Hi! New to forum. Just got 2015.5 S60 sedan w/ 12K miles. Getting message on center console when entering car that says "low battery charge" and shows a little battery icon below it. Car starts fine. Is this a car battery problem or a key fob problem, or what are your thoughts on this? Thanks!

 

Hi. My S60 T6 (few years older) did the same when it was 1 year old and the dealer replaced the battery. Fast forward a couple of years and vehicle is out of warranty and I started seeing the same thing. Eventually the vehicle would not start and I replaced that battery as well. I've not had any trouble lately except that I notice that if I turn the vehicle off and the radio remains on, I receive a low battery message in about 30 seconds and after a minute the system shuts itself down. I believe that there are many electronics on board constantly putting demands on the battery but if you do a google search you will see there is a class action suit against Volvo for a problem with "phantom drain on battery". This morning I had my mechanic replace my rear brake pads which requires retracting the electronic parking brake before the pads can be replaced. He mentioned that he had left the door open for about 2 minutes and it showed a low battery and went into safe mode. He thinks in my case the voltage and battery are fine but something is causing the sensor to think its a low battery condition. A bit frustrating but I've learned to live with it. Since we live in the Northeast but park our vehicles in the garage, I've gotten into the habit of hooking up the trickle charger about once a month overnight. Sorry I couldn't offer anymore.

You might want to check with your dealer to see if a TSB (technical service bulletin) exists that may help you in the way of a software update.

 

My 2013 S60 had the Low Battery message. Dealer replaced the battery and performed a software update. Seems there is a parasitic battery drain caused by the satellite radio.

No more problems since the software update and battery replacement.

 

Technical service bulletin (TSB) for the satellite radio battery drain problem is TJ26188. Basically your car's receiver keeps pinging looking for a satellite signal regardless if you have an active subscription or if your car is running or parked. Your dealer should be able to use your VIN number to see whether or not the software update has been applied. If it has, you may have a charging or other issue.

 

I just picked up a 2016 S60 R Design, was getting the low battery warning. Found this thread and took the car to a dealership (where I am currently while writing this). They did the RDAR software update and said it's good. Then they said we're going to do the 2.0 update. The guy comes back, tells me to get a comfortable, then tells the Service Manger that he bricked the car. Kidding me? BRICKED THE CAR? Then he says it could take 10 mins or 10 days to fix.

EDIT

So it took about an hour, not 10 days thankfully, but the service manger should never have said that. Could have just told me they were working on it and he'd update me. And the mechanic that said he bricked the car in front of me? C'mon guys, think. Don't alarm the customer like that. Anyway, despite the issues, I love the car. That thing pulls!

 

Recently had my heater fans stop working and I also had a problem where Sirius radio would take forever to update channels. They diagnosed the car with a bad Climate Control Unit but covered under the CPO warranty. Service guy said that there is a TSB for the radio. They ordered the CCU and it would arrive within three days. The next day I get a call, they applied the update to the radio and after the update the fans started to work. What!?!?!?!?

I was also seeing the low battery warning but since the update --- no warning light. I was assuming that it was a dying fan unit causing parasitic drain.

So if they wouldn't have done the radio update, the guy would have installed a $1,000 CCU and the fans still wouldn't work.

I gotta say I'm not thrilled with the newer Volvo electronics. My other Volvo's were older models and we drove them for a looooong, high mileage time without such electrical issues. My car has 27,000 miles on it.

 

I finally had my problem solved. First they told me they had to update the data and charged me 200 bucks, then was something else and my battery kept going low. Until to the point it ran out of battery and I got stuck in a place and had to tow car. They were able to replicate my complaint. They found hairline fracture in fuse from positive battery to box. They replaced faulty fuse and 200.00 later I have not had any more trouble in a month!!!! Keep your fingers crossed.

 

Reading this and other forums on this site strongly suggests that the vast majority of problems are electrical/electronic in nature and that the dealerships are ill prepared to diagnose them despite having the vaunted VIDAS machine which appears to be far better at generating income than solving problems. Perhaps the explanation is that Volvo subcontracted the electrical design and development to Lucas

 

Man, you sure are salty.

Dealerships are plenty equipped to deal with a simple problem like this, which is usually the result of a low battery charge. Go figure, a message that says "Low Battery Voltage" means the voltage in the battery is low. Crazy, right?

Or, if the battery was replaced but the Battery Monitor Sensor was not reset, it can cause this too. I see this a lot because someone went to an independent shop, which is ill prepared, to save a few bucks. Only 6 months later they bring it in to us and say "my mechanic replaced the battery 6 months ago and this message is back". Then, they get to pay me to reset the BMS, which would have been included if we had replaced the battery initially.

 

"Recently had my heater fans stop working and I also had a problem where Sirius radio would take forever to update channels. They diagnosed the car with a bad Climate Control Unit but covered under the CPO warranty. Service guy said that there is a TSB for the radio. They ordered the CCU and it would arrive within three days. The next day I get a call, they applied the update to the radio and after the update the fans started to work. What!?!?!?!?

I was also seeing the low battery warning but since the update --- no warning light. I was assuming that it was a dying fan unit causing parasitic drain.

So if they wouldn't have done the radio update, the guy would have installed a $1,000 CCU and the fans still wouldn't work.

I gotta say I'm not thrilled with the newer Volvo electronics. My other Volvo's were older models and we drove them for a looooong, high mileage time without such electrical issues. My car has 27,000 miles on it."

Q.E.D.

 

The only thing that is "Q.E.D." of is people on forums often don't have complete knowledge of the situation or how things work. But then people take it as gospel. Much like you taking that as proof of anything to do with a low battery warning. It has nothing at all to do with this post.

VIDA is not a magic device that we plug in and it tells us what is wrong. The person using VIDA (and other diagnostic information available) has a lot to do with an accurate diagnosis. Simply having VIDA doesn't mean much.

 

I agree - people feel the same way about an MD who doesn't get a dianosis right the first time. I've had several occasions to have two different shops look at the same problem and got two different diagnosis. As an example, son's 2000 S40 started having random shifting issues - his local dealer in NH said he needed a new boost controller and installed the part. (I rolled my eyes when I heard that) So I suggested he come to our local dealer in Danbury to get a second opinion as they've serviced the car for the past 15 years or so. This time my local tech said its likely he has some corrosion on the TCU terminals or other wires which he noted was not that uncommon for S40s in salty road northeast. Cleaned the connectors and grounds - problem has never returned. No reading of VIDA will replace that level of experience.

The main problem with electrical issues on ALL modern cars is that the diagnosis is on a system that is computer engineering based - meaning the system is a combination of mechanical, electrical and computer devices of which any can cause the failure. This is why military defense systems simpler technologies to maximize reliability.

These issues are not unique to Volvo. Go read VW and BMW forums and you'll see lots of similar comments on difficult to solve electrical issues.

 

I understand that. I have been working with computers since they were vacuum tube based (ever seen an op amp using a 12AX7?) It's simply a matter of deciding what functions are "mission critical" and what are not. For a car, starting, running, steering and braking are missing critical. For me, I don't give a flying "X" if the radio works or not. In my experience, the most common causes of electrical problems are power supply instability, faulty (loose, corroded interconnects) and faulty ground connections. There are good, long understood remedies for each of these. The data suggest that these practices are being ignored presumably for the sake of saving a few dollars. Look in any electronic supply catalog. Gold plated (highly corrosion resistant) connectors cost a little more but balanced against warranty costs, reputation damage and customer satisfaction, given the volumes involved, you might be looking at an additional $10 in a $50,000 car. Value? Granted that the underwood space of a car is an inhospitable location and the problem of supplying smooth power from a generator/alternator source that has much as a10 fold variation in rate of rotation but there is also a massive steady buffer - the battery - and there are techniques beyond the traditional R/C/I approach. $25 replacement computer power supplies incorporate active regulation. The problem with routinely grounding everything to the chassis is that the chassis is many pieces and each joint becomes part of the circuit. This is a solvable problem - it's called a ground buss. I wonder what the cost of 25' of #6 copper wire and a handful of brass cable clamps might be?

 

None of that has anything to do with anything in this thread. Chassis ground has been around a long time and isn't causing problems.

 

The TSB for Sat radio fixed my low battery light.

 

I'll put off a reply to the first part for another time. As to the latter comment - agree completely that chassis ground has been around for a century and was certainly effective as the return path in circuits controlling lights, window motors, horns, - in other words, simple on/off DC circuits but......we are continually reminded that our modern car is a complex interconnected web of computers, sensors, high speed inter component communication and software. - These are among the arguments used when mechanics are rebranded as $150/hr technicians and dealerships have devices so magical that it is worth $100 just to be connected to them. I think that questioning the effectiveness of a chassis ground in this new scenario can be defended.

 

CAN has been around for over 20 years with Volvo and chassis ground is not a problem for it. At all. Nobody said VIDA is a magic machine. You can diagnose codes with a generic scanner. You still need to know how to work it and do diagnositic work. The kid at AutoZone can scan your car and pull a code for an oxygen sensor signal and sell you an oxygen sensor. That isn't diagnosing. A code for an oxygen sensor signal does not mean the sensor is bad. I'll get the same code with VIDA.

 

I had the whole issue with the low battery charge warning light on my Volvo 2016 S60. Even with a new battery it would come on. Took it to the mechanic and it turns out it was the battery in the key fob causing the warning to show. Since that was changed out we have not had the light come back on. The funny thing is is I cannot find any documentation about this car having that feature. All it said was low battery charge.

 

It's you that's salty. Do you work for a dealer? I have been taking my Volvo's to dealers ever since I bought my 1st one in about 2014. I was literally told my a sales manager to take it somewhere else due to how much $ they wanted to charge me tor fixes. (Over $6k) after I paid them to do a full run through 2k miles ago. Called this other place and they knew more than the dealer about my car. Additionally for the battery issue. My XC70 has that light on for years! Even while under warranty. They h ave told me numerous times there is nothing Wrong with the battery and to just lock the doors! That was the DEALER! WHAT?! And I did replace the battery at Volvo with Volvo parts. Light still on. Now alternator gone. So, yep, I am salty. But also, The dealer is WRONG and overcharging me.
I am now seeing that on this forum that a multitude of things could be causing it, but am being told that sometimes Volvo puts the opposite type of battery in this particular vehicle that what i needed. But The real point is whether it's fans, a key fob, a satellite radio, the wrong battery type, etc. The DEALER under THEIR warranty should have done a lot more research and not must told me it was normal and to lock the doors in order to completely shut the car off. They are also trying to charge me $2011 to replace the alternator! Its a 2012. No thanks,

 

I went through the battery issue and a new battery plus the dealer making phone calls to Volvo fixed the problem.

I drive the car everyday for errands and a once a week 100 mile round trip at 75 MPH average speed. Today it is in the 40's and I decided to charge our car batteries. The Honda CRV battery is about the same age as the Volvo battery (fairly new) and it charged up in no time. It is the car that sits most of the time, not being used. In fact it has sat for months without use. I charge it at 12 V 2 a.

The Volvo has been sitting with the charger attached for hours now. That battery must have been very, very low.

So several things come to mind:

1. Volvo's have a parasitic drain
2. Volvo batteries stink
3. The alternator isn't big enough

While in the Johns Hopkins garage in Baltimore, backing into a space I could see that my headlights had a slight flicker to them. Odd stuff with this car. They still haven't answered the coolant use on a car with under 40,000 miles on it.