XC90 Engine Cut Out

[Rahiel]

My XC90 has been in and out of Conrico in Chertsey over a period of several months (I had zero faith in my local Volvo dealer in Hersham) and several thousand pounds later the problem seems to have disappeared.

Water had got in the footwells - I suspect that at some point a rubber seal had come away from some part of the underneath of the car and splashwater had gradually built up in there. This lead to the brake pedal corroding and, more worryingly, the CEM (computer-electrics module) which is in a sealed unit, suffering some kind of water damage. It was this which was at the heart of the engine cutout problems and ghost codes but it had baffled everyone.

A new CEM and its installation cost the best part of £2,000 as well as a £30 charge from Volvo to download new software from Sweden - the cheek!

Since the new replacement part earlier this year, the car has been behaving itself - although my paranoia means that I am always worried about the slightest hiccup and also, while driving in long stop-start traffic, I sometimes smell burning after a while.

I have written to Volvo Cars UK and pointed out that the CEM problem could not be dismissed as a conventional wear and tear issue - if it was, why didn't the Volvo engineers include it as part of their routine investigations right from the outset?

Instead, I said that this was a potential fatal manufacturing fault and that I had no faith or confidence in the car or in the Volvo brand. "Volvo For Life" seemed like a very ironic slogan.

Unsurprisingly, Volvo UK's customer care ignored most of my points, said it was a wear and tear issue and, in order to reinstate my confidence in the brand, gave me £1500 off the cost of my next Volvo. Like I'm really going to buy another potential deathtrap.

I replied and said that my points had been ignored. I received a response warning me not to write again as no further correspondence would be entertained. Nice way to treat your customers, eh?

[stuart141]

My 2003 xc 90 does the same.
Happened loads of time.
Driving on motorway steady away and then bang instant cut out all electrics gear box thump and then almost instantly it all comes back on again, however the cruise control does not work. If I then carry on driving it happens again until eventually all the electrics stay off and the car gets stuck in whatever gear it was in when the last cut out occurred. Highly dangerous especially when driving at night. Volvo dealers find no fault on the computer just false readings air bags etc etc. One thing I have noticed though is this, as the cut out happens there is a clicking sound coming from somewhere in the dashboard behind the steering wheel. It is driving me mad. It mainly happens after at least two hours constant driving, however once it starts happening it just carries on until you stop and leave it for at least 30 minutes. Then you can usually go for another 2 - 3 hours.
Has anybody found a solution for this problem. One of these nights (sounds like a song by the eagles) it will happen and the consequences may be bad.

[stuart141]

My 2003 xc 90 does the same.
Happened loads of time.
Driving on motorway steady away and then bang instant cut out all electrics gear box thump and then almost instantly it all comes back on again, however the cruise control does not work. If I then carry on driving it happens again until eventually all the electrics stay off and the car gets stuck in whatever gear it was in when the last cut out occurred. Highly dangerous especially when driving at night. Volvo dealers find no fault on the computer just false readings air bags etc etc. One thing I have noticed though is this, as the cut out happens there is a clicking sound coming from somewhere in the dashboard behind the steering wheel. It is driving me mad. It mainly happens after at least two hours constant driving, however once it starts happening it just carries on until you stop and leave it for at least 30 minutes. Then you can usually go for another 2 - 3 hours.
Has anybody found a solution for this problem. One of these nights (sounds like a song by the eagles) it will happen and the consequences may be bad.

[Wmars47865]

Originally Posted by Rahiel

I too have had this problem with my XC90 (D5, 2003).

At first, it happened whilst driving on a motorway. I was using cruise control and the engine stalled for a split second before coming back in - I was driving 70mph!!

A few weeks later there was a repeat incident, again on the motorway and again travelling 70 in cruise control.

I thought it might be a problem with the cruise control, but in August, whilst driving in London, the car stalled for a third time - not on cruise control. This time it needed several restarts before the engine kicked back in and when it did, the dashboard displayed multiple error messages - "Serious Brake Failure"; "Engine Management Service Needed"; "SRS Bag Failure", "Alarm System Failure"...

The car was due a 90,000 mile service and I so I took it into Volvo Hersham for attention. Apparently all the messages were "false" apart from the brake failure which pointed to the need for pad replacements. Volvo's service team could find nothing else wrong with the car (or rather, their computer could find nothing wrong with it. We're all at the mercy of such technology here).

Since I have had the car back from Volvo Hersham, the car has stalled four more times - twice on the M1 and twice whilst driving in London.

I took it back to Hersham but, surprise surprise, the computer found no fault. I was told to monitor the situation and come back if it happened again. When I pointed out that I may not be able to come back if it happened when I was driving at 70 on the M1 and involved in a fatal accident, we all had a good laugh.

Today, there was a variation to the problem. All the electrics failed as I was driving. The engine didn't stall on this occasion and continued to run but all the dashboard lights went out, the radio wouldn't power up, and none of the exterior lights worked - including the indicators and brake lights.

After getting home, I switched off the engine and started it up again. All the electrics came back on and I now have an error message about the airbag needing serious attention (again).

So the XC90 will need to go back to Hersham (again) and no doubt they will charge me the best part of a grand to stick their computer on it and tell me there's no fault (again).

My XC90 has become a deathtrap and Volvo Hersham seem fairly unconcerned about this. The car has gone from hero to zero in my experience and a liability I can ill afford.

. Mate did you ever find out if you get this sorted as it's doing the same thing to me

[Rahiel]

Originally Posted by Wmars47865

. Mate did you ever find out if you get this sorted as it's doing the same thing to me

Hi there - I posted the message below in October 2011. Since then, I have not had any problems with my XC90:

"My XC90 has been in and out of Conrico in Chertsey over a period of several months (I had zero faith in my local Volvo dealer in Hersham) and several thousand pounds later the problem seems to have disappeared.

"Water had got in the footwells - I suspect that at some point a rubber seal had come away from some part of the underneath of the car and splashwater had gradually built up in there. This lead to the brake pedal corroding and, more worryingly, the CEM (computer-electrics module) which is in a sealed unit, suffering some kind of water damage. It was this which was at the heart of the engine cutout problems and ghost codes but it had baffled everyone.

"A new CEM and its installation cost the best part of £2,000 as well as a £30 charge from Volvo to download new software from Sweden - the cheek!

"Since the new replacement part earlier this year, the car has been behaving itself - although my paranoia means that I am always worried about the slightest hiccup and also, while driving in long stop-start traffic, I sometimes smell burning after a while.

"I have written to Volvo Cars UK and pointed out that the CEM problem could not be dismissed as a conventional wear and tear issue - if it was, why didn't the Volvo engineers include it as part of their routine investigations right from the outset?

"Instead, I said that this was a potential fatal manufacturing fault and that I had no faith or confidence in the car or in the Volvo brand. "Volvo For Life" seemed like a very ironic slogan.

"Unsurprisingly, Volvo UK's customer care ignored most of my points, said it was a wear and tear issue and, in order to reinstate my confidence in the brand, gave me £1500 off the cost of my next Volvo. Like I'm really going to buy another potential deathtrap.

"I replied and said that my points had been ignored. I received a response warning me not to write again as no further correspondence would be entertained. Nice way to treat your customers, eh?"

[volvo 1977]

Hie guyz

Recently I have had several problems
with my xc90 d5 2004. I have replaced
Turbo governor and solenoid but no much
Change. Turbo rebuilt no change. Injector
Cleaning no change. Then I stopped one
Sunny day 20/04/2015 and checked turbo
Hoses they were wrongly connected.
Then connected them properly what a
Difference.
Engine was going in Limp mode and
Engine service required. Car could cut out a split second
I am one happy did.

[Punkieys17]

Had a call from my Aunt in Richmond Virginia about her xc90 cutting out. She described how it has been into the dealership to no avail. When I heard the symptoms I found this thread. However my first question was whether she had a load of keys on the key ring. Sure enough it's a worn ignition barrel. Just reduce the weight and if, like her, it's enough and the car behaves. The clue is the lack of faults logged.

[nemo]

I've had the engine cutting out thing at 70mph, not the best of experiences! After looking on here I discovered it was probably the CEM breaking down . Sent it to Volvo diagnostics who repaired it for £150 instead of the £900 from Volvo . Quite easy to remove , found a chap on you tube who showed how to do it . Had the car codes read no faults recorded at the time but had engine fault light and airbag fault on the dash just after we had the worst experience ,thinking the engine had blown ! They always cleared after a restart . Fault only happened on a long journey almost like a component in the CEM was breaking down with heat. Great service from Volvo Diagnostics the CEM came back the next day recorded delivery and I have since done a couple of long trips with out a problem ( touch wood!) . Hope this helps .

[oragex]

As above, the CEM can be repaired at various places, no need to replace it with new unit. The water ingress issue is widespread, there is even a lawsuit in the US (look underneath the front carpets, these may be dry on the surface but completely wet underneath). Very unfortunately, the Volvo Company is always in denial and ignores entirely any responsibility for customer support. It has to be the worst company out there when it comes to take responsibility for a well known issue. It happened in the past with the infamous T6 transmission, it is the same thing now with the water ingress issues and it is the same denial with the widespread 2010 S60 engine oil consumption and piston damage. This company has a profound denial politics.

https://www.carcomplaints.com/news/2...bes-clog.shtml

[Acer]

Originally Posted by oragex

As above, the CEM can be repaired at various places, no need to replace it with new unit. The water ingress issue is widespread, there is even a lawsuit in the US (look underneath the front carpets, these may be dry on the surface but completely wet underneath). Very unfortunately, the Volvo Company is always in denial and ignores entirely any responsibility for customer support. It has to be the worst company out there when it comes to take responsibility for a well known issue. It happened in the past with the infamous T6 transmission, it is the same thing now with the water ingress issues and it is the same denial with the widespread 2010 S60 engine oil consumption and piston damage. This company has a profound denial politics.

https://www.carcomplaints.com/news/2...bes-clog.shtml

Water underneath the carpets normally comes from blocked sunroof drains. The CEM can suffer from water ingress and the footwells remain dry. You can get the CEM repaired but often they will send it back and say it can't be fixed. Then you have potentially lost a lot of time with the car off the road. It is the brain of the car and I would want a new one after water has been in it.

It is true that Volvo never issued a recall for the CEM issue (that primarily affected a small range of model years) and it is indeed a ridiculous design fault. In the same way as the T6 transmission is an unacceptable balls up and the spline sleeve weakly engineered! Nonetheless I found my Volvo dealership really helpful when it came to fixing these faults. I know what you mean though, really they should have fixed all the issues as soon as the cars came back in for a service.

What they say in that law suit isn't quite right though. It is not the sunroofs that leak, but the blocked drains causing backed up water to enter the vehicle.