I recently bought an '04 S60 with 145K miles on it as we needed an extra car for my kids to drive. The car was excellent for 2 months. Then one day it went into safe mode without warning. All the gauges went dead and it would not get out of second gear.

I took it back to the Volvo specialist I purchased it from and he reset it using the scan tool. Then, he kept the car for 5 days and tried to replicate the issue. Nothing happened. The car was then returned to me (no charge).
It was fine for another week and now almost the same thing happened. This time, the gauges went dead and the car became sluggish. After a restart, it seemed to be fine, but when we got home I noticed the gauges were "jumping" with this weird clicking sound heard each time. Also, the "SRS- Urgent light came on and stayed on. Everything else seems to work fine. It even shifts gears normally. A friend of mine came over with scan tool and found the following two error messages

SRS-00D5 - SRS indicator lamp. Signal missing
SRS-E003 - Configuration fault. Faulty configuration

I'm wondering if these two incidents are related(?)

I'm concerned that I've bought myself a chronic headache. While I really like the car, the dependability factor is making me regret my purchase.

Has anyone experienced this type of issue?

 

sounds like you may have an alternator issue or something with the ignition key. The only time I've seen the gauges go wack is when there's a system voltage issue, which can also set off odd error messages. That would also explain the clicking from various relays.

 

Amazing. Buys an 14+ year old car with 145k miles on it, has a minor issue and is now regretting the purchase.

 

Good point, tony1963! I shouldn't have said that. Considering what I paid for the car, I'm very satisfied.
My concern is that the vehicle will go into limp-home mode, with all gauges dead including NO hazard lights and NO operating turn signals.......EXACTLY how it happened the first time several weeks ago, but this time with one of my children driving it. I'll need to educate them on how to handle such a situation.

 

Thanks for the replies! I'll make a note to check the alternator. Regarding the ignition key, do you mean that the key itself could be defective? Also, would an alternator issue cause the initial limp-home mode several weeks ago? I'm trying to figure out if the two incidents are related...

 

Why didn't you buy a new car for them?

 

I really don' t know what you mean by "limp mode" since that term typically refers to an automatic transmission that stays in the middle or middle high gear if it cannot shift.

However, I do agree with the moderator that what you are describing sounds like a loss of power.

 

Even if I HAD the money, I would never do that . In my humble opinion (and ONLY mine!) I think it sends the wrong message when you buy a brand new car for your teenage kids. I'm sure others may disagree.

What I wanted was safe, reliable transportation that wouldn't break the bank. And nothing beats a Volvo for safety. I really think I got a good deal on it. It's in excellent condition, fully inspected until 6/2019 with a timing belt change done at 120K miles. It was absolutely flawless for about 2 months.

 

Yes, that's exactly what happened the first time. All the gauges went dead, no hazard lights, no turn signals. The car wouldn't shift into a higher gear. That's what I was referring to by "limp-home" mode or Safe Mode, I suppose. I had to have it towed. The specialist "reset" the system using the scan tool and then proceeded to check the CEM and tried to replicate it. After a week he returned the car to me and said he found nothing.

It was fine for another 2 weeks and then this latest issue with the SRS warning and clicking sound. Initially, the gauges were dead as well, but after a restart they came back to life. The car now runs fine, but the SRS warning is lit continuously and I don't hear the clicking sound and see "jumpy" gauges anymore.

 

Update: So the mechanic called me today and said he thinks he knows what caused this. Both the initial limp-home incident and the latest SRS warning. After removing the CEM, he subjected it to extreme heat. After reinstalling it and driving the car, he was able to replicate the issue. Jumping/dead instrument panel. So, he's going to send out the CEM to have it rebuilt.

I'm hoping this resolves the issue.

 

makes sense. CEMs are where many of the functional relays are housed - when relays heat up they lose their magnetism and can stick or open up causing the fault codes. Just be advised that on some models CEMs are programmed to pair with the ECU so if you get a replacement (not a rebuild of your unit), the dealer will need to reprogram.