I'm having an intermittent problem with my 1999 V70XC (and also my 2001 S40) -- sometimes, when I turn the key to start the car the engine won't turn over and I can't start the car. The dashboard lights all illuminate, the headlights come on, but the car just clicks...no turn over. This happens occasionally, and unpredictably. The battery is new (I replaced it two months ago when started happening). A Volvo dealer diagnosed the problem and said the ignition cylinder in the steering column needed to be preplaced (not inexpensive). I had it replaced, but the the car still exhibits the same intermittent failure to turn over (except when it's at the dealer's shop, of course.) Any suggestions about what can be the problem?

 

I have had it happen on my S60 quite a few times. It would happen so sporadically that I chalked it up to a bad connection. I found that one of the wires on the starter (the really thin one) was loose or corroded. That explains why it was intermittent. Every time it has happened I pop the hood and wiggle that wire and it starts right up on the first try. Give that a shot next time it happens.

 

I came on this thread to find a solution to the same problem and discovered that sometimes the simplest explanation is the best. My 850 would not turn over all of a sudden because I left the transmission shift lever in "drive" when I parked last night. Once I moved the lever to "park" the car started up just fine.