2004 Volvo XC90: headlights failing or too dim

Filed Jun 7, 2016 · Electrical, Lights · 130,000 miles · VA

2004 volvo xc90 sudden engine stall with lose of headlights: I was traveling on the interstate at night with the cruise set at 75 MPH when suddenly it was like someone turned the ignition key to off for about 3 seconds, and then turned the key back on without restarting the engine. With all the warning lamps illuminated, and the engine at a stall I pulled into the emergency lane, and stopped. I then shifted to park and attempted to start the vehicle, where it took several attempts to start. The headlights did not stop working while pulling over, and when I stopped I switched the lights off before I restarted the engine. The first thing at mind was a fuel pump that was starting to act up. After restarting I revved the engine up a few quick times (to clear the engines throat). I then got back on the interstate accelerating to 75 MPH , but doing so manually this time(no cruise control). About 10 min had passed when suddenly the engine started losing power as I was having to press the accelerator harder to maintain speed. While still coasting at 65 MPH or so I placed the transmission into neutral, and attempted to restart the engine, when I turned the key to the start position I lost all the lights, I quickly released the key to the on position, and the lights remained off. I quickly pulled to the emergency lane and used the force to avoid the guardrail and the ditch. All the warning light were illuminated, and the engine was at a stall. I then turned the ignition key off and then back on, and that restored the headlights. It took 5-8 attempts to restart the engine, and again I'm thinking fuel pump acting up. Each time I attempted to restart the engine it would spit and sputter like if the fuel pump were only delivering half the pressure needed for the fuel injectors. After the engine restarted I made it home, and the problem has not arisen since,

Filed Jan 20, 2016 · Acceleration, Electrical · 160,000 miles · WA

I had this problem a few times a year ago and now it has returned. I was driving my car at night in the rain on a two lane freeway when all of a sudden I lost the headlights, dash lights, speedometer, radio, power windows, electric transmission, and much more function of the car. The engine is still running but it seems to almost reset or something then start shutting stuff down. I see on your website someone put this in as a complaint also this is very dangerous you cant see at night the car is hard to drive its obviously this same problem with water getting into the ECM. I read through your information and it seems like volvo knew something was up with ones produced before or after march. It seems like they have been well aware of the problem and still want to charge you $2000 to fix it! People shouldn't have to pay to fix a problem volvo has been well aware of and has had a cheap and easy solution for years. I called my local volvo dealers and not one of them had any information or knowledge of this problem. When volvo has a service notice about this problem and has obviously spent a lot of time looking into it. The problem seems to be really bad when it rains or I use the wipers further leading me to see that it is the same thing in investigation pe-10-025. These are only the people who are complaining to you this seems to be a very common issue that volvo is sweeping under the rug to make a buck. It's disgusting.

Filed May 31, 2015 · Electrical, Lights · 84,380 miles · OR

I switched from headlights on to daylight driving lights on. I received a "bulb failure" for the daylight driving lights. I switched back to headlights. I received a "bulb failure" for the hids. I have verified that the fuses are good, and that there are now no working headlights on the car. Had this happened at night it could have been bad, very bad. Thank god it happened during a sunny day and that the teen driver wasn't behind the wheel.

Filed May 15, 2015 · Electrical, Lights · 60,000 miles · OH

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 husbands 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.

Filed Dec 7, 2014 · Lights · 165,000 miles · NJ

I am paying for the third light ballast in this volvo 700-1000 dollars each time. I know this has been reviewed by your organization in 2010 it is online. Let me tell you what happens. When the ballast fails the headlight go off. Sometime 1 light, sometimes both. I was on the highway at night, the past two time that the lights went off. Guess what, there is no back up light . So I had to drive to the next exit in total fear of crashing during the rain. Oh, and I did pull over in the side problem there was no shoulder, construction. All you need to light a bulb is a few watts, the ballast system is a joke and costly. It will result in someone crashing and death. Please do not ignore this , check online you will see this is a very common problem in this model and year. Oh , also had the transmission recalled . Mine failed at 75000 miles , still paid 1500 for the work nice company.

Filed Nov 6, 2013 · Lights · 120,000 miles · SC

Both headlights went out at the same time. I was on interstate 77 both lights went out didn't know it until I was behind a car the only lights were on were my fog lights.

Filed Jul 31, 2012 · Lights · 120,000 miles · PA

Tl* the contact owns a 2004 volvo xc90. The contact stated that while driving approximately 65 MPH at night, the headlights were activated and suddenly failed to illuminate. In addition, the low beam warning indicator illuminated on the instrument panel. The contact activated the fog lights in order to continue driving. The vehicle had not been diagnosed. The manufacturer was not notified of the failure. The approximate failure mileage was 120,000.

Filed Jul 16, 2012 · Electrical · 117,000 miles · RI

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!

Filed Dec 27, 2011 · Electrical · 76,000 miles · CT

While driving at highway speeds (typically on long trips of 4hrs or more) I hear a loud thumping noise that is very unnerving. It feels like the piston has left its bearings and is ramming into the car. This is followed by a sharp jerk then a momentary loss of engine power. At this point the dashboard goes blank, the headlights flicker and the windshield wipers turn on. This turn of events gets so scary that I pull off the road and wait for a few minutes. I am then able to turn the car on and keep driving. But once the issue has occurred it keeps occurring more and more frequently if I keep driving, about every 10 to 15 minutes. However if I let the car rest for a few hours or overnight I am able to drive the car fine. As a trend this problem is worsening. When I first experienced this problem in the summer of 2010 it only occurred once. I was able to resume my long road trip with no other incident. The next time it occurred was on the saw mill river parkway, a winding road from ny city to ct. It occurred at night and was far more scary than before. Again I was able to resume my trip but this time the problem occurred twice before I reached home. The third time it happened was on the last leg of a long road trip from ct to florida. Same symptoms but with more frequency. On all the occasions I was traveling with my family that included two small kids and on one occasion two elderly people too. Not only has this cost me a lot of money by way of emergency car rentals and overnight stays (on the 3rd failure) but it has also put me and family at risk of serious accidents. I have had my car examined by 3 different volvo dealerships in 3 different states and none of them could figure out the root cause. I notice that many 2004/2005 volvo xc90s have the same problem and am surprised that you have not issued a safety recall.

Filed Oct 24, 2011 · Lights · 57,675 miles · PA

Headlights go on and off, don't work consistently. Sometimes both work, sometimes 1 works, sometimes neither work. Dealer wanted me to replace bulbs but at almost 200.00 per bulb I think the problem is somewhere else since the bulbs do work sometimes.

Filed Sep 1, 2011 · Electrical · 70,000 miles · MA

Tl* the contact owns a 2004 volvo xc90. While driving approximately 65 MPH, the contact noticed that the headlights began to flash and the instrument panel gauges and windows failed. The vehicle was taken to the dealer for diagnostics where the technician stated that the central control module and the driver information module had to be replaced. The vehicle was not repaired. The approximate failure mileage was 70,000. The VIN was not available.

Filed Jul 3, 2011 · Electrical · 134,000 miles · CA

An electrical failure in our 2004 xc90 occurred late at night while we were nearing the end of a 60 mile trip...and it almost killed me and my family. I was driving home at night after attending a fireworks show in san jose, ca and for some reason the engine stalled during de-celleration as I was changing lanes while exiting the freeway. I first noticed it when there was a loss of headlights, then no acceleration plus a loss of power steering/brakes. I was lucky to wrestle the car into a gas station right off of the exit as it was coasting to a stop. I turned the key off, then attempted to re-start the vehicle...and it re-started right away and everything worked fine...so I drove the last 6 miles home with no issue. I have read numerous complaints from 2004 xc90 owners and cannot believe there hasn't been a more aggressive recall action against volvo for this issue...or the transmission failure rate. This is ludicrous. I am thankful that it happened late at night while we were exiting the freeway: under other circumstances the loss of control of this vehicle could have had serious consequences. I am also thankful it was me driving when it happened...and not my wife. I doubt she could have steered this vehicle with no power to the steering or brakes.