general problems of the 2003 Volvo XC90

I was not aware of the design defect in sun roof & the water damages that result in electrical issues. I had always parked my vehicle in covered parking until moving this year in January. I had taken my car in to have a tune up in Nov 2012 at which time I was given an estimate of repairs needed in my car. My car remained parked for most of 2013 due to having moved I wasn't able to afford repairs. The repairs where inner&outer tie rods,ball joints, mounts, arm bushings, rotors & break pads. The above aforementioned where made. Following repairs I washed my car and drove out of town 4th July weekend from los angeles to jamestown California. Once I arrived my car remained parked until returning home July 7th. Shortly after starting my car the dash gauges started to flash on/off and eventually went out. At the time I had my portable gps, a/c was working & I had use of windows (rolling up & down). I knew I had a full tank of gas cause I had fueled up prior to arriving at destination. Being I was in the middle of know where without cell phone service I drove as far as I could before I thought I may need gas. When I stopped to get fuel I was not able to open the door to refuel with gas. I broke the clips on the door allowing me to access and fuel tank and refill with gas. It was Sunday after a major holiday and there was a lot of traffic, the only Volvo dealership I passed was closed and I just wanted to get home. So I continued to drive and was just getting onto the grapevine and traffic really backed up. There was a fire that had been burning on the mountain to the right and helicopters where dumping water on this ongoing fire. Around this time I noticed the a/c had quit working and was blowing hot air. I tried to roll my windows down and they where inoperable. Traffic was at a crawl and there was no place to pull over. Worst nightmare ever.

The srs light came on, which appears to be a common problem with my model. The dealer said they need to replace the entire srs console for $1000. They cannot guarantee it, but it's possible my airbags will not deploy if they do not replace this.

2003 Volvo Xc90 began displaying "srs service urgent" message, took vehicle to dealer who knew right away what problem was, they cleaned the contacts of the instrument cluster (maybe the central electronic module)(cem) and error was removed. 3 weeks later same error returns. Sounds like a defect to me, according to Volvo forums on web many Volvos having same issue. Sounds defective to me.

Well while out driving locally on a cold winter day my dash board readings went off and came back on a couple times. . Then it happened again a few days later. . . . It would do this once in a while then it started getting worse and worse to the point now it comes on only once and awhile. . . So I have no read outs for anything no gas, no speed no anything. . And when it does come on it is only gas and speed none of the other readings or warnings OH and my engine light has stayed on the whole time all this was happening. . . . Guess what I found out it is a common issue with Volvo they know about it . . . Yes when the dealer was contacted they said OH yes and its not a cheap repair. . . Because they are the only ones that can fix it by the way so if you live a long way away from a dealer to bad. . . The part and only if you choose a redone/rebuilt/reconditioned one which is what I was told not brand new is $1100 and that does not include the servicing as they have to put it in and hook it up to their computers. . . . So what will that be when they are done. . . . I think Volvo being the car company it is suppose to be would consider this a major safety and consumer issue and recall it and suck up the cost . . . . I wanted a Volvo for the safety and quality. . . But as with all things I have been disappointed along with the ball joint issue my vehicle had that I was not notified about. . Oh by the way I paid to have that fixed because I did not know it would have been free if I had driven 4 hrs to my nearest dealer. . Yes it would have been way cheaper to have driven . And the latest I was contacted about a transmission issue that has turned into a full blown legal case and I was sent a notice to join that a while ago. . . . .

My Xc90 Volvo is very disappointing the dash board on the car completely fails no nothing no gas, speedometer every things goes out. In the night time its very scarry its completely dark I dont know how fast I'm going how much gas I have its scarry. Now the fuel pump is gone and the navigation system burrned out I cut the car on heard a pop then I smelled something burning the navigation systen has'nt worked since.

Vehicle drains water on to front passenger floor, and ocassional driver side after it rains. It is a know problem that a class action suit was won in new jersey, including 5 other states. The water is from clogged drain tubes in sunroof and sometimes shrinkiage of drain tube that dislodges. Vehicle now has a musty smell from the frequent water in the vehicle. Not sure if high moisture inside has caused my cd player to malfunction. Also have a short in electrical system that cause me to replace 3 batteries in the vehicle. Also the sunroof motor shorted out making it difficult to replace the drainage tubes that would help correct the water issues. Hope someone can help.

Problems with vehicle's transmission, seat belts do not latch, driver's seat reclines by itself. The radio went out and the engine made a grinding noise.

2003 Volvo Xc90 engine cut off suddenly while driving ~70mph on the highway. Was lucky I was able to make it to the side of the road without being hit or stalled in the middle of the roadway. Dealer unable to diagnose the problem. I believe this could have potentially caused a fatal accident considering the speeds at which other cars were travelling and the potential to be stranded in the road. Car has been serviced regularly.