V60 hybrid phev ISG failure

Horton · Dec 28th, 2017, 22:34

Interested to know if anyone else has experienced ISG failure on the V60.....we think we have one, but not absolutely sure. Car was dragged in just before Xmas and the whole car is dead. Owner said it was making a very noticeable noise similar to a lathe user chipping away at a block of wood, and then it stopped and the car slowly died. There is no power, it’s coming up ‘hybrid drive failure’ on the dash and it doesn’t seem to want to come back to life..... have plugged it in, getting loads of codes mostly pointing towards no power.... have also tried to charge it and no cigar... anyone have any thoughts?

volvo for ever · Dec 29th, 2017, 06:26

they are common for elac unit ,also remove fuse and see if pins have backed out if so then battery will need removing and stripping update your findings.

Horton · Dec 29th, 2017, 20:01

Forgive my ignorance, but what is an elac unit? Do you mean the ERAD drive motor?
My current thoughts are as follows:
Vehicle seems unable to come to life... everything works, and it keeps coming up with “hybrid drive failure”.
The D5 engine won’t start. Nothing happens apart from the message as above.
The phev charger won’t charge the hybrid battery.
So.....if the hybrid drive isn’t working why doesn’t the Diesel engine start? I know the ISG is supposed to start/stop the engine when it’s warm, but there’s a normal starter motor too.... surely if the Hybrid fails the diesel engine should keep the car going?? Even changed the normal battery.....nothing .

Horton · Jan 21st, 2018, 16:39

Just a quick update on this! Turns that it was indeed the ISG that failed. Although the car was out of warranty it appears the ISG has proved to be an issue on this model, and Volvo were very helpful.
I still can’t quite get my head around the fact that it’s failure completely immobilised the car. Considering it has all the elements of a normal non hybrid, why did it the engine not start? And why was VIDA so useless at diagnosing the issue? One day, I’ll find out....

richi1966 · Jan 25th, 2018, 16:22

I’ve got exactly the same problem. I’m completely immobilised. My car is out of warranty already. What you mean ,,Volvo were very helpful “? Did they resolve ISG failure for free?

volvo for ever · Jan 27th, 2018, 18:19

elac is air con unit they are prone to give faults on V60 and SPA car's

biddleje · Mar 6th, 2018, 22:40

I think my car can be added to the list. We had Hybrid System Failure last week (in the snow) but the diesel worked fine so we postponed the trip to the garage until the snow cleared. Last Sunday the car died completely - a fault message about "Electrical System self-checking, please wait 60s then retry starter button" and no further. Car recovered to the garage and they phoned this afternoon to report they had spent 2 hours already and got nowhere!
Reading the comments on the Dutch Volvo forum suggests there is a common issue with faulty air conditioning units causing the hybrid system to shut down, but the ISG has also been recalled/ replaced on several cars. Some members are on their 5th AC compressor!! Can anyone on this forum advise whether UK cars are prone to the same problems?
See https://translate.googleusercontent....zQ#real1523285
In the meantime I'm waiting until Endeavour Watford can solve the problem then they will apply to Volvo for a goodwill claim.
Fingers crossed, but having only had the car for 3 months it is not a good start to my Volvo "experience". My car is only 3 years 2 months old with 21k miles!

Fisnik · Mar 8th, 2018, 00:06

I think there's an 8 year warranty on the battery, not sure if that includes the whole hybrid system? Perhaps it includes the ISG? What exactly is the ISG by the way?

biddleje · Mar 8th, 2018, 19:55

Update from the garage - the ISG is faulty and is being replaced under warranty.
The ISG is the integrated starter and generator - basically a high efficiency alternator and starter motor rolled into one and mounted on the driveshaft.
There's a diagram on the Dutch Volvo forum - see below

biddleje · Mar 8th, 2018, 19:59

My V60 PIH is currently in the garage waiting for a new ISG to be fitted, hopefully under warranty (the car is 3 years 2 months old and has done 21,000 miles!!)
There were no nasty noises but we had the same Hybrid System Failure message. What it doesn't tell you is that, even though the diesel works fine, you're draining the 12V battery and have a limited time before the car needs to be recovered - thank you to the authors of the Volvo Owners Manual!
The Dutch Volvo forum has LOTS of comments about Hybrid System failure warnings, mostly due to ISG or AC compressor failure. Thankfully Volvo Cars Nederlands seem to be dealing with most under warranty.

Dec 28th, 2017, 22:34	#1
Horton Senior Member Last Online: Mar 29th, 2023 13:50 Join Date: Dec 2007 Location: Oxford	V60 hybrid phev ISG failure Interested to know if anyone else has experienced ISG failure on the V60.....we think we have one, but not absolutely sure. Car was dragged in just before Xmas and the whole car is dead. Owner said it was making a very noticeable noise similar to a lathe user chipping away at a block of wood, and then it stopped and the car slowly died. There is no power, it’s coming up ‘hybrid drive failure’ on the dash and it doesn’t seem to want to come back to life..... have plugged it in, getting loads of codes mostly pointing towards no power.... have also tried to charge it and no cigar... anyone have any thoughts?

Dec 29th, 2017, 20:01	#3
Horton Senior Member Last Online: Mar 29th, 2023 13:50 Join Date: Dec 2007 Location: Oxford	Forgive my ignorance, but what is an elac unit? Do you mean the ERAD drive motor? My current thoughts are as follows: Vehicle seems unable to come to life... everything works, and it keeps coming up with “hybrid drive failure”. The D5 engine won’t start. Nothing happens apart from the message as above. The phev charger won’t charge the hybrid battery. So.....if the hybrid drive isn’t working why doesn’t the Diesel engine start? I know the ISG is supposed to start/stop the engine when it’s warm, but there’s a normal starter motor too.... surely if the Hybrid fails the diesel engine should keep the car going?? Even changed the normal battery.....nothing . Last edited by Horton; Dec 29th, 2017 at 20:29.

Mar 6th, 2018, 22:40	#7
biddleje New Member Last Online: Mar 8th, 2018 19:59 Join Date: Dec 2017 Location: Berkhamsted	I think my car can be added to the list. We had Hybrid System Failure last week (in the snow) but the diesel worked fine so we postponed the trip to the garage until the snow cleared. Last Sunday the car died completely - a fault message about "Electrical System self-checking, please wait 60s then retry starter button" and no further. Car recovered to the garage and they phoned this afternoon to report they had spent 2 hours already and got nowhere! Reading the comments on the Dutch Volvo forum suggests there is a common issue with faulty air conditioning units causing the hybrid system to shut down, but the ISG has also been recalled/ replaced on several cars. Some members are on their 5th AC compressor!! Can anyone on this forum advise whether UK cars are prone to the same problems? See https://translate.googleusercontent....zQ#real1523285 In the meantime I'm waiting until Endeavour Watford can solve the problem then they will apply to Volvo for a goodwill claim. Fingers crossed, but having only had the car for 3 months it is not a good start to my Volvo "experience". My car is only 3 years 2 months old with 21k miles! Last edited by biddleje; Mar 6th, 2018 at 23:41.

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Dec 29th, 2017, 06:26	#2
volvo for ever Premier Member Last Online: Feb 4th, 2023 15:10 Join Date: Apr 2015 Location: uk	they are common for elac unit ,also remove fuse and see if pins have backed out if so then battery will need removing and stripping update your findings.

Jan 21st, 2018, 16:39	#4
Horton Senior Member Last Online: Mar 29th, 2023 13:50 Join Date: Dec 2007 Location: Oxford	Just a quick update on this! Turns that it was indeed the ISG that failed. Although the car was out of warranty it appears the ISG has proved to be an issue on this model, and Volvo were very helpful. I still can’t quite get my head around the fact that it’s failure completely immobilised the car. Considering it has all the elements of a normal non hybrid, why did it the engine not start? And why was VIDA so useless at diagnosing the issue? One day, I’ll find out....

Jan 25th, 2018, 16:22	#5
richi1966 New Member Last Online: Apr 23rd, 2018 16:12 Join Date: Jan 2018 Location: London	I’ve got exactly the same problem. I’m completely immobilised. My car is out of warranty already. What you mean ,,Volvo were very helpful “? Did they resolve ISG failure for free?

Jan 27th, 2018, 18:19	#6
volvo for ever Premier Member Last Online: Feb 4th, 2023 15:10 Join Date: Apr 2015 Location: uk	elac is air con unit they are prone to give faults on V60 and SPA car's

Mar 8th, 2018, 00:06	#8
Fisnik New Member Last Online: Aug 27th, 2022 23:05 Join Date: Feb 2018 Location: Ealing	I think there's an 8 year warranty on the battery, not sure if that includes the whole hybrid system? Perhaps it includes the ISG? What exactly is the ISG by the way?

Mar 8th, 2018, 19:55	#9
biddleje New Member Last Online: Mar 8th, 2018 19:59 Join Date: Dec 2017 Location: Berkhamsted	Update from the garage - the ISG is faulty and is being replaced under warranty. The ISG is the integrated starter and generator - basically a high efficiency alternator and starter motor rolled into one and mounted on the driveshaft. There's a diagram on the Dutch Volvo forum - see below

Mar 8th, 2018, 19:59	#10
biddleje New Member Last Online: Mar 8th, 2018 19:59 Join Date: Dec 2017 Location: Berkhamsted	My V60 PIH is currently in the garage waiting for a new ISG to be fitted, hopefully under warranty (the car is 3 years 2 months old and has done 21,000 miles!!) There were no nasty noises but we had the same Hybrid System Failure message. What it doesn't tell you is that, even though the diesel works fine, you're draining the 12V battery and have a limited time before the car needs to be recovered - thank you to the authors of the Volvo Owners Manual! The Dutch Volvo forum has LOTS of comments about Hybrid System failure warnings, mostly due to ISG or AC compressor failure. Thankfully Volvo Cars Nederlands seem to be dealing with most under warranty.

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