[gdill2]

The op's last post one year back...

Thanks so far for the suggestions and help. I now understand that the S60 is not prone to a faulty transmission like the 2004 XC90.

I have driven another 600 miles on the transmission since Sunday. (So far around 1,500 - 2,000 miles since the TCM update). It seems to be functioning more smoothly. I still get occasional rough downshifts and I get consistent RPM bursts upon slowing down; however, the abrupt "kicks" have faded significantly. I think that 1,500-2,000 miles might the be magic numbers of the adaptive rework of the transmission. The roughest was over the weekend at about 750-1000 miles post TCM update; I was in a hilly region and on almost every hill, I would get a hard "kick."

I have spoken with the service manager at Volvo of Memphis and he seems to be on top of the issue. He told me that he spoke with a tech and confirmed that it is probably the adaptive control taking time to readjust. I also received an e-mail from Volvo Cars of North America inquiring about the issue; that is promising that they are interested in customer retention.

I am hopeful and optimistic that this situation will resolve itself.

Pertaining to my frustration, I think you must understand that having been through a faulty transmission once with my XC90, one can only have a conditioned response upon experiencing similar transmission behaviors from the new S60 at the nearly the same mileage interval. I lost a great deal of money because of XC90's transmission. You must also understand that upon experiencing the "jerks, slips, and kicks" of the XC90, I brought the vehicle to Bergeron Volvo in New Orleans. A service rep performed the TCM and told me that "everything was fine." I later found myself stranded with a transmission that needed to be rebuilt. Therefore, you can say anything you want but after having this experience, anyone will be frustrated at experiencing the same situation with no immediate resolution. It was like history repeating itself.

I love Volvos and that is why I have purchased three back-to back (2 New, 1 Used at 30,000 miles); however, initially after this latest experience, one would be a fool to not re-examine his choices in car buying. I will see how this situation will resolve itself. I am really hoping that the transmission will "adapt and fix itself" as it seems to improving daily.

For those of you who have not had the TCM, give it time to unfold. I waited 9-10 days where it seemed more jerky and unresponsive, and then I experienced a slow, gradual improvement. Hoping for more.

Bets say he is toolin' along happily in his new Subaru!

George Dill

 

[stodge]

My old Ford Five Hundred had a 6 speed Aisin automatic transmission. It never failed or had issues, but it was a "poor" unit. It was very slow to shift, especially down for hard acceleration, but it usually had hard shifts in the lower gears and when coming to a stop.

 

[Ride S40T]

My old Ford Five Hundred had a 6 speed Aisin automatic transmission. It never failed or had issues, but it was a "poor" unit. It was very slow to shift, especially down for hard acceleration, but it usually had hard shifts in the lower gears and when coming to a stop.

Holy cow, I think we may have found that old trans. Must have been recycled. :facepalm:

 

[DaggerIIIIII]

Transmission Issue to no avail

This is my first post; however, I have been viewed this forum for quite some time. I must say that I am pretty disgusted with the transmissions issues and the lack of repair I am experiencing with my S60. This is my third Volvo and more than likely my last.

I have a 2012 Volvo S60 T5 Red. The car was purchased in May of 2011 and currently has 55,000 miles (I drive constantly for work). Approximately one month ago, I began experiencing transmission delays, hesitations, and extremely rough downshifts. When stopping, my RPMs will surge and I will get a slight burst of acceleration. I have had several passengers notice the "kick."

I brought the car to Volvo of Memphis last Thursday, September 6. I drove 1.5 hours to get there and waited 4 hours until the 52,500 mile scheduled maintainence / TCM Software Update to be performed on the vehicle. They told me the update was applied and the transmission was fine. Upon driving the vehicle, I noticed that nothing was different about the harsh transmission behavior. I took the car back and the service manager said he forget to tell me that the problem will correct itself in 2-3 days due to the adaptive nature of the transmission. It has been 10-days since the TCM and the transmission is still stalling, hesitating, delaying in acceleration, and downshifting abruptly. I am calling the service manager tomorrow and discussing the issue with him. I am sure I will have to take another full day off of work and drive 80 miles to wait 4-6 hours and then drive 80-miles home for what? the same results. I will complete the e-mail survey and discuss the issue with VCNA. I only have 5,000 miles left on the warranty and I need the issue fixed.

I previously owned a 2004 Volvo XC90. I had it for two years and then noticed the exact same transmission behavior that I am experiencing now. I took it in the Bergeron Volvo of New Orleans. A service advisor told me that it just needed a new TCM upgrade and it would be fine. The update was applied. The XC still exhibited odd patterns of shifting but the service advisor assured me this was "normal." Two weeks later I was stranded on a highway 50-miles away from home with a completely broken transmission. The entire transmission needed to be replaced ($6,000) so I just traded the car in for a S40. I owned a S40 that was problem free until I traded it in for this S60.

All other issues I have had with this car are minor except the transmission.

2012 Volvo S60 Issues Thus Far: 55,000 miles currently on vehicle

1.) Sunroof Leaks Inside Vehicle During Car Wash (Attempted Repair 3 x with no solutions) - Finally Gave Up
2.) Front Rotors and Pads Replaced at 35,000 miles
3.) AC Compressor is very loud and makes a churning noise (Not Reported)
4.) Major Transmission Issues (TCM Update Performed to no avail)

I am throwing in the towel on Volvos. I am 27-years old and I am confident I will never again purchase a Volvo. The funny thing is that I have asked around and transmission problems are very rare. My father and mother (Both in their late 50s have never had transmission problems). I have owned 3-Volvos (Two purchased New) in ten years and have experienced transmission issues with TWO! Ask around and see how many people you know who have had multiple vehicles with transmission problems. Volvos simply lack quality.

2004 Volvo XC90 T6 Black (Transmission Failed at 65,000 miles)
2008 Volvo S40 Black
2012 Volvo S60 T5 Red (Transmission Issues Continued and Unresolved)
Future: No Volvos

The symptoms you are describing could also be fuel supply line issues, and honestly sound more like fuel to fuel rail system issues. How are you certain that the Transmission is presenting these problems and not the fuel system? I am about to buy a 2009 S60 T5 so I would appreciate any knowledge you have on this.

 

[s6013t5]

The symptoms you are describing could also be fuel supply line issues, and honestly sound more like fuel to fuel rail system issues. How are you certain that the Transmission is presenting these problems and not the fuel system? I am about to buy a 2009 S60 T5 so I would appreciate any knowledge you have on this.

This thread has been dead for almost 2 years. Also, 2009 S60's are not the same as the OP's 2012. You will have better luck in the 2009 forum.

 

[Endurante221b]

Possible solution to transmission slippage / failure.

So, I took apart my transmission. This was due to my 99k mi 2001 Volvo S60 w/ an AW 55-50 failing almost completely on the freeway. The symptoms beforehand were a jerky transmission (*forgive me if I can't remember specific details, but this event/repair happened quite a while ago.). The event on the freeway happened as I was cruising at around 60mph on the slow lane when suddenly my throttle only made engine noise but had no effect on acceleration. I got out of the freeway and limped back home using tip-tronic on first gear all the way (noisy and embarrasing) because it was the only gear that would engage. I read the forums and browsed for days for solutions. Tried the transmission flush and it didn't work. So, I got to thinking: "This is a mechanical problem. A mechanical component must have failed. Take it apart and figure it out." So I did. Taking the transmission down is a pain. Thinking that the valve body solenoids were the issue cost me time but it was educational. Long story short, when I took the transmission down, I noticed two small rectangular and slightly curved metal pieces where the spline comes out of the housing. They were just laying there and stupidly, I thought nothing of it. I am honestly surprised I didn't lose them during the process because they look like they could have fallen off at anytime. Days later, after taking the entire transmission apart and looking closely at everything, I found out what those two pieces were: THEY WERE PART OF THE INNER GEAR IN THE TRANSMISSION FLUID PUMP! THEY CONNECT THE PUMP TO THE TORQUE CONVERTER!!!!! The pump wouldn't rotate without those pieces! The transmission fluid pump is the brown circle with a few bolts on it that is immediately noticeable if you were to look at the transmission spline. I went to the junkyard, found a volvo wagon with the same transmission, took the pump because the two metal pieces were connected to it and intact, installed everything, and the car works mechanically again. Only issue is, I have to get VIDA software and the DICE "thing" in order to reset the transmission settings because it keeps getting transmission codes and causes rough shifting, although the car runs fine before the code comes up. Trying to get the word out because it is a pain and purchasing another transmission is costly. BTW, I AM NOT A PROFESSIONAL. I am simply a mechanically inclined college student with an interest in saving money and my car even at the expense of my time. Not saying this is the issue for everyone, but if you have the transmission off already, look at the pump to see if those two pieces are broken off. Hopefully I can share this out there with pics soon because as far as I've browsed, I think I'm the only person who's posted anything like this. Good luck to everyone!
ETCG basically clarifies most of my novice discovery in the first 44 seconds of this video (He even puts the inner gear onto the torque converter!):

 

[Okidiver]

Well done, thanks for sharing.

 

[Endurante221b]

Possible solution to transmission slippage / failure PICTURES

So this is the transmission off. You can see the outside of the pump body in brown with the spline going through it.

This is the transmission fluid pump body off the transmission.

The transmission pump body that I show in the pictures doesn't show the effort it took to get that pump body off, nor does it show the additional attachments it had that the pictures don't show. The attachments that I mean look similar to the one's shown at the 9min45sec mark on this video (not sure if its the same transmission, but it sure looks similar to what I encountered. Just saying that when you take off the pump at first, you take off a lot more than what is just shown in my pictures!).

This is the other side of the pump body, its inner and outer gears, and its plate.

These are the inner and outer gears inside the pump body with the plate off.

And this is where the mechanical failure occurred; in the inner gear. Notice, both "guides" are not there; they broke off. There are supposed to be "guides" in that inner gear for the torque converter. They are not shown because shearing occurred to them.

This is what the inner gear should look like (Notice the two guides opposite one another inside the inner gear!).

This is what it looked like with the transmission ready to be installed and the good inner gear on (looking at it like the first picture, just a close up to show the guide/tooth on the good inner gear):

This is how the plate should be put onto the pump body:

All of this is also on http://volvoforums.com/forum/volvo-...omplete-guide-s60-transmission-shift-flares-slipping-missing-gears-59684/page2/



This is a video of a guy WITH A DIFFERENT TRANSMISSION showing how the inner gear is supposed to look like (inner gear has the guides intact).

Again, I am not a professional. Just posted this to give ya'll some idea of what to look for if you have the transmission off and to share my own experience.
Good luck everyone! Hope this might help!

 

[hamilton65]

Found this helpful info from a Russion Volvo dealers blog. https://translate.google.com/transl...m/translate?hl=en&sl=auto&tl=en&u=https://www.drive2.ru/o/b/482952512115049038/
One of the most common and discussed problems with Volvo cars built on the P3 platform is, perhaps, the behavior of the TF-80SC / SD automatic transmission. The most common complaints are jerks when shifting gears, shocks when turning on mode D of the automatic transmission selector, jerk at the start of movement after the actuation of the "auto-neutral". All these faults mainly occur at high temperatures. They began to appear after the release of the second generation of this transmission, starting from the 20th week of 2010. The manufacturer has developed a technical solution to eliminate such faults - this is a software update for the TCM module and an adaptation of the transmission. But, unfortunately, as practice has shown, this solution is not always enough ...

The initial cause of the symptoms described malfunction are internal leakage of oil in the automatic transmission. This is a kind of uncontrolled decrease in the operating pressure of oil in the control lines. That is why the symptoms appear at high temperatures - the higher the temperature of the oil, the lower its viscosity, the stronger the uncontrolled leakage. Adaptation of automatic transmission involves the compensation of leaks at the program level. That is, additional correction factors are added to the algorithm of operation of the automatic transmission control software, which allow to take into account the loss of oil pressure.

Oil leakage, according to information from VCR engineers, occurs through the joint of the rings of the shaft seal of the clutch pack C1. The shaft itself is hollow; it is the main oil channel. The rest of info is in the link. My 2013 S60 had this very issue. After the software update did nothing and adaption didn't work my Dealer got the Transmission Repair kit from Volvo part #31492222 which replaces all the seals mentioned in the link along with a new filter. After the repair kit, shifting is back to normal. Thanks Aisin (toyota) for changing those seals in 2010 and not fixing it until 2015. Sounds like they need a recall.

 

[Gmouse]

Hmmmm...I've been complaining to Rickenbaugh Volvo in Denver, CO, about this issue (really rough down-shifting, jerky shifting, hard "clunk" when you go from R to D) for last three 10 K mile services (40, 50, 60 K), and they kept telling me "It's normal.". Seems I need to write Volvo and let them know of the parts and the fix.

Thanks!!

 

[jlh3rd]

since this thread has been revived, here's my story. I've got a 2012 S60, T5, automatic. It has about 58,000 on it and purchased used in 2015 with 28,000 on it, and from a volvo dealer. Around 5,000 miles ago I encountered the bang shifting from park to drive, some minor slipping when up shifting sometimes . All updates had been done. I elected to completely drain and refill the transmission, and added an auxiliary cooler. I used vida/dice to reset the tranny as required. It has shifted flawlessly since , of course it's only been 5,000 miles, so we'll see....I do not believe in " lifetime" fluids.....and it certainly wasn't normal.

 

[jjw220]

since this thread has been revived, here's my story. I've got a 2012 S60, T5, automatic. It has about 58,000 on it and purchased used in 2015 with 28,000 on it, and from a volvo dealer. Around 5,000 miles ago I encountered the bang shifting from park to drive, some minor slipping when up shifting sometimes . All updates had been done. I elected to completely drain and refill the transmission, and added an auxiliary cooler. I used vida/dice to reset the tranny as required. It has shifted flawlessly since , of course it's only been 5,000 miles, so we'll see....I do not believe in " lifetime" fluids.....and it certainly wasn't normal.

Did you do that by yourself? For me the worst is 3rd gear. When I'm in it the tranny makes a high pitched noise and when it goes down to 2nd it makes a loud sound and the car lurches a small amount. When im coasting from 3rd when it downshifts I literally feel like I'm applying the brakes slightly.

 

[PM]

Hmmmm...I've been complaining to Rickenbaugh Volvo in Denver, CO, about this issue (really rough down-shifting, jerky shifting, hard "clunk" when you go from R to D) for last three 10 K mile services (40, 50, 60 K), and they kept telling me "It's normal.". Seems I need to write Volvo and let them know of the parts and the fix.

Thanks!!

Keep complaining to the dealer!. At some point if you complain enough and the problems are severe enough you will get a new transmission. I had identical problems you described. Clunking from jerky shifts, clunks 1-2, hard down shift 3-2 and 2-1, clunk into first gear at a stop, delays from 2-1 on down shifts especially after extending highway driving then exiting. First visit they started with a trans fluid change, visit two software adapters were reset, visit three software update, visit four another reset of adapters, visit five issue escalated to volvo sweden and transmission was replaced with 2013 model. This was at 46K miles and 9 months of visits and complaining. Issue is now gone. Been 35K miles since it was replaced, and problems have not returned.

 

[jlh3rd]

Did you do that by yourself? For me the worst is 3rd gear. When I'm in it the tranny makes a high pitched noise and when it goes down to 2nd it makes a loud sound and the car lurches a small amount. When im coasting from 3rd when it downshifts I literally feel like I'm applying the brakes slightly.

yes, i did, .....however, i did not have your symptoms. I basically just had a hard bang from park to drive, and it was intermittent.You do need vida/dice to properly reset the tranny.

 

[jjw220]

Keep complaining to the dealer!. At some point if you complain enough and the problems are severe enough you will get a new transmission. I had identical problems you described. Clunking from jerky shifts, clunks 1-2, hard down shift 3-2 and 2-1, clunk into first gear at a stop, delays from 2-1 on down shifts especially after extending highway driving then exiting. First visit they started with a trans fluid change, visit two software adapters were reset, visit three software update, visit four another reset of adapters, visit five issue escalated to volvo sweden and transmission was replaced with 2013 model. This was at 46K miles and 9 months of visits and complaining. Issue is now gone. Been 35K miles since it was replaced, and problems have not returned.

Yeah but how much did that cost you in total?

 

[2011_S80]

I have a 2011 S80 with Aisin TF-80SC and after a year since I bought it used with 99k KM, the engine is very smooth and quiet, transmission very responsive with a great rate of acceleration, but not so great on downshifting, when oil is cold it switches better but later, in a minute is ok, so I am gonna flush the oil and replace it with full synthetic and see if gets better. Did you try the geartronic and see if it works well? Mine switches perfect there!