2007 Volvo XC90 Electrical System Problems

While driving the vehicle under normal conditions, a sudden electrical fire occurred, requiring immediate evacuation. The vehicle was pulled over safely and the driver exited before the fire escalated. The fire department responded and the vehicle was declared a total loss due to fire damage. The failure is believed to have originated from an electrical short involving the climate control/defroster system. The affected wiring and components were destroyed by the fire and are not available for inspection. The day prior to the fire, the fuse controlling both the climate control system and the instrument cluster blew twice when the defroster was activated. The fuse was replaced, and the defroster was not used again. At the time of the fire, the defroster systems was not operating. There were no warning lights or alerts immediately prior to the fire. The fire occurred while the vehicle was in motion, creating a serious safety risk to the occupant and surrounding traffic. The incident has not been reproduced or inspected by a dealer. The vehicle was inspected by the fire department. No manufacturer inspection has occurred.

THE ISSUE FIRST STARTED ON MA 3RD, 2019. I WAS DRIVING DOWN THE HIGHWAY ON MY WAY TO THE BEACH. THE ROAD WAS A LITTLE BUMPY AND THEN ALL OF THE SUDDEN MY CAR LOST ALL POWER AND SHUT ITSELF OFF. IT THROUGH 3 CODES, 1. IMMOBILIZER, 2. ENGINE CONTROL MODULE AND 3. CLIMATE CONTROL MODULE. I WAS ABLE TO HAVE IT TOWED HOME. MY HUSBAND DECIDED TO RESEARCH WHAT COULD CAUSE THESE ISSUES. HE LOCATED A YOUTUBE VIDEO THAT WAS POSTED 2 YEARS AGO REGARDING THE ECM & CCM FUSES. THE MAN RECORDING THE VIDEO EXPERIENCED THE SAME PROBLEMS, AND FOUND THAT THE FUSE FOR THE TWO ITEMS HAVE BLOWN. MY HUSBAND THOUGHT MAYBE THAT MIGHT BE THE ISSUE. HE LOCATED THE FUSES AND FOUND THAT BOTH OF THEM WERE IN FACT BLOWN. HE REPLACED THEM BOTH WITH BRAND NEW FUZES AND THE CAR STARTED RIGHT NOW.. THE NEXT DAY, I DROVE TO WORK WITH NO ISSUES AND TO AND FROM LUNCH. ON MY WAY HOME, ABOUT 3 MILES FROM WORK, I WENT DOWN A SIDE STREET AS THERE WAS AN ACCIDENT AND TRAFFIC WAS BACKED UP. THE SIDE STREET HAD SPEED BUMPS. THE WENT OVER THE FIRST ONE WITH NO ISSUE, AND THE NEXT ONE IS ABOUT 100 - 200 FEET AFTER, AS SOON AS MY BACK TIRES WERE OVER THE 2ND BUMP, THE CAR SHUT IT SELF OFF AGAIN AND I WAS STUCK (MAY 6TH 2019). MY HUSBAND SHOWN MY WHERE THE FUZES WAS AND LEFT EXTRAS IN THE STORAGE AREA ON THE SAFE SIDE. AGAIN, BOTH WERE BLOWN. ONCE THEY WERE REPLACED FOR A 2ND TIME, CAR STARTED. NOW FAST FORWARD 5 MONTHS, THE ROAD FROM MY DADS HOUSE IS BEING REPAVED, AS YOU CAN IMAGE VERY BUMPY. I MADE IT OVER ALL THE BUMPS JUST FINE, BUT AS SOON AS I CROSSED OVER A MAJOR ROAD, THE CAR SHUT ITSELF OFF AGAIN... THIS TIME I DID NOT HAVE EXTRA FUZES, CALLED A TOW (OCTOBER 11 2019). WE WERE ABLE TO REPLACE THE FUZES AGAIN. NOW THE NEXT DAY EVERYTHING WAS FINE AGAIN, BUT THE SAME THING HAPPENED TWO MORE TIMES (OCTOBER 12, 2019). AND NOW THE CAR SITS IN MY DRIVEWAY, AS I FEEL VERY UNSAFE TO DRIVE IT.

AFTER 30 MINUTES OF HIGHWAY DRIVING EXITED ONTO SECONDARY ROAD TO ADD OIL FOR LOW OIL LIGHT INDICATOR. ENGINE BEGAN SMOKING IN TWO MINUTES AND LIFTING HOOD CAUSED ENGINE TO BURST INTO FLAMES. CHEMICAL FIRE RETARDANT SPRAYED WITHIN THREE MINUTES. RESULT WAS INCINERATED ALTERNATOR AND ALL CODES ALARMED. CAR TURNS OVER. FUSES GOOD.

IN A NUTSHELL: AT APPROXIMATELY 8:35 WEDNESDAY MORNING (OCTOBER 28TH), MY VOLVO XC90 SPONTANEOUSLY CAUGHT FIRE IN THE POURING RAIN. I WAS IN THE CAR AT THE TIME. THANKFULLY NOBODY WAS HURT. TORONTO FIRE SERVICES AND TORONTO POLICE SERVICES BOTH ATTENDED THE SCENE. THE MOST FRIGHTENING PART OF THIS INCIDENT IS THE FACT THAT IT WAS COMPLETELY SPONTANEOUS AND VERY CLOSE TO THE GAS TANK! OBVIOUSLY IT WAS THE RESULT OF AN ELECTRICAL MALFUNCTION. THANKFULLY ANOTHER DRIVER ALERTED ME TO THE FACT THAT MY CAR WAS ON FIRE - AS IT WAS NOT APPARENT TO ME - AND I WAS ABLE TO LEAVE THE VEHICLE SAFELY. I SHUDDER TO THINK OF THE POTENTIALLY FATAL GAS EXPLOSION WHICH WOULD HAVE FOLLOWED, HAD WE NOT BEEN ABLE TO EXTINGUISH THE FIRE AS QUICKLY AS WE DID. PLEASE SEE LINK WITH VIDEOS AND PHOTOS OF THE INCIDENT AND RESULTING DAMAGE: HTTPS://GOO.GL/PHOTOS/JWBDABCRJDN7VXJ77

WHILE DRIVING THROUGH THE NEIGHBORHOOD, SUDDENLY THE FOLLOWING WARNINGS APPEARED: THE DASH COMPLETELY SHUT OFF, ALL INSTRUMENTS ZEROED OUT, THE AUTO A/C SHUT OFF, MY WINDOWS AND LOCKS STOPPED WORKING THE RADIO TURNED OFF. SRS FAILURE, POWER FAILURE - URGENT, BRAKE FAILURE . . . USE CAUTION STOPPING, WARNINGS APPEARED IN MY MESSAGES MENU SCREEN. THE POWER WAS FLICKERING ON AND OFF, ON AND OFF, UNTIL IT JUST SHUT OFF COMPLETELY. THANKFULLY I WAS SO CLOSE TO MY MECHANIC, THAT I JUST ROLLED DOWN THE HILL INTO THEIR DRIVEWAY. THIS CAR IS NOT SAFE. I HAD MY LITTLE GIRL IN THE CAR WITH ME. I WOULD HATE TO THINK WHAT WOULD HAVE HAPPENED IF WE HAD BEEN ON THE FREEWAY UNABLE TO STOP. *TR

TL* THE CONTACT OWNS A 2007 VOLVO XC90. WHEN THE BRAKE PEDAL WAS DEPRESSED, THE VEHICLE FAILED TO RESPOND WITHOUT WARNING. THE VEHICLE WAS TAKEN TO AN INDEPENDENT MECHANIC WHERE IT WAS DIAGNOSED THAT THE VEHICLE WAS OPERATING AS DESIGNED. ON ANOTHER OCCASION, WHEN THE IGNITION KEY WAS TURNED TO THE ON POSITION, THE VEHICLE FAILED TO START INTERMITTENTLY. THE VEHICLE WAS STARTED AFTER SEVERAL ATTEMPTS. THE VEHICLE WAS NOT DIAGNOSED OR REPAIRED. THE MANUFACTURER WAS NOT NOTIFIED OF THE FAILURE. THE FAILURE MILEAGE WAS UNKNOWN.

TL* THE CONTACT OWNS A 2007 VOLVO XC90. THE CONTACT STATED THAT THE VEHICLE STALLED AND THE CHECK ENGINE WARNING LIGHT ILLUMINATED INTERMITTENTLY. THE VEHICLE WAS TAKEN TO AN AUTHORIZED DEALER, WHO DIAGNOSED THAT THE IGNITION COIL NEEDED TO BE REPLACED. THE VEHICLE WAS REPAIRED BUT THE FAILURE RECURRED. THE MANUFACTURER WAS NOTIFIED OF THE FAILURE. THE APPROXIMATE FAILURE MILEAGE WAS 170,000.

THE HEADLIGHTS STARTED TO FLICKER A FEW MONTHS AGO. AT FIRST I THOUGHT I WAS IMAGINING IT UNTIL THEY STARTED TO BRIEFLY BLINK, I STILL WAS NOT SURE IT WAS HAPPENING. TONIGHT, AS I WAS DRIVING HOME, THE LIGHTS ABRUPTLY TURNED OFF. I STOPPED THE CAR AS I WAS DRIVING WITH NO HEADLIGHTS AND NOTICED A WARNING LIGHT THAT SAID LOW BEAM FAILURE. I TURNED THE CAR OFF AND BACK ON AND THE HEADLIGHTS STARTED TO WORK AGAIN. ON THE 30 MINUTE DRIVE HOME, THE HEADLIGHTS WOULD BLINK OFF AND ON; SOMETIMES ONE WOULD WORK, SOMETIMES NEITHER WOULD WORK. VERY UNSAFE!!! I'M VERY UPSET TO READ THAT THIS IS A KNOWN COMPLAINT AND VOLVO HAS NOT ADDRESSED THE PROBLEM. WHEN THE HEADLIGHTS TURNED OFF IN THE DARK, I HAD BOTH OF MY CHILDREN IN THE CAR WITH ME. IT'S HORRIBLE THEY WOULD ALLOW THIS KNOWN PROBLEM TO GO UNRESOLVED. THAT'S PLAYING WITH PEOPLE'S LIVES. *TR

WHEN RESTARTING MY CAR IN AN ELEMENTARY SCHOOL PICK-UP LINE, THE KEY WOULD NOT TURN. THE BRAKE PEDAL FELT "STUCK" AND THE STEERING WHEEL WAS LOCKED. I HAD TO HAVE IT TOWED AND BECAUSE IT COULD NOT BE PUT INTO NEUTRAL, IT HAD TO BE DRAGGED ONTO THE TOW TRUCK BED. THE LOCK CYLINDER HAS FAILED. IT IS ESTIMATED THAT WE WILL BE WITHOUT THE CAR FOR 7 DAYS. *TR

THE DRIVER SIDE LOW BEAM HEADLIGHT KEEPS MELTING THE PLASTIC CONNECTOR. I HAVE REPLACED THE CONNECTOR AND HAD ALL THE WIRING AND OTHER COMPONENTS CHECKED ON 3 DIFFERENT OCCASIONS. THE DEALER SAYS NOTHING CAN BE DONE TO FIX THIS ISSUE. IT IS RIDICULOUS THAT A LUXURY BRAND LIKE VOLVO IS VERY AWARE OF THIS ISSUE AND DOES NOTHING TO ALLEVIATE THE PROBLEM. *TR

JULY 4, 2010 IN REPLY TO: VIN# [XXX] VOLVO CARS OF NORTH AMERICA CUSTOMER CARE CENTER 1VOLVO DRIVE ROCKLEDGE, NJ 07647-0914 DEAR VOLVO CARS OF NORTH AMERICA, SUBJECT: VOLVO XC90 WARRANTY/SAFETY ISSUE I HAVE RETURNED MY VOLVO XC90 ON SEVERAL OCCASIONS FOR ELECTRICAL SYSTEM RELATED PROBLEMS TO INCLUDE THREE SEPARATE INCIDENTS OF THE POSITION INDICATOR LIGHT BURNING OUT, MULTIPLE BULB FAILURES AND TIRE PRESSURE SYSTEM WARNINGS. MY VOLVO REPAIR SHOP TOLD ME THAT THESE WERE UNRELATED NORMAL REPAIRS AND THAT I SHOULD NOT BE CONCERNED AFTER THE LATEST INCIDENT OF THE TIRE SYSTEM MALFUNCTION I TOOK MY VEHICLE TO A LOCAL REPAIR SHOP WHO TROUBLESHOOT MY VEHICLE, PUT THE VEHICLE ON A LIFT AND SHOWED ME A WIRING HARNESS THAT WAS WET FROM BEING LOCATED DIRECTLY UNDERNEATH THE VEHICLES AC I BELIEVE THIS IS A MANUFACTURERS DEFECT. THE WIRING HARNESS HAS ALREADY DEVELOPED RUST WHICH INDICATES CONSISTENT WATER IMMERSION AND I WAS TOLD THIS SHOULD BE A CAUSE FOR CONCERN AS THIS SITUATION COULD LEAD TO ELECTRICAL SYSTEM FAILURE, SHORTS, SHOCKS OR VEHICLE FIRE. I AM REQUESTING THAT THIS ISSUE BE FIXED AND SOME TYPE OF WARRANTY EXTENSION BE PROVIDED TO PROTECT FROM ANY FUTURE REPAIRS THAT MAY BE CAUSED BY THIS DEFECT. [XXX] CC:NHTSA INFORMATION REDACTED PURSUANT TO THE FREEDOM OF INFORMATION ACT (FOIA), 5 U.S.C. 552(B)(6). *TR

ON OCTOBER 31ST OF THIS YEAR OUR 2007 VOLVO XC90 CAUGHT FIRE NEAR THE REAR HATCH. MY WIFE, WHO NORMALLY DRIVES THIS VEHICLE, WAS UNABLE TO START THE CAR ON HER FIRST ATTEMPT. IT APPEARED THAT THE BATTERY WAS DEAD. AFTER A COUPLE OF MORE ATTEMPTS THE CAR DID START BUT, A CHECK ENGINE SIGNAL APPEARED. AT THIS POINT SHE DECIDED NOT TO DRIVE THE CAR AND LEFT IT AT HOME. I CAME HOME AT LUNCH AND AFTER A COUPLE OF ATTEMPTS THE CAR DID START. I LEFT THE CAR RUNNING FOR A FEW MINUTES AFTER WHICH TIME SMOKE STARTING FILLING UP THE PASSENGER COMPARTMENT. THE SOURCE OF THE FIRE SEEMED TO BE COMING FROM THE REAR OF THE CAR. I LOOKED UNDER AND AROUND THE CAR BUT, THERE WAS NO OBVIOUS SOURCE OF A FIRE. I OPENED THE REAR HATCH AND SAW FIRE COMING FROM UNDER THE REAR JUMP SEATS. I IMMEDIATELY PUT OUT THE FIRE WITH A FIRE EXTINGUISHER AND CALLED FOR A TOW TRUCK. THE CAR WAS TAKEN TO A VOLVO DEALERSHIP IN BRISTOL, TN. THE NEXT DAY I WENT TO THE DEALER IN BRISTOL AND EXAMINED THE CAR WITH THE SERVICE MANAGER. IT WAS APPARENT THAT THE FIRE HAD STARTED AROUND THE BATTERY COMPARTMENT IN THE REAR OF THE CAR UNDER THE BACK SEATS. AT THIS POINT I HAVE NOT HAD ANY RESPONSE FROM VOLVO AS TO THE CAUSE OF THEIR PLAN FOR REPAIRING THE VEHICLE. THEIR IS SEVERE BURN DAMAGE TO THE REAR SEATS, FLOORING MATERIAL AND OBVIOUS SMOKE DAMAGE TO THE INTERIOR. *TR