Hi all,

I have a Volvo S40 D2 Kinetic from 2011.
A couple of days ago I went into my car, put the key into ignition lock, realized that the low beam headlights were on (as expected due to the lights panel position). Since it had been a few weeks I had not started the car, I switched them off in case the battery was low. Then I ignited the car successfully. I tried turning on the low beam headlights again, but they would not. High beams are fine, I could flash them (but they would *not* stay on when pulling on the lever just once).
I immediately thought it could be a blown fuse, but failed to find any fuse related to low beam headlights in the manual.
Another strange symptom is that, when the lighting panel is on the "low beam headlights" position but the key isn't in the lock at all, the parking lights stay on (which is not expected).
I haven't check the bulbs yet (plan to do in the next few days as I'm currently traveling), but I changed them no more than a few months ago.

Could it be due to a malfunction in the CEM? (I have heard there were problems with the first generation S40s but no in the second generation like mine)

Thanks in advance for your help.

 

I'd think its a fuse, a relay (possibly internal to the CEM), the switch or the bulbs.

Start with the bulbs :-) Good question about your specific model, I happen to own a Gen1 so that's no help to you. But, you may want to check out the gen 2's wiring diagram to see if you can get some clues:

https://qclt.com/html/volvo_ewd_us_e..._39150202.html

 

Just a thought - but are you really certain that you've moved the light switch to on? The high beams act just as described when the light switch isn't set to "really on". It's a Volvo, so this stuff isn't obvious. ;-)

I'm thinking what you describe as the "low beam headlight position" on the switch (something that doesn't exist...) is the parking light position, and they SHOULD stay on (which is why they're called "parking lights", after all).

 

Thank you for your answers!

@mt6127 , I checked the bulbs, and we can rule them out: the "filaments" are fine. Thanks for the link to the wiring diagrams, super useful! I should be looking at page 81, right? Do you know how to interpret the diagrams to determine if there is a fuse somewhere for the low beam headlights?

@habbyguy, Yes I'm sure they should be on. I was in the position "2" of the switch ("0" being totally off and "1" being parking lights only).

 

I also recently learned of a feature on newer Volvos called "transport mode" which is designed to turn off some of the components when a vehicle is being shipped. I saw a post where a car defaulted into this mode when the battery was changed (no sunroof, no headlights etc at symptoms). Some stated it needs a VIDA to reset, others suggesting locking/unlocking the door with the key in the door 3x as a reset and another simply disconnected and reconnected the battery. It may be worth googling around and try the key/lock thing or a disconnect/reconnect - but you may still need to stop by the dealer. Not sure if the more sophisticated Volvo friendly scanners like the Autel has the ability to check/reset

 

Hi all,

So I solved the issue... not exactly sure how :-)
Last time I went to check on my car (it's in a long-term parking lot), it was out of battery (due to the cold). So I jump-started it with some help from a friend and then I decided to take it for a spin to recharge... I tried to switch on the headlights... and they worked!
So presumably jump-starting re-initialized the electronics board?
Anyway I encourage people that encounter the same problem to try plugging off-in the battery for a little while and then see if this solves the issue...

Anyway​​​, thanks a lot for the help and for welcoming me here in this forum! Much appreciated.