Faults:

Cooling system appears to have leaked and been patched rather than properly repaired prior to my purchasing this car as the patch still has a minor leak. I have not had this leak repaired yet as it has not gotten any worse in the two years that I have owned this car. But that fact that the system failed at all does show one of the weaknesses in the design and/or manufacture of this car by Volvo.

The struts are starting to fail.

The Dynamic Stability & Traction Control (DSTC) system occasionally loses compression. Not life threatening, but annoying nonetheless.

I've owned 2 Lexus, 1 Subaru, 3 Toyota, and 2 Fords (many with higher mileage, older when purchased, and purchased for less) that have been more mechanically sound than this car.

General Comments:

The handling of this car is nothing spectacular. But when packed with 4 adults (all 5ft 10in plus) and 1 child, and the boot loaded to the brim with luggage, it was not only still comfortable and roomy for everyone, but it was also extremely well balanced and responsive when pushed around some fairly tight hill cornering. Big thumbs up for this Volvo.

However, I'm very glad that I didn't purchase this car new, and can understand why it devalues quicker than it's rivals in the resale market. It's really not worthy of it's prestigious billing or in the same league as Mercedes-Benz, Audi, BMW, or Lexus. In fact, I purchased this (used) for less than a Toyota Camry of the same year, mileage and condition.

Faults:

From the second day we got it we have had false readings on the computer. Yesterday the computer said to turn ignition off immediately and restart? Its actually my sons car. today he came home from work and was leaving for a friends and the stupid thing won't come out of park the shift will move, but it won't shift. I wish I had study more on volvos before I bought this for him. I now hear how costly the repairs will be. I just wrote a check for the 1st payment today! Maybe ill trade it next week.

Faults:

The main complaint has been the on board computer which, from 60,000 miles onwards, has consistently produced a range of faults none of which have had any bearing on the actual mechanical condition of the vehicle. The false readings on the computer have, however, affected the performance. A fault on the computer noted that there was a brake failure. This was incorrect, but the computer then automatically cut the engine which created dangerous driving conditions. The cost to repair the computer fault was almost £400. Then the computer showed that there was an emission service problem. This again was incorrect and there was nothing wrong mechanically. Currently there is a computer fault noting that an urgent transmission service is necessary. Again there is nothing wrong mechanically, but the computer is now influencing the acceleration so that the engine is running at a thousand revs higher than it should. The costs to repair the computer are expected to be another £500! I have lost all interest in the car and cannot wait to get rid of it particularly as all service costs are high and regular repairs are necessary and expensive.

General Comments:

The main plus of the car is comfort although the suspension has become more bumpy and noisy despite replacement of track rods.

Faults:

We purchased the car 90 days ago from a local car dealer. Within 2 days of purchasing the car, the sending unit in the gas tank failed. The repair cost more than $500.

Three weeks later, the warning light came on and warned of an emission system problem. We paid $75 to have the check engine light turned off because the gas cap was not on tight enough.

At that time, the repair shop recommended that we have the engine and transmission serviced. We waited two weeks and then had the service work done for $530 which included a tune up, oil change, belt change and transmission service. We have had a "clunk" in the right front when you turn a corner since we have owned the car. We had that checked by two different shops and no one can tell us what is causing it. Part of the $530 was a $70 charge to investigate the cause of the "clunk".

Then this week, the transmission failure light came on and we took it into a transmission shop thinking that we had just had the transmission serviced so it could not be a major issue. We have now discovered that the transmission has to be replaced for a cost of more than $2500.

In the last 90 days, there has been or will be more that $3500 worth of repairs/service done to a vehicle that has a reputation for being reliable and lasting for more than 200,000 miles. I would beg to differ given my personal experience.