Tl* the contact owns a 2005 volvo xc90. Ever since the vehicle was purchased in november of 2018, there had been several electrical failures. The headlights, power door locks, and power rearview mirror failed to operate. Also, the transmission caused the vehicle to jerk and stall while driving. The contact took the vehicle to an unknown volvo dealer, but they refused to provide diagnostic testing and stated that there was no recall or warranty coverage on the vehicle. The manufacturer was not contacted. The failure mileage was 14,042.
2005 Volvo XC90 transmission problems
62 complaints (28% of all complaints for this car). Typical mileage when it fails: 71,000.
- owner complaints
- 62
- of this car's complaints
- 28%
- typical mileage
- 71,000
- crashes
- 0
- recalls
- 0
Which part fails
- Automatic transmission38
- Transfer case (4-wheel drive)3
- Manual transmission1
- Driveline1
At what mileage
Complaints by mileage at the time of the problem.
Volvo XC90 transmission problems in other years
Specific symptoms reported on the 2005 Volvo XC90 transmission
Phrases found in the owners' own descriptions, so one complaint can mention several symptoms.
Related recalls
No recalls on record for this model year.
What 2005 Volvo XC90 owners say
Most recent owner complaints, unedited.
In december of 2016, at approximately 95000 mileage, the "service transmission urgent" message and light came on and the car stopped functioning and making loud clanging and rattling noises. The car was taken back to "infinity of memphis" dealership where it was purchased with an extended warranty. The dealership asked us to contact "volvo cars of north america" for defective transmission, which we did, but volvo refused to honor our claim stating the car was too old, even though it was under the 100000 mile warranty. The car was taken to "volvo of memphis" dealership, which contacted volvo manufacturer and infinity of memphis dealership, and informed us that the extended warranty would pay $5000 maximum towards a new transmission, cost of which was 8000$, and we would have to pay the rest out-of-pocket, about 3000$. The other option was to put a refurbished transmission at aamco for 3000$, cost of which would be covered by the extended warranty. We elected the latter, since there was no out-of-pocket cost. At this time, we were told the "check engine" light and other messages would be gone, once the car was fixed. However, the "check engine" light continues to remain on. Additional complaints were filed, but aamco, volvo of memphis and infinity of memphis claim it is unrelated to the transmission problem. A letter was sent to volvo cars of north america llc, attached below, but volvo refused to look into our problem saying the car was too old. I spoke with a volvo rep over the phone with no resolution. We would like for volvo to install a new transmission in our vehicle, as numerous forums and online sites have people complaining about defective volvo transmissions in these earlier models.
Tl* the contact owns a 2005 volvo xc90. While driving 40 MPH, the vehicle stalled. There were no warning indicators illuminated. The contact was unable to restart the vehicle and it was towed to the contact's home. The vehicle was not diagnosed or repaired. The manufacturer was not notified of the failure. The failure mileage was 140,000.
We was comming from texas visitng our family back to mississippi our tranmission starting slipping we was told that we had to have another tranmission this will make two transmisson we had to replace. In motion
4x4 awd system is not working, car spinning with the front wheels,very dangerous in winter time.angle gear sleeve which is stripped out. Very common problem with xc90 2.5t. Parts and labor close to 1000.00.
This is a 2005 volvo that has a history of transmission failure in all cars of this model and year. If one googles the model and make of this car one will find forum after forum of people who have had to replace these failed transmissions before or shortly after warranty is up. The dealers and services have largely put this item which should have been a recall issue on to the customer. My transmission failed when trying to accelerate on to a freeway. I was nearly in a likely fatal collision due to the transmission failing to go out of 2nd gear. There was a class action suit surrounding this issue in this model , but few volvo owners were notified of it. Please help us and demand that volvo recall these cars, repay for failed transmissions and lost value of the cars......one cannot even give them away no and these were 45k$ cars!!!!!!!!!!furious.
Transmission completely failed. This was the 2nd transmission, as the first one failed at 45000 miles. I had to replace the transmission at a cost of $6000. Rebuilding failed trans was slightly cheaper but not worth it. I understand there is a class action lawsuit, but was settled before my transmission failed.
Tl* the contact owns a 2005 volvo xc90. While driving approximately 55 MPH, the vehicle stalled without warning. The contact stated that the transmission failed and the instrument panel dimmed temporarily. The contact disconnected the battery cable to reset the vehicle and managed to restart the vehicle. The failure occurred multiple times. An independent mechanic stated that the central electric module malfunctioned which prevents the vehicle from draining water properly during rainy conditions. The vehicle was not repaired. The VIN was unavailable. The approximate failure mileage was 165,000.
Known transmission defect with this model has manifested itself in my vehicle. Car began lurching when accelerating and transitioning into the next gear while attempting to merge onto a busy interstate highway. Dealer diagnosed the problem and states that the transmission needs to be replaced. Apparently volvo has acknowledged this defect with the power-train and in 2012 agreed to settle a class action lawsuit with regards to this problem. This fact however only impacts those who previously paid to have this problem fixed. Still no recall regarding this potentially hazardous issue for those currently impacted. All vehicles equipped with their original transmissions need to be recalled (2003, 2004 and 2005).
While driving back from work the passenger low beam went out. I bought a new bulb and the light still did not work l then checked. The wiring going into the headlight and there was no power for the low beam how does this happen it was bad enough I had to replace the whole transmission just 3months ago and now this I also read nonlinear they had problems with the trannys.
Questions about the 2005 Volvo XC90 transmission
Does the 2005 Volvo XC90 have transmission problems?
Owners have filed 62 complaints about the transmission of the 2005 Volvo XC90, 28% of all its complaints.
At what mileage do 2005 Volvo XC90 transmission problems start?
The typical (median) mileage in owner complaints is 71,000 miles.
Was there a recall on the 2005 Volvo XC90 transmission?
There is no recall for this problem on this model year.
What year does the Volvo XC90 have bad transmission?
The Volvo XC90 model years with the most transmission complaints are 2004 (145 complaints), 2005 (62 complaints) and 2003 (49 complaints).
Is there a class action lawsuit over the Volvo XC90?
Yes. New class action says Volvo's Google-based infotainment screens freeze and take climate and rearview camera with them (November 9, 2026).
Other 2005 Volvo XC90 problems
Engine 69Electrical 51Fuel system 33Lights 26Steering 8Visibility 7Tires 6Driver assistance 5Acceleration 4Airbags 4Body 4Brakes 3Locks 2Suspension 2Wheels 1
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