i was seduced by the beauty of the R-Design XC60, and by the goodness of my old 2007 XC70, "Sven". However Sven's tranny broke at 250,000 miles. But now "Freya" my new used XC60 Volvo (with 150,000 miles) starts fine, EXCEPT WHEN SHE WON"T!!

There seems to be no rhyme or reason to the problem. And sometimes after not starting a few times and everything electric being dead-(-like auto opening trunk, or auto door locks or even interior lights--nothing)--then next time I try the car starts as normal.

Or at least it starts fine. However the clock says its midnight. And the window's auto operation has to be reprogrammed per the tip in the owners manual. But it starts. And then the next time, or the 4th time or two days from now its back and nothing happens when i open the door and try to start it.

Freya does however start immediately (and run fine) every time when I get a jump! (Until the next time it doesn't start).

And now, in 5 days I need to drive 2600 miles round trip a memorial for my sister and jump starts at unpredictable times in deserts and such are scary.

My very experienced Volvo-only independent Kevin at KP Motorwerks in Rohnert Park, CA has been unable to diagnosis this because it is working fine each time I drive it to him. (Grrr!)

But Kevin thinks (from his experience with others) that it is a computer in the car that will cost $1,000 for the part! Oh no!
Any help out there would be GREATLY appreciated.
John "Yohan" Morgan (707/332-3050 cell)

 

I'm having basically the same issue with my 2015 XC60 T5 Premier. I just bought it and crossed over 80k miles.

It happened twice in a 3 day period. On the first time, I was actually locked out but eventually the door decided to open and I suddenly had all my electrical back.

I replaced the battery (probably a bit hasty with that) and then it happened again today. I'll spare all the details as far as what I was doing, how long the trip was, etc but it seems to be a common issue. Clock resets, window auto up/down has to be reengaged, and after absolutely no electrical whatsoever, it just decides to work all of a sudden. I suspect it is the central electronic module (CEM)

 

Try putting in a new battery and/or cleaning the battery cable connectors. Those are the most common issues on almost any car with those symptoms.

If you have put in a new battery, double check the battery connectors and clean inside the clamp thoroughly and make sure they are tightened properly.

Hope this helps!

 

Thanks for your response. I removed all connections to the battery and cleaned them with water and baking soda and reinstalled them tight.

Unfortunately, the issue persists. So far, it only happens for a minute at a time and is more a nuisance at this point than something that could potentially strand me. The battery is brand new and tests good when the engine is off (~12.6V) and on (~13.6V).

Is the CEM a possible culprit, or does it still sound like a poor connectivity issue? The electrical power COMPLETELY drops out as was stated above, so it sounds like it would involve a more common connection.

 

It does still sound like a battery connection issue. I had the exact same symptoms when my battery was failing. Perhaps a battery cable is loose where they connect to the vehicle or is also dirty where it connects to the vehicle.

 

I wish that was it, as I've cleaned the terminals more than I care to. It's happening a lot now, and I'm not sure if that's because I've disturbed connections sufficiently or what, but my clock resets almost every time now. I imagine I'll clean the positive terminal again and put it all back together and see if I notice anything else tomorrow. I really would like to avoid paying for diagnostics if it's something as simple as a battery post connection, but I'm running out of options here.

I also disconnected all the harnesses in the central electronic module (CEM) and hit them with fast drying contact cleaner. There was no visible corrosion, but I did it at the suggestion of another video. I really wish I had an electrical diagram that I could properly interpret.

 

I'm glad to hear you have checked all the other connections. I wish I could help you further, but I do not have any more ideas.