Volvo XC90 Maintenance and Repair

kninnc

hi-
Just purchased a new T6 with the 6-CD changer, and I have noticed the same radio problems reported here (radio and cd player seem to skip around randomly for no reason, happens about 4 out of 5 times when I start the car/turn radio on). The volume also seems to have a mind of its own! :mad:

I am going to be taking it back to the dealer for service, but would appreciate any helpful hints/solutions. I have seen some posts about replacing a part in the steering wheel control, but this problem happens even when I use the actual in-dash controls!

Thanks!

steel2

I just purchased a 2005 XC-90 T6. I took deliver of it 2 weeks ago. At first I had no problems but on the 4th day I started it, drove to work 5 minutes away and turned it off. The key would not advance back to the '0' position to let it come out. It goes halfway between the 1 and 0 and the radio and all of the dash lights and numbers stay on. I had to leave it running for over one hour before the key finally came out. It started doing this every morning but after the initial problems it would work well for the rest of the day. Since, then it has progressively got worse. Now I have trouble getting the key out all day. I am currently in Korea and it took me two hours to get to the service center. They think it is something wrong with the ignition since there is a lot of movement. They have ordered a new one that will supposedly be in after two weeks. Has anyone had a problem like this? After paying $41+K I expected to have no problems. Otherwise everything else is great at this point.

jons

We just bought the XC902.5T, has about 120 miles. First time driving on the freeway in excess of 60mph, loud vibration that would be louder than the radio at regular volume.

Have you heard of this? I suspect transmission and the fifth gear in that it only occurs at this speed.

Jon S. :confuse: :sick:

elias

Jon S - i bet the problem is wheel balance, and easy to fix. one possible test, with no cars behind, drop it into neutral while problem is occurring and see if vibration persists right away. glide down to very slow speed or stop before putting it back into gear.
another possible test, just shift to 4th at 60 mph. i bet the problem will remain... in any case, put the dealer on the case, eh? best wishes & go red sox!

jons

Per the dealer service, the issue was a felt tape in the roof rail that was missing. Apparently, there was an internal shop bulletin distributed amongst some service shops alerting them to the issue. We shall see if this is the resolution, but it appears to be so per the dealer's service department.

Thank you to Lev for his responses and information!!!

jccai1

Yes, I have the same exact problem on my 05 2.5T. It's very, very annoying as it rattles whether or not the cover is closed. I complained to the dealer once, and they put some felt tape in the slots on both sides of the cargo area where the cover fits into, but that didn't help. Haven't had time to go back since. The rattle seems to come from both ends of the roll where the attach/detach mechanism is. Sounds like the springs are loose in there. Please let us know if you find a solution to this problem.

jons

I see in the vehicle manual it refers to the automatic lock as an option feature.

Does anyone know about this feature? Can it be turned on? If so, how? Is it only available with certain packages?

If you have any information, please advise.

Thank you.

nytarheel

I JUST got my '05 XC90 2.5T yesterday. This morning I noticed the horribly loud buzzing/vibration coming from the roof on the way into work only when traveling at a high speed (>60mph). I've called the dealer service department and also have my salesman chasing down a possible cause. But I'd love to be able to point them in the right direction. Should I just tell them about this internal shop bulletin regarding the felt tape? Is there a way I can get a copy of the bulletin?

jons

I am not sure if it was actually a shop bulletin or an internal e-mail. The mechanic had heard of this issue from somewhere in Portland apparently.

When we mentioned this roof rail issue to our service service department, they then fixed it. No problem since.

nytarheel

My dealer confirmed they knew about the bulletin and I have an appointment this weekend to have them fix the roof rail (or at least properly diagnose it and order the appropriate part).

almostto300k

Yeah, my wife's '04 XC90 (5-cyl turbo) came home one day with oil *pouring* out onto the driveway. Long story short, the dealer said it blew a main seal. They replaced it without checking to see what caused it, took it around the block to check it out, threw it back on the lift, an viola!, it had thrown the seal again. They opened it up and found the source of the noise we had taken the car in for for the last 13,000 miles. The engine had thrown a main bearing! So our new car got a new engine (not as good) at 26,000 miles and 10 months old. Of course the dealer wanted to blame us for the problem: "What kind of oil have you been putting in it?" "Whatever it is that *you* use" I replied, smiling sweetly. "Oh, yeah," said the dealer after looking through his records... Now get this - Volvo's reasoning for replacing the engine was the metal spread throughout the engine by the oil, but they did NOT replace the turbo despite my protests. Volvo also did NOT extend the warranty, nor did they restart the clock on the free services. And the dealer forced my wife to use our last free scheduled maintenance just 3-4,000 miles later, not even the stated service duration... My name for her car is EuroTrash.

leroy3rd

I experienced the same ratting/squeaking on my 2004 XC90. The dealer installed several rubber washers or pads in the spring-loaded frame, but this worked only until the cover was removed and re-installed. The dealer had no solution and confided that most owners simply stop using the cover.

leroy3rd

Hi. I have the same wheel nut rust on my 2004 2.5T AWD. I can't find the service bulletin for the installation of chrome nut covers. Do you have a copy or link you can send me? I wonder if it applies here in the U.S.

guyf

Sorry, I don't have a copy. When I mentioned that to the service manager at my local dealer he pulled out a sheet and added the item on the work order. My work order for that line refers to TECH 77-11. The part number for the set of chrome caps is 9139853-7.

Hope this helps!

bassw

Did you have any luck fixing your squeaky brakes? I've got the same problem. My wife's car, and she's complained about it before and they never seem to fix it. Her's is a 2003 XC-90 T6, with about 15,000 miles on it.

almostto300k

We are working on a buyback right now. Did you pay for mileage used?

mark47

I have the same EXACT problem with my '03 XC90 2.5T; I've complained about it, to no avail! they couldn't "duplicate" the problem. My problem occurs more when it is windy outside, than when it is not, but only at high speed, as you say. Thankfully we have forums like this.

mark47

Don't you mean 2003 xc90?

kckzf

My car is an XC90 V8 bought last month. Since then, we have several issues (nav, key memory, door rattling, cd player) and 2 visits to the dealer. All of them were taken care of (although very inconvenient considering this a new car) except for our issue with the 6 CD player. When you start the car in the morning, the CD sometimes skips to the next track, skips to the beginning of the track, resets the song, or lower the volume until it is muted and the CD is paused. We only experience this during the initial start of the car in a day (say, early in the morning when I bring my kid to school). This doesn't seem to happen after a while of using. The dealer's service dept. refuse to do anything until they replicate the problem and for 2 visits (one with our car staying there for a week) they haven't reproduce it, although the sales manager said he managed to reproduce it by testing it early in the morning. We sent emails and called Volvo but they seem to not do anything proactive rearding this issue, it seems that their slogan is "we won't fix it until we see it". I have videotaped this for 2 days now to show that this is really happenning. My question now is, did anybody had this kind of experience and what did they do to resolve this problem?

port1

What are the symptoms of your key memory issues?

My 3 month old 2.5T XC90 sometimes does not recall my key settings. I don't drive it frequently and sometimes when I take it from my wife my seat does not go back to my settings. This is irritating and I wanted to know if this is a known issue too.
Thanks :confuse:

kckzf

The exact symptoms that you described and this happens between my key and my wife's. Service describe it as something like communication problem in the memory module, and they fixed it. Don't know if this is a known issue but considering that yours is 3 months and mine is 2 months old, then I would think that there will be others who just recently purchased will experience this problem.

dk-wa

The function can be activated in the computer by a dealer. There may be a cost associated with the programming.
We had our XC90 2005 T5 programmed while we were at the OSD center in Sweden. We love it. Here is some information from a Volvo web site I found last year. Hope it helps

Function for
Automatic locking / add 6849 997-9

Makes it possible to retrofit or remove the automatic locking function in your car.
This function automatically locks the doors in the normal way (not deadlocking) when vehicle speed exceeds 7 km/h.
If the doors are unlocked with the central locking button whilst driving, the doors remain unlocked until the ignition is switched off.
If one of the doors is unlocked with the lock button or by using the inside door handle, when exiting the car for example, the door will be relocked when the vehicle speed exceeds 7 km/h.
An open door will not be locked. The doors are not unlocked automatically when the speed goes below 7 km/h.

acptcp

racer3572001

The answer to your problem is this: the vibration and noise is coming from the front of the roof rack. Have the dealer remove the front part of the rack and reinstall the rubber piece. On my car, I thought that the noise was from the new windshield; but it came from the front piece of the rack. Good luck! It took a whole role of masking tape to find the cause. I hope I have saved you this mess.

racer3572001

Have your dealership go into the vehicle computer and check to make sure the automatic A/C blower is turned on. This blower comes on whether or not you are in the vehicle. It runs the blower for 5 minutes drying out the coils so that there will not be a smell.

racer3572001

For one thing; get rid of the Pirelli tires which wear out very quickly. Go to Michelin tires, then have a full alignment done. This should cure your problem.

racer3572001

Make sure that the A/C isn't turning off the recirculation botton by itself. Look in the vehicle manual. It shows you how to set the A/C so that it stays on the recirclulation mode. This will keep the bad smells out of the vehicle.

mark47

Thanks for the tip. Interestingly enough, I took my vehicle in this am to have this problem addressed, along with a couple of other ones. They contacted me and said they believed the vibration noise is coming from the rails supporting the sunroof, specifically apparently related to a gasket on or around the rails that vibrates at high speeds. They are charging me to fix the problem. If this doesn't fix the problem, I will try the tape test on the front piece of the luggage rack. (A service mechanic and I were speculating this morning as to whether the noise could be coming from the front part of the rack)
My question is to you or the other people who reported this problem (steveswife1, scottntexas, jons, nytarheel), did any of you get charged to have this problem fixed?

trini

XC90, Nautic Blue, Versatility, NAV, Prem, all options

I have had my XC90 since March 2003, haven't had any problems. From what I have read on this post, most of the problems are not resolved by the dealers. This is unfortunate, but should not reflect on the XC90. I am lucky, I have a very good Tech at the dealership I take my XC90 to, plus having owned another volvo, I have a good relationship with most of the service people. I even had my brakes replaced at 10,000 miles for free ( I have a lead foot), I always get loaners, with the XC90 I get S80's, with my 960, I get whatever is available. Their service is good in terms of repairs ( very timely), wash, vacum, etc. I would suggest to most of you that have issues, the XC90 is now over 2 yrs in production, and yes most of the issues should of been taken care of or at the very least the tech should be able to fix any problems, however we don't live in a perfect world, and not everyone will be able to figure out the problems much more for fixing them. For those of you that suggest BMW and other suvs, well in my case I would never have bought an SUV, unless the roll over problem was addressed. Volvo has addressed that problem, I prefer being safe, than having the fastest SUV or the best MPG SUV on the road. But then that's just my opinion

The smell from the front of the SUV is the coating on the radiator that converts ground ozone to oxygen. BTW the XC90 V8 is faster than most other SUV's on the road. For those of you that want performance, try the V8.

Good luck and safe driving, Buckle up

kneadnu

Hi! I was having the vibration and took it in twice.This last time I actually took in copies of the similar problems everyone was having in this forum. I have only 8900 miles. I picked mine up Thursday and was not charged. It was only .15 hour work on my invoice. They took off the roof rails and put some kind of seal under it. We'll see if this works! This has been my second issue but the service department has fixed everything so far to my satisfaction.

martyf

I have had my XC90 for about 9 months and have noticed that the lug nuts are rusting. I think I remember some earlier discussion on this but can't find it. Shouldn't the lug nuts have been chrome? Does Volvo replace them? Thanks.

mark50

My wife and I are proud owners of a new 04 2.5T as well. Ours came with a retractable cargo cover. You need to ask the dealer about it. They may have just left it out when they detailed it before delivery.

Mark50

mark50

I have seen several posts reporting this problem. One response even said this was common with roof racks. I can tell you that my Ford vans and most recently our Chevy Tahoe didn't have that problem. Must be a Euro car thing.

mark50

Yep, that's what is important to me too.. change and sunglass holders. I guess I better by one of them RX300s. That way I could get the change an sunglass holder ...but boy would I miss a good car.

mark50

Speaking of spraying fluid all over the hood....has anyone tried to unhook the headlight washers? Are there any tricks to it?

guyf

Volvo do not replace them but install chrome nut covers. Ask the service manager at your dealer.

sadowner

I hear your pain! We had the same issue along with all the others! After five months of dealer not being able to reslove, they decided to try one last. It was the rocker switch in the steering column. We live in Germany and have US specs on ours. We were told it had to do with that. Sorry you have the same problem but I am glad to know we are not alone!
Best of luck!

jrynn

In the first few months after we bought our XC90, the CD player would "choke" on disks, refusing to play them, change them, or eject them. The only way to "reset" the system was to turn the SUV off then on again. Over time, the system lockups seemed to become less frequent (maybe we just used the system less), but theCD player would skip the first few seconds of random songs, and the FM tuner would change stations without user input.

When we took it in, the dealer advised that these problems could be eliminated with a "software upgrade." Has it worked? Too soon to say.

kckzf

They decided to change our steering wheel audio controls after showing them a week of video tape recording of when the problem is encountered, which is usually early in the morning. Today, the problem did not reproduce so I hope it is a good sign. Still, I'm not happy that I have to pull up my resources (time, video recording) just to prove to them it is happening because they refuse to do anything proactive (although this seems to be a known issue already) until they replicate the problem. :mad:

msnyder3420

You can pull the fuse for the headlamp washers. Don't know hte fuse number, but it is located int eh fuse box under the hood.

mimim

did your radio ever cut out? My cd player has the same choking issue but now my radio sometimes refuses to play - just turns itself off...

jrynn

Nope. Never had the radio just cut-off.

Though I still find the "software upgrade" solution to be rather ... odd -- can you imagine having to take a home stereo component in for new software??? -- if car manufacturers are using the same buggy, crappy, bloated code that shows up in PC's rather than in dedicated stereo components, perhaps it's for real. Knock on wood, our radio/CD player has been fault free for the past few weeks.

craigt1

I am considering purchasing a 2005 XC-90 AWD v-8 fully loaded with Navigation system, DVD entertainment system. Can any tell me of any issues or problems I should be aware of on this model?

habitat1

If you are only "considering" at this point, I would wait until the 2006 model becomes available either through OSD later this summer or here in the states this fall. I have not heard of any issues on the 2005, except for some complaints about excessively frequent gear changing on the 6-speed transmission. I noticed that it shifted a lot in my test drive - it tried to go into 6th as soon as I stopped accelerating, even at relatively low cruising speeds (40-45). As soon as I gave it any gas, it downshifted 1-2 gears. I suspect this is a simple problem that could be fixed by reprogramming the transmission. Perhaps they will correct it for 2006, if they have not already done so.

kevr

I would like to change the cabin air filter with out paying the dealers labor & service fees. Does anyone know where it is the filter is located and how I can get DIY info for the XC90?

msp1

Recently I took my 2005 XC90 in for it's 15,000 mile maintenance. A day after recieving the car back I was traveling down the highway at 70 MPH and the car just lost power/ stalled. I pulled off to the shoulder and restarted and was on my way. I checked the message box and nothing was registered, no check engine, no service problem noted . I called the dealer and scheduled an appointment. A several days later it happened again on the highway no power no nothing the engine just cut out at 70 MPH. Volvo service couldn't find a problem and the car would not repeat so they reprogramed the computer on the car. 2 weeks went by no problem then it did it again. The car is now being serviced once again. However the fuel module is being repalced but they are stil unsure of what the problem is

Has any one else experienced this problem???

jjnewvolvofan

My 03 t6 made clunking noises when in the geartronic mode, (sounded like transmission was falling apart) dealer checked out and I havent received all paperwork yet, but I was told a spacer was added and then somehing was tighened. Problem seems to be fixed. My beef is that my car was in there to have rear rattle noise check too (had to have rear strut/shock mount replaced and spring replaced on left side) 15000 miles earlier had the right rear differential repaired . This is my second strut replacement. I am coming up to 50000 miles so the warranty is going away, with all the repairs on my vehicle, should I be confident that its all fixed, terrified that they will continue,complain to someone( extended warranty discount or free,) Do I have a screwed up car or is this what you have to expect from a Volvo (lots of time in the shop? ) I am really frustrated that my $45000 vehicle keeps needing to be fixed. I had owned Nissan Pathfinders (3 of them, but no 3rd row for kids, hence the Volvo purchase) and never had problems like the ones I have had with this one. I would appreciate any comments. Thanks,

sadowner

Okay, need some feedback. Left the gas station and had no messages on control panel. Drove stop and go and at highway speeds for 25 minutes. We had to stop and make a right turn. As I came around the corner we heard a pop like someone was entering the back passenger door. My exclamation mark came on and so I had a message that the rear passenger door was open. It did not open all the way, but it was open. Anyone with doors just popping open? :confuse:

kevr

Messages 17 and 18 deal with the same issue. I did not see any additional responses.

jenchick79

Hello
Is anyone having problems with their E-break? We have a 2004 XC90 & the e-break has been a problem 4 times now. The first time the shop in Modesto had our car for a month!!! (but we don't go there anymore). We got our car back Tues night & almost rolled out of our driveway-in neutral, but our first 2 parking break held it in the drive way fine. We had the service 55-02 done, and we officially have all new parts after 4 different visits to the dealership. I was wondering if I was the only one with this luck. Thanks!!

skimbear

Got a new 2005 XC90 about 3 months ago. The driver's seat memory setting on the remote control never worked from the beginning. I took the car to the dealer, but their technician could not fix it. The service manager said I will have to bring the car back when a Volvo factory engineer comes to the dealer. Supposedly, there is only one factory engineer for the Los Angeles area, and he's out of the country for 3 weeks. In the mean time, the problem has gotten worse. Now, when I push the seat memory button on the seat, the passenger side rearview mirror goes haywire. Has anybody else had a similar problem? I got my car for $2,100 below invoice, so my wife thinks the dealer may have sold us a problem car on the lot.