Comments: 1-15, 16-30, 31-45, 46-60, 61-75, 76-90, 91-105, 106-120, 121-135, 136-150, 151-165, 166-180, 181-195, 196-207
Yet another XC90 2005 T6 with transmission problems. Three transmissions under 65000 miles. Service Dept at Volvo said this was unheard of-- utterly rare. How do we keep in touch with each other to initiate or join class action.
I, too, am unfortunately dealing with the "transmission service urgent" message and am all too upset with this situation!! ('05 T6 XC90)
I was driving through Minneapolis in a thunderstorm at 65 MPH and all of a sudden I had NO power and I was in the far left lane! NOT COOL! Luckily my gears caught and I was able to limp off the freeway and make it to a safe place to park. My husband came with his pickup and trailer and we hauled it home since it was Sunday and there were no dealerships open to take it to.
Having bought this vehicle for the safety and "reliability" for my family (we have two little girls) I am completely flabbergasted that Volvo would not fix this situation with compensation for the owners of the T6! What would have happened if my little girls were in the car with me today and there had been a semi behind me or any number of other "what ifs"?
The vehicle was pre-owned and I am unsure of the maintenance done on it. As of right now it has 122,500 miles on it and can't really justify selling it unless the tranny is for sure going to go out AGAIN! If that is the case, I cannot justify putting my family at risk even though I absolutely love it otherwise.
Quite the dilemma.
If there is a class action that is going to be started, I would be more than HAPPY to be involved! I feel sorry for those of you whom have put more than one transmission in your vehicle with less than 100k miles on it; however I am unsure of the history of mine so that may be why the previous owner sold it. I thought I had done a fair amount of research on these, but apparently not. UGH!
Add a 2005 XC90 T6 to the list of failed transmissions.
In October of 2007, at 52,000, the "Urgent Transmission" light came on but we were on a family vacation in Colorado and I was no able to get to a dealer for three days.
On the way to a dealer, the light went off and stayed off for nearly a year.
Then, this August, I took it in for the 60,000 mile service (costs $594.38) and the next day the "Urgent Transmission" service light came on again. Took it back to the dealer and was given a "discounted" estimate of "only" $4000.00 to replace the transmission. No slipping, no problems, just a light coming on. I declined.
Fast forward to today and my wife called frantically because the transmission was slipping and she was unable to get it to move forward when trying to get on the highway. Our 3 year old daughter was in the car too. They limped back in the Volvo, moved the child seat to our trusty 2000 Chevy Blazer, and then went back to their appointments.
I called Volvo North America, got a nice guy on the phone that said he would "certainly look into the situation" and get back to me. Should I be holding my breath? I wished I would have bought a Hyundai, Kia, Chevy, anything else but this turkey. Anyone have any advice???
If Volvo gives you any grief about replacing the transmission, I'd suggest printing out this string of comments and sending it to the president and CEO and director of marketing for Volvo North America -- certified mail.
Copy the board of directors. You'll see results.
I have a 2003 XC 90 that I'm having the fuel pump replaced on @ 97200 miles to the tune of $1200.
After reading everything here, I'm wondering if I should trade immediately after and go back to my Honda Accord. Never had issues like with this a Honda. Yeah, they also said my brake shoes and rotors were "Below minimum standard" and "a little above minimum" respectively. They'd be glad to fix those for an additional $1000.
I love my Volvo, but I need another job to afford the maintenance. Unfortunately, I'll never have another.
Add me to the list - I have to replace the transmission in my 2004 XC90 T6 AWD. I only have 69,000 miles on my SUV and have had all of my maintenance performed at the Volvo dealership. Volvo offered to pay a portion of the cost but I think they should pay for all of it. I've copied the emails I have traded with Corporate and CANNOT believe that they said there would be no more discussion on this matter! No wonder this Company is going down the tubes!
--- On Wed, 10/8/08, Volvo Customer Service <customercare@volvoforlife.com> wrote:
From: Volvo Customer Service <customercare@volvoforlife.com>
Subject: RE: Volvo Contact Us Feedback:
To:
Date: Wednesday, October 8, 2008, 3:20 PM.
The regional manager in question is not a customer contact and is the highest level of review possible in relation to this issue. When a repair is needed after the expiration of the vehicle warranty the regional manager provides, if appropriate, an offer of goodwill assistance. In this case, as you are well aware, the regional manager offered $2,600 in goodwill assistance toward the replacement of your transmission with an acceptance deadline of two weeks from time of offer.
We are distressed to learn the offer has not been viewed in the spirit in which it was offered. We apologize, but there will be no further communication on this matter.
Drive Safely.
Volvo Cars of North America.
---- Original Message ----From : To : Volvo Customer Service Subject : RE: Volvo Contact Us Feedback: (INTR:300908) Date : Wed, 08 Oct 2008, 02:34:03 PM EDT.
Thank you very much for your prompt response. I acknowledge the fact that as a car ages, there will be normal wear and tear that will require repairs and adjustments. I am on my third set of tires, third set of brakes, my navigation system has been repaired, I had to replace my upper engine mount, and the steering box/ball and joint kit had to be replaced. All of these repairs may or may not be considered normal repairs and maintenance. However, I do not consider the need for a new transmission at 69,000 miles to be normal wear and tear. I hope that a Company like Volvo would not consider this normal especially when I have had all of the scheduled maintenance performed at the appropriate intervals and by an authorized Volvo dealership. I also find it hard to believe that an issue can only be resolved by a regional manager and cannot be re-reviewed by Corporate. As stated on the website below, there are over a 100 posts of failing transmissions on the XC90 T6, and that Volvo can (and has done it in the past) cover 100% of the costs. I would hope that Volvo would see that there must be an obvious defect in the T6 AWD transmission. If you cannot provide any assistance on this matter, I would appreciate it if you could provide me with the regional manager's name and phone so that I can give him/her a call. Thanks again for your prompt response.
--- On Wed, 10/8/08, Volvo Customer Service <customercare@volvoforlife.com> wrote:
From: Volvo Customer Service <customercare@volvoforlife.com>
Subject: RE: Volvo Contact Us Feedback:
Date: Wednesday, October 8, 2008, 9:08 AM.
Thank you for contacting Volvo Cars of North America.
We regret learning of your disappointment concerning your recent need for a new transmission for your XC90. We apologize for any inconvenience this repair may have caused.
Volvo puts great effort into designing and manufacturing a quality automobile that will be as safe and durable as current engineering technology will allow. Unfortunately, we are unable to offer an explanation as to why your vehicle requires this particular repair. While it would be ideal for any vehicle to remain repair free, we acknowledge that repairs and adjustments will have to be made especially as the vehicle begins to age and is subject to normal wear and tear.
We are also sorry to learn that you feel the cost of the repair with the goodwill financial assistance offered by Volvo is too high. Unfortunately, this issue has been reviewed by the Volvo regional manager and cannot be re-reviewed. The Volvo regional manager is the highest level of review available at Volvo Cars of North America. We will check with the regional manager to determine if he will extend the timeframe for repair of your vehicle in the event you decide to take advantage of this offer.
We sincerely appreciate the time you have taken to write and express your concerns. Volvo is deeply committed to providing a quality ownership experience and is continuously striving to manufacture cars that meet the high standards of our customers. We apologize that your experience has not met your expectations of Volvo.
Drive Safely.
Volvo Cars of North America.
---- Original Message ----From : To : Volvo Customer Service Subject : Volvo Contact Us Feedback: (INTR:300908) Date : Wed, 08 Oct 2008, 07:33:11 AM EDT.
To Whom It May Concern - I am writing to you regarding my 2004 Volvo XC90 T6 AWD. I took my car to Volvo on September 15, 2008 due to the transmission slipping when accelerating from a complete stop. The problem is intermittent but prevalent. A transmission software upgrade was performed however it did not fix the problem. I took the car back to Volvo the next day and one of the mechanics was able to experience the problem while riding with me in the car. The mechanic stated that he believed that the transmission was starting to fail. Finding this very unusual that a luxury SUV from a Company like Volvo would have a failing transmission at 69,000 miles, I asked if this was normal to have a failing transmission at this point in the life of the car. My car has been very well cared for with all of my maintenance being performed at an authorized Volvo dealership. Our service advisor told us that we could submit all of our service records and that Volvo may pay for a portion of the cost of a new transmission. Once he contacted one of the Volvo reps, he stated that a new transmission would cost approximately $4,500 and that Volvo would pay $2,600, and that we would have to pay the remaining $1,900. However, the offer was only good for a 2 week period (through the end of September). Due to the time limit, we felt very pressured to buy a new transmission and the problem was intermittent, so we felt stuck. We were not ready to spend $1,900 of our own money so we let the time limit lapse. Since then, we have performed some research on the Internet and have found countless accounts of having to replace their XC90 T6 transmissions. It is apparent to us that there is an obvious defect with this transmission and feel that Volvo should "step up" and do the right thing and cover 100% of the cost of a new transmission. If you look at http://www.carsurvey.org/viewcomments_review_69842.html, there are numerous postings of Volvo covering 100% of the cost of new transmissions even though they are out of warranty. When a car has been taken so well care of as my Volvo, there is no reason for a transmission to fail at 69,000 miles. I have driven 2 Honda Accords and a Toyota 4-Runner to 100,000 miles and have never had a transmission problem. I would expect even more reliability from a car made by Volvo (especially a $50,000 SUV)!! My wife drives our 2 young children in our Volvo everyday, and we feel that the car is becoming unsafe as the transmission could "go out" at anytime. We would ask that you replace the transmission in our Volvo (at your cost), as this is the right thing to do. Thank you for your time and consideration.
It might be best for complaints on this issue to be directed to the parent company FORD and its board of directors.
Add me to the list. Just got back from a Volvo dealership in Chicago and was told the 'winding' noise we're experiencing during deceleration in our 2004 XC90 is due to a failing transmission, and would be $4600 to replace. Nice. Warranty just expired 2 months ago and I'm awaiting a response from the 'regional manager' as to whether Volvo can help us out. BTW, I called a local, reliable Volvo mechanic and he said this is a real problem as he just replaced one last week. Not being a dealership however, his fee is around $3000. Cannot believe this as we paid $50,000 for this new and own another one!! Given the other posts I can almost predict the response I'm going to get.
I, too, have just joined the failed 2004 XC90 T6 transmission club. Just short of 60,000 miles, I had the local dealership perform that service, then a day later I drove to Colorado. Arriving there, the "Service Transmission Urgent" light came on. The nearest dealership was in New Mexico. I called the dealer that had performed the 60K service and they hemmed and hawed about whether or not I should have the car towed for approx. $1000. Finally they said that I probably wouldn't make whatever was wrong more wrong by driving to NM.
Of course the warning message then went away just as I started the trip so the NM dealer checked for a code to diagnose it. They said that a front axle was separating from the transmission, but they saw no signs of grease contamination in my transmission fluid. Two days later with a new axle and transmission software upgrade, I was on the road to TX. I called the NM dealer en route to say that the car was acting up sometimes when I accelerated. They said the new software was learning how I drive and that's what caused the acceleration problem.
After taking it out a few times once home, my husband and I decided the software would have to be very stupid to be causing the problems we were experiencing, so I took the car back to the 60K dealership and surprise, surprise, for $5900 (discounted to $5300 by the dealer) I could replace the transmission and solve my problem.
We decided to hold off and assess if we're better off performing the work or donating the car to charity and taking the meager tax benefit. My husband found these and other blog comments and I am now enlightened and more empowered to face Volvo. I also got nowhere with Customer Care and had the dealer say it was an "unusual" problem. Now that I know better, I'm going to tell the dealer that a $600 "discount" is a joke. May I be as lucky as a few of you!
Add me also to the list. My 2005 T6 with 51K miles showed this "Transmission Service Urgent" message today. I am planning to take car tomorrow to my local Volvo dealer. Warranty out 1 month and 1 thousand miles!
My 2003 XC-90 TC started slipping and showed the "Service Transmission Urgent" warning a week ago. I took it to the dealer and sure enough, it needs a new transmission. I asked the dealership to appeal to Volvo since I'm at 51,300 miles (1,300 over warranty) and a year and a half beyond warranty time.
I explained that this was purchased at this dealership, always serviced here, had never been abused in any way, and had had other premature failures (wheel bearings, motor mounts, etc.).
To my surprise, after performing several inspections/tests on the car, they covered the replacement cost.
Sorry about that. I posted on June 30th, and here I am now talking to you, and my XC is back in the shop. New tranny went in at 76,200, made it to 82,500, and now my transfer case is leaking and my transmission fluid has a dark black caramel color and it stinks!! The car is also starting to slip in first gear again.
I went and spoke to the Volvo dealer about getting away from this vehicle, and the trade in value they offered me was a joke.. So now it looks like I will be stuck with this.
Can anyone out there tell me if they have started a class action law suit? You know Toyota had a problem and they stepped up and did the right thing. Please contact me if anyone has started this law suit, or if anyone, I mean anyone out there is thinking of buying a new or used XC-90, please call me first. I will be glad to fill you in and anyone else listed on this post needs to do the same. I will update you guys in a couple of days as soon as I hear back from my dealer. You can contact me @ kimjab@windstream.net
Thanks again and good luck to you all, Jim.
Look into this to add to a class action suit:
http://www.sueeasy.com/class_action_detail.php?case_id=299
Have a 2004 T6 - Has been a great vehicle until last night when the urgent transmission service light came on. Will check into the web site provided, as well print out some of the offerings Volvo/Ford has provided. Better act fast as they may be out of business soon.
Add me to the 2004 T6 AWD transmission going out club! Man that's a mouth full! Just found out about 30 minutes ago that our 2004 XC90 with 71238 miles on it needs a new transmission for $6,800. Now that's funny right there. I'm pretty fired up after reading these additional comments and you can bet I'm going back to the service center that contacted us and I'm going to give them a mouthful. Count me in if you want to get something going, I'm going to send a letter as well as stated above!