Volvo Drive-E Start Stop Not Working 

Hello Floyd, It's so good to see persons like you, interested in helping others with some car problems. Machines are machines...! right? This is a brief description about how the Volvo Start Stop system works, in big steps: -1st engine start of the morning= Only Main battery is used to turn engine and power everything at the same time (Big Battery visible in engine compartment). Small Support battery not needed. -Car comes to first stop and engine is stopped by S/S system= Main Battery runs all electric consumers in car. (NOT support Battery). -1st S/S start in driving cycle= as brake pedal is lifting, the Main S/S relay box (under cowl) will switch momentarily, all electrical consumers to the small Support battery (under the cowl) and it uses the big Main battery solely to start engine (This is because you want to use the most powerful battery to run the engine starter motor). -As soon as the engine restarts (like in milliseconds) all electrical consumers are switched back to the Main Battery for normal running until the next S/S cycle and so on and the small Support battery is disconnected. The small Support battery is ONLY used those very few milliseconds while the engine restarts from a S/S cycle. During normal driving, this Support battery is just idling waiting for the next start cycle. Conditions like: Climate A/C, Ambient temperatures, Charging system status, batteries State Of Charge levels, might prevent the system from working. Both Main and Support batteries, must have a SOC at least around 72% to be Ok. I hope this bring some more understanding to how the Start/Stop system works. Greetings, Ben

The dealership charges 400.00 plus to replace that battery. It takes 20 minutes to replace!! Your videos are a lot of help and resolves the gouging of the dealership!

Floyd I can't begin to thank you enough for this Video, I disconnected my battery and afterwards my stop start didn't work after following your reset procedure the very next drive it now works again. So very grateful thank you. Cheers Colin.

Replacing the auxiliary battery on a right hand drive car is even easier, it's just to the left of the main battery. I also reset the charging system while I was there. Good video 👍🏻

Finally it brewed for nearly 24hrs and the first set of lights I stopped at gave me a proper start/stop effect. Nothing changed in radio/ac/lights it just seems like it's still on other than rather noticeable start and 0 RPM on rev counterand the announcement on thee dash. I noticed that the car can be rolling, now I'll do some testing on how fast I suppose it'll kick in around 5 mph. This is a very helpful video. Thanks Floyd.

This is exactly what I was looking for! I got a quote from the dealer of $500 to replace this auxiliary battery, but it isn’t going to save me that much money in gas so I declined. Still, I like things to work properly so I will probably replace it myself for $80. Very helpful video. Thank you.

Just picked up on your video which is very good, you're correct on the BMS but slightly incorrect on the two batteries locations for European Volvos, also the hidden battery on your car is the booster start/stop battery, the one in the engine bay is your main auxiliary battery, it takes a boost from the hidden battery. With European cars the main battery is located in the engine bay just like yours , however the booster start /stop battery is located behind the front bumper hidden down low on the passenger side wheel arch, an absolute nightmare to change, as the whole front bumper must be removed to access the booster start/ stop battery , it is the ONLY way to get access to the start/stop booster battery, many owners this side of the pond have spent ages removing the inner wheel arch thinking theres access to the battery only to find theres no access, the whole front bumper must come off. Whoever at Volvo designed this on the European model needs sacking !!!!!! Also any time after changing any of the batteries or doing a charge the BMS should be reset and the car left standing for a good 12 hours or so.

Thank you for sharing this information we could not find any info about the location and how to remove this battery, your efforts are greatly appreciated. Your video will save us hundreds of dollars now that I know it is not a difficult job to swap out this small battery. Please keep up the Great Work! MTNSCORPION

My understanding is that the small battery is used to keep the a/c, radio and the like going when the stop/start is in a stop situation. That way you are not draining the large battery used as a normal battery. Think of it as if it is a boat. You have what they call a crank battery to start up your boat. Then, you have a different battery called a “house” battery. That one is used to run the “house” electronics (a/c, fridge, stove, light etc.). That way if you drain the “house” battery, the “crank” battery will be there to start the boat motor and not leave you stranded. Each battery is designed differently. One needs the Big Bang to turn the engine while the other needs to accommodate the smaller power required for the radio etc.. You will notice that when the car stops, at a red light, the A/C will be reduced temporarily. All part of the plan to reduce the power required to fire up the engine again.

I've been searching on the web a lot, about where that battery is, and how to get to it, but now i've found it, thanks to your video!! :) Many thanks!!! Enjoy your S60 as much as possible! :)

Thanks for the info, the battery start working after being off for like 1 year after the steps you showed we should trie😃

Thank you for your clear information on these matters. Also your vocal instructions are spot on including even how to handle the plastic clips that are so annoying to brake. I live in Volvo-land(=Sweden)yet this info is not easily found here. Thanks/Mats

Have the same discovery on my Volvo XC 60 SUV 2016 2.0 Turbo, same display of batteries. Thanks for your video!!!

Just picked mine up used about a year ago. I knew about botj batteries. I think I need to replace before winter this year. I wasn't sure if both needed to be replaced at same time, or I could get away with just replacing the main. Like has been noted, not much info out there. Your video helps, looks like you got by on switching the main only. So I'll try that and see how it goes and whether or not the support battery needs to be replaced as well.

Thank you. Yes both batteties must be replaced when start battery is replaced. Great regards from Sweden

Hi Floyd, here's my little saga, I bought a 2013 RHD V70 2.0ltr D3 about 5 months ago, the family run garage gave me a 3 months warranty which is normal for a car of this age here in the UK, near the end of the 3 months warranty the stop start stopped working, so back to the garage it went, they replaced the main battery FOC with a genuine Volvo one, no problem with the garage at all, although recently the stop start had stopped working again (now out of warranty) they were good enough to check the new battery and it was fine if a little low on power, they recharged it and everything worked, happy once again, now it has happened again, seeing your video I phoned the garage the garage and told them about the second hidden battery, I had to laugh when they said they wished they had known about this also, as the battery they changed in the first place did not seem to bad but the new Volvo one they fitted solved the problem although it was expensive, and the second battery was only a fraction of the cost of the main one, when they checked with Volvo, they agreed with me that this was probably the problem all along, and would change it for me but would have to charge this time, I thanked them but declined as the job looks within my capabilities and I would do it myself, so thankyou for this information as like you I would never had known of this secret battery, I know one thing though I will use this garage again when I buy another car, as they bent over backwards to keep me happy, a genuine honest dealer is hard to find nowadays.

same car with 73k miles, same problem, similar type of car owner:). A new H7-AGM H7-AGM Duralast battery got the start/stop back for two weeks then gone. will try to reset and check the aux.battery. thx

Also had no idea of 2nd battery and just learned there is no power steering reservoir! Great video!

Hi Floyd, I have a Volvo V40 2015 so thought I'd give this a try. Mine hasn't worked for about 18months. Done as you said a few days ago (I never see the battery indicator flash 3 times) thought got nothing to lose but thought no more of it till yesterday when I had to go out and to my surprise it WORKED omg. Many thanks Floyd

Thanks Floyd, you're Amazing!

Thank you so much. You just helped me fix my V70 for free.

I have a volvo XC60 2015.5 SUV and I live in Southern CA, USA. had low battery message for ever. I was not able to open the trunk through the button on the trunk door (I used the key fob or dashboard button to open it) Many times the close button did not work unless I turn the car on first (that is the only way to close the trunk properly). found your video and loved it (Thank you so much Floyd). Followed the process of changing the battery from Amazon, After all of that the low battery message did not go away and the trunk did not close unless I start the engine. The Start/Stop certainly did not work. I did a battery rest, few differences from your video: I pushed the start until the dashboard lit and I noticed the battery sign on it. I must have pushed it for 2 seconds or more. I preformed the 6x3 in a fast order Turned off the car, but the hazard lights kept flashing. I was worried that the hazard lights maybe adding to the problem. Came back and read the comments on this video and it seemed to indicate that the hazard lights should not be flashing So I thought that I messed up somewhere. By then it was over 30 minutes since the reset. I went and turned the hazard lights off and drove the car for 5 minutes and to my shock the start/stop was working. Now the open and close trunk buttons are also working. I will provide an update if this change. At least now I know that the car has fog lights and battery indicator on the dashboard (LOL) I am so grateful for your video and feel indebted and I hope that this long rambling post will help others as a pay back. Now if only you can help me with the check engine light indicating PO420 error message (Catalytic Converter). Dealer quoted me $3000. Thanks again

Muchas gracias por compartir tu experiencia me resultó muy útil lo explicas de una forma muy profesional te mando un fuerte abrazo y nuevamente saludos 👍🤝

Thank you sooo much Floyd , your video help me a lot, stay warm in Michigan

Thx for sharing the info! I will just leave the drive e start-stop function alone. Normally will turn it off. Is alr proven this thing is a “green/fuel saving gimmick” will actually make your starter wear out faster, frequently start stop will actually wear out the engine too.

I got the main battery in my 2016 Volvo V40 T4 with 2 liter Drive E engine, checked and it was less than 70% of rated capacity. The start/stop function had also quit. So I put a new main battery in, but the stop/start function still did not work. So I changed the secondary and via a scan tool “told” the cars computer that a new secondary battery has been installed. The stop/start function then worked. On the V40 model that 2nd battery is located just ahead of the left front wheel and the front bumper bar has to be removed to access it. There are other You Tube videos detailing the procedure on that model, but most are in German or Swedish. However a picture is worth a 1000 words and it’s not that hard...just time consuming. 😉

hi Sir! we have a problem with xc60 2014 . engine wont start and it says cant detect key. the key fob can lock/unlock the car. -- before this happened a night before the 2 front door was opened for a long time cuz two guys were working on replacing the car tint. after that we turned on the car to move it. the next morning it wont start already. and we noticed in the morming when we opened the car the light inside was on probably the whole night

Thank you for the very useful information I have a Volvo XC 60 which is the SUV version of this car and it looks the exact same on the inside and I have the problem with the start stop function it never works every time I get in the car it says that The electrical system is not allowing to start stop function to work due to battery charging or is not at the right temperature for my battery and I have to be driving for a long time for the start stop to work so I’m going to try that resetting to see if it will work thank you so much

the reason for the second battery is to protect the computers within the car from voltage drop when the main (starting) battery cranks the engine. it's very normal for a start battery to drop in voltage to something around 8.5 volts when it's supplying 600+ amps to the starter. if you don't have the second battery in the system and the main battery (and cable connection) aren't in perfect shape then you run the risk of having computers drop out and reset and sometimes even lose their settings and or be damaged.

Floyd, you've helped me so much! I just fixed my autostart but I tried replacing the rear brakes on my S60 but the parking brake torx screws are completely rounded out. I don;t know what to do. Any help would be much appreciated. Thanks

Thank you very much for your advice. You are a Legend!!! also I’ve got an issue regarding my cruise control. Cruise Control Unavailable. Also on the cluster it says cruise control service required. It doesn’t show up any error on obd scanner. I would be tremendously grateful for your advice regarding the matter. Many thanks

Hazard light 3 times leaves the hazards on. Are you saying turn the hazards on and off three times or just press them 3 times which leaves the hazards on?

I knew it was there but wasn't sure how to access it. My car's 5 years old now so I'm about to replace the main battery for good measure. May have to do the little one also, we'll see.

Thanks for your help, I just bought a Volvo v60 and I changed both batteries myself and the car cranks but doesn't start. and I get a stop Safely battery fault message. I'm not sure what I have to do to make it turn on

Would you be able to use a battery charger to recharge the secondary battery?

Hi Floyd, thanks for the vdo, managed to reset after change both battery. Prior change the batteries had weird symptom of car electrical shut down unexpectedly. At the w/shop confirmed batteries capacitance had dropped. But after changed batteries this “blackout” still happened especially after you parked and stop the engine. I need to open the battery compartment and wriggle some cables connected to the battery (the cables to the battery terminals are tight btw)and voila! The electrical power is back. The OBD not able to detect any fault code. Btw, This trouble is intermittent. Any opinions?

When you say press the hazard lights 3 x take it that is turn on and off 3 x same as fog lights as just pressing hazard 3x leaves them in the on position. Just done on my v40 will see if it works🤞👍

Thank you so much to share the knowledge like this😀 🙏

Floyd, how did you determine in your situation it was the main battery and not the support battery? Thanks

Hey Floyd, I have done the BMS reset you show at the beginning of the video, but have since learned you’re only supposed to do this if you install a new battery. Otherwise your car will think you have a new battery and treat your old battery as such. Is there any danger driving like this or something that can be done to revert the BMS reset?

The presence and location of the support battery is described in every car's user manual. At least in my Volvo XC60 manual (2017). That was not the secret for me. The secret for me was the magic procedure to reset BMS without VIDA, which might be easier to do than disconect BMS sensor from battery for 10 seconds while ignition is on. Btw. regarding the MBS reset procedure, shouldn't I press the start button without break for longer period to get in to ignition on position II instead of pressing the button shortly to get into position I? Or does it really matter?

I charge my auto battery about every six weeks with my auto battery charger. We use our lights heater/ac head lights brake lights phone chargers wipers constantly. So a good charge on your battery is a good thing. Pick one up for around $50.00

Man I ty and I’m not sure if that’s the problem but you might have saved me

Be thankful that it doesn't work. I would never spend a dime to fix that POS start/stop.

What is under the passenger seat on 2015 S60 that is bolted to floor and has round, raised light covers?????

I did not know about that second battery thanks for the info.

Thank you so very much Floyd.

So this reset (bme?)is if I get a new battery and am trying to get start stop to work? Do u know if this will work for p3 (2011) as well? Thank you

I followed the steps and no battery icon flashed up. Any ideas what I'm doing wrong? I tried exactly the same thing 3x over and no luck. 2013 V60 (Euro spec)

When I did the procedure I didn't see the battery blink 3x. Do I hit hazards for 3 on off cycles or 3 times total? If it's 3 times total the hazards remain on before seeing the battery icon? 2017 s60. Thanks!

Thank you for your vido , but please help me if you have info about how can i shut off the start stop for permanently, can you help please

Si you put regular gas or premium gas? Tanks

Thanks a ton sir. Really appreciate your help. I was previously living in Minnesota and barely used AC in my S60. I recently relocated from Minnesota to California and I need to use the Air conditioning very often. However the Air Conditioning in my Volvo S60 isn’t working at all. There’s just the fan noise and doesn’t seem to cool my car off. Quite frustrated about it since I never used it. Can you please help / advise?

I tried various combinations of the steps described herein far resetting the batteries; none produced the expected result

What battery should I replace the original with???

Hi! Would someone clarify the 6x3 sequence? I get the 6, but in theory hitting the flashers 3 times would leave the flashers on when you walk away? I know I’m missing something because I’ve done this to a different car before! Thanks in advance!

Do you happen to know the cranking amps and cranking amps written on the battery in your video? Also I am assuming there is no BMS battery reset needed for this battery as compared to the larger battery that is not hidden?

From Iraq 🇮🇶🇮🇶 Thank you so much it's so useful... I wanna ask you about the engine type in this car, what is it? and how can I know the engine type in 2016 V70

Thank you. Very good vedio

Hello Flyod, I have the same 2015 s60 2.0L turbo and stop/start hasn't worked in a month or so, Tried the battery reset method above but I didn't see the battery icon blink 3x. any other suggestions?

Hello 2017 xc90 start stop not working original battery 58k miles.

Count your blessings. Would love to have the option to permanently disable this feature. Yes, I know I can buy a device that plugs into the diagnostic port, but last time I checked, it was more than we want to spend. Also, I think the second, smaller, battery is part of the power steering. We are getting the power steering rededuced message, and was told that the second battery needs replacing. Thank for the video. I saw another video that had the smaller battery behind the bumper, but I think tas was a different model Volvo. We have the 2015.5 S60.

Should this reset work on an older UK 2012 V40? I’ve tried it but don’t seem to get the flashing battery sign afterwards

Quick update I did the 6+3 sequence with ignition on and received 3 battery light flashes in response. Letting it stew now. I forgot to made it crystal clear I have an 2010 s40 driv-e obvs. Great to know that volvo aren't inclined to start changing reset procedures with newer cars.

the car has 2 batteries. One is dedicated to the start/stop system. If that battery dies, the start stop system is disabled.

I want to disable the Drive-E option, dont want to stress the ignition and batteries for a few seconds I stop.

The reset didn’t work for me

Wao nice information

Would you recommend this for a college student?

Do I have to reset it if I recharge the battery I situ? Cheers

I did the reset last night. I just went to start the car & it won't start at all. It says: steering malfunction Stop safely. I never had that problem before. Can you please suggest what to do. Thank you, Sam

I just did the reset on my '15 S80 with a new main battery...we'll see what happens tomorrow.

Not for xc60'15

Does your v60 still work ok

If I press the hazzard light button 3 times the lights are still flashing when I get out of the car.

It s working

Why do engineers do all this crap? Always making things harder. You know why? Because they can. Ridiculous

Hello my Volvo XC60 t6 don't start

My start stop doesnt work??? Hallelujah!

This video could have been 1 minute long :-D Get to the point, man!!

I don't want stop start to work. permanently.

Our S60 is a piece of crap. I hate the car.