Hello! This is my first post (have owned a Volvo since 2007) and I'm hopeful someone might be able to help us figure out what is going on with our 2011 S60. (I also searched the forum before posting but have had no luck finding a solution).
It's a bit of story and not I'm not sure how much of it is connected - but I'll break it down as best as I can (also - no in-depth car knowledge over here - so please excuse my lack of expertise in this explanation).

2018- New battery installed in the S60. Car worked fine afterward though I did get a 'Low Battery' dash message shortly after the install. Local mechanic we use said it was something that might need to be reset. (Should note this is a shop we've used for years and generally we've found them to be fair and honest). So for the next few years nothing happens really - the occasional 'Low Battery' message pops up, but the car functions fine.

Fast forward to July 2022 - Travelling around 35km/hr and the car just shuts down while in motion - all the dash warning lights go onand the steering goes stiff. DSTC Temporarily Off message pops up. Ended up unable to start it back up on the side of the road. Tried to boost it, but battery would not hold a charge. Had it towed to local shop and they said the issue was the alternator - and installed a new one.

August 2022 - Fan for AC stopped working (was previously replaced in 2021). Brought it to the shop and they "removed and replaced defective heater blower resistor"(under warranty)

August 2022 - couple weeks of driving and no issues. Then while driving the red caution symbol and battery warning lights flash and the "DSTC Temporarily Off" flashes on. The steering went stiff and started to rattle. I pulled the car over and killed the ignition. We waited about 20 minutes - and the car started fine with no warnings or messages. We drove it to the same shop and they ran a diagnostic and said they saw no issues - the battery and new alternator were working fine. They did find several older error codes that they didn't know what to do with and suggested we take the car to a Volvo dealer and have their mechanic investigate.

Early September 2022 - took it to a Volvo dealership out of town (there is not a dealership near me). Paid $330 for them to tell me this "Battery and Alternator need to be replaced, both are aftermarket. Battery needs to be a 700CCA and Alternator needs to be a 180A alternator. Total estimate for replacement $1,836"
I then took it back to my local shop and they confirmed with their supplier that the battery and alternator should be fine for the S60. They said they use aftermarket parts on these types of cars all the time and the dealer just wants their OEM parts in the car. I've had a few other people tell me that the aftermarket alternator is likely not the issue. No changes made at the shop and I continue to drive car with only a single 'Low Battery' message that popped up one night after driving it for about 25 minutes.

Early October 2022 - So now I'm thinking maybe it was just a glitch as the car had been running fine for a couple weeks. However, after driving it yesterday for about 5 hours the engine fan got very loud. With the interior AC fan off, we could hear the engine fan volume rising up and down with a lot of squeaking. (see attached Video #1). I pulled over for gas and the engine fan continued to run with the ignition off for about 5 minutes. Once we arrived home the fan continued to run with the ignition off and I assumed (hoped) it would shut down once the engine was cool. This morning the car was completely dead and I could not even unlock it with the key fob. It boosted quickly and I let it run for 25 minutes. I was going to drop it off at the local shop, but as soon as i moved it into drive I had the same issue as above. I moved the car forward and it hiccupped in the driveway before the red caution symbol and battery warning lights flashed and the steering went stiff and rattled hard when I tried to turn it. (Video #2). I also had a couple more dash messages - 'Transmission Service Required", "Headlamp Failure Service Required" and "DSTC Temporarily Off." I shut off the ignition and the car was dead. I ended up having it towed back to the shop for one last look. Mechanic said he would investigate again, but I get the sense they are frustrated with it too and not sure what to do next.

Any ideas out there? Are the after-market alternator and battery causing this issue? Why did the fan not shut off? Any guidance would be so appreciated! Thanks for reading.
Also realizing how dirty the interior of my car is after watching these videos – sorry!

 

Aftermarket battery will not be the issue as long as the CCA is up to spec, however you are approaching its ~5 year life cycle. Were the battery and alternator actually tested? With several different codes for unrelated things, it sure does seem like there may be a voltage issue. What alternator did you have put in the car? Also remember, just because a part is new, doesn't mean it isn't bad! I have had this happen before and it turned out that I had a bad unit and replaced it again. They do list a 150A and a 180A alternator for your car, could it be possible a 150A was used?

 

could also be related to the voltage regulator. I had an issue with my VW CC where the battery light would come on randomly - particularly on cold days. Restarting the car and the light would go off. Turned out there was a sticky relay in the voltage regulator (which the first dealer misdiagnosed as a cable issue). Unfortunately on that model the regulator can't be replaced separately so I had to replace the alternator as a unit.

 

1. What brand and size battery is installed? a size 48 H6 or a size 92 T7? It's 4 years old now - make sure you replace it with a 92-t7. The interstate dealer brings their batteries to my shop and puts interstate stickers on them. Then they drive to the Volvo dealer and put Volvo stickers on the same batterties. An interstate mt92-t7 is a Volvo 30772236. You can buy the same exact battery from some local auto parts stores - whoever sells the die hard brand now (advanced, orielly, whoever) sells the EXACT same 92-t7 battery with a die hard sticker on it. That battery has a made in germany sticker on it and is the only battery I have seen that will keep the low battery message off. (some are going to claim their AGM blah blah does this and that - and that might be true, I just follow what the manufacturer puts in, their research and developement department is bigger than mine!) The battery monitoring system needs to be reset when replacing that battery on cars so equipped also.(and it's possible the monitor is bad also).
2. What brand and where did the alternator come from? I buy the Bosch OEM alternators from my wholesale supplier. They are the exact same alternator that Volvo installs.
3. Sounds like your alternator is on the way out. I would use the factory or aftermarket bosch unit (probably not sourced from a local auto parts store )
4. Fan control module is either bad or got confused due to low voltage in the system.
5. All sorts of messages happen when the voltage is low in the system.

I know you trust your service provider - and that's a good thing - but if he works on everything - he probably uses the local auto parts stores. The parts sold at those might not be the same quality brands. At my shop sure I had accounts at the local autozone, advanced, Napa - but I never bought any parts from them. Every part either came from the Volvo dealer or a wholesale supplier such as Worldpac that sold the original manufacturers parts. Yes those wholesale distributors had cheaper aftermarket parts I could choose from also if I wanted -

 

Hi Dingus1 - Thanks so much for the reply. Shop indicated both alternator and battery were tested and passed prior to bringing it over to the Volvo dealer in September. I'm not sure on the alternator that was put in - car has been in their shop all week - waiting on some sort of feedback from them now. I'll find out the make and check on the amperage and follow back with a post. Thanks again!

 

Thanks hoonk. Car is in the shop now, but i'll post battery brand and size as soon as I can. Same with the alternator brand. I appreciate all of this input!

 

**UPDATE**
Our local repair shop replaced the battery (Diehard Platinum 730 CCA) and replaced the alternator they had installed in July 2022 with a new one (Bosch).
In general the car has been working fine and we've not experienced any weird electrical issues over the last 2 weeks - however 2 things have come up:

1. Still have the occasional 'Low Battery' message pop up on the dash - usually as soon as I stop the car after having driven it, or getting into it first thing in the morning.
2. The engine light is on and there is a message that says 'Engine System Service Required' with a ! + engine symbol.

Any further thoughts on this one?
Thanks!

 

Your low battery message is because a size H6 battery was installed rather than a 92-t7.

The check engine light is on because there is a self diagnostic code stored and a computer thinks you are polluting. First step is to scan with a compatible scan tool. Perhaps your local repair shop could scan the car when you have the car back to get the correct battery installed. I trust your local repair shop reset the battery monitoring system with the installation of the new (wrong) battery.

That 92-t7 battery has a made in germany sticker on it and is the only battery I have seen that will keep the low battery message off. Advance auto has a 92-t7 battery - Perhaps the agm t7 will also keep the low batt message off - have no experience with that one.

 

Sounds exactly like what my VW was doing. Start the car on any random cold morning, drive about 2-3 miles, battery light would come on. stop/restart, light would stay off. So I took my multi-meter with me and sure enough - when the light came on and engine running, the system voltage was 12.5V. Stop/restart and the system voltage would then measure 14v+. I got my confirming diagnosis when I was at the dealer picking up the car after scheduled maintenance and the light came on so they did the same and the service manager watched the voltage progression confirming it was the voltage regulator having a sticky relay. New alternator / voltage regulator (one unit on that car) and the problem hasn't returned. PS - I posted this question on multiple forums and nobody had an answer so I feel your pain :-)