29th Jan 2011, 20:46
Volvo corporation was newly purchased by a Chinese firm. We will see better customer service from now on.
2nd Apr 2011, 11:57
Thanks a lot for posting this. Our transmission just went dead at 67.000 miles, and Volvo is asking $11.200 for it here in Dubai. Would you mind telling us if your car was under warranty, since Volvo treated you so well?
21st Apr 2011, 14:31
I have a 2004 Volvo XC90 T6 with only 43k miles on it, and the transmission went on me 2 weeks ago. I took it to my mechanic, and found out it would be 4700 to replace, so I called a local Volvo dealer to see if the fee was comparable, but they stated 8k... I asked them if they were doing anything for anyone, because I had read online that 100's of people are having the same issue... I was told there's no recall, but they are covering sometimes 100% to repair because of a class action against them. So he informed me to bring it in and they would see if it qualified, and it did!!! So I got new transmission completely free!!! I would suggest that anyone calling Volvo about their transmission mention this class action lawsuit.
http://www.chimicles.com/volvo-xc90-transmission-class-action-litigation
26th Apr 2011, 18:42
I have a 2004 Volvo XC90.
The transmission went out of it with only 56000 miles. I wanted to get a new one. Now I'm not sure. They want $4000 to $7600 to fix this one.
29th Apr 2011, 15:10
I guess I can join the club too. My 2005 XC90 (T6) has already had one transmission replaced at ~ 90,000 miles. It has been 14 months since, and a little over 20k miles later, and guess what... the transmission is slipping again.
I've also had to replace the tires every year and a half... this things eats tires, and I am not an aggressive driver.
Luckily, I only had to pay ~ $1,900 for my first tranny replacement, because we did not go through the dealer and went to a reputable local Euro car specialist. My husband usually does all our repairs and routine maintenance, but even being a mechanical engineer with tons of automotive experience, he didn't want to tackle the transmission. I am not looking forward to having to repair/replace the transmission again. Ugh!
I, too, bought this car while pregnant with my first baby because it was "safe". Now, I am looking to replace it for a safe and reliable SUV. It's sad because I like the car, other than the reliability thing.
22nd May 2011, 21:12
So it has been about five months since you posted. Did they also change parts for the surrounding issues, like the axle or the cooling system? Have you experienced anymore issues with the transmission afterwards?
We just bought a 2003 XC 90 with 120K miles and are starting to experience slipping after a full stop. We are wondering if Volvo currently has a real solution to the problem rather than a quick fix that will recur after 15K miles. We want to know to see if it is even worth the time and effort to get a fix.
23rd Jun 2011, 02:15
Obviously there is a problem that Volvo cannot fix. I just bought a 2003 XC90 T6. My mom has one, and replaced the transfer case at 60k. I've read the specs on the motor, and believe the T6 is just too good of a motor for a tranny that size. If you notice the specs, the motor produces way more torque at a low 2100 rpm than most V-8's do at 4000 rpm BMW or any. Which is what destroys auto trannys.
Please Volvo, if you could just have Allison build the trannys to fix this problem. I will be happy to pay twice the amount for a new tranny if I knew it was up to the challenge of the best motor you have put together performance wise. I know the space is limited, so I'll just wake up, and buy another tranny built for a Japanese motor.
28th Oct 2011, 06:08
Brighton, England.
Yep, another T6 XC90 05 model transmission failure at 78k miles. Stuck in 3rd, that could only be corrected by stopping and restarting the vehicle. I have an extended warranty on the vehicle, and the claim has been upheld. No help or offers from Volvo to replace the transmission, so it went for a reconditioned unit.
3rd Nov 2011, 20:28
Our transmission finally bit the dust at 123k, after we had replaced a solenoid at 88k. In hindsight, I should have taken it to Volvo and stomped my feet for a new tranny then. I didn't. Now I have a flowerpot that I still owe well over value on, due to the residual tanking on these things. 3k to fix, with a 12 month 12k warranty.
What cracks me up is the comments like "Why are you complaining? It was at 123k miles". Well, guess what. This was a 60k car that I have put 5k into in the last 4 months alone - before this new little hiccup. Every time I turn around I'm spending a grand on this thing. So many design flaws that I can't believe these were EVER produced. Apparently us XC90 drivers are persona non grata in the 200k club.
12th Jan 2011, 11:10
Purchased a used 2004 Volvo XC90 T6 with 31,000 miles on it from Carmax. At 59,000 miles, the transmission began acting up. Service Transmission Light came on (check engine light too) and was stuck in third gear. Third-gear problem could be resolved by re-starting car.
Took it to Volvo Dealer on Thursday of last week (1/6/11). They stated that it needed a new transmission and noted they were awaiting approval from Volvo to replace it. Apparently, they have an e-mail and are required to submit pictures of transmission pan before getting approval to process with goodwill repair. Service Manager seemed confident that they would approve it and that Volvo was standing behind the product.
Received call later in the day approving full repair including transmission, radiator and cooling lines, quoted at $7k, at no cost to me. Transmission was replaced and I had the car back on 1/11/10 (three business days later).
They told me three things of note:
1. The replacement transmission is not a GM built transmission, but a new Volvo transmission.
2. It was highly unlikely that the transmission would fail again (although they said if it did, bring it back and Volvo would again help us out with it).
3. There is now a two-year, unlimited mileage warranty on this transmission (offered after first of year 2011 by Volvo).
Overall, we were very pleased with the Dealer and Volvo. No questions asked, no complaining or having to pressure Volvo. The Dealer contacted Volvo as if it was something they've done many times before, standard operating procedure, and that they were completely confident that Volvo would help us out.
For those wondering, we are in the US on the East Coast and we have never serviced it with Volvo until now.