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:
The content of this manual represents the status of the user manual at the time of printing and may not be completely valid in future
instances. For more information, refer to the first page for the complete disclaimer note.
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