Volvo XC90 Transmission Fluid Flushing
There are times when you must perform an XC90 transmission fluid flush. If you have to flush your Volvo XC90‘s automatic tranmission, be sure to refill it with the correct type of automatic transmission fluid.
If you have a 4-speed automatic transmission in your Volve XC90, you have the GM 4T65 AWD automatic transmission. If you have a 5-speed automatic transmission, you have the Aisin AW55-50/51SN automatic transmission. If your Volvo XC90 has a 6-speed automatic transmission, you have the Aisin TF-80SC automatic transmission.
All 5-speed automatic transmissions by Aisin-Warner (A-W, now Aisin Seiki) use JWS-3309 spec fluid. Switching to Mobil1 Synthetic Automatic Transmission Fluid (ATF) will cause problems with this particular Volvo XC90 transmission. There are subtle but significant differences between the two when it comes to density and viscosity that they cannot be interchanged.
If you’re looking for an alternative transmission fluid for your A-W automatic transmission, Mobil ATF 3309 is an excellent choice. Mobil prescribes it “for use in certain slip-controlled lock-up automatic transmissions. Be sure to check your owner’s manual to make sure switching to this fluid is acceptable.
As far as I know, other than those with GM transmissions, the A-W transmissions work just fine with the newer fluid.
If you have a GM transmission and your manual says to use Dexron-III transmission fluid, then Mobil1 Synthetic ATF should work just fine. Dexron-III is still licensed and produced by Allison transmissions as TES-389. That or Dexron-IV should also work for your Volvo XC90 transmission fluid flush, but check your owner’s manual to be sure.
Back in 2013, Volvo settled a class-action lawsuit that compensated 95,000 Volvo XC90 T6 Sport Utility Vehicle (SUV) owners of 2003-2005 models. The suit alleged that Volvo XC90 transmissions in these models were prone to fail shortly after the standard warranty expired for vehicles less than four years old and with fewer than 50,000 miles.
The settlement provided $3 million in attorney fees; doubled the length of the warranty on affected vehicles; and had Volvo pay for repairs to all affected vehicles. For owners who already had their transmissions replaced, rebuilt, or repaired, Volvo paid back half of those costs for vehicles that had less than 100,000 miles at the time of the repair, as long as they were new or certified pre-owned at the time of purchase. For those vehicle owners that had non-certified vehicles, Volvo paid back 25% of out-of-pocket repair costs.
XC90 2004 TRANSMISSION FLUID FLUSH
Last Updated on August 19, 2020
