2004 Volvo XC90 Engine cooling Problems
- Complaints
- 24about this part
- Share
- 5%of 462 total for the year
- Median mileage
- 76,376miles
- Trend
- StableComplaints filed in the last 3 full calendar years are within 25% of the 3 years before.
NHTSA recorded 24 complaints about the engine cooling of the 2004 Volvo XC90, 5% of the 462 complaints for this model year. Where a mileage was given, the median is 76,376 miles.
Example complaints
Selected from NHTSA records; personal details are removed. They are consumer reports, not findings.
“While driving on the highway with my two small children, the car made a knocking noise and driver console/dash stopped working. The lights went out, and all gauges went to zero. I no longer had turn signals either. I feared for our lives. I have done research, and have found that others have this same issue with 2004 xc90s.”
NHTSA complaint #10483503, filed 2012-11, 90,000 miles“Purchased an '04 Volvo XC90 t6 on may 1st from a private seller. Did research on the vehicle through msn reliability, Volvo, etc. Only issue highlighted was engine concerns, not transmission. It wasn't until the transmission went out on june 6th that I found numerous consumer complaints about the transmission going out at around 60k miles. Mine went out at approx. 57k miles. I've contacted Volvo and asked about recalls, etc. …”
NHTSA complaint #10335700, filed 2010-06, 57,100 miles“1. I was driving my vehicle when the transmission did not shift from 2nd gear up on the highway. The check engine light came on, coolant low and urgent service of transmission. 2. The transmission issue was constant. 3. We took our vehicle to the Volvo dealership garage. It was determined that we needed a transmission replacement as well as coolant and other engine parts replaced. We were told that the faulty transmission damaged these other parts. …”
NHTSA complaint #10328135, filed 2010-04, 92,000 miles“I was driving on the parkway and notice a warning light on the dash. It stated urgent transmission needs service. I've taken it to the dealer and needed to replace transmission and radiator among other things.”
NHTSA complaint #10446323, filed 2012-02, 48,000 miles“Transmission failure on our 2004 Volvo xc-90 t6 awd at approximately 56,000k miles. Fortunately it was a warranty repair; however my research on automotive discussion boards like edumds indicates a very large pattern of failure of the transmission on this model.”
NHTSA complaint #10236706, filed 2008-08, 56,000 milesRelated service bulletins
- 10219421Aug 29, 2022Engine Control Module (EMS) Software (MSW) Information â August 2022; Improvement List (Change Log) - US21+OBD22 (13L VGT, TC) And US17+OBD22 (11L) Emissions
- 10169030Oct 16, 2019This is a Technical Journal: Oil in cooling system. New cleaning method developed.
- 10157864Feb 9, 2019This is a Technical Journal: Oil in cooling system. New cleaning method developed.
- 10156257Feb 9, 2019This is a Technical Journal: Oil in cooling system. New cleaning method developed.
- 10034505Aug 25, 2010Volvo: snow in fan motor. Blower fan/does not work. Blower fan/unusual noise. Snow may enter into the fan motor area due to heavy snowstorms.
- 10026143Sep 26, 2008Volvo: extend warranty coverage for the engine management software (ems) on some model year 2003-2008 models. P45 csc letter was received. *pe ref: 10026144 (p-46), 10026145…
- 10024466Apr 18, 20085 cylinder angle gear leakage and resealing. On all wheel drive models. *nj updated 6/5/08.
- 10022619Jul 26, 2007Plastic nipple of the positive crank ventilation (pcv) system may crack or become loose. This could result in an air leak from the crank case ventilation system. This may cause a…
- 10022342Jul 13, 2007Bcm dtc 0091, active yaw control sensor damper.
Engine cooling: other model years
| Year | Complaints | Share of year |
|---|---|---|
| 2022 | 1 | 3% |
| 2019 | 1 | 2% |
| 2018 | 1 | 2% |
| 2017 | 1 | 1% |
| 2016 | 2 | 1% |
| 2011 | 2 | 11% |
| 2008 | 2 | 7% |
| 2007 | 2 | 5% |
| 2005 | 40 | 18% |
| 2004 | 24 | 5% |
| 2003 | 7 | 8% |
Other parts of the 2004 Volvo XC90
158 complaintsTransmission and drivetrain
145 complaintsFuel system
77 complaintsExterior lighting
32 complaintsAir bags
31 complaintsEngine
28 complaintsSuspension
23 complaintsSteering
20 complaintsBrakes
19 complaintsOther or unknown
17 complaintsVehicle speed control
17 complaintsBody and structure
14 complaints
← All problems reported for the 2004 Volvo XC90
About this data. Data from NHTSA (ODI) complaints, recalls, TSBs and investigations, updated Oct 27, 2026. Complaints are unverified consumer reports and may be duplicated or inaccurate.
To check a specific vehicle for open recalls, use its VIN at nhtsa.gov/recalls. Methodology