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tem · Mar 12th, 2009, 18:47

On Monday, I was making my way home from the South of France and hit the morning rush hour traffic, around Metz, on the E31.

All of a sudden, I was faced with every alarm and messages possible: Brake Failure, Airbag Failure, Engine Management, Stop Engine, etc.
The XC60 immediately went into "Limp Drive Mode".

Fortunately I was in the inside lane, but the hard shoulder. was not wide enough, to stop safely. With the hazard lights on, I limped along for a couple of miles, to exit the Motorway. Pulled over and tried to shut the engine down (keyless drive), the engine would not stop. Took stock of the situation and decided, via the sat nav, to drive to the nearest Volvo Dealership in "Limp Mode", some 5 miles away.
On arrival, they tried to stop the engine and failed. Decided to take it into the Workshop and plug in the diagnostic unit, leaving me in the showroom to ponder.
I can tell you, that everthing was going through my mind. I still had over 300 miles to go, to catch the DFDS Ferry, at Ijmuiden, in the Netherlands.
I had by now convinced myself, that there was a major problem and I would not be going anywhere, soon.

Within 5 minutes, the Foreman arrived and indicated, to follow him into the workshop (No English on his tounge and no French on mine), where, with the bonnet up, he pointed to the battery, he took hold of the clamp on the positive terminal and just lifted it off.

Clamp replaced and secured, all alarms and messages cleared and I was on my way again, 10 minutes later.

After 51 years of driving, this is the first time I have experianced, a slack battery connection. I can only assume, that it left the factory in this state, as I understand, that there is no requirement, in the pre-delivery inspection, to check the battery connections.

I shudder, to think, what would have happened, if I had been in the outside lane of the motorway, when the XC60 went into "Limp Mode".
At 3500 revs, I could only manage around 18 mph.

Hopefully, this is a one of situation and I have been assured by my local dealer, that the French will send in a report, to Volvo. They think that the assembly check list may need to be addressed, or it may have been caused, by someone having a bad day.

All ended well, made the Ferry on time.
Thanks have to go to the Dealership in Metz, immediate attention, fault found and rectified in record time.

tem.

Mar 12th, 2009, 18:47	#1
tem Premier Member Last Online: Apr 9th, 2021 11:52 Join Date: Sep 2006 Location: Scottish Highlands	XC60 (Heart In Mouth Situation) On Monday, I was making my way home from the South of France and hit the morning rush hour traffic, around Metz, on the E31. All of a sudden, I was faced with every alarm and messages possible: Brake Failure, Airbag Failure, Engine Management, Stop Engine, etc. The XC60 immediately went into "Limp Drive Mode". Fortunately I was in the inside lane, but the hard shoulder. was not wide enough, to stop safely. With the hazard lights on, I limped along for a couple of miles, to exit the Motorway. Pulled over and tried to shut the engine down (keyless drive), the engine would not stop. Took stock of the situation and decided, via the sat nav, to drive to the nearest Volvo Dealership in "Limp Mode", some 5 miles away. On arrival, they tried to stop the engine and failed. Decided to take it into the Workshop and plug in the diagnostic unit, leaving me in the showroom to ponder. I can tell you, that everthing was going through my mind. I still had over 300 miles to go, to catch the DFDS Ferry, at Ijmuiden, in the Netherlands. I had by now convinced myself, that there was a major problem and I would not be going anywhere, soon. Within 5 minutes, the Foreman arrived and indicated, to follow him into the workshop (No English on his tounge and no French on mine), where, with the bonnet up, he pointed to the battery, he took hold of the clamp on the positive terminal and just lifted it off. Clamp replaced and secured, all alarms and messages cleared and I was on my way again, 10 minutes later. After 51 years of driving, this is the first time I have experianced, a slack battery connection. I can only assume, that it left the factory in this state, as I understand, that there is no requirement, in the pre-delivery inspection, to check the battery connections. I shudder, to think, what would have happened, if I had been in the outside lane of the motorway, when the XC60 went into "Limp Mode". At 3500 revs, I could only manage around 18 mph. Hopefully, this is a one of situation and I have been assured by my local dealer, that the French will send in a report, to Volvo. They think that the assembly check list may need to be addressed, or it may have been caused, by someone having a bad day. All ended well, made the Ferry on time. Thanks have to go to the Dealership in Metz, immediate attention, fault found and rectified in record time. tem.