T6 Transmission poll

[Big]

Could never understand this myself, why Volvo, who is owned by Ford, would put a GM minivan tranny in a twin turbo "performance" suv.

Whoever made that decision should be sent to the cold weather testing facility for the next 10 years.

As I understand it, the transverse mounted inline 6 does not leave much room for a transmission on the P2 platform. Volvo went with the best available one that would fit. I suppose their other option was to have one custom made but that evidently did not fit into the development schedule (Volvo was already late to the SUV market). If I remember correctly, XC90 development began in 1997 and the prototype was unveiled in 2001. Ford bought Volvo in 1999 so I'm not sure how much influence Ford had on the transmission choice.

[dmd]

There are places (trans shops) that specialize in these. I would not replace
the trans with a Volvo one. Get it rebuilt much more robust. You know
if there are shops that specialize in building them up, that other vehicles
have the same problems. This is not a European transmission, it
is a US one that domestic trans shops know best about.

Volvo will just install another one with the same issues.

[MarkJnK]

As I understand it, the transverse mounted inline 6 does not leave much room for a transmission on the P2 platform. Volvo went with the best available one that would fit. I suppose their other option was to have one custom made but that evidently did not fit into the development schedule (Volvo was already late to the SUV market). If I remember correctly, XC90 development began in 1997 and the prototype was unveiled in 2001. Ford bought Volvo in 1999 so I'm not sure how much influence Ford had on the transmission choice.

Thanks for the info. While it might have been the "best available" at the time, it was almost suicide for the XC90, one that after 4 years is still hard to recover from. It is also responsible for Volvo dealers having dozens of XC90's sitting on the lots. Around here the dealers don't keep the off-lease T6's on the lot anymore, they dump them to the wholesalers, who in turn are giving them away for ridiculous prices. But the 2.5T sales are suffering by association. The problems with the T6 tranny caused the user reviews of the XC90 to plummet because most reviews do not distinguish between the 2.5T and T6. We almost avoided the XC90 for this reason too but after digging deeper and doing more research we realized that the 2.5T is a good vehicle, tainted only by its faster troubled T6 brother.

On the bright side, the poor reviews and slow sales did facilitate a great deal for our '04 2.5T. So far we are very happy with it.

[cx90]

Another symptom I've noted and may wrongly be attributing to a transmission problem: Often when shifting from first to second it seems to lose power when it shifts into second gear. I don't know if this is to be considered 'turbo lag' as my rpm's drop after shifting into second. the reason that i question the transmission is because sometimes it shifts smoothly and with power into second gear and sometimes there is a definitive lag in power after shifting into second.

All fair points about the business reasons for GM to supply the transmission, but it certainly is a negative mark next to brand loyalty for me. Still a net positive at this point, but that could quickly turn south if it leaves me stranded 200 miles from home.

I just wonder how hard I should push to have it replaced (under warranty) before it does leave me stranded on the side of the road.

[prd190]

I have a 04 t6 with 55,000 miles on it. A few weeks ago i started to hear a small noise in the engine, but figured it was nothing major. Driving home and suddenly the car wont accelerate. The transmission was shot. Although our car was no longer under warranty, the dealership replaced it for free because this was a very "rare" problem. After a few weeks of hard driving, it is starting to feel funny when it is shifting. How could they put such a crappy transmission in a powerful car and then replace it with the same one?

[dmd]

Hard driving and T6 transmissions do not mix. Did you expect to get a new magic
trans? The trans are the same unless you find a aftermarket place to build it up.

[txhokie4life]

Do the V8 Sports have the same transimission?

If they did the extra HP and Torque would be that much worse.

m

[Mr T]

just found this forum. had my trans replaced at about 30k after taking it in 3 times and being told nothing was wrong. on hills it would stall out, like the torque converter was slipping and rpm would scream and car would hardly move. guess i'm not the only one. this sucks.

[thebracko]

Do the V8 Sports have the same transimission?

If they did the extra HP and Torque would be that much worse.

m

The V8 uses a different transmission that I have yet to see any problems with whatsoever.

[furyguy]

Our '05 T6 managed 75000 miles before crapping out Saturday night with no warning...other than the transmission service urgent light after it died. Was told clutches were shredded. $5600 to replace the trany or $13000 as trade in. Thanks Volvo! What a quality product!