This is just an FYI. I bought my brand new Volvo XC60 2.5 weeks ago, and it is currently sitting in the shop (been there over 3 days now). I received a "transmission" warning while driving through a local neighborhood, and the car stopped working. The dealer estimates that it will need to be in the shop for at least five more days (totaling 8). I do not write this as a negative post against the car, dealership, or company; however, I feel that it is necessary to document the issue, should others have similar problems. The corporate office is now involved, and I hope to report some good news in the near future.

Sorry that my first post has to be a downer, but sometimes you don't seek out peers until it is necessary to speak to them. Looking forward to spending more time here on the forums and joining the community!

Matt Hollowell

 

Make sure you keep track of the problem and number of days out of service because of problem. Most states have Lemon Laws, whose terms differ from state to state. In general, though, 30 days or 3 attempts to repair the same problem equals lemon equals the company has to buy back the car.

A dealer trick to beware of is calling the same problem by different names. Make sure you read the service order and that your complaint terms, not some other version, is used.

Sorry to read about this one. Does the X60 use a trans different than other Volvo models? I don't know. But I do know from reading here that Volvo had some trans troubles in the '01 X60/V70/XC 70 models which were "new" models that year.

 

I am definitely trying to keep track of everything; thanks for the advice. It's a little difficult b/c I am dealing with the dealership and the Volvo corporate office, but so far, I think I have everything straight. Not sure about the transmission. Since the XC60 has only been out for about 4 months or so, I haven't been able to find out much about it. You did remind me, however, that I need to get my documents back; currently, they are all sitting in the glove box of the car, which is, of course, at the dealership. Thanks for bringing up the paperwork issue; I'll head there this afternoon.

--Matt

 

Check the folder of owners manual, etc. There should be a Lemon Law summary which, state by state, lists what's a "lemon". Carefully "outline" it out and you'll learn what qualifies and what doesn't. Also, check carefully as some states have wierd procedural hurdles, such as formal demand letter after second failed attempt, etc. If you don't hit those points when and how you're supposed to, you lose. Do not assume that the manufacturer/distributor is happy to buy a lemon back. Most fight tooth & nail as they know the car branded "lemon" is worth very little except in states where they don't have lemon laws.

 

An update on the Volvo XC60 troubles (if you want to read all of the down-and-dirty details, they are here; for this forum, I will save you the nightmare/drama and just report the specs.). I finally had to pick the car up (or be left carless) 12 days after it broke down. The maintenance receipt lists the following:

C/S Transmission Service Urgent
Transmission Valve Body, Mechanical Fault
DSTC Service Urgent

I'm not much of a car-guy, but it appears that something went wrong with the transmission (this occurred 15 days after I bought the car). Be aware, if you are looking to buy an XC60 that my car is not the only one (I was told that a "handful" of cars with this problem exist; something happened during assembly, apparently).

I am not at all happy with the way this whole thing played out (again, I'll save you the drama, but feel free to read it all via the link). I doubt I will ever consider owing a Volvo again (my family has had four, all which have been great up until this fiasco). Again, sorry to be a downer, but I want make others aware of my experience.

--Matt

 

I skimmed through your blog...just have a few questions:

• What are the lemon laws in TN?
• Were you without a loaner car during the repair time?
• Did you get charged for the loaner car?

I'd guess that if the dealer fixed the car within the specified time period under the Lemon Laws and that the car is now in running order, that would be the end of it unless the car broke again. While I understand that your faith in the vehicle is shot (mine would be as well), I didn't think the dealer or Volvo would have any legally required actions other than just fixing the car.

I've never been in this situation on a new car, but I've had two instances on other cars with "known issues":

• 1993 Ford Explorer, cracked cylinder head at 15K miles, fixed under warranty (was out of a car for a few days)
• 1998 Subaru Outback, head gaskets at 120K miles (out of warranty), cost $2000 + rental car for 2 days

Just trying to present a different view...and thanks for the heads up on the car's problems.

 

The TN Lemon Laws do not set a certain time/# of attempts to fix, though the standard is generally used (28-30 days/3 attempts at repair), so there is no case there. Certainly, I am of the mind that a car that becomes inoperable within the first month or 1000 miles should be taken back by the company, but the law does not afford for this.
I was provided a loner car. (Nice perk at DW Volvo)
I was not charged for it. (Also, a nice perk)

I agree that the dealership/Volvo are not obligated by lemon law to do anything but return the car once it is fixed. As a loyal customer, however, I would like to have been treated a little better. I was very open to an even swap for another XC60 and even considered other Volvo models. Oh well, live and learn, I guess.

Truthfully, I am getting over the drama (my wife, however, is having a harder time). My main mission is not to try and defame, bully, or speak ill of Volvo; it is simply to let others know that the problem exists. I was lucky; no accident, no property damage.

Thanks for replying and for checking out the blog. I really appreciate and am open to other viewpoints and ideas. Objectivity helps me re-center.

--Matt

 

Lesson seems to be Don't Buy a Year One Model Volvo. There are stories here about early S 80's and early S 60's. And XC 90's which sort of continue past year #1. Now you've suffered a catastrophic failure on an almost new XC 60 which more than hints at some design or assembly flaw. I realize that if you spent most of your career improving on the 240, a whole new car would sort of be a mystery to you. And I suspect most of the big bosses spent their early careers on the 240 which ran from what, 1967 to 1991 or something like that?

Don't forget, the Lemon Law still applies. Don't know if the TN version requires the same problem; but count those days when its out of service. You're more than 1/3 of the way there now. I have a 20 year old college kid son you could lend the XC 60 to for a couple of weeks. I'm sure he and his buddies would give it a thorough work out which would expose all the bugs (and probably a few more crawling out of Doritos bags and empty Red Bull cans strewn about the interior).

 

Yes, malaka, lesson learned. I dig the idea about your son working out the problems! However, since I am stuck with the car, I guess I should hope any bugs never surface. After all is said and done, I'd be a fool to complain about having an XC60; it drives well, is aesthetically superior to similar models, and I am fortunate to be able to afford one. Just ticked that I got a broken one and at the way I have been treated. Bottom line, I hope to be on this forum 2 years from now spouting XC60 praises (though I will likely not try and find this thread; wouldn't want to awake old frustration). For now, only time will tell.

 

Sorry to hear about your car. Many people seem to forget that cars are now extremely complex machines, with many equally complex sub assemblies. Many larger sub assemblies are bought in as complete units, auto transmissions are one of them. All it takes to destroy an auto trans is a few pieces of machining swarf to find it's way somewhere. Yes QC should pick it up, but again, that plant is probably pumping out 500k transmissions a year.
With anything produced in large quantities, you will unfortunately get some failures.
I know you will take some time to trust the car and think Volvo could have handled things better, but honestly, you got a loaner car and really haven't been put out that much. I also know that you feel annoyed that you've spent a lot of money and had the car fail, but it is fixed now.
Frankly I am amazed, given how complex cars are now, that more failures don't occur.
I personally feel you've blown the issue up to a great extent, there are certainly no safety issues with a transmission failure. You should know that many, many cars get along just fine with reconditioned and replacement transmissions, they typically last as long, if not longer, than a new transmission.
I don't understand why you feel Volvo should have given you a new car, the transmission failed, it was fixed. You should try to move on and you should just get out there and enjoy driving your new car!

Regards, Andrew.

 

Andrew,

First, I sincerely appreciate you taking the time to voice your opinion. The reason I brought this issue to the volvoforums in the first place was exactly for this purpose, to get the opinions/thoughts of others who have experience with Volvo and with cars in general; I am fortunate to have found this website where such a community exists, and I appreciate all who have read/responded. It certainly helps me keep things in perspective to have objectivity speak (vs. my own subjectivity on the matter).

I respect that you think I have blown the issue up, though this has not been my intention. I truly believe I have been fair and honest in my reporting of the events. However, perhaps I have been blind to my own bias. Just know that my intention has always been to report on the issue, not to try and profit from it. I have avoided ALL CAPS rants; I have been as respectful as personally possible; I have not run around town spewing venom about the company, car, or dealership. I have tried to remain steadfast in staying just over the center line. However, I will take your opinion (which likely represents many people's opinions) to heart and redouble my efforts to not be overly bombastic.

re: the new car. To be frank, I do not have any experience with cars besides buying and driving them. I am not a tech guy at all. So to me, if a 45K product breaks soon after buying it, it seems reasonable to either return the product and ask for your money back or to get a replacement. If it is true that there are "no safety issues with a transmission failure", then that actually makes me feel much better (noone else has voiced this to me, so thank you). Consider me in the public majority as someone who does not have a clue about such matters. It may sound ignorant to those with automotive experience, but, to me, the bottom line is simply that my brand new car broke; I don't understand much that goes on under the hood, so, it is hard for me to trust a product that quit on me after such little use.

I have never felt that Volvo was obligated to replace the car; however, my wife and I quickly lost faith in the XC60 that we bought, and trust in a product is hard to recover. I know that no product is 100% guaranteed to be flawless, but I guess we figured it would be easier to trust a different XC60, since we apparently were just unlucky with our pick. (To Volvo's credit, they did attempt a vehicle swap; I won't go into all of that here, but, if an equitable car could have been found, they were willing to replace the car.)

I truly am moving on. I'm about to head out on a 2-week vacation, and I plan to leave all of my worries behind. I probably won't be able to laugh at the whole thing quite yet when I get back, but I certainly plan on gaining perspective.

The bottom line is that our particular XC60 had a problem during the assembly process. This problem showed up, now it is fixed, we have the car back, and we are getting a warranty extension (and a refund of the Hendrick warranty that we purchased). Truly, when looked at from the larger perspective, perhaps it has all been blown out of proportion. I just need some time and space to gain that larger perspective.

Again, thanks Andrew (and malaka and hammer), for taking the time to address this issue. As I wrote before, I hope to be on this forum 2 years from now spouting XC60 praises. I just need to distance myself from the drama to let go of the drama.

Matt

 

Trust is hard to earn, and almost impossible to regain once lost.

Barring any other problems no matter how 'small', I think it will be a loooooooooooooong time before you have any real trust for the car.

This is from experience (Not a volvo).
In the end I gave up, took the loss and ditched the piece of s...t. (unrepaired at that)

I think it has something to do with the amount of money in one single item that hurts the most.
A $50 microwave fails, you throw it out and move on.
A $45,000 car fails, you feel betraid, suckered, etc.
It's 45,000, it should be perfect from day one.

We have a different new car now, a hyundai, it's now almost two years old, had one problem with it that was fixed in half an hour, no arguments, no pissing around.
Just fixed, as it should be. Never to be a problem again.

I wish you the best of luck with your car, and have a safe and happy break.....

 

Wondering if there is an update to this story or if your 60 is runnin fine now? I ordered one in the last month and will receive delivery in january.

 

Let me say I read your entire blog post and this is my feeling on this issue:

1. Things break. It's as simple as that.

2. Dealers are out to make money. I'm not condoning their actions, but they are a business out to make a profit. It would not be fiscally responsible for them to trade you for a more expensive car, hence you would have to pay the difference. That is, unless they really wanted you to remain their customer, then they would have cut you a deal. (Maybe you can glean something from that.)

3. It appears that the dealer fixed the problem successfully. The longevity of the repair is in question, but that will just take time. My dad bought a new Mini Cooper Clubman S a year ago, 6 months in, he noticed the timing chain rattling. He did some research and this is a documented issue with this car. He documented it with the dealer and if anything goes wrong at a later time they pay to fix it.

4. They gave you a loaner car to use for free so you were not out of a car for that length of time.

5. You hint that the dealer knew of this problem before they sold it to you. If you can prove that, that is most likely illegal, the problem is that Volvo cannot identify every single car that got away from quality control with this issue. They have to wait and fix each one when it pops up. There is nothing else they could do.


Once again, what the dealer did to you is deplorable, but what Volvo (tried) to do for you is admirable.

 

The update is one that I am happy to report. Volvo extended our warranty, and the car has been running fine ever since the first issue. It took a while, but I am happy with my XC60 (likely will be "very happy" once some more time has passed).

Thanks again for everyone's comments/thoughts on the matter. I do think Volvo did the right thing by us, given the circumstances. Mach: hope you enjoy yours early next year! Lyons, I agree with you on all of your points, and I did not mean to hint that the dealership did anything illegal. If I hinted in that direction, it was unintentional.

 

Sounds good...how long did they extend the warranty to?

I now know (a little bit) how you feel...I'll be getting my new S40 back from the dealer after a warranty repair at 4k miles. Fortunately, it was just an angle gear leak, which I've read is not uncommon in AWD Volvos and hopefully is fixed.

 

I read that your XC60 had 600 miles on it when you bought it, and the dealer claimed it "was driven by manager's wife.." - the XC60 probably was used as a test driver vehicle, and some people do try to floor both gas and brake pedal during the test drives -and that is break-in period, when you are supposed to drive the new car gently first 1000 miles or so.

I hope that yours was fixed right, and you can drive it 2-3 years trouble free, then trade it in (or keep ).
I recently traded-in XC90 which developed 3 problems in 2 month after factory warranty expired. The last was burnt alternator so my wife barely made it home before it died completely.
We bought it new in 2005 and I maintained it exeptionally well hoping to keep XC90 for 6-7 years -was I wrong? After multiple problems while under warranty and a few more w/o warranty I got rid of it.
Volvo did cover those repairs that happaned just after warranty expred but:
I LOST CONFIDENCE IN THAT CAR!

PS
Volvo used Asian-Warner japan-made transmissions, that are used by Lexus/Toyota, etc., usually very reliable transmissions.

 

I too am have what I think is a transmission problem on a xc60 I just got 2 months ago. We only have 1,300 miles and have had in the dealer for what they called it "update of software" I just doesn't shift right.. up or when you take your foot off the gas it drags you down instead of wanting to roll. Not getting warning but I am sure the car we test drove didn't feel this way. I know the shift is determined by the transmission oil pressure, and maybe a transducer is bad. Anybody... Help

 

hi matt, i have a acceleration problem with my xc60 its 3 years old i found that when trying to accelerate through the gears the car just will not get any faster or change gear i can push the peddle to the floor and get nothing it does not happen all the time but it has happened when pulling out onto a main road from a side road not very good its booked in to volvo on wednesday morning fingers crossed i must say that the car has been one of the best cars i driven great in the snow as its awd 2.4 auto never slipped once on the snow unlike me .

 

I usually dont buy the 1st of any model as they tend to come with bugs, but here I sit with an 01 XC70. I LOVE the car and its quirks have been mild for the most part and as long as the HAPPY is at a higher % than the unhappy, im ok! Ive had a FEW true v-12 JAGS in the past and this car seems as electrically over engineered like the JAGS but again still higher on the happy scale!...I have befriended the dealer service mgr. and that helps me wade through the DEALER BS! and is why I still go back there for service.