2006 Volvo S40 T5 - Transmission Problems
 

W I've had this Volvo for just over 8 years & 2 years ago I really started having problems with it. Loved the car but I've spent so much in repairs last couple of years & I'm not in the position to get a new car. The transmission has been slipping & slamming last couple of months. Primarily between 1st/2nd & 2nd/3rd gear when accelerating & also when braking to a stop. Stop & go traffic makes it worse. Weird part, is that it doesn't start that way. Only after I've been driving for a while. Usually only happens on my way home from work. Never on the way. I commute 40 miles each way. Today, a message popped up "Transmission Service Urgent" & it got stuck in 4th gear the whole way home. Even when I switched back & forth between manual & automatic & after stopping completely. I made it home, parked it & turn the ignition off
Turned it back on, everything was normal. Haven't driven it though. Reserved a rental & gonna try to make to a repair shop. New transmission or repairable??? I'm a female so don't want to get ripped off.

So many things it could be. From low fluid to a bad/dirty sensor to mechanical damage. I'd pull the trouble codes first. Then check the fluid level/color/smell. It should be full, red, and the normal stinky transmission fluid smell. Brown/black and a burnt smell is bad. If the fluid is bad then a drain and fill is needed. Always strain the old fluid looking for metal bits. Any chunks of metal are bad. Super fine shavings (almost feels like talcum powder) are normal wear.

Beware the mechanic who says it requires a rebuild without testing.

Thank you. I drove it twice. Once as a test on Saturday & this morning to the mechanic. It drove perfectly normal & the warning message never came back on. My normal mechanic has it so waiting to hear back. Fingers crossed!

Hello, I faced the same thing around 7 times , did you find what causing it ? ,and is it fixable ?
Thanks

My 2007 S40 has been doing that since the first day I got it with 77k miles on it.
Took it back and they put another transmission in it. It was December.
When the weather warmed up around April or May, it started happening again.
I would take it back and they would say they couldn't find anything wrong with it.
Once I shut it off and take out the key and wait ten minutes, I can go on my way, but the transmission service urgent light goes off and there's apparently no way to find out what happened.
I guess the computers are put into the cars to make them run worse, not better.
Great idea.