Went out the other day to go somewhere - unlocked car('03 V70 2.4T), got in, turned key - nothing! - wiggled key - nothing! - jiggled shift lever a bit (did one of the stupid Nader-locks pack up?) - nothing! - Then I noticed a little message: "Start prevented, try again" What the h311? - looked in the manual - finally found a few words about some sort of sensor-transponder-immobilizer business - no, I did not have two keys/fobs on the same ring

Went inside - grabbed other set of keys - start with no problem! - This spare set of keys is operating on AFAIK, the original battery whereas the first set,used almost exclusively, has had a recent battery replacement (and operates locks, lights and alarm perfectly)

OK - onto the 'net - turns out that this is not an uncommon problem - lots of hits with a variety of solutions. One of the more popular "quick fixes" is to lock and unlock the car 5 times to "reacquaint" the sensor with the key - didn't work. Two rather disturbing things emerged:

1. There was no evidence that Volvo had taken note of and developed a fix for the problem
2. In a number of instances, even after a variety of (typically expensive) repairs, the problem recurred.

Now, I am a bit of a nut about preventative maintainance - don't like surprizes. I recently replaced the battery - not because it failed but because I felt that, at seven years, it was on borrowed time. Timing belt @ 86,000 miles, 3000 mile oil change intervals, letting the engine idle for a few minutes after a prolonged high speed run etc. etc.

The car will go to the dealer this week - probably for a new antenna (poor connections may fail but antennas don't "wear out") or a new key + some absurd charge for burning an EEPROM - don't see much choice. Even after this, I will never be able to get into the car again without wondering if it will start!

So far as I am concerned, this is an example of poor engineering and customer service decisions by Volvo. Poor decisions have consequences.

This car has gone from one of my all-time favorites to, in my opinion, a unreliable piece of junk! I was somewhat disconcerted by the sale of Volvo to a Chinese company and further disturbed by the news that the V70 would be withdrawn from the US market. Now I don't care. I will never buy another one.

 

This could be a number of things, the antenna ring maybe, they have problems with newer 09's and there still is no permanent fix out. This could be a starter or something along those lines, as well.

 

Hello, If people were just a little more organized, the car companies would do more for the owners of their cars. The ETM warranty was helped along by safty concerns and the work of people. If all the Volvo club members and website patrons got together and spoke with one voice things could improve. You must let us know what the dealer tells and charges you. It's ironic; the car you buy in the future will share parts and systems common to all cars, Volvo sourced or otherwise. Kira

 

Have not gone to the dealer yet - pure avoidance, I know.

Replaced the battery in the remote (left it out for an hour just in case there was some stray charge hanging about) - no help

Went to start car with back-up key - car cranked but no start - message again - then I realized that I had the "bad" key in my right hand pocket! - took it out and tossed it on the back seat - started right away!

Preliminary conclusion - transponder circuit in key fob has gone south - not the antenna which is clearly sensitive enough to pick up an interfering signal from a second key 12-16" away from the ignition lock.

The only thing that I can think of that is as infuriating as that "start prevented" message is the Micro$h1tt message: "Application error - must close" OK?" - no, it's not OK and the idea of having my own car - bought and paid for, sit there and tell me "start prevented" because of some nanny government rubbish foisted on me at the behest of the Insurance Institute for Highway Robbery is infuriating. Is there any way to disable this crap?