My 2023 XC60 Recharge with 20,000km on the clock left us stranded after going into reduced performance mode with the turtle symbol while driving in rural NSW a few weeks ago. After pulling over and switching off we were unable to switch back on with no electricals functional, unable to close windows, unable to activate centre screen etc. The car had been in Hybrid driving mode but was driving on the internal combustion engine at the time having transitioned normally from the driving battery some 30-40km previously.

Roadside assistance said the 12V battery was flat and connected a charged battery pack. He was unable to get the car started but some of the electricals worked but only erratically. He said his battery pack was being drained very quickly implying a short circuit of some sort. Managed (with difficulty) to release handbrake to load the car onto a truck and got trucked to nearest dealer approx 120km. 27 hours later we got home from the time of breakdown.

2 weeks later we have the car back after the IGM part number 36003582 ($3000+!!) was replaced under warranty. A quick google search shows this to be a “Hybrid Starter Generator Control Module A module which controls starter and generator function of the hybrid electric motor“. The Volvo service technician indicated that there had been an internal short circuit of this particular module so the module was replaced and the relevant software reloaded.

So my 18 month old car has left us stranded on the side of the road a long way from anywhere. Thank you to Volvo roadside assistance for getting us out of trouble but unfortunately the experience has left me a little wary of any future road trips particularly one that may involve travelling outside phone coverage. I could add here too that we have just come from a 2002 Honda MDX which we bought new, drove for 20 years covering 300,000km and it never once left us on the side of the road or had any failure of any sort.

My question is this…has anyone else had this particular module fail? Is this a known problem with this vehicle? Will replacing the faulty module with an identical module leave us prone to the same breakdown potential? Has anyone got any advice on this issue?

Thanks!

 

I had a similar experience recently with my 2017 S90 T8.

In rapid succession whilst driving (all within 5-10 minutes), the car warnings read ‘Hybrid System Fault’, then ‘12V battery fault - service required’, then ‘12V battery fault - urgent service’ to ‘brakes failure - stop vehicle immediately’ (the wording may not be the exact same in English since the car was in its local language mode). The brakes had indeed gone and after a terrifying 30 seconds or so I pulled the car over (power steering also out) and managed to stop on a slight uphill.

All electric power went and all displays went off. I tried to engage the park brake but couldn’t tell if it worked. The whole car just ‘seized up’. Strangely, the petrol engine continued to run but at a very low purr (barely audible). I realised the car was at risk of rolling back down the hill and by this time another vehicle had parked about 30 yards behind me. So with much effort I turned the steering wheel as best I could to prevent a collision. Sure enough, after about 10 minutes the engine stopped and the car gave out a dreadful noise. Then it rolled down the hill and into the side barrier, cracking the rear light and tearing a nice hole along the bumper. I saw then that some fluid had leaked onto the road when the car was stationary.

Two weeks later and Volvo Türkiye are still trying to figure it out. Apparently the car is giving mixed messages as to the fault. The model is not common here and they are consulting Volvo on the fix. The part you helpfully mention may be what has to be replaced. Unfortunately I’m long out of warranty. Whatever is finally diagnosed, I will share it on the forum.

My biggest disappointment in all this was the rapidity with which the car went from a simple service warning to a brake failure in only a few minutes. It’s the first serious failure on the car which until today I’ve driven with absolute pleasure (80,000km, about 60-70% on battery). If the ‘Hybrid System Failure’ comes up on anyone’s display, my advice is not to delay since things can deteriorate very quickly from there!

 

I’ve just had the same tortoise to lemon conversion you’ve endured.

My car decided to quit on life as I was exiting a parking lot (and bus pickup point) at a shopping centre, so my car became a cause for much commotion and cursing as it dug its heels in firmly in the way of everyone

after a nightmare with getting a tow (only 8 hours later though) the vehicle was sent to Volvo… this week I was informed that the IGM needs to be changed and I will need to wait 2 weeks for the part to be shipped.
my car is 18 months old and has 17000km on the clock…

I’m deeply concerned now to learn that this is happening elsewhere and that my long term choice for a family ride may have been a poor one…