2006 XC 90 Wheel Bearing replacement with 15K miles

[eastcoastjim]

I brought my 2006 2.5L XC 90 AWD in for my 15k service complaining about road noise, and it turns out the front wheel bearings were shot and frozen to the axle. They replaced the axle and bearings under warranty.

The tech told me they have been having front bearing issues with the XC90s due the SUV class weight riding on car class parts (his words, not mine).

Has anyone else had this problem, or heard of this being a long term problem with the XC 90s?

Thanks!

[JsR]

VERY common problem - both rears went on mine also at 15k. Just do a search on the forums...

Don't know why Volvo haven't made significant changes to the design - it must have cost them a fortune in warranty jobs. I can only suppose it must work out more economical for them to just replace as required - they should take pity on us when the vehicle's out of warranty.

John R

[Hong Kong]

Yes also here in Europe-Slovenia.
I have only 3 months a new car Ocean Race 2.5T and 16.500 km allready but no problems. But i ask many other owners XC90 and they change also front bearings.Strange that Volvo dosent find a better bearing factory.

[Castle]

Both of the rear wheel bearings were replaced on my '05 XC-90 at 22k miles. Sure is quiet now!

[rfassberg]

Yes, my rear bearings were shot at about 6K miles. The noise was getting unbearable, and I thought it was bad tires but it apparently wasn't.

[glansberry]

Yes, my rears went at about 15k also, now have 50k with no new bearing issues.

[Big]

The tech told me they have been having front bearing issues with the XC90s due the SUV class weight riding on car class parts (his words, not mine).

Has anyone else had this problem, or heard of this being a long term problem with the XC 90s?

Must be a truck guy to whom all car parts seem inadequate. There have been problems associated with front axle nuts and rear seals which can cause the bearings to fail but I don't remember any known weakness in the bearings themselves.

[dmd]

Correct, this is a seal issue that allows moisture/dirt to get in.

A poll might be interesting to see where the vehicles are that have the most
issues (road salt and rain), or if they use power washers/car washes.