MY 2004 XC90 AWD BEGAN EXPERIENCING ODD ELECTRICAL PROBLEMS THIS SPRING AT ABOUT 45000 MILES. WHILE DRIVING AT CRUISING SPEED, THE VEHICLE WOULD SUDDENLY AND WITHOUT WARNING EXPERIENCE A HARD JERK FOLLOWED BY ACTIVATION OF THE WINDSHIELD WIPERS AND LOSS OF POWER TO THE RADIO. FIRST TIME, THE DEALER COULD NOT REPLICATE THE PROBLEM BUT DOWNLOADED ELECTRICAL SOFTWARE UPDATES. SAME THING SECOND TIME AND BACK TO DEALER, AGAIN COULD NOT REPLICATE, AND THEY DOWNLOADED TRANSMISSION UPDATES FOCUSING MORE ON THE JERKING ISSUE. THIRD TIME IT HAPPENED, I CONTINUED TO DRIVE THE CAR TO THE DEALER SO THEY COULD SEE WHAT I WAS EXPERIENCING. ON THE WAY THERE, I HAD COMPLETE LOSS OF ELECTRICAL POWER: NO POWER TO SPEEDOMETER, TO GAS GAUGE, TO WINDOWS, TO AIR CONDITIONING, RADIO, ETC. ALSO HAD LESS THAN FULL POWER TO DRIVE WITH. THE DEALER AGAIN DOWNLOADED ELECTRICAL SOFTWARE UPDATES AND GAVE ME THE VEHICLE BACK. SAME PROBLEM FOR 4TH TIME THIS FRIDAY AND THEY TELL ME THEY HAVE PUT NEW COMPUTER INTO CAR. FORTUNATELY THERE HAVE NOT BEEN ANY DEATHS OR CRASHES, BUT THIS DEFECT CAUSES A SERIOUS SAFETY PROBLEM WITHOUT ANY WARNING. *JB
2011
VEHICLE SPEED CONTROL
I FIRST EXPERIENCED THE DELAY IN RE-ACCELERATION ONE MORNING ON MY WAY TO WORK. AFTER COMING TO A COMPLETE STOP @ A STOP SIGN, I STEPPED ON THE GAS TO TAKE A TURN AND THE CAR HESITATED AT A VERY SLOW PACE TO TAKE OFF. I CHALKED IT UP AS THE CAR BEING COLD EARLY IN THE MORNING. IT CONTINUED TO HAPPEN PERIODICALLY UNTIL ONE DAY IT HAPPENED AS I WAS STOPPED AT A BUSY INTERSECTION WAITING TO TURN LEFT. WHEN THE INTERSECTION WAS CLEARED OF ONCOMING TRAFFIC FROM A REASONABLE DISTANCE I PRESSED THE GAS TO GO AND THE CAR LITERALLY DRAGGED IN SLOW MOTION INTO THE INTERSECTION. THE ACCELERATION WAS SO SLOW THAT IT ALLOWED TIME FOR THE ONCOMING TRAFFIC TO REACH ME. WITH THE FRONT OF MY CAR IN THE INTERSECTION AND THE ONCOMING TRAFFIC COMING DIRECTLY AT ME AT FULL SPEED I HAD TO FLOOR THE GAS PEDAL TO JUMP KICK THE CAR INTO SPEED TO GET ACROSS THE INTERSECTION SAFELY. AFTER THAT NEAR DEATH EXPERIENCE I CALLED MY DEALER IMMEDIATELY. THEY WERE ABLE TO GET ME IN THE NEXT DAY, GAVE ME A LOANER VEHICLE AND KEPT MY CAR OVERNIGHT. I GOT A CALL FROM MY SERVICE ADVISOR THE NEXT AFTERNOON STATING THAT THEY COULD NOT DUPLICATE THE PROBLEM, HOWEVER THEY WILL RESET THE CARS COMPUTER TO SEE IF THAT HELPS. WELL IT DIDN'T. I NOW DON'T DRIVE THE CAR UNLESS I ABSOLUTELY HAVE TO. IT'S STILL HAPPENING AND I DON'T FEEL COMPLETELY SAFE WHEN DRIVING MY CAR. OUR DAUGHTER WILL BE GETTING HER LICENSE SOON AND WE THOUGHT OUT OF OUR TWO CARS THAT THE VOLVO XC90 WILL BE THE SAFEST FOR HER TO DRIVE. NOW I DON'T SEE IT AS EVEN BEING AN OPTION FOR HER. I'VE BEEN ONLINE RESEARCHING SIMILAR COMPLAINTS BY OTHER 2011 VOLVO XC90 OWNERS AND DIDN'T FIND MUCH OF ANYTHING. PERHAPS THERE WERE JUST A FEW BAD APPLES OUT OF THE BUNCH AND I JUST HAPPENED TO GET ONE OF THEM. MY 2011 WAS PURCHASED NEW OFF THE SHOWROOM'S FLOOR JUNE 2011 WITH 550 MILES AT DELIVERY. I NOW HAVE A LITTLE OVER 4000 MILES. *KB
