XC90 2016 won't start, locked in park

[Simon Eames]

I have an urgent problem with a car that won't start. The battery is fine, the LCD display comes live when entering the vehicle, and when the start knob is turned the display shows both speedo and rev counter coming live, but total silence and the engine doesn't even try to start. Sometimes a message to put foot on brake, which of course I already have. So it's stuck in park and the recovery company say it therefore won't roll and they want £300+ to crane-lift it and take to garage. Please any urgent and not too technical help for a newbie? Thanks in anticipation...

[LordLucan]

could it be something as simple as the brake pedal switch has become disconnected/detached?

Also try disconnecting the battery terminals for 10 minutes to allow all the control modules to reset.

[Chief inspector]

Have you popped the key in the antenna area ? its in the cup holder on the V90, to be used where there is a low battery or interference.

Worth a try.

Do you have VOC and tried a remote start?

[nu11eaf]

All the above are good advice. There is a way of taking the gear lever lock off in the manual.
This is for XC90 but I think they are the same.
VolvoXC90 ShiftLockOverride_(SP) - Updated 9-9-2016.pdf

[Lexman8]

To deactivate the automatic gear selector inhibitor:

• Lift the rubber mat in the compartment in front of the gear selector.
• Locate the hole with a spring-loaded button in the bottom of the compartment.
• Press a small screwdriver into the hole and hold.
• Move the gear selector to position N and release the button.
• Put the rubber mat back in place.

[Quacker]

Originally Posted by Lexman8

To deactivate the automatic gear selector inhibitor:

• Lift the rubber mat in the compartment in front of the gear selector.
• Locate the hole with a spring-loaded button in the bottom of the compartment.
• Press a small screwdriver into the hole and hold.
• Move the gear selector to position N and release the button.
• Put the rubber mat back in place.

Wow! Snap! Great minds think alike

[LordLucan]

Originally Posted by Lexman8

To deactivate the automatic gear selector inhibitor:

• Lift the rubber mat in the compartment in front of the gear selector.
• Locate the hole with a spring-loaded button in the bottom of the compartment.
• Press a small screwdriver into the hole and hold.
• Move the gear selector to position N and release the button.
• Put the rubber mat back in place.

you would kindof expect a recovery company to know such a simple thing like that really wouldnt you.

[Quacker]

There is a way to mechanically temporarily disable the park lock. It should be in the operating manual somewhere.
Just checked and it is under ‘gear selector inhibitor’ in the manual. There is a small round button hidden under the rubber mat in the front trinket tray in front of the lever. Push this down and hold, using a small screwdriver to enable the gear lever to be moved from Park to the N position.

Your first point of contact really should be through the On Call button on the car roof.

[MaDProFF]

I was going to ask is it under warranty?

To me key fob is first port of call

[Barriehoban]

XC90 Failed to start …. I have chosen to share my experience with a number of Volvo forums so as to warn people of the potential dangers they face with a car that can leave them completely stranded and I a vulnerable situation.

Be very aware this is a real issue and one that can leave you stranded with you car stuck in the middle of a busy road with no means of being able to move without a specialist removal vehicle, skids and or a crane tow truck.

On Friday 16th August, I was traveling to Dulverton in the west country, however my 2016 XC90 made sure that I was never going to arrive. In the process of making a 3 point turn the vehicle shut down and locked all 4 wheels with the nose of the car sticking out into a main road. I could turn on the ignition, the dials on the dashboard would perform a sweep from left to right, all the test came up OK but then nothing, it would not start, this was at 00 am.
I called Volvo assist who sent out a technician who knew very about XC90’s and after arriving at 04:00 am was soon back on the Volvo assist for a recovery vehicle. After another 3 1/2 hours a tow truck arrives, but no one had told him he needed specialist skids to get the car moving and he did not know how to get the car into neutral. At 7:17 am he basically dragged my car up the ramp of his tow truck. The car was recovered to Kastner Volvo in Exeter 50 minutes away, they were able to release the electronic brake using specialist equipment. (why should a car that cost £59,000 end up in a position that cannot be recovered from the roadside without the use specialist equipment and deep knowledge and why Volvo assist contract a technician who know nothing about Volvo’s, especially considering the information is on the internet).

My problems had only just begun, the dealer called me (4 days later) to tell me that my car was fixed and that they had replaced the alternator (I really did not believe that this was the issue), however I drive 50 mins in the hire car to pick up my car and return to my rented holiday home. Guess what? I park the car on the drive, went to re-start the car and the car will not start - exactly the same problem as described above… I call Volvo Assist and start the process all over again, the problem is now more complex because I am parked on a gravel drive and apparently you need a crane to recover the car and yes you have guessed it there are no cranes available. I have to wait another 6 hours before a specialist technician to arrive and one who could unlock the electronic brakes and get the car into neutral so that we could tow it onto a normal recovery tow truck.

The car was recovered back to Kastner Volvo Exeter and despite the specialist technician mentioning that he thought the issue was related to a module in the steering column they replaced the battery (so now I have a new alternator and a new battery and still a broken car). I had to leave the car with Kastner as my vacation ended and I had to return to Oxford, 4-hour drive.

I get another call from Kastner telling me that they have finally fixed the problem, some switch or module related to charging the battery. (One again I am not fully convinced, as the Volvo forums mention out modules that may need to be replaced).

Now the car needs to be recovered to my home in Oxford this is now 12 days after the initial breakdown.

To-date; I have wasted 3 days of my vacation trying to get my car fixed, I have no car and no certainty of when I will be safely and reliably back on the road.

I have had five Volvo's from brand new, which is a considerable investment in a brand noted for its safety and reliability, however I have lost complete confidence in my XC90 in such a way that I will have to consider moving it on which is a real shame. The Volvo extended warranty ends in Jan/Feb 2020 and I am not sure that the warranty can be extended for another year and I am certain that the car will have to be replaced.

I would like Volvo to at the very least provide a response to my complaints and going forward as a responsible manufacturer provide a remedy and either fix or replace my car.