2003 Volvo S40 Transmission and drivetrain Problems

“My 2003 Volvo S40 has been driven fewer than 70,000 miles. All Volvo recommended service has been performed by certified mechanics and is documented. My Volvo dealer determined that the transmission had to be replaced. It is not at all reasonable to have a catastrophic transmission failure at only 70, 000 miles. I feel Volvo should be responsible for at least the cost of the replacement transmission. In addition to the cost and inconvenience, this transmission failure presented a hazard that could have resulted in a serious accident. …”

“My 2003 S40 has been slipping gear between 3rd and 4th gear and ocassional hard shift between 2nd and 3rd gear. The car only has 49000 miles. I have gone to the dealer and they said, there is no software update for the TCM (transmission control module)and it needs to be replaced. Cost $800. This gear slip makes driving very bothersome and dangerous on occasion. If you need to speed up to get out of the way, the slip causes the car to lose power. Few seconds makes a difference between life and death. I have taken the car to another import repair shop and had them replace the TCM. …”

“I am currently driving a 2003 Volvo S40. It has been experiencing a transmission slip between 2nd and 3rd gears. I had taken the car back to the dealer for two times due to the above problem. The only thing they did was upgrading the program, which it did not help at all. The major problem is I almost got in a major accident on 6/27/2003 while I was making a left turn and the car lost power in the middle of the road. The on coming traffic barely missed running into my Volvo. This transmission slipping usually last for 2 to 3 secs and this lost of power can put me into major accident easily. …”

“Prior to latest incident, the car had occasionally gone into limp mode, sticking in 3rd gear but drivable. That problem would go away after a day or so. Local shop couldn't find anything definitive. Bigger problem was yesterday evening's loss of throttle control and multiple electrical issues. Idle throttle setting (eg stopped at lights) became unstable, occasionally revving upto to ~2000rpm. Moments later on suburban divided main street, throttle stuck at ~2200rpm which meant I was doing 45mph (straight line) without any pressure applied to gas pedal. …”