Two problems related to transmission slip out of gear have been reported for the 2003 Volvo XC90. The most recently reported issues are listed below. Please also check out the statistics and reliability analysis of the 2003 Volvo XC90 based on all problems reported for the 2003 XC90.
The transmission (without warning) in my 2003 Volvo Xc90 t6 went out (no reverse & wont shift out of 3rd gear). It is an automatic. There are many owners of this vehicle who have experienced the same problem it has been independently diagnosed as a defect with the particular transmission that Volvo choose to put in this model vehicle. Most owners have been told by dealers there is nothing that can be done for them (most problems occur between 40 - 60,000 miles & are out of warranty) except sell them a new or rebuilt transmission (approx. $5,000). My vehicle has 75k miles & I have my vehicle at a repair shop waiting to see what my options are. I have been told by two mechanics that the transmission needs to be replaced.
My vehicle has 61,400 miles and the transmission needs to be replaced. Out of the blue it started slipping out of gear causing extremely high revving and the a transmission failure light came on. Vehicle is well taken care of and there were no warning signs of this defect. Dealer says a new transmission is needed.