18th Jun 2009, 12:30

I also have a Volvo with serious transmission problems. My transmission light came on and I took it in for service and was told that I needed a $6,000 transmission. After I complaining to both the dealer and the head office, they told me that it was my issue. I had no choice but to cough up the money and get it fixed. That was in October 2007 and guess what? That's right... the tranny just went again yesterday, not even two years later. I have driven 35,000 miles since then so they are telling me that the warranty is expired as the extra warranty that I purchased covered 24,000 miles only. NEVER, NEVER buying a Volvo again.

Also, the "service transmission" warning did not even come on this time.

21st Jun 2009, 21:56

June 21, 2009 DEAD 2005 XC90 52,000 miles. Software update done could not revive it. Going to the dealer tomorrow, ready to do battle.

25th Jun 2009, 18:48

Get an attorney & file lemon law!!! Go to your dealer & get ALL repair history & repair documentation. If you are the original owner, they may take it back, if you are the second you may get a settlement. Call 1-800-my-lemon, they got us a settlement being the second owner!!!

6th Jul 2009, 16:26

I have a 03 XC90 T6 and I cannot believe how many posts there are about this problem. In the 80's I remember a commercial on tv showing a man with his Volvo that made it to 1 000 000 miles!!!

I think that since GM bought part of Volvo... the quality went to H3ll!!!.

I was quoted by a local transmission shop $2800.00 plus taxes and he told me that if there are any upgraded mods done by Volvo... he would add them to my car.

I also spoke to Volvo USA and they told me that the rebuilts are beefed up. From the posts I have been reading... Sound like a crock to me. Volvo dealer wants to charge me $4800.00 + taxes and chances are it will fail again. I rather pay $2800.00 and take my chances. At least I will not be out $4600.00 each time.

8th Jul 2009, 16:54

I purchased my 04 XC90 T6 AWD in May 09 - it has been in the shop for various fluid issues, hose repair, recall, key decoding - now noticing fluid underneath vehicle again, it is in the shop, 3 days today - I have been informed by my mechanic that I have a refurbished transmission, unbeknown to me, there will be future problems, apparently quoting my mechanic "a real sh*t job done by someone that did not know what they are doing."

I still owe 20k on the car and purchased it for safety reasons. I feel like it has been a nightmare and will continue to be. I will shortly contact my dealership that I made the purchase at and ask for a resolution. I am not wealthy and feel this is wrong for Volvo or any car manufacturers to put our safety at risk due to a faulty parts error on their end.

Thanx for the post about the lemon law/contact atty - I maybe doing that very soon.

I will never buy another Volvo! "Volvo for life!" ha!

Sophy Northern, California.

10th Aug 2009, 16:30

Thanks to everyone that participated in this blog. I was well informed. I am an owner of a 2003 XC90 and over 4 weeks ago was almost involved in a collision due to faulty transmission. The SUV seemed to jump into another gear and for a few seconds, I could not control the vehicle.

I had it towed to the dealership and was told that it would cost $5,417.34 to be fixed. I was floored! Long story short... I had the car towed back to my house and that is where it has been sitting for the past couple weeks.

After reading the blogs I see that I am not alone and that some ray of hope exists through the means of communicating with Volvo Cars of America. I called the Customer Care Center at 1800-458-1552 and spoke with a representative who was very cordial and understanding. She said they would contact within 24 to 48 hours to see if and how much they would cover for the repairs.

I am praying for a favorable response (full coverage for repairs). I'll let you all know what the outcome is.

Again, thanks for your blogs as it really pointed me in the right direction.

13th Aug 2009, 03:33

That's good that Volvo is stepping up. It's a shame the the tranny issues are there given that the rest of the car is fantastic...I'm a long lived Volvo guy and will always be!

16th Aug 2009, 16:51

2005 XC90 T6

The transmission service urgent light came on while driving today. 80,200 km. Factory warranty just expired 2 1/2 months ago and 200 km ago. After the light came on it would stay in 3rd gear. As soon as I turned the car off then on again it drove fine, but the transmission message and red exclamation point stayed on. I read the posts and I am dreading taking it to the dealer tomorrow.

Concerned from Canada.

17th Aug 2009, 09:09

I just turned in my XC90 T6 for a 2006 Honda Pilot -- and I never looked back, even though I took a complete bath on the trade. Purchasing the XC90 was the absolute worst decision that I've ever made. I had just reached the 100K mark and I knew that if I didn't get rid of it, it was going to cost me dearly -- brakes, wheel bearings, springs, tires every year --and probably another transmission. What a piece of junk. Volvo should be ashamed for pricing that as a premium SUV. They should take a lesson from Toyota -- when they realized they had used inferior metal on the Tacoma trucks, they bought them back for 150% of the KBB condition. Maybe then, I would have actually been a 'Volvo for Life' customer. Never again.

P.s. Got $8,000 for my XC90 T6 with 99,000 miles.

18th Aug 2009, 15:48

2005 XC90 T6.

Just got back from the dealer in regards to my urgent transmission service light. $115.00 for the computer diagnosis. Code for an incorrect ratio at gear #3. The car drives fine, there are no unusual sounds or irregular shifts. Dealer suggested the new software upgrade $185.00 and a transmission flush $250.00. I guess $550.00 is better than a new transmission for now?

Canada.

22nd Aug 2009, 06:16

Just paid deposit for XC90 T6 2004 in Australia. Wish I found this forum before doing so. Not sure if I should ring the dealership tomorrow and cancel the deal. I am still within the cooling off period. The vehicle has done 70,000 km and according to the records has been well maintained, but the transmission is bound to fail judging from the reports.. Should I cancel and go for the T5?

Thanks.

Alex.

P.s. I went this morning to the dealer with the intention of getting my deposit back. The manager included a 4 year (120,000 km) extended warranty free of charge. I accepted. Fingers crossed.