I recently had my 2019 V90 Cross Country serviced due to no A/C. The evaporator was replaced. The explanation was that it had frozen and cracked. This seems unusual to me as it was in the middle of August during a 95+ degree heat wave. This is the 4th or 5th Volvo in our family (many much older than this one), and I have never had to service any component on the A/C.

Does this explanation make sense?

 

I've seen evaporators freeze up when the AC charge / compressor duty cycle is too high - meaning the compressor runs longer than it needs to and the evaporator gets so cold that the humidity in the air ices up the evaporator (which normally blocks the air flow as well). Normally the symptom would be the AC stops blowing cold through the vents - but if you turn the AC off for a few minutes to let the ice melt, it will blow cold again. setting the correct charge or testing sensors etc is the fix. As to the evaporating cracking due to the cold, I suppose its possible but seems there was a flaw to begin with. Did you have any loss of AC symptoms prior to the fail?

 

Thank you. This information was helpful. There may have been a lead up to the ultimate failure, but I did not realize it. I attributed it to the AC working harder to cool down the car during the excessive heat. Also, must of my trips are relatively short, so not really conscious of it until it completely failed. I have never had any issues with a/c in my 4 previous Volvo (not even a recharge), so no experience to fall back on. Thanks again for the quick response.