2025-2026 Volvo EX40 SUV Immobilised car and recovery User Manual
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Immobilised car and recovery for Your Volvo EX40 SUV First Generation (2025-2026)

14. Immobilised car and recovery  
If you can't drive your car, it’s considered to be immobilised. You can always contact an authorised Volvo  
workshop if you’re unable to find a solution in the manual or if you are uncertain about how to proceed.  
Depending on the nature of the problem, you may be able to solve it on your own or with assistance from an authorised Volvo  
workshop or other services. In this part of the manual, you will find a number of scenarios and how to handle them safely.  
In a situation where there are injuries or risk of injury, prioritise safety and medical needs over car recovery. Don’t hesitate to  
contact emergency services if necessary.  
The following scenarios have their own manual sections that can help you identify the underlying issue and what the necessary  
steps for recovery are.  
The car malfunctions and the car can't be used as intended.  
The battery is flat and the car is unresponsive.  
There is physical damage to the car. The damage can make the car unsuitable to drive or cause immobilisation. Even  
superficial damage needs to be evaluated to ensure that you can safely use the car.  
14.1. Damaged car  
If your car is damaged, it is important to identify the extent and severity of the damage to determine how to  
handle the car safely.  
Damage can immobilise your car or make it unsafe to drive.  
Contact an authorised Volvo workshop if your car has been damaged or if it shows signs of damage sustained while parked. If  
the damage immobilises or severely impairs the car's performance, recovery through a roadside assistance and recovery service  
is necessary.  
Important  
Minor damage  
Your car can self-diagnose many defects, but it can’t detect all types of damage or predict their consequences. A small  
impact resulting in superficial damage can disturb components behind the affected area, such as misaligning a parking  
sensor behind a bumper. It is therefore important to have seemingly minor or superficial damage examined by a trained  
technician to determine the full extent of the damage.  
Immobilising damage  
There are several types of damage that can immobilise the car. They include, but are not limited to:  
Collision damage  
Puncture  
Windscreen damage  
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Water damage  
Mechanical failure  
Collision damage  
After a severe enough collision, your car enters safety mode and needs to be recovered.  
Important  
If possible, do not try to drive or move the car after a severe collision. If the car poses an acute traffic hazard, an exception  
can be made to move it a short distance out of immediate danger if the state of the car allows it.  
Water damage  
Water damage can cause permanent damage to your car and severely affect how well it works.  
Important  
Simply drying the car out or allowing it to dry will often be insufficient to resolve significant water damage. A trained  
technician should examine any water damage to determine its full extent and severity.  
Mechanical damage  
The best way to avoid mechanical failures is to follow the intended use and to regularly maintain your car. It is important to con-  
tinuously perform check-ups of your car.  
14.2. Malfunction  
When part of your car or one of its features is not working as designed, that counts as a malfunction.[ ] It  
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may not be safe to use your car at all, depending on what type of malfunction the car is experiencing.  
Note  
Immobilised car  
You should consider the car to be immobilised if a malfunction prevents you from driving safely.  
Unresponsive car  
There is a separate section in this manual for power-related issues.  
General advice for malfunctions  
If a function doesn’t work properly, try the following actions:  
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Read what the manual has to say about the function. Make sure that you are aware of what’s required for it to work  
properly. The cause of the problem might be that you are unaware of a limitation of a specific function.  
Restart all related devices and systems. This applies to the car itself but can also include your phone or an app.  
If there is more than one way to use a function or perform a task, try the alternatives.  
Note  
Changes after software updates  
Software updates can introduce changes to functions that affect how they work. Be sure to read the information  
provided with each update so that you understand why the car may behave differently.  
Possible causes  
When a function isn't working the way you expect it to, there are several possible causes:  
The car's settings have been changed.  
Environmental conditions are affecting the car and its systems.  
Signal interference is affecting connectivity and wireless systems.  
A fuse has blown and needs to be replaced.  
Software error.  
Mechanical failure.  
Contact an authorised Volvo workshop if needed  
If you can’t solve the problem using the information in the manual, contact an authorised Volvo workshop.  
Take note of what happened around the time the problem appeared. It may help identify the cause. A key event could be:  
Damage to the car.  
Exposure to extreme conditions.  
Recently performed servicing, maintenance or replacement of a component.  
Recently updated software.  
Any other faults or malfunctions.  
[1]  
In some cases, a suspected fault or failure may instead be an intentional limitation under the conditions experienced by  
the car.  
14.3. Powerless or unresponsive car  
If your car is unresponsive or appears to have no power, the cause could be a flat battery or something  
affecting its electrical systems.  
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If the car's batteries are flat, the car will not respond to some of your actions. This includes trying to unlock or start it.  
If the car doesn't respond due to low power, there are several recovery options depending on the situation.  
The following situations can lead to both batteries in the car going flat:  
The car is driven to 0% battery level and is then not immediately recharged.  
The car is left with a low battery level. If not plugged in for charging, the battery level drops further as the car uses a small  
amount of power while parked.  
The car is left without being charged for a long time, which allows the battery level to drop.  
Low temperatures temporarily reducing battery capacity below the required level to keep the car powered.  
Conditions or uses that increase power consumption and result in a faster-than-expected drop in battery level include:  
Use of accessories or power-consuming car functions.  
Low temperatures temporarily reducing battery capacity below the required level to keep the car powered.  
High temperatures triggering battery cooling.  
Recovery from a flat traction battery  
If only the traction battery is flat, the car's systems have power but it can't be started or driven. The car shows that the battery  
level is at 0%. In this situation, the 12 V battery can power the systems needed to initiate charging of the traction battery. It's  
important to conserve energy in the 12 V battery so that you can access and charge the car.  
Car recovery actions:  
If you can charge your car where it's parked, do so immediately.  
If your car can't be charged at your current location, have the car recovered and transported to a charging source. In the  
meantime, try to conserve the remaining power in the 12 V battery. This is important for battery health, but also keeps  
essential functionality available for you to use in an emergency.  
Recovery from total loss of power  
If the 12 V battery goes flat, the car will be completely unresponsive. This can happen if something prevents the traction battery  
from keeping the 12 V battery charged, such as allowing the traction battery to go flat and then not charging the car in time. If  
both batteries are flat, the car is entirely unresponsive and cannot be charged as usual.  
Recovery actions:  
Contact an authorised Volvo workshop or a recovery and roadside assistance service.  
If there is a charging source where the car is immobilised, it may be possible to temporarily power the car using a special  
exterior 12 V terminal. This can allow you to initiate charging.  
If the car can't be charged where it is, it needs to be transported to a location with a charging source. An authorised Volvo  
workshop has the equipment to power the car and charge it.  
Other no-power scenarios  
There may be cases where you are fairly sure that the battery level is not low. In these cases, a lack of power indicates that the  
12 V battery isn't receiving power from the traction battery or can’t deliver power to the car.  
Possible scenarios that affect the 12 V battery's power delivery are:  
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A fuse has blown and needs to be replaced.  
The 12 V battery is defective.  
There is an electrical, hardware or software fault preventing the car from turning on.  
If you can't identify the cause of the problem or solve it by referring to the manual, contact an authorised Volvo workshop.  
14.3.1. Jump starting your car  
If the 12 V battery level is below a certain point, you need to jump start your car with an external source.  
Read through the information before you start and perform each step carefully.  
Warning  
If the 12 V battery has been disconnected, the windows' pinch protection needs to be reset.  
The battery can generate oxyhydrogen gas which is highly explosive.  
The battery contains sulphuric acid which can cause serious burns and corrosion. If the sulphuric acid comes into  
contact with skin or clothes, rinse them with plenty of water. If the acid gets into eyes, seek medical attention  
immediately.  
Never smoke near the battery.  
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Important  
Do not charge another car  
The charging points on your car's 12 V battery are only meant for charging your own car. Do not attempt to charge an-  
other car.  
3
4
2
1
Jumper lead connection  
1
2
3
4
External battery's positive terminal.  
Positive terminal on your car's 12 V battery.  
External battery's negative terminal.  
Negative terminal on your car.  
There are some tasks you need to do before jump starting your car.  
You need access to an external charger or 12 V battery, such as in another car, and a pair of jumper leads.  
Make sure your car is turned off.  
If using another car's 12 V battery, make sure its engine is off and that the cars are not in contact with each other.  
To be able to access the charging points, you need to remove the panels under the bonnet.  
Connecting the cables  
1. Attach the red jump lead to the external battery's positive terminal.  
Warning  
Make sure that the jump leads only come into contact with the charging terminals in the engine compartment.  
Carefully avoid the jump leads contacting other components.  
2. Remove the cover for the positive terminal by pressing the sides of the cover and lifting it. Attach the other end of the red  
lead to the positive terminal on your car's 12 V battery.  
3. Attach the black jump lead to the external battery's negative terminal.  
4. Attach the other end of the black lead to the negative terminal on your car.  
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5. Check that the clamps are properly attached. Poor contact can cause sparks or the clamps to loosen during the start  
attempt.  
Start attempt  
6. Activate the external battery and charge your car's battery for a few minutes. If you are using the battery on another car, let  
its engine run at a slightly higher idling speed than normal, approx. 1500 rpm.  
Warning  
Do not touch the leads or clamps while either battery is active. There is a risk of creating sparks.  
7. Start your car.  
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Check the driver display to see if your car is ready to drive.  
If the start attempt fails, keep charging for 10 minutes and then try again.  
8. While your car is still running, remove the leads in the opposite order to how you installed them. First remove the black lead  
from your car and then the black lead from the external battery. Next, remove the red lead from your 12 V battery and then  
the red lead from the external battery. Make sure that the black jump lead does not touch any of the positive terminals or the  
red jump lead.  
Keep your car running for a while to charge the 12 V battery. It charges better while you drive.  
Note  
Make sure the start and stop feature is disabled until the battery has had enough time to recharge. Otherwise, there is a  
risk that the auto-start will fail.  
If the traction battery is also flat, you need to charge it with a charging cable after you get the electric system running again to  
be able to start the engine.  
14.4. Recovery  
Recovery of your car typically requires transporting it with a recovery vehicle. This is necessary if the car is  
immobilised and its functions cannot be restored where it is.  
Contact an authorised Volvo workshop if you need to recover your car.[1]  
The recommended recovery procedure depends on the conditions and state of the car. If your car is damaged and is in safety  
mode, it must not be towed and should be lifted onto the recovery vehicle's platform.  
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instances. For more information, refer to the first page for the complete disclaimer note.  
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Important  
Wheels off the ground  
Regardless of your car's condition, it must be transported with all wheels off the ground when recovered. Forced wheel  
rotation during transportation can severely damage the car.  
Keep a safe distance  
Do not allow anyone to stand directly behind your car if it is pulled onto the recovery vehicle.  
[1]  
For urgent recovery needs, you can also directly contact a recovery and roadside assistance service.  
14.5. Safety mode  
If your car detects damage that compromises safety, it can enter safety mode.  
Safety mode limits the available functions when your car has sustained damage. The car must undergo damage assessment  
and repairs[1] if safety mode has been activated. Contact an authorised Volvo workshop if safety mode has been activated for  
any reason.  
The displays clearly indicate when the car is in safety mode, if they are still functioning.  
When safety mode is active, you cannot drive the car. However, if you need to move your car out of immediate danger, you can  
try to exit safety mode by restarting your car. Driving the car after safety mode has been deactivated should be done with cau-  
tion and only for very short distances, such as to the side of the road.  
Important  
When you exit safety mode, the car performs a safety check-up. This is communicated in the driver display. If the check-  
up fails, you cannot exit safety mode to move the car.  
Warning  
Do not tow the car without first activating tow mode. This is done in the centre display.  
Resetting your car's status without performing damage assessment and repairs can result in further damage to the  
car as well as personal injury.  
[1]  
Volvo recommends an authorised Volvo workshop  
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14.6. Having your car towed  
Your car can be towed short distances, such as onto a recovery vehicle, if necessary.  
Important  
You should only tow your car short distances, such as to the side of the road or onto a recovery vehicle. Towing your  
car longer distances can damage the car by causing the battery to charge incorrectly.  
To avoid accidentally triggering the alarm, reduce your car's alarm sensitivity before towing it.  
To tow your car you must first activate tow mode, which involves attaching the towing eye and the winch wire. Make sure that  
you have all the necessary equipment ready.  
Important  
Your car should not be towed if it's in safety mode.  
Be sure to read all information about having your car towed before you activate tow mode.  
You can only access tow mode if the car has power. If the car can't be powered on, it will need a full recovery and must  
not be towed.  
Location and ground clearance should also be considered when determining if it can be towed onto a tow truck.  
1. Activate tow mode in the centre display.  
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The tow mode activation confirmation appears.  
2. Tow your car onto a recovery vehicle or to a safe place, such as the side of the road.  
3. When the car is in the necessary place, engage the parking brake.  
4. If necessary, remove the towing eye and winch wire.  
Important  
Always use a recovery vehicle to transport the car whenever it cannot be driven. Forced wheel rotation during  
transportation can severely damage your car. Make sure the car is only transported by a recovery vehicle such as a  
flatbed, so that the car's wheels do not touch the ground while being transported.  
14.6.1. Activating tow mode  
If your car needs to be towed onto a flatbed recovery vehicle, you first need to activate tow mode in settings.  
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Important  
To avoid accidentally triggering the alarm, reduce your car's alarm sensitivity before towing it.  
Tow mode can only be accessed if the car has power. If the car can't be powered on, it will need a full recovery.  
Be sure to read all information about having your car towed before you activate tow mode.  
Note  
Tow mode is only used when having your car towed. Do not activate it when towing other vehicles or trailers.  
1. Press the car symbol  
2. Go to Controls → Car modes → Tow mode.  
The tow mode tutorial appears in the centre display.  
in the bottom bar and go to Settings.  
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3. Follow the tutorial until you get confirmation that tow mode is active.  
Tow mode deactivates when you engage the parking brake.  
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Damaged car Malfunction Powerless or unresponsive car Recovery Safety mode

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