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.
1.8
hardly worth mentioning
Crashes / Fires:
0 / 0
Injuries / Deaths:
0 / 0
Average Mileage:
88,110 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.
Unsure of what the issue is with the vehicle but smells like gas in my garage and I found a recall I was never notified about I moved from Washington to Las Vegas and never received any info regarding the fuel pump recall as well as a noise that-??s been going on for a year now when I drive at 60 miles an hour I-??ve had it looked at and no one seems to know what that issue
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.
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..
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.
The contact owns a 2004 Volvo XC90. While driving 65 mph, the engine rpms decreased as if the brake pedal were depressed. The vehicle was not taken to a dealer or repaired and the failure recurred. The manufacturer was not notified of the failure. The VIN was not provided. The failure mileage was 135,000....updated 01/27/16
Exiting driveway in reverse, upon switching to drive the dashboard lights started flickering and a jerk was felt in the transmission. Soon the dashboard gauges and the indicators went dead. Several error messages quickly "scrolled" (brake failure, airbag failure, ABS failure, engine failure) then the check engine light came on and remained on. No power to dashboard controls (gauges dead, no lights/turn signals, no radio). Front windows work, but not rear. Vehicle drives as if in low gear. Unsafe to drive so had towed to dealer. They are running diagnostics so tbd on specific issue and cost to repair. Concerned as no recall and situation is so dangerous (what if I'd been on freeway!) Volvo should recall all the 2004 XC90 as others report same defect
My 2004 Volvo XC90 with a 2.5T engine, 7 pass, intermittently and inadvertently stalls while driving it. It is scary because all electrical goes off, instrument panel, radio, lights, etc, several warning messages appears, such ABS, air bags failure, brake failure, engine failure, etc. It won't respond to acceleration and brakes are very hard to push, the engine does not stop. I have to stop, turn it off, wait few minutes, then start it, everything comes to normal again but with the check engine and the air bags message, then after some minutes of driving the same stalling and electrical issues happen again. This is serious because you are on freeway and you loose brakes and engine control, no information in instrument panel, etc. I found that the relays in the cem (control electronics module) are super hot possibly due to loose connections, in the video below you will see the problems and infrared pictures of the cem. Please help!!!!!! please help!!!!!! please help!!!!!! please help!!!!!! please see my youtube video and other videos with the same issue search for XC90 issues, XC90 stalling, XC90 electrical problems, etc. Https://www.youtube.com/watch?V=fwulb1sksie&feature=youtu.be thank you
I have a Volvo XC90 2004. I was driving and suddenly I heard a noise under the car. I stop the car and call my road service provider to send me a tow truck. We took the car to the auto center to have it inspected, they call me to give me bad news they said it was the transmission shaft, something coming out apart and that will be expensive to fix and that I needed to take it to Volvo dealer to get it fix. I was in shock. I didn't expected this so soon my Volvo car it has 87,000 miles and I feel this is a manufacturer malfunction problem. This should be a recall, its too soon to give me this headache please investigate this matter soon to help others I will really appreciated if I have a answer soon.
The contact owns a 2004 Volvo XC90. While driving 40 mph, the vehicle stalled without warning. The vehicle was taken to an independent mechanic. The technician was unable to diagnose a failure. The manufacturer was not made aware of the failure. The failure mileage was 122,000.
Car lost all power and message window read "reduced engine performance". we were traveling in the left lane and had to coast through traffic to the shoulder. There was absolutely no throttle response, so we shut the car off. Upon restarting it, the message disappeared and we were able to continue our trip. It happened again, and we reset it once again. We stopped at the first Volvo repair facility we found and had them scan all the computers using the Volvo diagnostic equipment. The code they retrieved was ECM-981A. They cleared our computer using the Volvo computer, but the problem returned on our return home. We were barely able to get out of the way of a semi barreling upon us! the problem still persists, and I finally went to my computer to find some information on my own. Apparently, this is not so uncommon a problem with these cars. There is already a recall on some of the 2003-2004 S60's and V70's. we have already spent close to $2,000 trying to remedy this problem, but that becomes inconsequential if someone gets killed because the issue doesn't get resolved.
In October 2014 myself my boyfriend and my 7 year old we're driving home when all of a sudden the car would not accelerate when I tried to push through the traffic light the vehicle then slowed down in the middle of the road their was no way of me trying to pull over bc the car completely stopped I then proceeded to get my 7 year old out the truck and her spelt belt in the back was stuck and would not come out we were almost hit from the back due to the vehicle stalling in the middle of the road in a curve we were stranded for about three hours in the dark when we were finally towed home I was told that the transmission was no good and this is the reason our vehicle stalled and was disabled.
The contact owns a 2004 Volvo XC90. While driving various speeds, the vehicle would stall and unknown warning indicators would illuminate. It took the contact numerous attempts to restart the vehicle. In addition, the contact stated that the windshield wipers activated independently. The vehicle was not diagnosed or repaired. The manufacturer was not notified of the failure. The approximate failure mileage was 76,000.
Driving vehicle at 45mph and key switched out of the "run" position while being driven. Vehicle's engine completely shut off, rendering power brakes, power steering and airbags as not operational.
On two separate occasions, our vehicle would not restart after stopping for gas. This occurred after it was serviced and battery replaced a week prior. Aaa was unable to jump start it as well, and vehicle had to be towed back to dealership for repairs. According to the two separate dealerships, the central electronics module is the culprit, and needed replacing. Across multiple online forums, Volvo owners have complained about similar problems with the cem, often placing drivers and occupants in danger as they experienced complete electrical outage at highway speeds. We were fortunately that our vehicle just did not restart, instead of shutting down in traffic at 65 mph. This is a significant safety issue, and Volvo should be responsible for replacing the faulty units.
While driving at highway speeds, the vehicle experienced a complete systems failure of engine, lighting, wipers, interior lighting (dash), brake failure message and SRS airbag service warnings. This has begun to happen repeatedly. This problem appears to be the same that many other XC90 owners have been experiencing.
At highway speeds, the windshield wipers randomly start, followed immediately by a loud thump sound from the engine, also immediately followed by all the electrical items on the instrument panel going dark, all gauges go to zero, speedometer doesn't work, radio goes dark and stops working along, A/C stops working, error message appear for the ABS and SRS. There is also an slight loss of engine power. Problem has occurred 4 times over the last year. Dealer could not replicate the problem on the first visit which is not surprising since the problem is completely random. On a more recent visit dealer says car needs a instrument panel module replacement at a cost of $1,500. According to my online research, this complaint is by far the most prevalent problem with this year and model by maybe a 20 to 1 margin.
Was driving in neighborhood at about 20 mph, when radio shut off and then all electrical shut off, car did not respond to either gas or brakes, then there was a thump from the front of the car, which brought the dash lights back on. I then was able to pull over and turn off car. Restarted the car and there were a slew of error messages on the dash, including a brake warning. Attempted to continue to drive car, issue happened again and again on my drive home. Very unsafe to be driving and not sure if your brakes or steering are going to cut out. Did some research when I got home and realized this is a well documented issue with the cem of Volvo. I hope NHTSA is investigating. If this happens to someone driving on the highway it could be a very serious safety issue.
A D V E R T I S E M E N T S
- Las Vegas , NV, USA