We have had a somewhat moody period with our Volvo EX90. We left it with the importer for an in-depth investigation. Fortunately, that paid off.
With today’s software-dominated cars, you sometimes run into this: functions temporarily fail and things don’t go as they should. Anyone who has ever used a computer will recognize it. It’s annoying, it’s irritating, and you can’t get used to it. But it comes with the territory, unfortunately. Our Volvo EX90 long-term test car is also not free from quirks. The car needed a reset in expert hands. Normally you would go to your dealer, but because we do not own the car, it had to go to the importer.
Tailgate
But let’s take a step back. What were we running into? It started with the traffic sign recognition failing. Not so bad in itself, because no notifications about speeding came in. Somehow, the overtaking assistant of the adaptive cruise control is linked to that traffic sign recognition, which therefore promptly refused to work. After an evening of rest, the problem was gone, but later returned.
Also, the data connection of the Google system failed from time to time, so you don’t receive any current traffic information. The route planner cannot take into account the current situation en route. Moreover, other applications such as Waze and Spotify also fail, because they cannot connect either.
The tailgate was the next obstacle. Suddenly it no longer closed properly and you had to give it a little push before it was properly closed. That problem was more persistent, but also disappeared after a few days.
Alarm
The problems with the alarm were really annoying. On a Sunday morning, after we briefly opened our long-term test car to take some things out, the alarm went off after locking. We immediately opened and inspected the car, but we did not see any burglars caught in the act, nor flying insects. We locked the Volvo again, but after a few minutes the alarm blared again in full regalia. This repeated itself for some time. Unfortunately, the alarm could not be deactivated and a car ride did not change the situation. After locking, the alarm bells went off again and again.
Via the Volvo On Call button in the ceiling, we called in Volvo’s help. Because it was Sunday, no dealer from the area could come out and the ANWB (Dutch automobile association) was sent. The road service was with us within fifteen minutes and connected his tablet to our long-term test car. He hoped to be able to read what the problem was, but the man had to leave empty-handed. Apparently, the data in the eOBD diagnostic equipment of the ANWB is updated once every two years and this Volvo is still too new. The EX90 then stood unlocked in the parking lot for a while, after which the alarm problem disappeared in a mysterious way.
At the importer, the Volvo was meticulously examined, after which the Swede returned to our long-term test garage in greatly improved condition after a number of days. The key transmitters have been replaced, as they may have caused the problems with the alarm. In addition, the software of the EX90 has been reinstalled, which has proven to be an excellent idea so far. Unfortunately, we had to re-enter all our settings in the car, but well, that’s minor damage. Moreover, Volvo has solemnly promised to contact the ANWB to ensure that road service personnel can better help EX90 drivers in the future. Finally, at our request, a rattling seat in the second row of seats was readjusted, which restored peace in the car.