I have a 2003 XC90 D5 and I lose power to the instument panel. It started intermittently: sometimes fully working, then blank (all lights off, needles at zero). Now it is definitely broken!

I would appreciate any advice or suggestions...

Those times I have had it working, there have been a couple of warnings in the message centre (eg SRS airbag service urgent, brake failure) and also the panel froze once: the speedo and revcounter needles froze in place for a few seconds, then I got the brake failure warning, then all went dead.

The car runs fine: lights, indicators, satnav, hifi all work normally, and it drives perfectly. On startup now all I see is the engine check symbol illuminated, nothing else.

An independent Volvo specialist checked error codes, and just found a 'communication error' with the control unit of the instrument panel, nothing more specific than that. I have also had a mechanic remove the panel to check the plugs are all connected.

He wants to check a control unit that is located somewhere in the panel under the windscreen wipers, which apparently could have had water ingress. Apart from this, I am looking at replacement, costing 700 plus pounds...

Any ideas welcome!

Thanks.

 

Hello mate,

If all other electrical devices are working and if all connectors are secure at the back of the instrument cluster, then yes I would assume something on the circuit board/electronic control for the cluster has failed.

If one is electronically-inclined, it may be a matter of replacing SMD (Surface Mount Device) otherwise the entire board would have to be replaced. If it can be reset, I would have a dealer reset to see if the cluster comes back to life but then I would like to find out the cause of the failure, as it may go dead again. It would be ideal if you can find another XC90 at a yard (not the Scotland Yard but the other yard[8D]).


JPN

 

Thanks very much for the response: I plan to take it to a main dealer as soon as I can.

One idea I had was to try a company such as http://www.clusterrepairsuk.co.uk/. Any idea if this would be a waste of time?

I have tried finding a scrapped car, but no luck so far...

 

I just checked out the URL link, and it seems to be a good option. Inquire them to see if they deal with Volvos. I believe they do, as Volvos use VDO (German) instrument panels. And I assume the inst panel on your XC90 is also VDO. The brand-name should be stamped on the back of the cluster assembly, and my 1994 850 had a VDO cluster as well.

Compare the price difference with the dealer, but I believe Cluster Repairs UK would beat Volvo garages in price. Alsorefer to the owner's manual to see if there is a fuse dedicated to the instrument.


JPN

 

is any other electronic on the car stop working when your instrument cluster died??? Can be a network problem in the CAN electronic system.

 

Update on this instrument cluster issue: I sent off the cluster to Cluster Repairs UK in Norfolk, whosent the unit back to me after a £180 repair, and... still dead. Nothing, not a flicker. So I took it to a Volvo dealer, Rybrook of Warrington, and they were helpful but couldn't trace the fault apart from getting a 'communication error' from their diagnostics. But they did put a cluster from another car into my XC90, which fired up just fine, so they were able to confirm it was my cluster that was the problem rather than anything else on the car.

So I called up Cluster Repairs, as they give a warranty on their work, they were puzzled but told me to return the unit to them. I did so, got it back again, and still no signs of life. To say I was unhappy is an understatement. However, I have no reason to think that they did not attempt repairs in good faith, but they did keep telling me the item lit up fine on their test bench, and all I could see was a lifeless lump of plastic behind my steering wheel... they offered a full refund so I guess nothing lost apart from time.

I then did a whistle-stop tour of scrap yards and dismantlers, on ebay, autotrader, Yell.com and anything else I could think of. Found a couple of options, one cluster at Volvolks in Preston (nice guy), but not the right item in the end. These things are like hens teeth, and I also found out later that Volvo sell replacement units as exchange with a £200 surcharge, to keep old ones off the aftermarket.

So, eventually I had to resort to the Stealership; Slaters Volvo in Abergele (north Wales) quoted £1025 for the unit plus a software download, dropped to £900 after a short haggle. I got Rybrook Chester to match this as they are my nearest dealer.

Imagine my pleasure when they informed me that somehow, the mileage on my car had been re-written to 43,000 instead of the actual 80,000....

Putting 2 and 2 together, the cluster that Rybrook Volvo Warrington installed in my car to test the problem must have written the mileage from that car onto mine. Why didn't they know it would do this? I have no idea. But apparently it is impossible, even by Volvo UK, to alter the mileage on a unit, which I can understand from an anti-fraud standpoint.

So I am left with a halved mileage, a working dash (finally)and a thinner wallet. Volvo consistently deny there is any common issue with these clusters, but many specialists I spoke to say it is common, and Cluster Repairs UK certainly knew the problem before I had even explained it, and say they get lots of them in.

Anyone want to buy an XC90?

 

Hi

We've just bought an XC90 with exactly the same problem, same year, same mileage - pls tell me you didn't sell the car to a dealer..... It's gone back to the dealer and they have said that they replaced the broken part - to double check is it the "cluster" that they should have replaced? Thanks

 

My 2003 v70 instrument cluster started to go blank intermittently and then completely died. Dealer told me it needed to be replaced at a cost of $1,500.00. Too much for me so I took off the front cover panel and found that by sqeezing on the top left corner the cluster would turn back on. Most of the time the speedo and tach would not work but the gas guage, lights, blinkers, temp etc would. I am not handy so my buddy took out the cluster and fixed it in an hour. Just needed a thin spacer installed between the rear cover and the circuit board.

 

there is a fuse dedicated stricky to the instrument panel it might be blown or it might be loose in my case mine was loose but replaced it anyway that fixed my problem. i dont have the manual or the car in front of me right now but i do know its located in the fuse panel behind the dash on the drivers side near the door

 

Yes, this is a common problem with the 2003 XC90.

There is a problem with the circuit board that holds all dash panel components. By removing the dash panel with components, you can squeeze the bottom left and the panel will magically work again. Well, in electronics, few things are really magic and a skilled engineer or technician can figure out reasonable explanation.

MY EDUCATED OPINION: If you ask me, these are a bad batch of dash panel circuit boards, from the factory. I have reached this conclusion based off a number of people having the same problem AND, I have troubleshot the problem to the large circuit board, of the two, in the dash panel.

EXPLANATION: When you mass produce a circuit board a multimillion dollar machine will layer the board and GLUE on each component. It is not micro-miniature soldering, like the old days. Sometimes things are not exactly right and you can get a bad batch of circuit boards. Let's say a chip isn't glued down right or a wire on the circuit bus is under engineered. Any little glitch in the creation of the circuit board will cause a problem of the circuit board. This problem may not be immediately apparent.

RESOLUTION: Replace the dash panel and components. If you want to keep the same mileage, I believe you will have to use the same glued in EEPROM on the circuit board. So, I don't think you will be able to keep the same mileage because the EEPROM will be difficult to remove and reattach to the new board without an expert or laser-guided machine.

POSSIBLE MISLEADING INFORMATION:
I didn't fool around much in the fuse box (located on the top of the engine), but I didn't see a dedicated fuse within the engine compartment fuse box for the dash panel lights and gauges on the 2003 XC90.

OTHER NOTED PROBLEMS: Also with the dash disconnected, The stereo will shut off, all by itself. This is another issue my Volvo dealer has been trying to resolve. They have replaced a lot of car Stereos, according to the dealer.

WHERE TO BUY:
Replace the dash panel circuit board, (by either a junk yard or an after market part from the dealer). <<The reason I say after market is because you have a better chance of getting a correctly manufactured circuit board for the dash panel>>. It's Very Easy to replace.

REPLACEMENT:
Remove the two screws above the stearing wheel. Then, remove the plastic piece that covers the top of the steering wheel first, it is attached. Then, there are four screws that hold the dash panel in place. They are torx head screws. On the back side, there is a green plug that you can unplug the dash pannel and the whole thing pulls out. Each gauge has two screws holding them in place if you pull the back cover off. Carefully remove each gauge, if you are going to reuse them. I do believe the dash panel comes as a single unit and it will be difficult to get one anywhere else but a junk yard or dealer.

TO ANY DEALER'S CREDIT:::::
IT IS VERY DIFFICULT TO TROUBLESHOOT AN INTERMITTENT POWER FAILURE ON A CIRCUIT BOARD. Most electronics techs replace the entire circuit board and don't troubleshoot to the component level. I know, because I do electronics for a living. I have 25 years of experience in some advanced electronic systems and electronics engineering. So, don't blame the dealer if they can't track this down. They really don't have the training or tools to do this job.

---Make sure you and the dealer reach an acceptable business partnership to track this issue down prior to fixing it.

 

does anyone read the dates on these posts?

3 years old guys

 

I did read the dates. But, since there is NO telling when everyone elses car will break down with this issue, it is nice to see others who reply with their personal experience. At the very least, I knew I wasn't the only one who recieved a lemon for a vehicle. I learned that others have the same EXACT issues I do. For example:
1) transmission went completely out at 50K miles
2) the sunroof tubes end up blocked and you get 6 " inches of water in the floor boards
3) These vehicles have a bad record of electrical problems to include the DIM and the main computer
4) many of these vehicles have problems with lifter noise
5) many of them have problems with a recalled fuel pump (that thread saved me $1,200 dollars)

It's nice to see what others have done to reduce prices on repairs. It's also nice to view service records and how Volvo can actually build better cars. It's also nice to be aware of these items before you buy a lemon.

 

and you reply with opinion not facts. the OP probably went to the dealer and got their educated guess too. in you last post you reply with irrelevant info to the OP.

Your supposed ed LEMON, is a what? I know i have the "lemon" of the bunch. My T6 has served me well and last night we hit our 161,000 mile anniversary. I dont have the problems you listed.

Yet this again is getting off the topic. You are on a SLOW moving forum, with little to no traffic and resurrecting posts from the dead.

 

I fully agree with the above statements about the failure of instrument panel in Volvo XC90. I have been sold 2003 xc90 with exactly same failure of instrument panel. The previous owner had kindly chosen to sell the vehicle without mentioning this serious failure rather than suffering from headaches and huge costs. I have bought a 2003 XC90 D5 recently and we have booked family trip for this x-mass, now facing this problem. I lose power to the instrument panel. Sometimes fully working, then blank (all lights off, needles at zero). It is definitely needs replacement!
Those times I have had it working, a warning message (SRS airbag service urgent) appears and also the panel froze once: the speedo and revcounter needles froze in place for a few seconds, and then all goes dead. The car runs fine: lights, indicators, sat-nav all work normally, and it drives perfectly.
I contacted a few Volvo dealers, all of them refused to book me or just diagnose the problem. They all say come back in New Year. Interestingly the Volvo staff even did not advice me about this issue. I am not happy with their services so far and would appreciate if they can help us to solve the issue. After reading some review I believe that the failure of instrument panel in Volvo XC90 is common issue and Volvo should replace them free of charge.
Our children are so excited about this trip which we paid in advance and they will be so sad if we cannot make it because of the failure of instrument panel in such nice family car.
I would appreciate any advice or suggestions, especially by Volvo team.
Any ideas welcome!
Thanks.

 

I fully agree with your statement about the failure of instrument panel in Volvo XC90. I have been sold 2003 xc90 with exactly same failure of instrument panel. The previous owner had kindly chosen to sell the vehicle without mentioning this serious failure rather than suffering from headaches and huge costs. I have bought a 2003 XC90 D5 recently and we have booked family trip for this x-mass, now facing this problem. I lose power to the instrument panel. Sometimes fully working, then blank (all lights off, needles at zero). It is definitely needs replacement!
Those times I have had it working, a warning message (SRS airbag service urgent) appears and also the panel froze once: the speedo and revcounter needles froze in place for a few seconds, and then all goes dead. The car runs fine: lights, indicators, sat-nav all work normally, and it drives perfectly.
I contacted a few Volvo dealers, all of them refused to book me or just diagnose the problem. They all say come back in New Year. Interestingly the Volvo staff even did not advice me about this issue. I am not happy with their services so far and would appreciate if they can help us to solve the issue. After reading some review I believe that the failure of instrument panel in Volvo XC90 is common issue and Volvo should replace them free of charge.
Our children are so excited about this trip which we paid in advance and they will be so sad if we cannot make it because of the failure of instrument panel in such nice family car.
I would appreciate any advice or suggestions, especially by Volvo team.
Any ideas welcome!

 

I know guys it´s might be too late for you now, but just bought a Volvo v70 with the same instrument panel problem.
Browsing the net, found these guys:
Instrument Cluster Speedo Repair - VolvoDiagnostic

They offer instrument panel refurbishment for 60 quid and they do give 2 years warranty.
Many forums spoke highly of them, so I sent them the stuff and got it back 3 days later.
Now we are all happy bunnies. My Volvo, the guys who did the repair and myself too.

 

There are a ton of ebay guys that do this for under 200 bucks. All your info is saved. I just did it myself . I wish I knew of these services!

VOLVO INSTRUMENT CLUSTER REPAIR - lookup that in ebay if your not in the states

If your in USA-
actually you can easily send out your cluster to get repaired for under $200. I just did it. Go to Ebay and lookup seller euro-electric. They give you easy instructions on how to pop out your panel, mail it to them and they ship it back fixed 1 2 3. Dont do like I did and wait for years and trying everything under the sun.

There are other sellers that seem more expensive out there.
or can search.
"VOLVO INSTRUMENT CLUSTER REPAIR". If you dont want to use ebay
you can just call them. 866 281 2414.

No I dont work there i just used their service and boy I wish i knew about it earlier

 

I have the same problem, with my XC90 from 2003. So thank you for sharing. In short I need to replace the circuitboard of the dash. And it's easy to replace.