Volvo XC90 T6 Transmission

lemon2004 · September 2012

I'm in...why are they not offering to replace the parts on their faulty transmission??? This is a well documented fact that they put in the crappy GM transmission and they all break down by 100km give or take on either side of that milage. You need to document your case and demand they pay for the parts (new tranny and radiator, hoses etc...) I guess you have to wait until the tranny blows on you like mine did with no warning light. Could have been on the Hwy with kids or in an intersection like so many have before me and you lose all power. Volvo is suppose to be SAFTETY 1st and they need to do a total RECALL for this as it is BS all around putting lives in danger just waiting for the tranny to implode...nice Volvo!!! Never will I buy another...your SUV now rund like a TANK!!! Dont expect the SUV to run better after a new tranny...just the opposite...mine is SLOW and guzzles even more gas per km!!! It reves weird from gear 2-3 and has absolutely no GUTS and has depreciated to under $10,000 whereas the BMW is still in the mid-high teens for the X5 2004. Dont take the $1800 and I guess like all the others before you... you will have to wait until it blows!!! Nice customer care!!! Then you get a free diagostic (call around and get a free one before you tow it to the dealership and make sure you get a break on the work...I paid $1500 tax included in POCO BC and Volvo paid for all parts and 2 year warranty) You need to read all these blogs to get your facts straight on what other have recieved from Volvo Canada and be ready to present your case. Let us know the outcome...

boydlaw · September 2012

Requests to opt out of the settlement with Volvo NA must be post marked by 9/08/12. The website to get addresses is http://www.chimicles.com/volvo-xc90-transmission-class-action-litigation. My 2004 original transmission was paid by Volvo at about 75K miles, but the 2nd one just went out at 131K miles, so my claim would not be compensated under the settlement. Good luck to you all.

kim86 · September 2012

I have Volvo XC90 T6 2004 model which I purchased in the US and recently brought it to Canada when we moved to Toronto last year. Today, I brought the car in to Volvo Toronto as I've noticed it slipping/skipping, and I was given an estimate of $8000 to fix the transmission problem (OR the Volvo Toronto dealership will buy my car at $1000). I'd gotten the class action law suit letter awhile back but I disregarded it as my car seemed fine back then. So, I am not too sure what I should do at this point. Can somebody give me some advice as to how to approach this problem?

lemon2004 · September 2012

Well if you are American and bought the car in US you can file under that lawsuit..it is on the internet. I think there is a deadline so get on it and also contact the Volvo headquarters and state you have the 2004 t6 with the well known faulty transmission and want the parts covered like others through their customer loyalty program etc...you'll have to jump through some hoops and read a few hours of transcripts off the internet as this is a well documented problem that should be a worldwide recall!!! Let us know how you make out.

volvo05 · October 2012

Trany failure is most common in T6 model. T6 model uses a GM trany that is not meant for the XC90. However it was internally modified for Volvo specs. (GM makes one of the best tranys in the world and used in many luxury cars however Volvo needed a compact unit to fit in the engine bay and the options were limited)

Three major factors that causes the trany failure.

1. Internal trany failure due to high torque. (Unable to handle the engine power)
2. Coolant antifreeze leaks in to the trany and causing it to fail. (Bad seal in the tranny cooler)
3. CV axel lubricant leaks in to the trany and causing it to fail. (Seals between axel and trany fail)

For fixing the trany,

1. Dealer will change all the items that relates to the failure regardless of the type of failure and the cost to this is around $8500. This will prevent future failure due to other factors.
2. Transmission shop will rebuild & install the trany unit for $4500. (Not fixing the actual cause and replacing the necessarily parts. This will cause the trany to fail multiple times. Therefore if you choose to it by an Independent mechanic make certain all the parts related to the failure as been changed or most likely your new trany will fail soon.

I hope this helps. Good Luck!

vicki74 · January 2013

My 2003 XC90 transmission failed, with 112k miles on it, completely out of the blue. In fact, I had just spent $1300 on service and other issues a couple weeks prior, and there was no indication it was slipping. According to the class action suit website, cars over 100k aren't eligible. I also just missed the deadline for the claim. I called the North American Volvo office to start a claim, but they told me I had to have my car towed to a dealership to verify the problem (it was at a Volvo specialist) and then they could start the claim.

Given the mileage, I'm thinking it's unlikely Volvo will pay for a new transmission. Even so, there are other things going on with it, in spite of servicing it regularly and sinking a lot of money on repairs into it. If they don't cover it 100%, it's really not worth fixing at this point. A week ago, I still had what I thought was still a fairly valuable car, and now I have nothing.

So here's my question: is it still worth trying to get Volvo North America to cover it? Best case scenario, they cover it 100% and I can sell or trade in this money pit. Follow-up question: is there any way to get more than $500 or $1000 out of this car, now that it's no longer running?

It's a real shame Volvo hasn't recalled these transmissions. Like others, I was aware of the class action suit, but at the time it didn't apply. Now it does. Has anyone else had to scrap their car because the transmission died? Is there any way to have Volvo compensate me for this?

Thanks :lemon:

goldentix · January 2013

I don't know what you'll get out of the car, but unfortunately for those of use who had Volvo's built in the years with unfortunate transmissions----the problem will never go away (I was going onto my 3rd transmission by 55,000 miles). If you can get Volvo North America to cover it----great....they should----- I didn't scrap my car but sold it when it was worth more. This was one of Volvo's few mistakes but they stepped up to the plate way too late in honoring the lemon years of the XC90.

usvortec · January 2013

Was your Volvo a red 2006 T6? I hope so cause My girlfriend just bought one and has tranny prob with only 92k miles. Trying to find the original owner to find out if extended warranty was bought on the vehicle. It was bought in 2004 at Santa Monica and traded in some where in 2010 or 2011.

goldentix · January 2013

No, mine was a silver 2004, although I had bought the extended warranty.

I have the xc60 and it's perfect....but yes, the original XC 90's were lemons and Volvo has been horrible about properly addressing this when they should have.

usvortec · January 2013

Sorry I put 2006 but it is a 2004 xc90 T6. Only has 92k miles and massive oil leak on right side. Tranny seems not to downshift, check eng light on and pulled 8 error codes. Crazy that Volvo would sell junk like this! This has been my Girlfriends dream car. Not sure what to do from here. Thank you.

goldentix · January 2013

It was actually my dream car too... I had no intention of selling it but when I had already gone through two transmissions at under 55K miles I knew it was going to happen again and I had to sell it and I got out of it when I still had an extended warranty and I traded it into South Coast Volvo Dealership for the xc60---which as I said, has been perfect.. Volvo should do a proper recall of all those cars as they are permanent lemons---a shame because most cars in their fleet are fantastic. If you can, try to give it back to the dealer you bought it from and pester them or something, as it will require a new transmission all the time and they're not cheap. Both times it happened to me it went from driveable to disabled in 50 miles or so.

volvofamily1 · February 2013

I thought we had passed the mileage limit too at about 108,000, but took it to a dealer based on another mechanic's recommendation (a second opinion after a repair that just didn't take). Volvo covered almost all the cost of the repair... in the neighborhood of 8 grand. In the end, I paid about 4 grand, what I would have paid an outside mechanic, but I also got the radiator replaced and a bunch of stuff repaired from a botched attempt by a "Volvo" repair shop that was not affiliated with a dealer. This all after 3 months of repair/drive/break/repair cycles. Since it has been fixed by the dealer it has not had a problem. If you've not already junked the car, give it a try. They are likely to cover a large part of the repair. I believe they charged me for parts only, and comped the labor. That's no small comp.

vsp762 · February 2013

I've been reading some of the posts, and this transmission thing blows. Since I don't have the T6, am I still looking at the possibility of transmission problems down the road? I have 68,500 miles, and I'm about to get the transmission serviced, merely because of the miles. And if I read some of the other posts right, if you have under 100,000 miles, Volvo will cover the replacement of the transmission and accompanying repairs at no cost?

leelanau7 · February 2013

You're partially correct; a common caveat seems to be the owner having to contact Volvo North America (through their dealership) to request to be considered for their Goodwill Assistance Program, if their XC90's have suffered a catastrophic transmission failure. In many cases, we're hearing that Volvo will pay for a significant protion of the repair bill, but only after verifying the transmission's serial number and diagnosis from a certified Volvo dealership. Interestingly, I just learned of an XC90 at my dealer currently with a V8 engine in it that suffered a total transmission failure at 70,000, in addition to the angle-drive failing (which supplies power to teh rear wheels), and engine components. Volvo is helping them out with this assistance program, too. It's indeed a love / hate with these cars; we love their safety, comfort, and performance, but hate the constant [and costly] repairs. All the best to you on yours.

diggers253 · February 2013

Dear all, I wonder if you can help me? I found this page via the Wikipedia XC90 page. There is a link under the reliability / T6 gear box failure section.

We have an XC90. I am in the UK. It cost us just over £50,000 and is now out of warranty. Like so many people have said here we bought it as a solid investment car - pay a lot to start with but get "Volvo" reliability - so I was surprised when the gearbox suddenly died at around 55,000 miles. The AA rescue service diagnosed the fault from about 50 yards away "Its a T6 XC90 - it will be the gearbox" and the main Volvo dealer have confirmed that its in need of a new one costing just over £4700 all inc. after discounts. Volvo have offered a good will gesture of 30%.

In the UK this falls under something called "The Goods and Services Act". Goods have to be "fit for purpose". Like nearly everyone the fault has shown itself out of warranty between 50k and 60k. My thoughts are that Volvo knew that this would be the case, based on other failures before ours. They knew, while the car was under warranty, that it was not fit for purpose but chose not to recall the fault because it would damage their reputation (as has been an issue with Toyota in the UK). Quite rightly, if they had made it known that there was a faulty gear box that would suddenly fail putting my family in danger as it did - I would not have bought the vehicle, so I understand their reasoning.
The many hundreds of reports I have found on the internet are not enough. I need to be able to present a case with "witness statements" and I would be grateful if those people who have experienced an XC90 T6 with transmission failure (only this specific fault) would send me a witness statement explaining who they are (Name and Address), what vehicle it was (i.e. XC90 T6), the year of manufacture and the mileage at which the fault came to light. The letter must be signed for it to carry any weight with the UK court - that's just how it is. If you are able to also send any supporting document (like a letter / invoice / bill from Volvo confirming the fault) then that would be helpful. In the UK there is a second action available in Negligence insomuch as it can be argued that Volvo were negligent in not recalling a product that they knew to be faulty. the fault is such that it can potentially cause danger (sudden and catastrophic loss of power while driving). In that circumstance it may be possible to backdate a claim over the previous six years and recover costs already incurred.

I do not know if its possible to find out how many XC90s have the fault or what percentage is affected or whether any technical information regarding the fault (expert assessment reports, details of the part number) and so on may be available - help in that regard would very much be appreciated also.

Finally, if there is anyone technically minded out there who knows how to get this message to a wider XC90 audience then I would be grateful. Its really upsetting that Volvo have chosen to manage the problem like this. My view is that the decision to not recall a design fault of this magnitude is fundamentally wrong and potentially unsafe.

I have set up an email address XC90@yipes.co.uk and would very much appreciate your help as I have described above.

Kindest regards,

Anthony Gallagher

waukeganlewis · February 2013

Had my oil change at the dealership and the same day this message appeared "Transmission Service Urgent". Not a lot I can do on a Saturday but I will be contacting Volvo North America and the dealership on Monday. I purchase it in 2003 and have approx 101,000 miles. The only major problem: my driver seat over heated and start to smoke. I miss the heated seat. If I do not get any assistant I will just have to park it and take public transportation. Sad!!!!!!

regretful1 · June 2013

I just purchased one

and reading all these posts I am regretful.

regretful1 · June 2013

I wished I had come across this site before I plunked down my money and signed the contract.

goldentix · June 2013

Do whatever you can to get out of the contract. Everyone who sells Volvo's knows about the problems that have been had for the model years in question and it's almost criminal that they're allowed to be sold or at least to be sold but the dealer/seller should disclose the problem. It's not a secret to anyone selling these cars---. Again, do whatever you can to get out of it or you'll be putting in a new transmission soon---and then another----and another. (I was on my third transmission at 75ish thousand miles).

jettblack · June 2013

I had our transmission rebuilt @ 64k miles and now @ 105,000 miles no problems. I think credit to the mechanic. I have heard that it is better to have the trans rebuilt than to have it replaced. Sometimes they use stronger parts I think. The key would be to find the right transmission repair mechanic. Yours is fine to date though. We also have slight clicking in the front end but it has not progressed. Had to have the radiator replaced but other than that I like it. They drive good and handle the road well. I paid 14k in 2009 for it and almost as soon as I purchased it that transmission went out. It is a 2004 Volvo XC 90. Just curious what did you pay for yours, what year and when did you purchase it?

kcv70 · June 2013

There was a class action lawsuit in which Volvo agreed to in 2012. I'm not sure what happens to those wth issues after the 2012 filing deadline. It might be worth contacting the attorneys...

http://www.chimicles.com/volvo-xc90-transmission-class-action-litigation

cathieiniowa · August 2013

My local dealership replaced my original transmission at no charge to me at 103,000 miles, now at 170,000 that transmission needs to be replaced. Do you think they replaced it with the same bad transmission? I am trying to get them to warranty this transmission also. I purchased a Volvo because my mechanic told me that these cars should last till 300,000 miles. Now I am looking at replacing this car at half of it's lifetime. I am very disappointed.

pvlaytchev · August 2013

I had a 2003 XC90 T6 and it went through 3 transmission between 103k and 115K miles. The second one was purchased by me since Volvo refused to cover anything (the car had 100K miles warranty). The warranty for this transmission was 12 months, unlimited miles. The third one was warrantied by Volvo since I told them that I will join a class action lawsuit - still the same 12 months, unlimited miles. When I asked why the warranty is limited to 12 months I was told that this is the industry standard (I do not know if this is true or not). I guess you will have a hard time getting more warranty from them.
As far as the type of transmission goes I was told by Volvo that the replacement transmissions are "rebuild" ones, meaning same old transmission, with a few new parts.
I got rid of my Volvo XC 90 after realizing that in order to keep it running I would need to put $5 or so at 125K miles. It needed new rear end shocks (self leveling, very expensive, $450 per shock), $1200 for oil leak fix, all wheel drive gone and a bunch of other smaller issues.

goldentix · August 2013

I was going on my third transmission when I finally sold my Volvo----they probably put in a fresh new one at 103,000 miles---but it doesn't matter----the way the car was configured it destroys transmissions in that model year. Volvo should have recalled all of them or offered up free transmissions for life as it was their error---but they didn't.

kdvt26 · August 2013

I had 2006 V8 XC90 and had to have the transmission replaced at 60,000. I called Volvo USA and they gave me $1500 towards the price of the new transmission (total was $7000) and had the dealer replace it. About 9 months later I was told the steering was failing and it was another $800 to fix. That was the last straw, we cut our huge losses with that car (that I loved until it had all these problems) and got a 2014 GMC Acadia - which is a dream and no issues at all, finally! These Volvos are no good, once something starts to fail plan for more to come. I called Volvo USA several times complaining that they need a recall on the 2006 V8 models but they won't take any action. (The other recalls I believe were for earlier years and not the V8 model). You are better off cutting your losses if you can and get something else. These SUVs are money pits and garbage.

sadvolvo13 · August 2013

Well, I never thought that I would have been SO disappointed at owning a Volvo! But right now I have only to say research, research, research! After having owned two older models of Volvos in the past (both of which were close to 200,000 miles before we retired them) we decided to become Volvo owners again. Found a beautiful well maintained 2006 XC90 V8 two years ago and decided it would be our step back into being proud Volvo owners again. (If I like this one, I would go by a new one) Out of the blue at approximately 70000 miles I started experiencing a "shudder" between 2-3 gears. I took my car to my mechanic for a scheduled maintenance and after several visits it was finally diagnosed as a transmission issue. Part of the problem being a cross contamination issue. With this information in hand, I went the dealer to obtain a second opinion and, yes, they agree I need a new transmission. AND yes the cost would be approximately $7500.00....same price I received from my mechanic. One nice thing, the dealer agreed to contact Volvo of NA to request assistance with the cost....knowing it was a design issue and not a maintenance issue. NO! Volvo would not even consider an assistance.....this was after 2 weeks of waiting. Talked with their customer affairs office and was told that since I couldn't provide adequate service records that there was nothing Volvo could do. Now I am perplexed and extremely disappointed. Will I buy another Volvo.....hell no! If someone isn't willing to admit that they have an issue and aren't willing to provide assistance with that issue then forget it! Volvo knows that the transmission issue goes beyond the T6 models and have failed the consumer.

abdknsn · November 2013

The 99-05 Volvo S80 and 2003-2005 XC90 models use the GM 4T65E transmission. They are prone to failure. The early versions (pre-2003) used a 4th clutch hub that didn't have hardened splines on the input side. They are quite common to strip out. The result is no 4th gear and whining from the debris going through the pump. The 2nd clutch drum is also prone to failure on all units. The forward band is also prone to wear and breakage causing a slipping when going forward (when worn) to no forward movement at all (when broken). I've found that certain reputable rebuilders like Certified Transmission are the way to go for replacement. The O.E. replacement from Volvo (read GM) are built to early specs and don't last any longer than the first unit. The rebuilds from companies like Certified actually modify the build specs to tighter tolerances resulting in a longer lasting unit. Unfortunately, Volvo believed that the 4T65E was necessary because the tried and true Asian Warner 50-42 that was used for years wouldn't be able to withstand the power and curb weight of the full size Volvos. They phased out the 4T65E beginning in 2006...

diggers253 · November 2013

Hi, How do you know all this? Is there anywhere you can point me to where this information is documented?

I am not doubting you for a moment - clearly you know what you are talking about but I am in the UK and when our vehicle died we referred the matter to VOSA - the government department that investigates vehicle issues. They have the power to instruct Volvo to recall a defect and rectify it. The official response from Volvo was that they had no knowledge of any issues with the XC90 transmission at all, ours was an isolated incident and they would not inspect the vehicle and so could not comment on specific cases. VOSA accepted their response and the matter was closed.

goldentix · November 2013

If you go deep in this site to the myriad of letters, you will see the same problem confirmed over and over and over again---and in some cases Volvo offered help to the dealers and in others they denied it. Yes, the vehicle absolutely should have been recalled---those early years of the XC90 the cars transmissions were "lemons." Disaster. And why the car wasn't recalled officially is a miracle to me---along with why Volvo did not get more bad publicity from what they did. This problem seemed to be an exception to their normal high quality--(I have an XC 60 now that is great).

bakerswim · November 2013

I just bought a 2006 Volvo xc90 for $14999. Has 62,167 miles on it. I have driven it 650 miles and just found out it needs a new transmission. $7,500!!!! I haven't even made my first car payment! My 30 day or 1,000 mile warranty ran out 7 days before I was able to take it to a certified mechanic. I am trying to work things out with dealer. Volvo of America says they can't help. I am trying to figure out if I should try and rebuild it or replace it. I don't want to spend another $7,500 when my car gets to 125,000 miles. Is this car worth holding onto?

goldentix · November 2013

Did the 2006 cars have the same transmission? If they did----and I'm not sure if it was fixed by then with a different transmission----then sorry---get rid of it. I already had TWO new transmissions by that point and knew that there would soon be a third transmission coming up. As you can see from hundreds of postings here---this car should have been recalled a long time ago or only been sold with a huge caveat. I loved my XC90 and I had intended to keep it for a long time---but defensively knew I had to dump it before my final extended warranty was about to expire lest I pay for a third transmission--. Good luck.

767fr8k9 · November 2013

Looking at buying a used XC90. I have been told this problem is mostly with the XC90 T6 and V8 models but not the I5. Should I stay away from all XC90s, just pre-2006 models or just the pre-2006 T6 and V8? Any advice would be appreciated.

kdvt26 · November 2013

I think most of the issues occurred with the 2006 and earlier models (mine was the 2006 V8 model, only 60,000 miles with all service requirements completed on time and on schedule ). But I, and it sounds like most people posting on this forum, were treated so poorly by what we thought was a reputable car company that I will NEVER own another Volvo again. They have proven they do not care about their customers, leaving us to take on a costly burden that was due to their negligence. Learn from this and DO NOT BUY A VOLVO, no matter the model, because they do not care about their customers, or doing the right thing.

diggers253 · November 2013

This is just my opinion. Its informed - based only my my own experiences. Others may have different opinions.

You ask which models to avoid. My opinion is that you should stay away from Volvo full stop.

The issue isn't that their cars don't last or that their gearboxes fail after about 50,000 miles or even that a new gar box costs more than the value of the car - all cars wear out and some are better than Volvo and some are worse. The issue for me is that they are putting their profit ahead of customer safety and appear to be doing so in plain sight. Its the opposite of what I thought I was buying when I spent £50,000 on my XC90.

In the US there is a class action suit for this issue. There are customers from the UK, Australia, South Africa and Canada also experiencing the same problems but although its the same vehicle and the same gearbox and the same fault they will not admit that its the same problem even when Volvo drivers are at risk and could cause risk to others.

In my mind that is simply not good enough. Volvo in Sweden would not even discuss the matter. I bought my Volvo because I thought it was safe and I have a young family. When I approached them after the gearbox fault left us stranded in the path of oncoming traffic Volvo told me that this was the first time they had ever heard of the fault. I called them because the patrol guy had correctly guessed the exact defect in the most minute detail from the side of the road based only on the make and model of the car and its mileage.

Then when the accident inspection service in the UK asked Volvo to comment Volvo said they had "no knowledge" and the matter is on hold pending further 'incidents'. Someone else has to suffer or get injured or die before the defect is looked into further. Then it transpired that at the very same time they said they had no knowledge, Volvo were in court in the US over the exact same issue.

This is not about trying to find a decent model Volvo from those available, its about how safe you and your family are in a Volvo. Volvo have chosen not do something about a gearbox defect that can suddenly and completely incapacitate your car as you are driving along even though there is a risk to you, your family and other road users when you come to an unexpected stop. They knew of the defect while the vehicles were under warranty and did actually extend the warranty because of it, but did not warn drivers and did not recall the cars. Instead they have chosen to profit from the repairs to the original gearboxes and the replacements which also fail.

In my case the "gestures of goodwill" after the event were not enough. Its my opinion that Volvo should have told me or my dealer that they were aware of a problem - before the catastrophe struck. They should have addressed it before the accident and before anyone else was put at risk, but they didn't. Ours came to an abrupt stop at around 56000 miles - just a few hundred miles after a main dealer 96000 mile service. The incident was avoidable and its unforgivable when they knew already that the fault was there.

The closest they ever came to giving a warning was instructing the dealers to carry out extra work during the service if the vehicle is used for towing caravans, although we have never been asked what we tow with the vehicle.

It appears that Volvo were already dealing with hundreds of other drivers who had hit the critical mileage and experienced the defect well before we did yet they took no action at all to prevent the same happening to us.

These and many other forums are full of Volvo customers and victims that have unwittingly bought Volvos only to find themselves stranded, injured or facing repair bills well in excess of the value of the vehicle often very soon after buying the car and its not fair or decent.

The bottom line? A new gearbox costs around £4000 - £5000 (retail price) and to Volvo that money was more important to them than the safety of my family.

NEVER AGAIN.

As I said, thats just my experience and just my opinion.

hot_tuna · December 2013

We ordered our 2004 XC90 new from the Massachusetts dealer in late 2003 and had the dealer do all of the service for the first 90000 miles. Since then we've been using a very trustworthy independent Volvo mechanic. Volvo's are not cheap to keep … having owned at least 1 for the last 31 years … and the XC90 is no exception. However, the day that we feared would come arrived three days ago when our transmission died. I suppose that I should feel fortunate that we got 170,000 miles out of the original transmission given the experience of many other owners who are on their 3rd or 4th transmission with fewer miles. Our dealer has offered to replace the dead unit with a new transmission to the tune of $7500 … less a 10% discount on parts and labor. They'll also give us a 2 year warranty. My wife loves this car we are considering the new transmission in the hope that we can get another 50000 miles out of it. But I am having 2nd thoughts about this given all of the negative experience that's been shared on this site. I think I've read every post and I don't recall one single post saying "we replaced the transmission and everything was fine after that".

jbs05 · December 2013

I received a goodwill notice from Volvo the day before Christmas that they are launching a service campaign. They are upgrading, for free, the TCM software installed on our xc90. I already had it completed. Back history... We only have 80k miles on it currently and the original transmission did not go out but started to slip at 32k. Volvo replaced that one free and have not had any problems since.

xc90t6_ken · July 2014

@jacostello said:
After reading all the posts about Transmissions, I decided to give my story as well, most of it similar to many of your stories, except that I didnt take it to the dealer, I actually had it rebuilt. I bought the 2004 XC90 T6 used with about 48,000 miles on it, drove like a dream until 62,500 when the infamous "TRANSMISSION SERVICE URGENT" came on, we took it our local Volvo specialist (not the dealer), and they flushed the tranny and reset the light and updated the computer, they didn't find any metal shavings or off color fluid, it took about a week for light to come back when the shop referred me to a local transmission shop (Bradshaw's Transmission/Portland, OR)

We had an aftermarket warranty who wouldnt even review the claim until the transmission was out and broken apart to assess the situation. After the report, the warranty company declined to pay for anything, and it was $1,300.00 to take out the tranny and break it down, since I was already that much in, I decided to keep it there and not take it to the dealership, which quoted me $5,500.00. Since many of you took it to the dealership, I assume you never got to actually know what went wrong with the transmission, I got to find out every detail since they took it apart. I am in no way a mechanic, my experience ends outside my 1974 VW Super Beetle, so Im taking a lot of this straight from the report and bill for the rebuild and from my conversations with the gentlemen who rebuilt it. So they found the transmission fluid smelled burnt and was slipping under load, the second gear clutch pack was burnt and the second gear apply piston and the drum was damaged causing metal particles to contaminate the entire transmission and shift solenoids. That came straight from the report. They were able to provide me with copies of their ATRA (Automatic Transmission Rebuilders Association) manual from the 2005 and 2006 year. The 2005 manual stated that the 2nd and 4th clutches are prone to burning and to inspect them when in for service. The 2006 Manual identified the problem as being improper machining of the accumulator housing, the chamfer angle was changed from 15 degrees to 10 and the depth was shorted from 2.7mm to 1.8mm.

So they rebuilt it with the new specifications, and at first the light would come back on every 6 weeks or so, after taking it in a few times, they eventually found out that their computer wasnt updating the new specs to the transmission and it was still programmed for the old worn transmission, once that got updated properly, its been handling like a dream ever since, it actually drives smoother.

I cant say with any certainty that this is what happened to everyone else's transmission, but it sure seems likely. I wonder if Volvo is just replacing the transmissions and discarding the old ones so no one investigates the root problem, this is only speculation. I have filed a complaint with the NHTSA, and Im writing a letter to Volvo demanding payment for my transmission, which by the way was $4,512.00 in the end, thats not including the $500.00 tranny flush I did a week prior to having it rebuilt. Im also advising them that if I dont receive at least a reply within 30 days that Ill be filing a complaint with my states Attorney General, Ive filed with them before with an other company on another issue and the issue was resolved pretty quickly, apparently companies dont like to be flagged by any AG, so I urge you all to complain to your state AG, the more they get, the more likely they are to give in to us!

Im more then happy to provide anyone with PDF scans of the manual pages and even my bill with all the mechanic notes (my name and personal info redacted) if youd like them to file complaints.

So am I crazy for not letting Volvo replace it instead in the first place?

xc90t6_ken · July 2014

Hi, just read your post after bying my CX90 T6 - could you provide me with PDF scans of the manual pages and even my bill with all the mechanic notes. I do not have the same problem with the car yet but would like to be prepared

grumpyrules · July 2014

i have a 2004 xc90 t6 volvo and it has 120537 miles on it. My husband and I came back from a 6 hour trip and got to a stop sign and tried to go but nothing happened till he put it in manual and had to put it into 2nd gear before it would even move. We have only had the car since 4/21/13 and on May 22 of 2014 it did this. It tossed out 3 codes but have no clue what to do pick and pull dnt carry volvo xc90s. One of the codes says it might be my control module which is the brain but can't get it. Where do i go to find a cheap reliable part. i dnt have a warranty on it for we got it from a place called choice auto. We had no warning it just was there with no warning and no symptoms at all please help. Im not hard on it i am also a mother and take kids to school and shopping I dnt even work lol.

grumpyrules · July 2014

kmart5 i take my car to a place in Sacramento called superior automotive and they are good i like them my father in law chose them and referred me.

davidpotter · July 2014

Everyone needs to go to the NHTSA and file the problem for transmissions. The service manager told me the other day that the only way there could be a recall is if the NHTSA were to go to Volvo. And only if it is considered a safety issue will Volvo conduct a recall. www.safercar.gov

Volvo Cars of North America, LLC -President/CEO Mr. Speck
PO Box 914
Rockleigh, N.J. 07647

nycjsw · April 2015

We had a 2004 XC 90 T6 loaded that we dumped at a high loss. We got rid of ours a few months after having a timing belt coming off and rubbing a plastic cover way before the recommending replacement time. It also just has a $1,500 brake job where to rotors had to be replaced. It was only about 5 years sold and had 68k miles. The transmission was starting to shift hard and had me worried. I will never buy another Volvo again.

We went looking at getting a new VW TDI station wagon. We started talking trade in - the VW dealer called the Volvo dealers saying something they will swap used cars. The dealerships were not related in any way. I overhear the conversation and the Volvo is throwing my car under the bus point out how they don't want it and how problematics the transmission is - I was offered only $8,000 for a loaded vehicle (even had that double unbreakable glass etc) that was in mint condition. I went to Carmax and sold it for $9k. I sold this thing back in 2009 and it still annoys me and I should be included in any lawsuit. The car had a beautiful interior but without a transmission it's not much use. Another thing the Volvo dealership did that was annoying was they refused to reset the oil change computer with oil changes - wth? They wanted a seperate $50 fee. Bottom line was they tried to be a premium brand but failed in so many ways and their dealerships weren't held to the standards or given the support that other premium dealerships have.

Volvo XC90 T6 Transmission

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