volvo XC90. The contact stated that while driving at 35 mph, the vehicle stalled without warning. The vehicle was able to restart however, the failure recurred. The vehicle was taken to an independent mechanic where it was not diagnosed or repaired. The manufacturer was not notified of the failure. The failure mileage was 180,000. Djr

- Belle Chasse, LA, USA

Read the next 20 complaints »

Not what you are looking for?