Faults:

Tranmission 3 times.

Weird noises (clunks when turning).

To replace the wiper blades, had to replace the whole wiper unit, as parts were not available ($780 for 2).

Turbo box cover cracked ($600).

General Comments:

Should have listened to all the reviews on Car Survey, but got "emotionally" attached to the Volvo.

Just problem after problem with reliability.

Also thirsty (knew that when we bought the car, but petrol prices were not that high at that time!!)

Last time we had it in for repair, were been told things will get worse with Volvo!!!

Faults:

Have had to replace the shifter knob.

A plastic piece on the driver seat has also cracked.

Also the plastic cover on both headlight washers have been lost or stolen.

General Comments:

Did a lot of research on this vehicle before it was purchased. After reading reviews on the vehicle, and how bad the T6 engine and transmission combo was, I decided to purchase the V8 model. The V8 motor is manufactured by Yamaha, and the 6 speed transmission is also manufactured by a Japanese company. This combination is fantastic. City mileage is 17 to 18, and about 24 to 25 mpg on extended highway trips.

The suspension is a little stiff, but the seats are fantastic, which makes up for it. Tons of room in the cabin.

The AWD is fantastic in the Wisconsin winters.

Overall, very pleased so far.

Faults:

At ~78,000 miles and after my warranty lapsed, the transmission failed. The warning light indicated to take the car to the dealer immediately. The diagnosis was metal filings in the transmission and cooling systems for the transmission. All had to be replaced, but the Volvo service manager said it would cost $7300.00. I said no way and wanted to speak to Volvo management; the results were a revised estimate to repair of $2700.00.

I am still not satisfied, especially after I read about the other transmission failures for XC90 SUVs from 2003-2005 on the Internet. There should have been a recall based upon the numbers of failures. I did ask how many transmission failures that the dealership repaired, and the manager indicated 12 such reports. Then I asked how many of those had to be replaced, and he indicated 1/12. With those odds, I decided to make the repairs.

Faults:

AWD went at about 30K miles.

Fuel pump module at 90K.

Engine mount at 130K.

Radio at 110K.

GPS went at 120K.

And those are just the highlights that I can remember off the top of my head. Essentially, every year we have owned this car, service has run in the multiple thousands of dollars on top of car payments.

The only good thing I can say about the car at this time, is that the leather seats have worn very nicely.

General Comments:

I would not recommend buying this model, and I would not buy from Volvo again. It's a shame too, I appreciate the comfort and safety of their vehicles; but we're spending thousands every year to repair things that should not have gone wrong to begin with.