The engine system service urgent light has been flashing on my dash for about a day. I tried cleaning the air filter to fix it but it didn’t make it go away. Does anybody know what type of problem my car could be experiencing ?

 

Do you have a code reader? Or know someone who does? It could be a lot of things, and if it’s flashing it’s something you’ll want to address right away.
You can bring it to a independent Volvo shop and get them to read the codes for cheap/free if they are nice.

 

another option is to go to a local big box auto parts store like Autozone - around here in NE they "rent" scanners for free, then give you a print out of the typical causes. Anytime the CEL goes off, the computer will store codes. You can read them and post up here to gather opinions. PS - the scanners do give the option of clearing codes. Two schools of thought on that - 1) read the codes but don't clear if you plan on bringing the car into the shop to let a pro do their job 2) read the codes, write them down and then clear the codes if you plan on driving for a few more days. Anything that is genuinely a fault will simply reset. I've had codes for things like a lean idle that I've cleared, never be seen again...

 

Most likely a misfire. Agreed - you need to get the codes.