Anyone with a T8 at nearly 4 or 5 years old - read this!
 

As many people have reported there have been instances of failure of the electric motor in the rear axle. This unit is called the ERAD. In the past the entire unit has been replaced, which has been quoted as a circa 9k GBP cost. Repair is sometimes possible and there is now a repair and modification kit for this unit which I am led to believe is about 1.7k parts and about 12 hours labour. This will add up to a circa 3.5k GBP job to repair.

The ERAD can fail in different ways but common symptoms are hesitation on pulling away, pulling away then cutting out, juddering (axle tramp) or a loud clunking from the rear.

What I have found out recently is that Volvo has increased the warranty on this part to 5 years. Up to 4 years old they will pay for 100% of the repair cost. Up to 5 years old they will pay for 50%.

What I also now know is that this is strictly enforced. My car was 48 months old on 1.3.20. I had first symptoms on 8.3.20. I rang the dealer about a week later and it was booked in for 31.3.20. Due to UK shutdown I didn't get to the dealer until mid May when the codes were read and the fault diagnosed. The dealer tried very hard for goodwill for me, but Volvo UK refused as the 48 month deadline is strictly enforced. Volvo UK also have full access to the dealer software so they know exactly when the codes were read. So for me from Volvo all I am offered is 50% of the cost. Luckily I have an aftermarket warranty which should cover it.

So. For anyone experiencing any of the symptoms above, and if the car is close to either the 4 or 5 year anniversary then get to the dealer ASAP and get the codes read. It could save you a lot of money.

Hope that helps someone.

For clarity, am I right in thinking that more recent versions are not so prone to failure?
Definitely reinforces the point that its important to try and maintain some kind of warranty cover on vehicles like these, they are so complex and expensive to repair when things go wrong that the risk is just never worth it IMO.

I would agree re warranty cover. I do wonder how many Hybrids and EV's will end up being scrapped in years to come - whilst still relatively new - simply due to uneconomic repair costs..... so much for saving the planet.... and how many will buy EV's or electrified cars with the rumoured targetted scrappage scheme who end up paying out so much on PCP's cannot then afford dealer servicing and end up with high bills for repairs ......

Not to mention depreciation rates..........
There is possibly a logic in leasing the car or even key components such as battery/electric motors/transmissions?

Renault tried that with the Zoe battery, now dropped due to limited market take up.

And there is me hoping to buy a Volvo PHEV this coming weekend.....

I think so yes. The repair kit is apparently a significant modification, so I would be very surprised if the new units coming from the parts supplier to the factory were not also modified. When this happened though I have no idea.

I only bought mine at 3 years old because I could get a warranty. I wouldn't have entertained it without one - even though I had known the vehicle from new (it was my company car for the first 3 years of it's life). Provided there are no hitches and it does actually pay out then my £599 for a 3 year unlimited mileage aftermarket warranty is looking like a very good purchase indeed......

Car is booked in for w/c 22nd June. They need the car for 2 days to do the job. I will report back afterwards.

Thanks, a) is there a mileage limit? b) presumably it's only if something is wrong with it, they won't entertain any precautionary/advisory work on it?

In answer to your questions:-

a. I have been told by my dealer that there is no mileage limit.
b. Yes. It has to be faulty and ideally to save an error code. This is a repair of faulty units, not a precautionary repair or recall.

Hope that helps.

Update.

After a bit of messing about with problems with the availability of the part, the job is now completed.

I had a service and one other job done at the same time, they had the car for 2 days total.

According to their master tech, they are now quite proficient at this job and can get it just about done in a full day, but tend to still book in for 2 days in case of any hitches.

I was told the cost being invoiced to the warranty company was 2.3k GBP (I am not sure if this is ex VAT or inc VAT, I assume ex. VAT) so a bit cheaper than initially thought. Nothing to pay from my side, the aftermarket warranty company picks up the full bill.

Car is now transformed. Back to how it was when it was new. I am also getting more electric miles out of a full battery now than I have done for a long time too. I assumed the reduction in real range was due to battery degradation but it would appear it was actually due to problems with the motor.

Excellent service from Riverside Doncaster as usual.

Here's to the next 103,000 miles from the car!

When was this ironed out on new cars does anyone know?

This morning while turning left out of a junction I put my foot down, and nothing for a few seconds. And I’m not taking about the usual slow gear changes in hybrid mode. Not had this before either.

Any advice appreciated.

ERAD failed
 

so we had the car since Sept 2019 bought it at 94000 miles.

There was a weak coolant line at the back of the engine (engine cooling system not hybrid) that burst shortly after buying the car so went in Volvo to have this repaired ans also recalibrated and straightened the camera on the windscreen as the person that replaced it under previous ownership... managed to step on the assembly...!!
Volvo managed to sort out the coolant and the camera calibrated and straightened at a total sum of £680.00
However they could not diagnose anything about the turtle symbol appearing on the dash after the car is left resting for 4-5 days ... which in my understanding is a hybrid code. However after the battery was warming up.. the turtle was going away.

Just had at 100.000 miles a major service and also cambelt and auxiliary belt also there was a reprogramming of the steeting angle sensor due to being corrupt for some sort ... throwing error codes.
This came to a total of £930.00
Turtle again was not shown as a fault on the diagnostics...

Now done 500 miles after the service ... when setting off from stand still at junctions or runabouts... the power would dip... and have no throttle response for 3-4secs or until the petrol engine kicks in. This happens randomly and not often. However it is more noticeable with the traction battery having a sufficient charge.
I can also hear some bangs... coming from under the gear level and from the rear axle. But this happened only 2-3 times in total.

turtle came up after driving the car from London ... and then dissapeared just 10miles away from the dealership! lol

Volvo had the car for a day... they said they did a software update... although the car already had the latest software... and keep an eye on it. (end of December)

After 150 miles... the whole power loss came back again but it now repeats more often... but again no EML ... but the battery is acting up strangely now... half full or showing full at short time but charging continues as normal.

Car was booked and went in Volvo 4th of Jan today...
they got the car diagnosed... and they suggested that the ERAD needs to be replaced.
Now the car was 5yo mid Dec 2019.. and 101500 miles now.
The cost for the ERAD without labour £3600 ... ehmmm

They contacted Volvo UK and had an answer by midday.
Volvo UK is covering 100% of the cost for the ERAD to be fixed. but they did say they are doing this due to the car being seen by Volvo for everything so far and is in very good condition.

Previous owner was a lease company so the service was only Volvo and now with my owner ship it has also been only Volvo..

Lets see the outcome on this :)

Dead god. At least they have offered to cover the ERAD.

Cambelt on the T8 is 144k miles or 8 years, they shouldn't have done it, it is not due.

Symptoms you describe - loss of power, clunking and banging is definitely ERAD symptoms.

Which year of car did they modify it to avoid this problem?

I know I read that it was meant to be at higher mileage or more year... but it was only £350 for both belts... so I didn't mind. Better be safe than sorry to be honest :) I did 5,000 miles since Sept ... so I would have needed to change it within 2021 regardless lol

For you it is due December 2022 or in 43k miles time according to your numbers, so now seems very premature. 350 quid seems a good price though. I am expecting more like 500 quid when mine is due.....

Don't know for sure but think maybe mid to late 2017.

Well good news ... got the car back yesterday and it is all fixed.
100% paid from Volvo UK
I have to say well done to Volvo Maidstone as they have been excellent fighing my ground :-)
Driven the car today to London and back and it has been going excellent :) like new.

I’ll definitely be keeping this in mind when it comes to buying second hand... I wonder if i phone a dealership will they know when the ERAD was modified on new cars... mid to late 2017 says Philip Fisher.... Its probably something they don’t want to talk about too much :teeth_smile:

Erad issue
 

Yes its a big help, i have the same issue and i only had my car 3 weeks with 29,900 miles on it at 3 years and 10 months old.

Got it back and it started juddering like the front and back was trying to go in seperate directions!.

It went in to my Volvo dealers service centre and they were fantastic, I have been a Volvo driver now for 15 Years and its been a breeze geting this resolved.

They suspected the ERAD and were on the money so to speak, I am looking forward to geting it back on Friday. Thanks Again and bit Thanks to Volvo.

Glad to help. Who's your dealer? I used to live just outside Mansfield, but think all the dealers have changed since then.

Hi Philip,
Are you able to share who you got your warranty from?

Hi Philip having the same problem I have a 2016 XC90 . It’s ERAD is on the way out and dealership say it needs replacing at €4000. Thy tell me I have no warranty cover on this , you mentioned a 4 and 5 year warranty,is this standard or is this extended warranty that you had to pay extra for. If it’s standard where can I get a copy of this. Mike

Other people may give better answers, from personal experience or be able to give you some hard evidence, but if I am reading it correctly, Volvo UK have decided to offer a goodwill gesture for this part up to five years old, as they have recognised the issue, as the standard Volvo warranty is 3 years.

If you are approaching Volvo Ireland, they may not have taken the same stance as Volvo UK on this matter, and simply be sticking with the standard warranty and not offering the goodwill gesture. (Are they different companies ?)

If this is the case you may have to approach Volvo UK, to have the issue resolved, if it is a UK car that you have. (The fact the car is in Ireland and the extend of Volvo service history may play a part as well ?)

Failing all that, I would suggest calling some of the dealers mentioned on here that have carried out the work, and get the information directly from them.

This is all speculation on my part from the responses given, but hopefully someone can provide more detailed information to hopefully get them to stump up some cash.

The above is indeed correct. When I had it done, Volvo UK had extended their warranty on this part for up to 4 years old 100 percent contribution. Up to 5 years old 50% contribution. Over 5 years old you are on your own.

If your car is over 5 years you will get nothing officially in the UK although you could apply for goodwill or extra ordinary goodwill.

As to how it works in Ireland I am afraid I don't know. I would assume that there is also a way of applying for goodwill in Ireland too.

As for mine, my aftermarket warranty paid, but I am aware this is little comfort to you.

If you end up paying yourself it is worth trying to negotiate on price. My dealer has got quite good at it and did mine in about 6 hours so that is *only* about 700 quid or so labour. Get a bit of discount on the part and you might be able to get it done for as low as 2.5k GBP inc VAT.

Another in the camp here I believe.

Have experience no power, clunking and juddering at times recently and suspect it is this starting to occur. 58k miles, MY17 car (Oct 2016).

Not happening consistently as of yet. Is it when the car changes from electric to petrol that causes it?

Trying to determine what causes it so I can replicate when needed with the indy dealer I bought from.

Also, would any instance of the above occuring register a fault/error on the system?

Want to avoid the whole "We can't see anything wrong with it" until the warranty expires.

Just had ours replaced
 

The fault developed exactly 11 months after we bought the car. It's a 2017 model, on a 16 plate. We bought it from a Volvo dealer, so the ERAD replacement was covered by the Selekt warranty. There is so much that could potentially go wrong with a PHEV - we are definitely going to buy another warranty when the Selekt runs out in a few weeks time.

Would be interested to know what they quote re warranty.

I’m sure I read somewhere that it’s worth checking whether the erad is actually covered by the after market warranty too…

Excellent thread and thought I would add my experience of the ERAD failure and the favourable outcome.
Last week Saturday, driving along country lanes with approx 10 miles available on charge, car was switching between engines depending on gradient and suddenly could hear firecrackers going off under the car and strong burning smell followed by juddering and grinding sound from the back wheels. Volvo assist came out and recovered car after 4.5 hours (another story, should of just called my AA).
Dealership rang on Monday to say tech has driven it, cant see no issue (While waiting I did go backwards and forwards after the car had a chance to cool down and problem seemed to have gone). Gave more details to the service manager and said would try again. Next day rang to say problem had reoccurred on test run and its the ERAD.
Volvo UK will foot the bill fully but they cannot supply car replacement. If it went through my Volvo warranty, then they would pay for hire car but as its Volvo UK, no hire car. Dealership were excellent and have always found them very helpful and supplied us with one of their older cars which kept us mobile. Friday car was ready and having driven it since feels more responsive. :regular_smile:

Just to add my car is 5 yrs old exactly today (from registration) and its a MY17. I have carried on the Volvo warranty after the 3 yrs warranty expired (Volvo card in post) and service it at that dealership. Also its only done 35k so I am not sure if these factors are taken into account when Volvo UK decide on who pays the bill and how good a case the dealership puts to them.

Just wanted to say that I got this done with Spirit Volvo in Dublin at no cost (Q1 2021) so I hope you didn't have to put your hand in your pocket. They reached out to Volvo directly so after I dropped it off they just came to me to say it was the ERAD diff and that Volvo would be covering the cost in full.

I now have a problem with the electric motor which seems to be on the way out and I have a separate thread detailing my experience on that. Spirit Volvo have been excellent throughout (so far anyway).

Further update, my electric motor issue is now repaired (sorted by a new motor with ~70% goodwill from Volvo due at least in part to my full main dealer history). So ERAD diff failure may not be the end of the road for some people with these problems.

PM sent if you could take a look when you get a moment. Going through this also in Ireland at the moment and would appreciate your insight.

Hi. As you have a t8 xc60 could you tell me which three pin charging cable was supplied with it originally? Was it the Volvo black one or the yellow and blu mennekes variable amp cable?

It strikes me that having a car that might lose power when driving on the open road, or that loses power when pulling away from a junction is a safety issue.
The problem with the ERAD on VC90s should be reported.
If enough people with XC90s report the problem, then Volvo will have to recall them and fix it.
This is where you report the problem. It takes 4 minutes.
https://forms.dvsa.gov.uk/Vsdr/create

Firstly I would like to thank the other users who have posted their experiences regarding the failure of the T8 ERAD--very helpful. I have recently had the same failure and have been treated rather worse by Volvo so I am posting this to warn others.

My T8 is 2018 and the ERAD failed at just over 33k miles and 40 months old. The car has always been serviced in accordance with the manufacturers guidance. Despite the failure being essentially due to a design fault (as I understand it), Volvo would only offer 50% of the c£2500 repair cost as "goodwill" which they grudgingly later increased to 70%--despite the mechanic who tested the car confirming this was a regular issue he was seeing and I should get it covered 100% (in line with what the other posters above have reported).

As this is the 3rd breakdown in 2 years I have experienced in this car all connected to the Hybrid system, I'd advise buyers to proceed with caution. The car is great when it works but I get the sense Volvo are cutting back on the support they are offering. If anyone reading this has had a better recent experience would be good to learn of it.

Interesting to read the experience of other volvo customers on this matter. Yeah I’m pretty certain rather than keeping the car as planned I’ll be handing it back. Shame.

I have an early 2018 car and got the Mennekes yellow and blue 3-pin cable.

I've only just joined the forum (though have used the resources several times before) to comment on this thread as it recently proved useful for me.

About 3 weeks ago we had issues with the ERAD and on calling our Volvo dealer to book it in, I mentioned that I'd done some research and knew about the extended warranty - thanks to the info in this thread!

The car was in last week for a total of 4 working days (Thursday to Tuesday) and they replaced the ERAD under Volvo UK warranty. After the initial diagnosis on Day1, I got a call to ask if we wanted to leave it with them because they hadn't provided a courtesy car and I'd mentioned that this may become an issue if they were keeping the car for more than a couple of days. The car is very close to it's 4 year anniversary so I was told that if I didn't book it in before that date, I wouldn't get the warranty cover. After an extra day of having the car, the dealer finished the work of replacing the ERAD and we picked up the car with no charge whatsoever. I am told the work carried out has a 12 month warranty.

All in all, what turned out to be a big worry for potential repair costs, was dealt with fairly smoothly and without any hassle, other than not having a car for a few days.

I'm interested to know if there are any new issues arising from the replacement of the ERAD - is it time to sell the car I wonder?!