2004 Volvo XC90

THE VEHICLE IS INTERMITTENTLY SHUTTING OFF WHILE DRIVING ON THE PRIVATE ROADS OR FREEWAY, ALL ELECTRICAL EQUIPMENT (DASHBOARD, GAUGES, STEREO, SOME WINDOWS, DRIVING TRANNY CHANGER - CAN'T SHIFT), AND ALL OTHER ITEMS ARE GOING OUT. THE POWER OF THE VEHICLE WILL STALL FOR 1/2 SECOND IN AS MANY AS 3-5 TIMES DURING AN EPISODE. ULTIMATELY RESULTING IN ALL ELECTRICAL POWER FAILING. THIS APPEARS TO ALSO BE CAUSING THE BATTER TO NOT BE CHARGED. THE BATTERY IS NEW, PURCHASED A FEW DAYS AGO TO SEE IF THIS WOULD RESOLVE THE ISSUE, WHICH IT DIDN'T. THUS THE CAR CANNOT BE STARTED AFTER A FEW DAYS OF DRIVING WITHOUT TRICKLE-CHARGING THE BATTERY. THE SRS BAGGAGE WARNING HAS NOT BECOME ENGAGED. I AM THE SECOND OWNER OF THIS VEHICLE, IT DOESN'T APPEAR THROUGH CARFAX OR OTHER RECORDS HISTORY THAT THE PREVIOUS OWNER HAD REPAIRED THESE ISSUES. THIS IS VERY CONCERNING, BECAUSE THIS COULD CAUSE AN ACCIDENT, LEAVE ME OR MY FAMILY STRANDED. *TR

AFTER DRIVING 125 MILES WITHOUT INCIDENT, WE LEFT OUR 2004 VOLVO XC 90 T6 AWD PARKED FOR 4 HOURS BEFORE DRIVING AGAIN. AFTER LESS THAN A HALF MILE AT LOW SPEED, THERE WAS A "THUMP" FROM THE FRONT OF THE CAR, THE WIPERS CYCLED, THE GAUGES ALL WENT BLANK, SOME OF THE WINDOWS STOPPED WORKING, THE A/C WENT OUT (BLOWER STAYED ON). THE CAR STAYED ON, BUT SEEMED "STUCK" IN SECOND GEAR AND THE BRAKES BECAME "SPONGY," BUT OPERABLE. TURN SIGNALS WERE INOPERABLE AND THE POWER STEERING WENT OUT. THE INDICATOR LIGHT ON THE GEAR SHIFT WENT OUT AND THE CENTRAL LOCKING SYSTEM STOPPED FUNCTIONING. WE GOT OUT OF TRAFFIC AND INTO THE SHADE. I CHECKED ALL FUSES AND TRIED TO RESTART THE CAR. IT WOULD RESTART, BUT WITHIN SECONDS THERE WERE MULTIPLE "CLICKS" COMING FROM THE AREA NEAR THE FUSE BOX IN THE PASSENGER COMPARTMENT FOLLOWED BY THE ELECTRICAL FAILURES DESCRIBED ABOVE. AFTER LETTING THE CAR SIT FOR A COUPLE OF HOURS WE MOVED IT TO A SECURE LOCATION TWO MILES AWAY. DURING THAT DRIVE ALL OF THE ABOVE PROBLEMS HAPPENED AGAIN, INCLUDING THE ENGINE BEING "STUCK" IN SECOND GEAR. AFTER LETTING THE CAR SIT OVERNIGHT, IT STARTED AND RAN WITHOUT INCIDENT. HOWEVER, THE "CHECK ENGINE" LIGHT AND THE "SRS" LIGHT HAVE REMAINED ON. A REPAIR SHOP COULD NOT DIAGNOSE THE PROBLEM. PRIOR TO THIS INCIDENT, THE SAME THINGS HAPPENED TO MY WIFE IN THE SAME CAR. THE SYMPTOMS LASTED A FEW SECONDS AND DISAPPEARED. *TR

AT ABOUT 60,000 MILES WHILE THE VEHICLE, A 2004 VOLVO XC 90 T6 WAS IN OPERATION AT 55 MPH THE POWER TO THE DASH AND ALL ACCESSORIES WENT DEAD. THE HORN, THE BLINKERS, THE SPEEDOMETER (RADIO, POWER WINDOWS ETC.) ALL FAILED TO WORK EVEN AS THE CAR WAS IN OPERATION AND WAS BEING DRIVEN ON THE HIGHWAY. LATER UPON RESTART THERE WAS AN ERROR CODE IN THE DASH, IN THE ICM I BELIEVE THEY CALL IT (INFOTAINMENT CONTROL MODULE), SAYING URGENT SRS (SUPPLEMENTAL SUPPORT SYSTEM- AKA SIDE AIRBAGS) SERVICE URGENT ?OR SOMETHING TO THAT EFFECT. THE DEALER USED THEIR PROPRIETARY READER TO DECIPHER THE ERROR CODES AND WE WERE TOLD THAT THE DIM, OR DRIVER INFORMATION MODULE FOR THE SRS SYSTEM HAD GONE BAD, IT HAD A SHORT. THEY SAID IF WE DID NOT REPLACE IT THEY SAID THAT THE SHORT COULD OVERRIDE COMMUNICATION OF THE OTHER MODULES AND ELECTRONICS ON THAT SAME CIRCUIT AND WE MIGHT LOSE OTHER CONTROLS INCLUDING POSSIBLY AN UNEXPECTED ENGINE SHUTDOWN OR OTHER OPERATIONAL ABILITIES. $ 1532.00 LATER, AND LESS THAN TWO DAYS AFTER WE HAD THE SUV REPAIRED, WE HAD A REPEAT OF THE COMPLETE DASH POWER FAILURE. THIS TIME WE WERE TOO WORRIED TO TURN THE CAR OFF AND INSTEAD DROVE DIRECTLY TO THE DEALER WITHOUT A SPEEDOMETER, HORN, GAS GAUGE OR TURN SIGNALS. WE CHECKED AND THE WIPERS REMAINED OPERATIONAL. UPON RESTART AT THE DEALERSHIP THE SAME ERROR MESSAGE APPEARS- SRS SERVICE URGENT. BUT THIS TIME THE DEALER READS THE DIAGNOSTIC ERROR CODES AND TELLS US THAT IT IS LIKELY A CEM, OR CENTRAL ELECTRONIC MODULE- (ABOUT $1200.00 + TAX) BUT THEY ADD IT MIGHT BE THE DEM OR DIFFERENTIAL ELECTRONIC MODULE. IT SEEMS LUDICROUS THAT NECESSARY ELECTRONIC CONTROLS WOULD NOT HAVE PROTECTION FROM CROSS FAILURES, AND THAT A BAD DIM OR CEM WOULD PLACE THE OPERATORS AND PASSENGERS AT RISK BY KNOCKING OUT OTHER CONTROLS. OF COURSE I AM WONDERING HOW TO DETERMINE IF THE DEALER IS RIGHT THIS TIME AND EVEN MORE CONCERNED ABOUT EXPERIENCING ANOTHER BLACKOUT. *TR

MY 2004 VOLVO XC90 HAS EXPERIENCE A SUDDEN ELECTRICAL FAILURE. WHILE DRIVING IN CITY CONDITIONS ALL INTERNAL ELECTRONICS INCLUDING SPEED & FUEL GAUGES, TURN LIGHT INDICATORS, AUDIO SYSTEM, AIR CIRCULATION AND SUPPLEMENTAL RESTRAINT SYSTEM HAVE TURNED OFF WHILE THE ENGINE CONTINUED TO OPERATE. THIS MADE THE CAR IMPOSSIBLE TO DRIVE AS NO FEEDBACK ON SPEED OR ABILITY TO INDICATE A TURN OR A STOP WAS POSSIBLE. THIS OCCURRED SUDDENLY AND WITHOUT ANY WARNING. I WAS UNABLE TO FIX THIS BY RESTARTING THE CAR. ACCORDING TO BASIC RESEARCH, THIS IS A COMMON ISSUE WITH VOLVO CARS MADE CIRCA 2003-4 AND INVOLVE A DEFECTIVE CEM (CAR ELECTRONICS MODULE). IN OTHER INCIDENTS ENGINES HAVE ALSO SHUT DOWN UNEXPECTEDLY AND BRAKES BECAME INOPERABLE. THIS IS A SERIOUS SAFETY ISSUE THAT NEEDS TO BE ADDRESSED. *TR

WHILE DRIVING IN HEAVY TRAFFIC ON APRIL 25, 2009, MY 2004 VOLVO XC90 BEGAN JERKING AND THEN THERE WAS A SUDDEN LOSS OF POWER, THE INSTRUMENT PANEL SWOOPED TO THE FAR RIGHT AND THEN BACK TO LEFT WITH NO OTHER MOVEMENT, THE RADIO SHUT OFF, THE WINDSHIELD WIPERS BEGAN WIPING, AND THE DOOR LOCKS AND WINDOWS WOULD NOT WORK. SHORTLY THEREAFTER, THE MESSAGE BOX DISPLAYED "BRAKE FAILURE-STOP SAFELY", AND THEN CHANGED TO "SRS AIRBAG _SERVICE URGENT". ONCE WE STOPPED, THE VEHICLE WOULD NOT START AGAIN. I DISCONNECTED THE BATTERY IN HOPES OF RESETTING THE COMPUTER. ONCE THIS WAS DONE THE CAR STARTED AGAIN. MESSAGES ARE STILL DISPLAYED. WE CONTACTED VOLVO CORPORATE AND HAVE AN APPOINTMENT WITH A LOCAL DEALERSHIP TOMORROW. THIS IS A SERIOUS SAFETY ISSUE AND IT IS NOT THE FIRST TIME I HAVE SUBMITTED A COMPLAINT FOR THIS SAME TYPE PROBLEM. I HAVE BEEN A FAITHFUL, REPEAT VOLVO CUSTOMER, AND WOULD LIKE TO CONTINUE TO SUPPORT VOLVO. MY LOYALTY IS SLOWLY FADING, ESPECIALLY AFTER READING SEVERAL COMPLAINTS OF THE SAME NATURE. VOLVO PLEASE DON'T LET A DEATH OCCUR BEFORE YOU TAKE ACTION. *TR

WHILE DRIVING MY 2004 VOLVO XC-90 AT NIGHT I EXPERIENCED A MOMENTARY LOSS OF CONTROL, FOLLOWED BY THE HEADLIGHTS PAUSING AND THEN GOING FROM HIGH BEAMS TO LOW. THE INSTRUMENT CLUSTER LOST SOME OF IT'S DISPLAYS AND THE DOOR LOCKS BECAME INOPERATIVE. THE DATA DISPLAY WARNED ME OF AN "URGENT SRS FAILURE". I WAS AT LOW SPEED A BLOCK FROM HOME SO I CREPT HOME AND THE NEXT DAY SENT THE CAR TO TRIAD VOLVO BY ROLL-BACK WRECKER. PROBLEM WAS FAILURE OF CENTRAL ELECTRONIC MODULE. I CALLED VOLVO CORPORATE AND THEY SEEMED DISINTERESTED. *TR

2004 XC90 HAS HAD THREE COMPUTER/ELECTRICAL PROBLEMS, PERHAPS RELATED. URGENT MESSAGE APPEARS ON PANEL, "SRS NEEDS ATTENTION - URGENT". CAR TAKEN TO DEALER WITH MESSAGE ACTIVE, DEALER UNABLE TO DIAGNOSE PROBLEM, RESETS SYSTEM. 3 MONTHS LATER, SRS MESSAGE REAPPEARS, CAR WON'T START, NO LIGHTS OR OTHER ACCESSORIES LEFT ON. BATTERY DIAGNOSED AS DEAD, REPLACED, SRS MESSAGE CLEARS WITH NEW BATTERY. 3 MONTHS LATER, SRS MESSAGE REAPPEARS, TWO CONTROL MODULES REPLACED. *JB