general problems of the 2004 Volvo XC90 - part 2

Was driving in neighborhood at about 20 mph, when radio shut off and then all electrical shut off, car did not respond to either gas or brakes, then there was a thump from the front of the car, which brought the dash lights back on. I then was able to pull over and turn off car. Restarted the car and there were a slew of error messages on the dash, including a brake warning. Attempted to continue to drive car, issue happened again and again on my drive home. Very unsafe to be driving and not sure if your brakes or steering are going to cut out. Did some research when I got home and realized this is a well documented issue with the cem of Volvos. I hope NHTSA is investigating. If this happens to someone driving on the highway it could be a very serious safety issue.

After several hours of driving in the georgia / north carolina mountains with the wife and 2 kids in the back, the air-conditioner and radio on with the 2004 Xc90, the car started experiencing weird behavior. Shortly after crossing the georgia border into the mountains of north carolina there was a loud noise under the hood of the car and the vehicle jerked violently. The car immediately lost all electrical power (no dashboard, hazard lights, blinkers, windows and door locks, sunroof, etc. ). The drive train also seemed stuck in a high gear and would not downshift which made normal driving close to impossible especially on mountain roads. About 15 minutes later, the car made the violent noise again under the hood again and jerked violently again. Luckily there was an autozone immediately after the second incident and I had them read the engine codes which was only showing a ¿dstc failure� (dashboard was non-functional). I decided to replace the battery with a new one in hopes that the failure was because of a weak battery tricking the computer to go into survival mode. Upon restarting the car, power was restored to the cabin (ac, radio, and dash were all working again) and there was now a ¿srs airbag service urgent� message which I couldn't clear from the dash, nor could the tool from autozone detect or clear via the plug to the computer port. There were no engine codes in the autozone computer after the battery change but we still had the srs warning light / message on the dash. The next day, we had the same issue above driving home from our destination. We were hoping that new battery would solve the issue, but I now believe it's the cem. Car is going to the dealer tomorrow to investigate since of course it happened on memorial day weekend and nothing was open other than some stores.

The contact owns a 2004 Volvo xc 90. The contact stated that while driving 60 mph, the windshield wipers activated independently and the instrument panel went completely dark. The vehicle started making a clicking noise and stalled. The vehicle was merged to the side of the road and the battery was disconnected. The vehicle was restarted and resumed its normal operations. The failure recurred. The manufacturer was contacted. The vehicle was not repaired. The failure mileage was 86,000 and the current mileage was 93,000.

I was driving my Xc90 2004 and suddenly the unit just turned off completely. I had to continue driving with the vehicle without any kind of power. I parked the car beside the highway and tried to turned on the car again, the car started to function normally. I checked the pole of the battery but they were ok and the battery itself it's new. This is not the first time that happens, it is very unpredictable and sporadic. When I went to the Volvo dealer some months ago to fix a campaign that have the Xc90, I told the mechanics what happened and told them to check that issue. The told me it was very strange and when they fixed the campaign they told me they didn't found anything.

I was driving on the highway at 60 miles an hour and the car completely shut off. No lights, no engine, no power steering, no dash lights. The car went completely dead. I pulled over and let the car rest and then it started up again. I noticed the second time it happened when I took my foot off the accelerator. I took it to arbormotion in ann arbor mi and they told me a code came up and some part had to be cleaned. When I took my foot off the accelerator there was not enough air going through the part to allow gas to flow. They fixed the part and a month later, the same thing happened on the highway only this time however, unlike the first time, just the lights stayed on. I went to the same shop and they said it was another code. I could have been killed on the highway. This should not have happened.

Today, we learned our Volvo Xc90's yaw rate sensor has failed. The root cause was water leaking into the passenger side of the car due to blocked moonroof (I. E. Sunroof) drains, which shorted the yaw rate sensor. This impaired the electronic stability control and brakes of our Volvo, putting us at risk of accident. Research shows this is a frequent and recurring problem known since at least 2004. It has caused thousands of dollars in damage to numerous Xc90s. Volvo is aware of this issue up to and including the president of Volvo USA. Even though easy and inexpensive regular maintenance would prevent expensive damage, neither the Volvo user manual nor maintenance service operations guides mention the need. The damage we and others have suffered was completely preventable. The root cause is a design defect, which Volvo service providers regularly correct by cutting the bottom end of the hoses. A service provider is reported as saying, "this is a bad design. We don't know why Volvo designed it this way, so we just cut off the bottom two inches of the hoses. " given the risk this defect puts owners at and Volvo's ongoing failure to correct this design defect and/or notify owners of this issue and the required maintenance to address it, I believe a recall of all affected Volvo Xc90s is warranted and should be instituted immediately. [xxx] information redacted pursuant to the freedom of information act (foia), 5 u. S. C. 552(b)(6).

While driving at highway speeds, the vehicle experienced a complete systems failure of engine, lighting, wipers, interior lighting (dash), brake failure message and srs airbag service warnings. This has begun to happen repeatedly. This problem appears to be the same that many other Xc90 owners have been experiencing.

While driving on the highway with my two small children, the car made a knocking noise and driver console/dash stopped working. The lights went out, and all gauges went to "zero. " I no longer had turn signals either. I feared for our lives. I have done research, and have found that others have this same issue with 2004 Xc90s.

Tl - the contact owns a 2004 Volvo Xc90. The contact stated that while driving 65 mphm, the contact stated that the radio and all the other interior lights turn off. The contact stated that the air bag and brake warning lamp illuminated. Also, the wipers were inoperable. The vehicle was taken to the dealer, who diagnosed that the central electronic module needed to be replaced. The manufacturer was made aware of the failure who did not offer any assistance since the vehicle was no longer under warranty. The vehicle was not repaired. The failure mileage was 111,000 and the current mileage was 113,000. Pm.

At highway speeds, the windshield wipers randomly start, followed immediately by a loud thump sound from the engine, also immediately followed by all the electrical items on the instrument panel going dark, all guages go to zero, speedometer doesn't work, radio goes dark and stops working along, a/c stops working, error message appear for the abs and srs. There is also an slight loss of engine power. Problem has occcured 4 times over the last year. Dealer could not replicate the problem on the first visit which is not surprising since the problem is completely random. On a more recent visit dealer says car needs a instrument panel module replacement at a cost of $1,500. According to my online research, this complaint is by far the most prevelent problem with this year and model by maybe a 20 to 1 margin.

Front lights go off got a ticket for that reason and only thru that ticket did I know that the lights go off it happens once in a while and when so I have to go to side of the road and turn car off and turn on again, wont happen for a period and then surprise it happens again. We bought the car used and we dont know if there is any recalls it might not have been taken care of.

While driving on a 40mph busy road, my cd player display began to flash, then a few seconds later, my srs air bag service urgent message came on. Everything continued to flash and then all my instruments (speedometer, rev counter, turn signals) all died. Lucky I was passing my dealer who I just bought the car from and able to turn into it. After braking, I could not accelerate the car and had to let the momentum carry me into to the lot. I have had the car for 5 days now. I noticed on the first day that simple things were not quite right, including my mirror button only working half the time as well as my window control. Also my wipers would turn on randomly. This seems to be a very common problem with this year and model car if you read any Volvo forums. It seems it has happened to enough people that there should be a recall on the electronics of this car. People's safety are great risk with the failure of these said item in the car.

While driving on the highway my vehicle hiccuped intermittently three times and then the electronic panel, windows, locks, radio, a/c, signals, hazards all shut down and a message about the brakes came on. I was near the dealership so I stopped in and described the problem. With a smirk on his face the service consultant said it would cost $85. 00 for diagnostics and then he would give me a cost estimate of the repair. They were busy and he said that he didn't think that they could get to it that day so I decided to take my chances and drive to my own mechanic. To my surprise when I started my car all power came back on and a message to get my air bag checked. When I arrived at my service station the mechanic put it on diagnostics (free) and couldn't find any error codes so he reset the car computer. Everything was fine until July 12 when the same thing happened again. This time I was driving at night on the highway about 65mph, my wife with me, when we got quite a scare when the car hiccuped. We lost all power again but fortunately our headlights and rear lights stayed on. We drove slowly and arrived safely home. What a scare! our mechanic put it on diagnostics again, found nothing and reset the car computer again. He doesn't know what's causing the problem (probably a computer issue) and told me I should take it to a dealer. Checking similar complaints on the internet this seems to be quite a problem with no fix. We fear for our safety driving the car and going any long distance. Help!.

The Volvo xc 90 2004 lost all electrical power. The car continued to drive but, there were no dash lights, turn signals, radio, defroster etc.

Driving on street and engine just died, no reason can think of, no engine light or message in text. Happened again 2-3 weeks (yesterday) while slowing down for street accident, lost all power, had to stop car without power steering or brakes, put in park and started again. No problem afterwards and drove home. Took to Volvo dealer today where I regularly go and of course no reason found for two time failure. Luckily not driving on freeway or may have been rear-ended due to engine failure. Quite scared now to drive - when is it gonna happen again? 111,500 miles - has had new transmission 2 years ago and major service several months ago. Service manager has no idea, recommended throttle cleaning for $400+ dollars and not even sure that is close to problem.

Drove to the grocery store on Saturday morning, car was fine. When I came out, I couldn't unlock the vehicle with the fob, I had to use the key to open the drivers door. Then I tried to open the locks and was unsuccessful. The car did start, but had no dash info (nothing worked), ac, radio did not work either, front windows only worked, rear did not. I limped home because the car did not have any power. Had it flatbedded to Volvo dealer on Monday, 6/4/12 and they still haven't determined what the problem is. Had this same issue (only worse) in 2008 and they finally replaced (so they said) the computer. At the time of the 2008 incident, the vehicle only had approx. 33k miles. Now in 2012, it has 53k! 20k additional miles and still issue still exists even with replaced computer!.

All interior lights, guages, windshield wipers randomly shut down at freeway speeds and at idle. Engine power is also affected as unable to accelerate properly. Dealer replaced driver information module however problem continues. Dealer unable to source the problem as the vehicle needs to be in the process of failing for them to source the problem. This has not been possible as the issue is random and typical goes away after the car sits for several hours. The service airbag and brake failure code remains in the driver information module. This is a serious safety issue especially at freeway speeds and at night.

The sunroof drain has a design flaw that can cause water to enter the passenger compartment and/or electrical systems. This can present simply as water on the floor boards. But it can also present in more subtle ways with water coming in contact with electrical systems and being drawn throughout the car through copper wires acting as conduit (this effects speaker quality, radio function, cruise control function etc). Most importantly, water can accumulate in the compartment under the front passenger seat that houses the dynamic stability traction control system putting safety at risk. We have experienced this with our Xc90 but see many complaints regarding other Volvo models. This is a significant safety concern but most concerning because of its subtle nature, slow progression, and prohibitive costs to repair. Many people are driving around with compromised systems and are not yet aware, unable to recognize the cause, or unable to fund the repair.

Radio fails to reliably power up and after occasionally operating, ceases to work after a few minutes. Radio interfaces with rear collision avoidance system, which is now nonoperational.

The contact owns a 2004 Volvo Xc90. The contact stated that the lights on the instrumental panel illuminated, indicating a failure with all components. The vehicle was taken to an authorized dealer for a diagnostic test and the dealer stated that electronic driver information module and the central electronic module failed. The vehicle was not repaired. The failure mileage was 68,000 and the current mileage was 75,030.

Driving down highway and all the gages went off-- had some minor electrical issues for years, tail lights not working one time and then okay. Finally dealership said it needed a new central computer. Just picked up the car $1,100. 00+.

Hello Volvo, for the record, we love our Volvo SUV (2004, Xc90). Over the years the service from michelle balside at Volvo on plainfield road in cincinnati has been truly excellent, her contact information is attached. However, we have has an issue since 2011 that has not been resolved, which is so uncharacteristic of Volvo. I am hoping you can help me change the outcome. For years my husband’s right headlight has been turning on and off intermittently. This is very dangerous when he drives to and from work at night on an old 4 lane highway (columbia parkway) that has no separation between east and west bound lanes, which means cars travel head-on at 70 miles an hour. Our dealer looked at the issue several times and said they could not fix it; so we lived with the dangerous issue because we thought the problem was unique to us. Recently, someone told us they were having issues with their Volvo headlights and they found a blog on edmonds which listed a lot of other Volvo owners with the same issue. I have attached the blog for your reference. The blog refers to a repair kit. Please let me know if Volvo corporate can send a repair kit to our dealer in cincinnati. We have been loyal customers and we are thinking of giving our used Volvo to our daughter when she turns 16 next spring, and buying a new Volvo for my husband, bill. Please show your customers that you care and you will resolve the headlight issue, it could save a life someday. For now, we “hope and pray” on a daily basis that the headlight functions as it should.

2004 Volvo Xc90 jerked, then all electric components went out suddenly including headlights as we drove along TN hwy 840 causing us to almost wreck as it was nightime and pitch black on this highway. Pulled over and restarted SUV. Normal activity for 30 minutes, then problem reoccurred. Took SUV to Volvo dealership and they replaced faulty cem.

2004 xc-90 awd: for over two years the vehicle has been experiencing the same issue which appears to be an electrical problem. The vehicle will suddenly seem to stall or "hiccup" while driving. This occurs at any speed but it is most prevalent at highway speeds. It normally happens at speeds of 65mph or higher. The windshield wipers will engage for one sweep (they will be selected “off�), the radio (if on) will turn off and on again, the gages on the panel will go dead and then come to life. The most unsafe thing is a loud “thump� that occurs in the front of the vehicle. It feels like someone has suddenly slammed on the brakes and then released them. This all happens in a matter of seconds. The engine does not stop during this sequence and the brakes appear to keep working. This has occurred with and without the cruise control engaged. There are no warnings, lights, or caution messages associated with this during or after it occurs. None of the dealerships we’ve taken it to have discovered the cause. I recently discovered a NHTSA investigation that was completed in November 11, 2010 on 20 cases involving similar issues with 2004 xc-90s. The investigation number is pe10-025. It appears the problem may be electrical but neither I nor the dealerships can narrow it down. The vehicle has approximately 125k miles on it. I have been the only owner of the vehicle and all required maintenance has been kept up to date with Volvo dealerships in wichita, KS, stockton, CA and now tacoma, wa. Most recently this occurred three times during a day trip which covered approximately 288 miles.

Was driving at highway speed when all electrical systems shut down. Dash panel indicated brake failure, stop carefully. No lights, turn signals, speedometer, tachometer, airbags, hazard lights, pwr windows, pwr brakes, radio - no power to anything. Clear, dry weather conditions. This had been happening for short cycles for approx. 2 months. Windshield wipers would turn on for one cycle and all power would shut down to dash, radio, lights etc. But would last for only a second or two. This might happen 2-3 times on approx. 20 mile drive home on highway. This only happens at highway speed. But the incident on Thursday 05. 26. 11 no power lasted for 10 miles until I got the vehicle home. Had the car sit for an hour and then started again and the dash indicated srs system failure but all power was restored to car.

Driving from phx to tus at 75 mi out of phx at about 2200hrs. The car completely failed for fraction of a second then resumed normal operation until arriving at destination 10 mi. Later. The second time a week later was traveling to phx at 1800 hrs. 70mi out of tus. The car failed like the first time then a few seconds later did it again reached destination about 15mi. Later. When this happens the lights, radio, windows, dash light and gauges all stop working the mess. Comes on abs,srs. Its happened 5 or 6 times now with the worst being yesterday 16 June 2012 . I got off loop 202 and pulled in a parking lot and shut down the car and then attempted to restart 4 times before it restarted. The a/c,windows, lights, gauges,turn signals all failed. The mess. Abs, srs, check engine came on. I drove about 5 mi to destination. I'm now scared to drive it if the srs, abs warning are on are they working? if in an accident will the passengers and driver be protected ?.

As I was driving down a busy road, the dashboard gauges starting flickering on and off, and then the engine completely died out. As I was travelling at about 45 mph, I attempted to steer the car towards the right shoulder. The steering was very tight and difficult. As I moved right, the car behind me came around to pass because my car was slowing rapidly. As I started to move right, I could not correct my steering fast enough to avoid a collision. This is a very dangerous situation. When the dealer hooked the car to the computer, they could not diagnose a problem. It has now happened several more times with no explanation.

This is in regards to my Volvo 2004 Xc90. While driving my Volvo starts jerking and then all of the electrical systems go out - all the interior dash light go off, signal lights, and hazards will not work. I get a message about brake failure and then srs airbag service. Once you stop the car and restart it functions normally with just the srs message remaining.

Engine warning light alerted a "bulb failure". Replacement of the headlamp cartridge did not fix the problem. Since the incident happened, I noticed several other Xc90 SUV's with same daylight lamp out on the driver side.

I own a 2004 Volvo xc-90. I have owned it since 12/2007. Approximately 7 months ago I started having intermittment electricl problems (navigation failure, engine service alerts, security alarm system failure). Messages would appear and then stop. Recently while driving in the moutains a message appeared about a position light failure, then progressed to multiple ligth failures. This occurred at night on the blue ridge parkway which is poorly lit in many areas and has winding roads with steep drop offs. We had to drive with my passenger aiming a flashlight to see the road until we could turn off on an exit. There is no where on most of the parkway to pull off and we were at great risk without headlights. We checked fuses, and then started again and headlights worked, so drove on. Later on the interstate they failed again and we had to pull off and park and get another ride home. Volvo confirmed that the cem failure is a very common occurance with Xc90s. They used to keep some of these on hand due to common need to replace. As with other owners, I now have a $1200+ repair to replace this. This should be a recall item - high rate of occurance and safety issue. Why wait until someone is killed? it is only a matter of time till happens with cem failures. .

Car lost all power. All dashboard went off and power steering went out while driving at over 40 miles an hour on the highway. This happened on 4 different occasions. Mileage 123,000 2004 Volvo Xc90 t6.

The contact owns a 2004 Volvo Xc90. While driving approximately 40 mph the vehicle stalled. The contact stated that the vehicle restarted after pulling onto the side of the road. The vehicle was taken to the dealer. The technicians were unable to diagnose the failure. The technicians performed updates to the computer. The vehicle was at the dealership and had not been driven since the updates were made. The manufacturer stated that the VIN was not included in any recalls and referred the contact to the dealer for further questions and concerns. The approximate failure mileage was 77,000.

Liquid (probably water) inside the frame of Volvo Xc90 causing electrical issues.

While driving our Volvo xc-90, the entire electrical system shuts down (dashboard display, lighting, ac, power windows, power door locks, everything electrical etc. ). Additionally, for a split second the engine/transmission jerks and/or stalls before resuming. The first time this happened was in 2010 and never occurred again for several years. Then suddenly on a recent trip in August 2014 this happened repeatedly and the electrical system never returned to operation during that trip. In that August 2014 occurrence we were traveling down narrow state highway 1 in big sur, California. Had we lost control of the vehicle during the jerking episodes we could have gone off the narrow road and down the steep cliff side to our deaths. This put our family in a very perilous situation. Additionally, since the above incident in late August 2014 the vehicle has experienced numerous other flashes/jerking incidents while at highway speeds. This occurrence seems to be increasing. This is a very dangerous situation and needs to be addressed with a national re-call.

Multiple electrical system problems with most recent being a shutdown everything electrical on the dashboard. Car would still drive but no instrumentation, door locks, windows or ability to open gas tank cover from button inside car.