Xc 90 T6 Transmission, pos/neg experience and feedback from volvo ? Options

[bakkie]

hey !

just bought a xc90 T6 and yes have transmission problems.
After reading all the items on difr. volvo forums I was wondering if there where owners with no problems and what would be the best to avoid ( as much as possible) these tranny issues.
Could imaging tranny flush every 50.000 km or so and non aggressive driving?.

Has any one taken the route of communicating with volvo about this problem ? ( any luck ?)

Does any one know if the repaired tranny's are stronger then the original ones ? , because of the upgraded parts from GM. This was told by one of the repair / revision shops here in the netherlands


TKS !

[jent]

Hey - Just thought i would reply to you and the many others with 2005 XC-90 T6 tranny problems. I too have just experienced a faulty transmission the other night and "transmission service urgent" appeared. I had it towed to the local volvo dealer b/c it was locked in 4th gear / 'limp mode". At first, they assured me it probably need a fluid flush or may have been a computer error that was impacting "driveability' but I was bracing myslef for the worst after reading up on this transmission issue in this vehicle. Well, it was the worst. I was also prepared to let volvo know that I was aware that this was a very common issue and that it should be a recall. My car has only 60,000 miles on it and is no longer under warranty. However, I did not have to fight that battle. The local Volvo shop contact Volvo Corp. and Volvo is willing to pay 100% of the cost. The local service rep said they have seen a handful of these tranny problem since the fall and are beginning to see this as a defect in the transmissions in these vehicles. Seems like Volvo Corp is realizing it as well. Thank goodness for me! They are also replacing the radiator and cooling system b/c they found debris in the radiator when they dropped the pan. Again, Volvo Corp is taking care of this! So for all of you out there with a similar issue, thought this may be helpful info.

[ccc]

I don't know if its a general experience, but on my 2004 T6, t1 lasted approx 30k miles, t2 was supposed to be an enhanced and stronger transmission, 15k miles later, it was time for t3. Perhaps there is more then one failure mode for the transmission but the enhancments didn't seem to help much. Overall, Volvo was pretty responsive and took care of the problem but I think its on a case by case basis so your results may vary.

[greeneinc]

I bought an 03 XC90 back in August 2006 and the vehicle had issues with the rack, steering linkage, rear suspension, turbos, wheel bearings and motor mounts but they were all covered under warranty. Well yesterday at 8:08am while taking the kids to school the transmission failed and I mean failed instantly. All of a sudden the engine revved, the transmission made clunking grinding sounds and all forward momentum was lost. To make things even worse the CPO Warranty expired 12/31/08. I had the vehicle towed to the dealership and searched the internet and found thousands of people with problems for the XC90 T6 from 03 to 05 and I fell into that catagory. The dealer called later that afternoon stating that the transmission, radiator and axle need to be replaced to the tune of $6700. Seeing this is the first time that the transmission failed and we have 83k miles, we were caught out in left field. Also we took excellent care of our Volvos and followed the routine maintenance schedule to a tee. We also never beat on the vehicle so the instant failure was quite odd.

The gm transmission is definitely a problem and it is only time before you experience a catastrophic failure. My family is very blessed because the dealer called a few minutes ago and stated that after fighting for us with the Volvo Regional Rep, we are going to have everything replaced for a grand total of $170.

Once everything is replaced, we are going to save up our money and get another Volvo and it will not be a 2003 through 2005 XC90 T6.

My advice, stay away from the XC90 T6 with a 10 foot pole.

[WRAiTHY]

I just had to fight the battle to get my 03 XC90 T6 tranny replaced by the dealer. At first, they wouldnt do anything for me and my extended warranty balked as well because of all the complaints with the transmissions and some of the parts were not covered. I ended up calling Volvo NA and they put me in contact with the GM at my local dealer and he had the area rep approve the repair. 99% free. I had to pay for an alignment which was not covered. My suggestion is to stay away from the T6's until Volvo issues an official recall (there are hundreds of complaints if you google xc90 transmissions).

[kanguru]

Hey everyone. I live in New England and bought a used 2004 XC90 T6 about 3 years ago (mid-2006). When I bought it, it had about 31,000 miles on it. Currently, I'm up to about 93,300 miles (mostly highway miles) on it and I haven't experienced any issues with my transmission... (yet?). It's been great to me since I bought it. Anyway, having read a lot of posts on the transmission issues that others have experienced with their XC90 T6s and the cost to fix it, I can't help but to be a little concerned. The last thing that I would want is to have my T6 die on the road somewhere with my kids in the back-seat... and $4-5K is a ton of money for repairs. That's practically half it's KBB value at the moment. Questions/Opinions... How do these transmission issues occur? Is it a given that it WILL die on me sooner or later? If not, how can I prevent these transmission issues or prolong it's life? Worse case... should I dump my T6 while it's transmission is still working (to avoid future repair costs) for a new vehicle? Or should I not worry and push my luck some more? Thanks for any feedback.

[jwags]

We are a two currently a two Volvo family but will never buy one again based upon recent experience with the company. In February, with just over 80,000 miles on our 2004 XC90, the transmission went out. I took it to Borton Volvo in Minneapolis. The Service Advisor said they would not repair the transmission but could replace it for $4,500. He suggested that I take it to a specific local transmission shop to see if they could “fix” it. The shop he recommended was able to repair it but it still cost $4,100. According to the other posts I've read here and elsewhere, these transmission problems are not uncommon on this car.

Less than two months later, I noticed that the XC90 had an oil leak. I, again, took it to Borton Volvo and was told the car would need a new head gasket and that the repair would cost $4,000. Now $8,000 in repairs in less than two months was more than I could take. I contacted Volvo of North America. I dealt with a very pleasant woman there who I genuinely believe was trying to help. After several weeks of trying to assist me, she called and said Volvo was unwilling to make any concession on the repair bills. She said they might have helped with the transmission repair if it had been repaired by Volvo. I told her it was the Volvo Service Advisor who suggested I take the car elsewhere to be fixed in the first place. She said she was sorry but there was nothing else she could do.

We bought our Volvos because of their reputation for safety and their supposed reliability. It’s unfortunate the company will not stand behind one of its products for one of its loyal customers.

I urge XC90 owners to continue to let Volvo know you're dissatisfied. The woman I spoke with at Volvo headquarters told me she has heard a lot of complaints about this issue. Volvo has a corporate Facebook page as do many of its dealers. Post your concerns there for all to see. Perhaps then they will take this matter seriously.
John

[jcomensk]

Well all this is fine and dandy. I have an 04 T6 with 125,550 miles and am just about to take it to the dealer for the dreaded $4500 repair for a new transmission. Are these still the GM transmissions? I was initially bringing it in because I had the "Transmission service-Urgent" warning light on. The repair tech said said a code appeared meaning that "Gear 4 ratio is not correct". However, the tech couldn't find anything with the fluid that would indicate the transmission was burning up, but he did say at this mileage that failure was imminent. How can they tell this? They reset the warning indicator and I left. I am driving it now and it feels like it's slipping and not engaging smoothly so I scheduled the repair. I drive for my job and don't want to be stranded in Maine or upstate NY . Heck, I felt a little better after I talked him down 10% and a free courtesy vehicle for the time it's in repair. After reading these posts, what should I do? Is there even a chance they'll pay more or most of the costs even if it's not under warranty?

[DAGr8]

Hi all first post here , here I go tranny problems on a T6 04 XC90 , mine has 150 000 km so had it rebuild , someone is doin it for me for less then 3000 tax incl. was wondering if i should get the software update on it will it really insure longevity , the garage will give me a yr warranty on it tho , I am still very happy with my purchase, it is a very handy vehicule and the tranny problems are worth the car of course mine did not brake twice within 100 000 km .

[jcomensk]

Well all this is fine and dandy. I have an 04 T6 with 125,550 miles and am just about to take it to the dealer for the dreaded $4500 repair for a new transmission. Are these still the GM transmissions? I was initially bringing it in because I had the "Transmission service-Urgent" warning light on. The repair tech said said a code appeared meaning that "Gear 4 ratio is not correct". However, the tech couldn't find anything with the fluid that would indicate the transmission was burning up, but he did say at this mileage that failure was imminent. How can they tell this? They reset the warning indicator and I left. I am driving it now and it feels like it's slipping and not engaging smoothly so I scheduled the repair. I drive for my job and don't want to be stranded in Maine or upstate NY . Heck, I felt a little better after I talked him down 10% and a free courtesy vehicle for the time it's in repair. After reading these posts, what should I do? Is there even a chance they'll pay more or most of the costs even if it's not under warranty?

Replying to my own post. After some wrangling with Volvo North America, I had the initial bill of 4500 reduced 1700 dollars, which was half the cost of the replacement transmission part. Better than nothing. Now I at least get a year warranty, unlimited miles. My business I drive 50K per year...I recommend anybody who is getting repairs at VOLVO dealer, to try contacting Volvo North America first. You never know if you can get any assistance.

[TMiller]

I have a 2004 T6 with 116,000 miles on it. For the last few months we have been experiencing "hesitation issues". We have already spent several thousand to flush the transmission, change the timing belt, clean the throttle body, upgrade the software etc.. all at the request of Volvo in an attempt to correct. This week the "service transmission urgent" light came on. Volvo is now saying we need to replace the transmission, radiator and front axle for upwards of $7K.

We have contacted Volvo North America and the dealership, both are saying because we have 100K+ miles they won't assist us in anyway. Based on comments on the forum and others I have now spoken to with this issue, it certainly appears this is a known issue and an inevitability with this model.

Has anyone had any luck negotiating with Volvo? Please advise, having to spend $10K this year to fix a known issue is beyond upsetting. I am a lifelong Volvo driver, can't believe they feel this is acceptable. I feel duped by the service department for attempting all these other things, this seems like a fairly well known issue.

[jcomensk]

I have a 2004 T6 with 116,000 miles on it. For the last few months we have been experiencing "hesitation issues". We have already spent several thousand to flush the transmission, change the timing belt, clean the throttle body, upgrade the software etc.. all at the request of Volvo in an attempt to correct. This week the "service transmission urgent" light came on. Volvo is now saying we need to replace the transmission, radiator and front axle for upwards of $7K.

We have contacted Volvo North America and the dealership, both are saying because we have 100K+ miles they won't assist us in anyway. Based on comments on the forum and others I have now spoken to with this issue, it certainly appears this is a known issue and an inevitability with this model.

Has anyone had any luck negotiating with Volvo? Please advise, having to spend $10K this year to fix a known issue is beyond upsetting. I am a lifelong Volvo driver, can't believe they feel this is acceptable. I feel duped by the service department for attempting all these other things, this seems like a fairly well known issue.

I had to go to the Volvo website to get the email address, where I basically stated that I felt this issue was a known defect. Highlight the fact you are a lifetime Volvo owner/driver. I was not. This is my first Volvo. I had 120k when I brought it in for a fixed transmission. The email will take about 5-days to get a reply. Put your phone number in the email. I will get my check tomorrow. I live in NY (Albany) and was suprised to get anything. Even the service guy said he'd never seen anyone over 100K get assistance. I didn't do anything special with language, and I'm not a lawyer, so maybe it just got read by the right person. my email is funnyguy34@msn.com if you want to reply.

[tks]

I have a 2003 Xc90 t-6 bought used 11/2003 with 10k miles. Trans had been replaced. Now have 103k and no problems. Just flushed trans and replaced with GM fluid. My mechanic said if the fluid looks good its ok to do. If fluid is spent or smelly leave it alone. He charged me about $200.00 to do the work. My mechanic is a volvo specialist and used to work at a dealer until he went into business for himself.

[tbills]

I just bought an '07 XC90 with 60k miles on it and got the warranty to 100k miles.
Is the tranny issue on just the '03 to '06 years?
Should I be worried?
Do you think I should bring it up at the dealer where I bought it now just in case?

[Deeks]

tbills This issue only affects XC-90 T6 models (twin turbo inline 6) they say AWD T6 on the tailgate. These transmission are a POS created by General Motors (4T65) No amount of trans flushing will save your butts on this one. GM's history of quality transmissions exec. T350/400 ,700R4 and 4T30LE series is about as good as their corporate practices, and to think you all bailed them out and then you buy one of these Volvos. If you google this you will find there is a class-action suit pending or rolling at Volvo for this cluster-Fxxx. Forget the BS your dealership hands you and call Volvo corporate directly and don't take no free transmission for an answer. You will have to pay the labour on the job (approx. 13.6 Hrs labour non warrant time) but you will get a free transmission. This problem ranks right up there with the ETM fiasco .... google that one.

[ESO]

hey !

just bought a xc90 T6 and yes have transmission problems.
After reading all the items on difr. volvo forums I was wondering if there where owners with no problems and what would be the best to avoid ( as much as possible) these tranny issues.
Could imaging tranny flush every 50.000 km or so and non aggressive driving?.

Has any one taken the route of communicating with volvo about this problem ? ( any luck ?)

Does any one know if the repaired tranny's are stronger then the original ones ? , because of the upgraded parts from GM. This was told by one of the repair / revision shops here in the netherlands


TKS !

I can say I had very similar problem last year. Bought myself a 2005 model XC90 T6 in Nov 2008 and ONLY after 1 week driving it, the transmission appears to show up its problem. The car from time to time would not go when gearbox was in cold condition. Took the car to Volvo dealer, nothing could be found, again and again, I brought it back 3 times and they kept saying there was no problem at all. After a month, the car broke down in the middle of the road say TRANSMISSION FAILURE. This time dealer said it needs a brand new gearbox replacement which cost approx. USD10K. Of course I had to refuse and asked the 2nd hand dealer to buy back the problem car which I did.

A few months ago, I was talking to my mechanic and found out there are a few sets of electronic control inside the gearbox that failed to work which caused the problem. I am not 100% sure if that was the issue but the car under repair went okay after the repair job was done.

All he need to spend to solve this problem was approx. USD300 for parts + labour.

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[wmkee]

Hey Guys,

Newbie here, I made the mistake of not doing my research before buying a 2003 XC 90 T6 AWD, and on top of that with no inspection, so 2 days after my purchase I am bringing it to a transmission guy. Anyway, just wondering if the Axle is necessary in replacing? The transmission guy is just a tranny guy so I'd have to go to a different shop for this repair.

Thoughts?

[pcoates]

WoW! My story sounds almost the same as yours. My service transmission urgent warning keeps showing up. My wife and I were told that our cost is about 6000.00 (plus another $3000 for a timing belt and all other kinds of issues that need to be addressed), an amount that was ridiculous to us. We were told by our local Volvo dealer the we should just try to sell the car, trade it in for a new Volvo. I just brought this 2003 XC90 in Feb of 07. I could not believe that this, the safest car you could drive had a serious problem. Now I am finding that this car seems to be a real problem for a lot of people. My wife has sent 3-4 letters to Volvo NA and we have had no luck on that end. With each letter came a standard form letter from the boss's assistant stating they could not help us with the cost of repairs. How were you all able to get Volvo to step in and replace the transmission? Better y et, how do I getin on the class action lawsuit against Volvo?