2004 Volvo XC90: loss of power steering

Filed Apr 14, 2020 · Steering, Transmission · 195,000 miles · IN

I am concerned these 2 issues may pose a safety risk. I recently purchased this car from a friend and have had it about a month. I notice the steering is very stiff and difficult to maneuver. I was trying to find out if there were any recalls on this but having no luck. Also, when the car is in gear "drive", when stopped on an incline (even the slightest hill) I notice that when I take my foot off the brake pedal the car rolls backwards! It shouldn't do that. The transmission notice on the dash is saying it needs service but my friend I bought it from said she had it checked twice and was told there is no transmission issue. Is there a recall on power-train/trans parts? The car should not roll backwards when in gear "drive", even if I am stopped on a hill. Even a slight incline and the car rolls back. Not normal. Thank you for any and all help you can offer. This isn't an "incident" but I do not know who else to contact for help.

Filed Dec 21, 2017 · Airbags, Electrical · 78,000 miles · NY

Tl-contact owns a 2004 volvo xc90 ---- contact called volvo dealer in white plains ny... Contact stated airbag light came on while driving and was on for a month.... Vehicle stalled going 50mph ... Power steering went out on main highway vehicle lost power and shut off.... Vehicle restarts and then shuts off again after going a couple miles...spoke with mechanic at dealership who stated that airbags are recalled....mechanic by the name of anthony.... Told contact that airbag light being on was not a big deal....that airbag was faulty so it would not deploy in accident........ 0 recalls associated with this VIN.. Cb

Filed Jan 15, 2016 · Electrical, Steering · 170,000 miles · MD

Tl* the contact owns a 2004 volvo xc90. While driving various speeds, the power steering failed and several warning indicators illuminated on the instrument panel. The vehicle stalled. The contact stated that a new alternator was placed in the vehicle two days prior to the failure. The vehicle was not diagnosed or repaired. The manufacturer was made aware of the failure. The failure mileage was 170,000. The VIN was not available.

Filed Aug 12, 2015 · Electrical · 137,600 miles · CA

I was heading towards a supermarket on a expressway on a an afternoon where there was a clicking sound near the dashboard on drivers side. And then suddenly the dashboard lights started flickering and a jerk was felt in the transmission. Soon the dashboard gauges and the indicators went dead while driving and that too without any warning. There was several error messages that were popping up like brake failure, airbag failure, ABS failure, engine failure and then the check engine light came on. The power was totally cut off and the steering was very hard. It appeared as if the vehicle is in a low gear. Ibhad to take the next exit to come to a safe stop as no indicators were working. I tried to turn off the ignition and then tried to restart. The vehicle started but all the gauges on the dash were down. Had to push the gas pedal hard since the vehicle was behaving as if it was in low gear. Power windows, power steering, indicators, lights, gear shift indicator, audio was totally cut off. I called a local technician and to check the problem, but he could not find the fault. However he cleared the errors and check engine message. The vehicle was restored after almost 1 hour. Then I tried to return back to home. The next day, the same problem occurred, and it kept occurring several times. I heard several reviews from several customers about the same issue with 2004 xc90. And every issue is related to cem. The module costs $1200+ which is a very high cost. This situation is so dangerous while you are on freeways and may cause accidents. Volvo should recall all the 2004 xc90s and replace these modules and also compensate all the owners who have replaced their cems.

Filed May 17, 2013 · Electrical, Engine · 79,000 miles · MD

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.

Filed Nov 10, 2011 · Engine · 70,460 miles · IL

Six occurrences starting when vehicle (purchased new) was approx "7 years old at mileage 70k": while driving, engine dies without warning. Has been checked by dealer 3 times, had ignition assembly and column replaced after 2nd or 3rd episode and problem still occurs. Dealer states computer check did not reveal any code to diagnose the problem. When the engine dies, lose power steering and brakes, have to glide to edge of street, put hazard blinkers on, once had to jolt the car into park to stop it. Car restarts very shortly after power was lost. So far happens at "neighborhood" speeds <=35 MPH.

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.

Filed Feb 15, 2011 · Electrical · 123,000 miles · CT

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.

Filed Feb 7, 2011 · 107,000 miles · LA

All dashlights went completely black, and the power steering went out with it while driving down the freeway (at night). This happened on three different occasions. Volvo dealer claimed they "reset" it the first two fixes and then the third time replaced the cem, which was a couple thousand dollar fix for me.

Filed Aug 17, 2010 · Electrical · 102,500 miles · NC

My wife was driving our 2004 volvo xc90 back from vacation with our two children in the vehicle and all the dash instrumentation lost power and the steering became heavy. This was during the day so I do not know if the head lights went out as well. The car did not stop and the power came back on. This occur a second time during this trip which was about 3 & 1/2 hours in duration.

Filed Jul 26, 2010 · Airbags, Electrical · 75,000 miles · TN

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.

Filed Sep 24, 2007 · Electrical · 42,000 miles · VA

On june 15, 2007, while on a highway traveling 65 MPH, my 2004 volvo xc90 made a jerk, as if it had suddenly fallen out of gear. About 5 minutes later, the same thing happened. It felt as if something locked the tires for an instant, then let go. About another 5 minutes later, we received an error message that said "brake failure, stop safely". Moments later, we lost all control of the car - total electronic shutdown. No lights, no hazards, no power steering, no brakes. My husband was able to glide to the breakdown lane, and we rolled until the car stopped. We had our two young children in the car, on the side of the highway, in the dark. It was a terrifying predicament, and we couldn't leave the car due to the danger of not being seen. We had the car towed, and a few days later, the volvo dealer said it was a $60 software upgrade that needed to be done. After the car was returned to us, we took it to another volvo dealer and had them perform a 45k check-up, had them reevaluate the situation, and also had a va state inspection done, and they told us everything was fine. Just barely 3 months later, in exactly the same scenario, the same exact thing happened. On 9/21/07, we were on a highway at night, and once again felt the car jerking, followed a few minutes later by total electronic failure. No lights, no hazards, nothing. Once again, we managed to get off the highway safely, but I fear the next time this happens, we may not get so lucky. All 3 dealers that have looked at this car have never heard of this problem before, which is very unsettling, as I can never be convinced it is fixed. I am terrified to ever drive my car again, even if they do "fix it". The car is currently still being evaluated, so we do not know the latest prognosis for it.