volvo S60 transmission problem

[Holly]

My Volvo S60 automatic transmission slips when changing from 1st gear to second gear. The engine revs up and the car lugs. It is dangerous, and scares me every time. Happens a few times per week.
The Volvo dealer repair shop tried to fix it by loading new software into the car's computer twice, but it did not fix the problem. Now they will try installing a new PC board and then reloading the software. They dont' know if it will fix the problem.
Is this problem common? Does anyone know what the cause is?
Thank you very much for any advice,
Holly in Mountain View California

[dpauto.com]

Holly,

Sounds to me like a transmission problem, not software or electrical. If your car is still under warranty, get involve with the factory rep. Dealers usually do whatever it takes to avoid replacing a transmission for customers. However, if your car is out of warranty, I just hope something simple other than the transmission.

Regards,
Dave

[pscarampi]

Holly,

I have the exact same problem in my 2001 S60 T5. I'll be stopped at a light, I'll accelerate normally, and then it will get up to maybe 4,000 RPM without accelerating, and then suddenly it clicks with a jolt after about a second and the car lurches forward. And it doesn't happen often, just enough to say "what's going on?" I haven't taken it in since it started happening a few months ago, and come to think of it, it hasn't happened in a couple of weeks...

I'm really afraid it's a problem that's going to get worse, but I haven't noticed anything to worry about. Anybody else have any idea??

Phil

[Pennywise]

I bought a 2001 S60 T5 a few months ago, and same thing started tp happen about 2 or 3 weeks ago, just called the dealer yesterday and he was not surprised, he told me that it sounds like a common problem in this specific model and year, in spanish "Cuerpo de Valvulas" (Valve Body) which is attached to the A/T seems to be the problem, the price, just around $2,400 bucks (dollars), but it seems that the warranty still apply, so I maybe would only pay half of it (still too much). I think if this is a common problem with these cars (2001 S60 T5), there should have been a factory recall at some point (that`s what decent manufacturers do right?). Please let me know if what this guy told me is true and how you managed to fix the problem.
Thanx

[Doug61]

I have a 2003 S60 AWD and had the same problem where the transmission did not seem to shift between gears. Mine would slip between 2nd and 3rd but sometimes also between 1st and 2nd. I took it to the dealer and they contacted Sweden performance group who provided a new software version. I have been running for almost a year with the new software and have not noticed any problems. For me the software update resolved the problem. One item to note is the transmission on the AWD is the manual/automatic Geartronics transmission.

[Underdog]

Bad news for all those Volvo S60 owners from years 2001 and after, just picked up my car from the dealer, remember? S60 T5 in Mexico, well, they updated the software and nothing... tried with two different softwares but still nothing, the thing is that the Valve Body (A very important part of the transmission which regulates the pressure applied in every gear change) is broken, here are the bad news..... Transmission is Chevrolet, I think the transmission comes from a Pick Up, or a Suburban, so we are talking about a hybrid... The worst thing is that my transmission started to fail after 48 months since bought, so warranty will only apply on 50% of the total, that if the company in Sweden accepts, it will take from 3 to 5 days to rapair it, and they say that after that the transmission will be as good as new... (the fact is that I thought I was buying a new car)... well , so for all those of you that have the same problem, check your warranty policy, if you`re still in time, good luck!

[Mika]

The transmission is actually Aisin-Warner, not GM. GM trannies have been used in S80. nevertheless, the problem is usually the valve body. In some 2001 cars the problem is B4 valve cover, which is a completely different thing, and way cheaper to fix. There's a tech note for that, which the dealer can check.

My tranny has been slippin for a couple of years, but I can fix it for a while by reseting the car with BSR tuning box.

Do a search at swedespeed.com forums "shift flare" for more info.

[Robert]

I had the exact same problem in my2004 s60. every 50 or 60 miles, the engine would simply die.. .. no warning, and happened at every speed, weather it was going 70 MPH or 30.

The dealer was able to fix the problem for me.. turns out, it was a bad brake speed sensor. Alot of the data for the engine goes through this sensor, which measures wheel speed with all the other data. The dealer replaced this sensor, reloaded the car's software, and now the car is running fine.

[Viper_7]

surely not???
One sensor fault is enough to cut total power..taking braking and steering with it... that should be a total Recall as that's extremely poor design!!!

[JBRollo]

My 2002 S60 just started doing this rev thing in 1 to 2 shift. I just flushed and filled the transmission fluid with Mobil ATF 3309. Will let you know if it helps.
Not impressed with a transmission that fails after only 50,000 miles! Volvo has lost it! (not impressed with their $20/quart transmission fluid either)

Jim R.
Georgia
Last Volvo for me and I was a true Volvo fan!

[JBRollo]

Flushed it and the problem has not reappeared! Will try the Volvo software modification if it comes back.
The flush is very easy. The proceedure is posted on the web and maybe here too. Took about 1.5 hrs. Cost about $75 with the Mobil ATF 3309 which I ordered from the internet. (Volvo fluid costs about 4 times as much)

JBRollo@aol.com

[TWD99]

I had the same problem with my '01 S60. The dealer flushed the transmission fluid and it has been symptom-free for 25k mi. Watch out for that $25/qt. OEM fluid, though! Maybe I'll DIY next time...

[JBRollo]

Got the Mobil ATF 3309 from AV Lubricants at

http://store.avlube.com/mobilatf3309.html

Cost: $46 for a case plus about $15 shipping.

[Joel]

I've just dropped off my 2002 S60 2.5 with the Volvo service crew and it's having the same problems as I see discussed here-- slips between 1st and 2nd gears. The Santa Monica service rep said the $4,500 cost should be covered by the exended warranty. The warranty guy has inspected the car but evidently will wait until tomorrow (9/8/07) to give them the green light. Any insight would be appreciated. I will provide an update after the work is complete.