2004 Volvo XC90: jerking or lurching

Filed Oct 9, 2015 · Electrical · 104,000 miles · MD

Tl* the contact owns a 2004 volvo xc90. While driving at approximately 65 MPH, the vehicle began to jerk and the instrument panel failed. The accelerator pedal was depressed and failed to respond. The vehicle was restarted and the failure recurred frequently. The contact also stated that on several occasions it took several attempts to start to vehicle. The vehicle was taken to the dealer, but the failure was unable to be determined. The vehicle was not repaired. The manufacturer was not made aware of the failure. The approximate failure mileage was 104,000.

Filed Oct 9, 2015 · Body, Electrical · 113,000 miles · MD

Tl* the contact owns a 2004 volvo xc90. While driving at any speed, the vehicle jerked and lost power. The contact also heard water running on the right passenger side door and underneath the dashboard. The air bag warning light illuminated. The vehicle was not diagnosed or repaired. The manufacturer was not notified of the failure. The failure mileage was 113,00. The VIN was not provided.

Filed Sep 18, 2015 · Electrical, Engine · 117,000 miles · MN

Exiting driveway in reverse, upon switching to drive the dashboard lights started flickering and a jerk was felt in the transmission. Soon the dashboard gauges and the indicators went dead. Several error messages quickly "scrolled" (brake failure, airbag failure, ABS failure, engine failure) then the check engine light came on and remained on. No power to dashboard controls (gauges dead, no lights/turn signals, no radio). Front windows work, but not rear. Vehicle drives as if in low gear. Unsafe to drive so had towed to dealer. They are running diagnostics so tbd on specific issue and cost to repair. Concerned as no recall and situation is so dangerous (what if I'd been on freeway!) volvo should recall all the 2004 xc90 as others report same defect

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 Sep 29, 2014 · Airbags, Electrical · 65,000 miles · CA

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.

Filed Sep 10, 2014 · Electrical · 148,000 miles · FL

I have experienced the known issue with the central electronic module many times now. I have been driving at highway speeds and then experience the momentary jerking, loss of power, loss of instrument panel, and more. Sometimes I start my vehicle and it starts in limp home mode. Very frustrating and dangerous. This should be recalled and repaired by volvo.

Filed Aug 18, 2014 · Electrical, Lights · 104,500 miles · WV

2004 volvo xc90 2.5t ...driving at about 65 MPH with no warning aloud thump noise, windshield wiper comes on radio goes off dash lights go off, last for a sec. Then resumes to normal . This has happened several times now, while I have only owned this vehicle for a month. Today it happens again only worse ..after the initial thump and jerk it happens three more within 5 miles the last time I was going about 35 MPH, big thump and jerk, wipers comes on , radio goes off , all dash lights off ..no hazards available and I get several warnings on dash brake failure , SRS failure and anti skid failure. .I turn car off then back on and continue home...it happens again 5 minutes later at 15 MPH....I am reading many, many complaints like mine. This issue needs to be addressed asap. .I almost was rear ended twice. Volvo needs to take responsibility.

Filed Aug 4, 2014 · Brakes, Electrical · 155,000 miles · WA · crash

3 hours into a 3-1/2 hour weekend road trip there was a clunk in the engine compartment. Thinking I hit a pothole, I continued on cautiously. While continuing on these unfamiliar 2 lane windy roads going 43mph (the speed limit was 55) about 2 miles from where the clunk happened my entire dash cluster stopped working. All my dome lights and leg lights came on. The car clunked harder this time. I lost power to the engine, steering was like trying to turn a tank, and the brakes were very spongy. Still traveling on windy roads with large semi trucks behind me and cars passing by in the opposite lane I veered to the right to avoid being rear ended by a semi. Not being able to steer or stop as efficiently as before I coasted into a residents 2-3 man rock landscape traveling at about 5mph. I dented my front license plate and scratched the bumper. With my heart pounding, I turned the car off and got out to see the damage. I went to the residents home and told them my story. They were thankful my fianc and I were okay. Since I hit rock there was no damage done to their landscape. After 20 minutes I started the car. It was hesitant to start. The brake failure light was on for a few seconds then the SRS service warning light came on and stayed on. For the remainder of the weekend trip the car would lurch like the tranny was slipping. Especially after taking off from a stop light. It still clunks once in awhile but we only drive it around town. It's currently at a certified volvo specialist being serviced. This morning all lights stopped working and I couldn't get it out of the garage. The key stuck in the ignition. In conclusion, this mishap could have resulted in a serious injury or fatality. If every car of this make and model is doing this, they need to be recalled and repaired!

Filed Jun 18, 2014 · Airbags, Brakes · 90,000 miles · WA

While on the interstate at 60mph, experienced temporarily loss of power, the ip displays and an abnormal 'jerking' in the transmission/drivetrain. The SRS airbag and brake failure error messages appeared in the ip error display. The wipers momentarily came on. Lights dimmed. Power failure was only for a split-second (at 60mph) before returning to normal. After normal power was restored, error messages continued to be shown in the ip error display. The brake failure message instructed me to pull over and bring the vehicle to a safe stop. Upon bringing the vehicle to a safe stop and turning off ignition, I heard excessive electrical clicking under the dash (like relays clicking). All ip displays were non-responsive (dark). I locked the car (alarm armed) and later returned with a tow-truck. Upon return to the car, I was unable to unlock it or disarm the alarm. Car was unresponsive. Alarm was armed (unable to be disarmed) and the engine bypass feature of the alarm prevented me from starting the car. Could only gain entry into the car from the driver's side door with physical key. Car was placed in neutral and loaded onto a flatbed truck for tow back to volvo dealership. Temperature at time of failure was 110f.

Filed May 27, 2013 · Driver assistance, Electrical · 974,300 miles · GA

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.

Filed Aug 17, 2012 · Transmission · 86,000 miles · NY

The transmission is slipping. Engine revs and the transmission won't upshift...eventual gear change cause the vehicle to lurch forward a bit, with a loud thud heard. The vehicle also fails to move off from a stop on occasion...with the engine revving for a while before moving forward. Display message in the cluster: "transmission service urgent"...goes off and on for days at a time.

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.