What You Should Know About Dashboard Instrument Cluster Failure In Volvo

What You Should Know About Dashboard Instrument Cluster Failure In Volvo

Volvos are known for their safety and reliability, and certain features are designed specifically to promote driver safety. The Driver’s Information Module (DIM) or instrument cluster is a critical feature in all cars. It is the area of the dashboard that houses all the important warning lights and gauges surrounding the odometer to let the driver know if there is a performance issue occurring. If something goes wrong with this component, it can not only be dangerous to drive your car, but it can also cause issues to become prolonged that otherwise could be fixed, leading to expensive repairs. Fixing this issue is important for your safety, and it’s best to enlist the help of a Volvo professional. In this article we’ll go over what you should look out for when the dashboard instrument cluster fails and how you can fix it.

Is This A Common Volvo Issue?
Yes – certain Volvo cars such as the XC90 D5 have experienced issues with the consistency of the performance of the dashboard instrument cluster, which is problematic on multiple levels. The problem has been reported by Volvo drivers all over the world, and highly documented. Depending on the model and year of your Volvo, your car may be more susceptible to the issue than other cars, so it’s important to do your research and bring your car to a Volvo specialist for suggestions. It’s important for you to have the issue addressed with urgency to ensure you and your passengers’ safety on the road.

Warning Signs To Look Out For
Being aware of the signs of instrument cluster failure can help you prevent total failure and keep your car safe to drive. Here’s what you should be on the lookout for in your own Volvo if you suspect the dashboard warning lights aren’t working properly:

Intermittent illumination of lights
Lights do not illuminate upon ignition
Check-engine light stays illuminated
Gauges and needles don’t work
Certain warning lights turn on and then off randomly
What’s important to note is that even though the dashboard warning feature isn’t working properly, the car will still feel safe to drive – it should perform normally otherwise. This makes it awfully tempting to avoid repair, but should not go overlooked for any extended period of time.

Possible Causes Of DIM Failure
Since this problem is unique to Volvo cars, it’s helpful to find an automotive shop with expertise in Volvo cars who have attended to this specific issue before. Quite basically, if you know what’s causing the issue, then you can properly fix it. That’s why it’s critical to find a Volvo specialist to attend to the problem. First, a differential diagnosis should be performed to rule-out several different possible issues that could be going on:

Failure of various electrical components like fuses and connectors
Circuit board or electronic control unit failure
Water damage to electrical parts
Although these are the most likely causes of the dashboard issue in your Volvo, the problem could be due to another issue. With proper diagnosis, you can implement the proper treatment plan.

How You Can Address The Issue
As we mentioned before, obtaining an accurate diagnosis is the first task at hand. Once your automotive specialist knows where the problem lies, they’ll probably need to replace a few components, either electrical, technical, mechanical, or all three. The process could range in price depending on the shop you choose, the quality of parts being used, and the extend of the damage or issue.

How We Can Help You
The automotive specialists here at Schearer’s Sales and Service, Inc. have worked with countless Volvo vehicles from all over the areas of Allentown, Bethlehem, and Macungie, PA. A malfunctioning or failing dashboard warning system is a serious concern, as it is one of the features that helps prevent accidents, costly repairs, and alerts the driver when the car requires servicing. When the dashboard isn’t working, the important information the driver requires is inaccessible, making it dangerous to drive. If your dashboard warning system has been acting oddly lately, please bring it in to us for an inspection – your safety, closely followed by your satisfaction, are always our number one priorities.

* Volvo XC90 Twin Turbo image credit goes to: teddyleung.