The balancer bearing and shaft on the 2005 volvo xc90 SUV is defective in the first 6000 vehicles manufactured for that model year. The balancer shaft bearing can go bad at any time without warning, causing catastrophic engine damage. If this happens on a highway while traveling at a high rate of speed, the results could be deadly. Volvo north america is aware of this and does nothing to address this serious, potentially deadly situation. We have been working to get volvo of north america to recognize this issue and they have doing nothing to date except point to maintenance, which has no impact on the problem. There is no maintenance procedure to insure this does not happen and volvo will not pay for damages. The remedy in most cases is an engine replacement which costs about $15,000 , and as mentioned, volvo will not pay for it. Volvo must be forced to recall these vehicles and fix the problem and compensate owners who have been impacted. These vehicles must be recalled and the problem must be fixed before countless lives are put at risk by this ticking time bomb that will go off. At 70 miles an hour , a failed engine could lead to death. There are 6000 volvo xc90's with this problem. *tr the dealer diagnosed the problem as a complete engine failure due to the balancer becoming damaged and causing catastrophic engine failure. The consumer was informed it would cost $ 14,700 to replace the engine. Updated ivoq 03/09/12
2005 Volvo XC90 engine complaints
Page 3 of 3: complaints 41 to 69 of 69, newest first, as owners wrote them.
Tl* the contact owns a 2005 volvo xc90. While driving approximately 25 MPH, the contact heard a loud noise emitting from the front end of the vehicle. Immediately there was a slight loss of engine power during acceleration. The malfunction progressed and the vehicle was towed to an authorized dealer who stated the engine would need to be replaced as a result to the engine balance shaft fracturing. The vehicle had not been repaired. The manufacturer was made aware of the problem. The approximate failure mileage was 60,000.
Heard loud ticking noise coming from engine at 86330k miles. Vehicle ride became somewhat rough. Diagnosed at volvo dealership as balance shaft bearing "part failure". Est. To fix: ~$3800. Volvo agreed to compensate for the parts, approx $1500. Balance of $2325.50 paid by vehicle owner. Took 1 week for volvo to obtain parts as they are not commonly stocked or were back ordered. On line research revealed this to have been a problem with early 2005 xc90 v8's. Water/condensation/vapor is able to get in and rust the bearing leading to engine failure. A tsb was issued (? When) for a fix to drill a "weeping hole" in engine block to drain water from the bearing.
Purchased used 2005 volvo xc90 in spring of 2010. During the next year experienced very intermittent electrical issues. Examples are locks not working, blinker, radio. These issues literally only happened a couple times. In april 2011 had biyearly safety and emissions done at local dealership (non volvo) and it did not pass emissions. Next day took my volvo xc90 to weiss volvo and it passed emissions (without me knowing they cleared errors on the car to get it to pass. This must be the reason in europe that dealerships can't inspect their own make of cars) on july 17 2011 I was driving down the highway with my 1 year old in the back seat. Radio went out. A few minutes later almost everything in the car shut down except for the engine. Lost A/C (it was 110 that day), lost power steering, braking was intermittent, no blinkers, no headlights, no lights in interior, while I was at full speed on the highway. I am not sure if engine was intermittent or not because I got off as soon as I could. I was very close to weiss volvo so dropped it off there again on the date of the total failure. Called volvo customer care on july 18 2011 to file complaint. Weiss volvo called back and told us car wouldn't start. Called back later in the day and said they saw that everything went out and car was full of codes. Weiss sent in an estimate for $1500 to replace ECM. I asked weiss to perform an emissions test (by mo law manufacturer's cars must pass emissions test up to 80k miles and my car had 61k) I researched ECM and found very similar stories to mine and brought this up to volvo na. Volvo na told weiss volvo to "reset" my car (again without my permission). The car then was functional after reset. Weiss then "tested" my car for almost 3 weeks to figure out the design flaw for a total of 451 miles. The mechanic told me it was the ECM but volvo na said it was various other reasons and wouldn't replace it. Car still broke. Reached limit.
1.july 8, 2011. 2005 volvo xc90 balance shaft broke off within car engine. Heard a loud sound coming from car engine, and lost a great deal of power while driving on highway. 2.further damage to the vehicle engine could have been done due to accelerating to get of the highway in order to avoid a collision from vehicles coming from behind. This was a scary life and dangerous experience. 3.volvo having explained what created the problem to date. The engine will have to be pulled out and almost re-built at a cost to almost $8500.00 extended warranty I paid $4,100 for is not covering full cost. I am responsible for over $2000 + cost of car rentals to date. July 28, 2011, car is still with volvo.
1. Heard marble noises underhood after 56,000 miles of normal driving. Well maintained. 2. Balance shaft bearing broke apart and put out metal shards between cylinder heads. Loud metallic noise from engine. Vehicle was shut down immediately after pulling over to avoid engine destruction and traffic accident due to halted vehicle. Had to be towed. 3. Balance shaft bearing is being replaced. Old part (in pieces) available for analysis.
I have a 2005 volvo xc90 v8 the car has been developing a shake, I brought it to volvo for a check up, nothing was reported as unusual. Yesterday I heard knocking in the engine and immediately flatbedded it to the dealership, the went to diagnose and the engine has froze. The dealer is researching and explained it is out of warranty with a new engine costing $14,000.00, reading other bulletins I suspect this is a counterbalance shaft bearing failure and is occurring with all 2005 v8 xc90's as they increase in age and exit any warranty period. I hope someone can do something, a new engine cost as much as it's trade-in value. Such a know issue should be investigated with volvo picking up the cost.
Tl*the contact owns a 2005 volvo xc90. The contact stated while driving 30 MPH the vehicle shut off without warning. The contact had the vehicle towed to a local mechanic. The mechanic notice the timing chain broke causing the engine to lock up. The mechanic stated the engine needs to replaced. The mechanic replaced the engine. The contact notice numerous complaint regarding engine malfunctions for this year make and model. The contact called the manufacturer and the manufacturer stated since the vehicle has not been serviced at a dealer they are not responsible for the repairs. The contact stated if the vehicle was on the highway and the engine failed a crash could have occurred. The failure mileage was 75,000.
2005 xc90 v8. Power reduction, engine noise, engine failure due to defective rear counter balance shaft bearing. Failure at 35,000 miles on engine, 4 yr old, dealer serviced. Long block replaced while under extended 7-yr warranty. By dealer. Total repair cost (w/o warranty) would have been $15,000.
Out of the blue a well-maintained and well cared for 2005 volvo xc90 v8 SUV developed a severe engine knocking/banging sound (all service records completed at required time periods). Actually sounded like ball bearings rolling around inside the engine compartment. 58,000 miles on the vehicle. Engine was shut down immediately and vehicle flatbedded to the service dealer. Upon inspection, the counterbalance bearing and shaft failed. If engine had not been shut down there was a very real possibility of the bearing seizing and the shaft hits the inside of the engine block breaking the timing chain bending all the valves(I.e. Catastrophic engine failure)! As the manufacturer, volvo should bear the full monetary responsibility when it come to this repair. A serious design flaw in their engine is the cause of this failure. The service tech must tear you engine apart (literally remove the engine from the vehicle and open the engine block!) to properly complete the repair. Volvo should be picking up the entire cost of this fiasco. Parts and labor. Period. To date volvo making owners pay for the replacement parts. The parts are between $1200-2000. It is not the correct way for a so-called 'quality automobile manufacturer' to handle the situation. When customers pay $45000-$55,000 for an automobile, they expect the car (and the engine!) to last a wee longer than 55,000-75,000 miles (sarcasm intended). Frankly, this will be my last volvo.
Safety complaint 'second occurrence same vehicle - sudden vehicle disabled ' 2005 volvo xc90 v8 ' february 2011 153,000 miles. Daughter with learner permit driving down busy urban road and vehicle suddenly stopped without warning in the right of way. Vehicle had to be pushed to side of road second counterbalance shaft bearing failure. This failure occurred on the replaced engine from the prior occurrence ' see complaint number 10392958. This engine had 77,000 miles at time of failure. The timing chain had not broken and the balancer shaft, idler gear could be replaced and engine repaired after the engine had to be removed - $3,000 repair. Volvo would not cover any cost even though a product bulletin was put out. Vehicle always serviced by volvo dealer and no mention ever made of potential for failure or the bulletin. Research now indicates this to be a common problem for this model year configuration. We have purchased another brand due to safety concern, failure to provide service by the dealer and failure of volvo to acknowledge any responsibility. The % of 2005 volvo xc 90 v8 vehicles with this safety issue and engine failure rate needs to be analyzed. Please review and initiate an investigation.
Safety complaint - sudden vehicle disabled ? 2005 volvo xc90 v8 ? June 2010 130000 miles. Wife was driving busy urban road and vehicle suddenly stopped without warning in the middle of the intersection. Vehicle had to be pushed from middle of intersection. Counterbalance shaft bearing failure. The timing chain had broken and the engine had a catastrophic failure. Repay was $10,000 with a used 60,000 mile engine installed. Volvo would not cover any cost even though a product bulletin was put out. Vehicle always serviced by dealer and no mention ever made of potential for failure or the bulletin.
Tl* the contact owns a 2005 volvo xc90. While driving approximately 30 MPH, the contact began to hear a knocking noise coming from the engine. The vehicle was taken to an authorized dealer where the contact was told that the bearing and cam shafts would need to be replaced. The vehicle was repaired. The failure mileage was 126,000 and the current mileage was 128,000.
2005 volvo xc90 counter balance shaft broke and seized engine. Only 68,000 miles and a well maintained vehicle! Volvo refuses to take any responsibility for this poorly designed system. Quoted $16,850 plus tax for remanufactured unit. Incidentally, just this past sept also had to replace oil cooler, thermostat and expansion tank when the vehicle broke down as were driving through virginia. This is another well documented issue with this vehicle!
Counterbalance shaft bearing failure at 113,000 miles luckily failure happened on the way to the repair shop. If this would have taken place on the highway my wife and kids could have been seriously injured. Volvo knows this is an issue or would not have released a technical service bulletin on ways to remedy the problem by drilling weep holes in the block to shed moisture. The trapped moisture causes the bearing to rust and finally fail causing catastrophic engine failure. Volvo has offered a mere $3,000.00 to correct a $15,000.00 problem. I have read numerous testimonies from other 2005 xc-90 owners with engine failure always from the failed counterbalance shaft bearing. How do we force volvo to issue a recall before someone gets seriously injured.
2005 xc90 v8-many problems with check engine light coming on and car losing power. Lost power on interstate-car would lose power and speed-needed tow-happened twice. Current issue check engine light came on followed by all lights coming on stating brake failure, power overload, limp mode and brake failure. Dealer replaced alternator at cost of $1006. 10 days later check engine light and anti skid light came on followed by brake failure light. Car lost headlights and windshield wipers-9 pm and sleeting. Dealer now says need to replace cem and battery at a cost of $3,000 due to water in cem. It was raining or sleeting both times the check engine light came on. Volvo redesigned the cover to prevent water intrusion but needs to issue recall. Very dangerous- ticking time bomb. Someone will have an accident on rainy night on interstate. Please consider requiring recall-owners of this vehicle are spending thousands of dollars due to volvo xc90 v8 design flaws. How can volvo be allowed to sell vehicles that should not be driven outside/or in the rain.
Balance shaft failure on 2005 volvo xc90 v8 with 115k miles. Unbelievable that volvo will not issue a recall for this. Balance shaft failed today at just under 115k miles... Unbelievable... And I thought it was just an internet rumor. If you have a 2005 xc90, sell it now! Seriously, this is unacceptable for a $50,000 vehicle, and even more unacceptable for volvo not to issue a recall. Needless to say, I seriously doubt we will ever buy another volvo again simply because they should have issued a recall for this problem. Should have stuck with the germans (audi or bmw), or dare I say it the japanese, or even the americans! I can replace a lot of wheel bearings on a yukon for what this balance shaft is going to cost me. Volvo needs to make it right with every owner of a 2005 xc90. Volvo knows of this problem and that is why they issued a tsb to drill a drain hole in the block, but they need to step up and issue a recall or, at the very least if an owner comes into the dealership with this problem, they need to fix it at no charge. It was their mistake, own up to it and fix it!
October 10, 2010 purchased cash 2005 xc90 v8. Went through safety and emission service for registration-- okay. October 22 heard a strange noise from engine, called volvo dealership to request service. Didn't drive on october 23, 2010. On sunday, october 24, went out to move the car for opposite side parking and to gas up for drive to service center. Car stopped at service station, and had to be towed to dealership. Dealership diagnostics october 25, 2010 confirmed: noise is from either broken connecting rod or balance shaft....advice to customer "needs engine" at a cost of $14,000+. The car did not come with a warranty and even now the dealer is becoming increasingly evasive--as he says he was the owner/dealer at the time of sale, and as individual seller registered in another state and not new york, so does not have to honor warranty or assume responsibility. Call volvo north america on october 26, 2010 with no knowledge of our ownership, (still haven't received title to car). Response was --no warranty no assistance with this counter balance or any other issue beyond 4 year/50,000 miles. Concern: before purchase when asking the dealer no mention nor when researched no revelation of the counterbalance shaft being an ongoing issue for the 2005 xc90 v8. However, further evidence clearly shows design flaws in the original yamaha engines, and a slight covert attempt by volvo to fix it via its limited edition technical service bulletin(tsb) to drill the hole in the shaft to let build up moisture escape. Additionally, volvo's second attempt to slightly address the counter balance issue is evidenced via its limited and pay-to-get tsb informing dealerships not consumers 'of not washing the engine,' which may lead to moisture build up and total engine failure. Our attempts are now being made for volvo to maintain its slogan of "safety for life." we want the safety attribute to be effective and useful when the car is operable, and not when the car is inoperable.
Counterbalance shaft bearings breakdown in nov 2009 and had repairs done at independent repair shop; august 2010 cylinder head leak/crack which brings oil to water coolant. Repair shop advised to get rid of car 2005 xc 90 v8 volvo. I am fearful of driving this car. To repair and replace engine and new transmission too much $$$ for this volvo. With no guarantee. Volvo needs to own up to the bad quality of this particular model. I feel it is dangerous to drive with so many cars on the road. It's an accident waiting to happen.
2005 volvo xc90 t6, transmission failed after 64k miles. Transmission failed at highway speeds nearly causing an accident as the vehicle slowed unexpectedly on i95 in heavy traffic. Transmission failed after a program upgrade 3 weeks earlier. Transmission was slipping and transmission service light appeared causing the vehicle to be towed to the dealer. Dealer unable to find any fault codes but upgraded the software, "hoping this fixes it..." after complete failure, vehicle taken on flatbed to don beyer volvo who diagnosed failure as a "transmission failure" the dealership offered to replace transmission and several other parts at no cost.
Volvo xc90 2005 v8 - counter balance shaft failure leading to total engine failure and requiring engine replacement.
Counter balance bearing failed at 55,504 miles. Non-greased bearing failure, caused by rusting, due to moisture build up inside of engine chamber. Vehicle had all required service done a volvo dealerships. Engine was repaired not replaced, for a cost of $5000.00. Repair work was done at volvo dealership. Volvo mechanic drilled weeping hole in chamber where counter balance shaft sits to allow water caused by moisture build up to escape. Drilling weeping hole was part of a tech bulletin issued by volvo. V8 engines for the xc90 produced in 2005 did not initially have this weeping hole in them. This design change was implemented part way through the production year (I believe post engine #6833). Letter was written to the ceo of volvo cars of n.a. Llc and representative from his office refused to provide any support, stating that the vehicle in question was out of warranty and that there were no recalls with regards to this issue. Info provided to volvo from swedespeed.com (see odi id #10313311), however, this was rejected by volvo as a non-valid source of information (their own customers!). The repair job to replace the cb shaft and bearing was over 30 hours, not to mention the parts cost. What will it take volvo to admit there is a problem here and issue a recall to replace bearings and drill weeping holes in their 2005 xc90's with v8 engines? Considering the cost they will incur, I'd suggest they will need to be pushed. The cost of engine repair is ($5,000) and engine replacement ($15,000+). All bearing failures outside of warranty are falling on the shoulders of the consumer. Recalls are about safety not cost to the manufacture. Just because this problem may only be linked to the 2005 v8 engines doesn't mean it is not important enough to be addressed for not only consumer financial protection but also for safety reasons. Thankfully my engine didn't fail while my family was driving on a busy interstate!
Ungreased bearing failing on 2005 v8 volvo xc90 a balance shaft bearing is failing due to the fact that the bearing is not greased and water can enter into the bearing cavity and make it rust. Once this happens, it can produce a total engine failure, and besides the fact the engine is totally compromised and needs replacement, it would obviously impair the ability to drive the vehicle, especially at highway speeds. This particular car has an engine with only 60k miles, serviced regularly and with the last major service performed at a volvo dealer at about 50k miles. The car has been driven very lightly and it only has made about 10k miles in about two years. Here is in summary what I found about this: -the bearing that is failing is not lubricated (so nothing to do with oil in this case), and it fails due to the fact that water and/or humidity gets to it, by washing the engine(?) ' never did that anyway - or by the car just sitting in a lot.. -there is a volvo bulletin that details what needs to be done, including drilling a weeping hole into the engine block to drain water; this shows that the problem is acknowledged and a fix has been put into place; it also shows that there is significant number of vehicles out there that have the same issue. -this seems to be a very common problem with this type of engine and year (2005 xc90, v8 engine, engine series less than #6800) ' I have pointed out a few threads below that mention the same issue. Given all the reasons enumerated above, I am asking for an evaluation of this issue and I really feel volvo should recognize this as a design problem, issue a recall and step up to fix this issue. Here are some pointers to different articles discussing this: http://forums.swedespeed.com/zerothread?id=132172 http://forums.swedespeed.com/zerothread?id=123707 http://forums.swedespeed.com/zerothread?id=126698 http://forums.swedespeed.com/zerothread?id=123707 http://www.v70xc.com/forums/showthread.php?p=104935.
Tl*the contact owns a 2005 volvo xc90. While driving 45 MPH, he heard a loud noise. He shut the engine off and had the vehicle towed to a mechanic. He was told by the mechanic that the rear bearing needed to be replaced because there was no oil getting to the bearing (by design). He called the manufacturer and was informed that they could not assist him. The vehicle was being repaired when the complaint was filed. The current mileage was 76,431. The failure mileage was approximately 76,380.
I am the owner of a 2005 xc90 volvo with 79,000 miles on it and the transmission has failed and needs to be replaced. My car broke down on a busy interstate and I barely evaded a catastrophic accident when the trans failed and my vehicle came to an abrupt stop (endangering the life of my family of 7 traveling in the car). This common problem in the 2005 xc90's automatic transmissions are well documented throughout the internet by volvo owners. Additionally, shredded metal reached the radiator and other coolant departments that also now need to be replaced. The total cost of repairing the damage caused is $6,700.00. I bought this car to provide my family a secure vehicle while I am deployed. I expected the vehicle to last at least to 100,000 miles. The car is only 4 years old and already needs the transmission replaced.. I contacted volvo and it is taking them a long time to get back to me. My car is sitting at a repair shop while I wait for a phone call to see if they will help cover the costs or not. A volvo technical support representative admitted to me that they are aware that this is a common problem with the 2005 model but are not saying that they would cover the expenses or initiate a recall, rather she said that they would "see" if they could assist me in some way. Again, I have not heard from them and continue to call but have not made any progress with them. After doing some research it is obvious that many volvo owners of the xc90 2005 are having the same problem and this needs to be addressed by the federal safety agency so that volvo is held accountable for a faulty product that has been clearly documented. There are thousands of posts on various forums detailing similar experiences. Volvo has done nothing to address this irrefutable problem. What is the federal safety agency doing to force volvo to initiate a recall?
Tl* the contact owns a 2005 volvo xc90. The bearings that were installed are steel. The bearings have deteriorated because they are not greased.. The vehicle was taken to the dealer for inspection. He was advised that the engine needed to be replaced at an expense of $16,000. The manufacturer has not been contacted. The failure mileage was 67,000.
I have a 2005 volvo xc90 t6 with 71000 miles on it. On 7/23/09 the transmission began to "slip" and I took it to the volvo dealership on 7/24/09 for them to diagnose the problem. The transmission on this 4 year old vehicle need to be replaced at a cost of $5,300.00. Volvo has been aware of the problem and so far has not owned up to responsibility. The transmission slips in low gears and upon acceleration. It is a safety issues because if the transmission slips while merging onto the highway it could cause an accident or at any other time for that matter. It is a very common problem and volvo should make this a recall to protect the safety of their customers but thus far there has been no recall. The transmission is on back order for 1 - 2 months which is completely unacceptable from any consumer or safety standpoint.
The heater pipes that go through the firewall have corroded in less than 2 years and north point volvo wants a $1,000.00 to take of the dash and replace this part on the heater which in and of itself is only a $40.00 part. This pipe should not be defective on a car that's less than two years old. Poor quality!!!!!!!!!!
The vehicle was bought back in 10/31/04. Within weeks of having the vehicle, we noticed lost of power and performances if the vehicle. We called the dealer about it and said that it might just be due to the gas cap. As it turned out they had to replace a solenoid which part of the starter or some type of firing mechanism for the engine. After that problem was fixed, we had to continually bring the vehicle back to the dealer for the check engine constantly coming on. This went on for numerous times until they found a relay problem. Last friday my wife, who primarily drives the car, complained about the performance and lost of power issue. I test drove the vehicle and confirmed her worries about the vehicle. The vehicle does not accelerate properly and a sudden jerk or rise of RPM when it hits its mark. Also around 60 MPH and 70 MPH you can hear obvious noise from the engine. At idle for about a minute you can smell something burning in the engine compartment. The vehicle will be taken to dealer on 10/17/06.
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