How to Open, Start and Replace Fob Batteries in Volvo and Polestar Vehicles
Five videos offering help to Volvo and Polestar drivers who’s key fobs or remote controls have gone dead.
Video help for Polestar drivers including what we know about the Polestar 3.
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Video help for Volvos, including models with hidden key holes, updated.
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A video with updated turn-knob start Volvos here.
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And a video replacing the battery in the fob, updated.
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This one covers the new generation key fob battery replacement, including Polestar. Bring your patience…
Models covered include the Polestar 1, Polestar 2 and Polestar 3, and the Volvo C30, C70, S60, S80, S90, V60, V90, XC60, XC90, and XC40.
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Remember that only proper service and repair procedures will ensure the safe and reliable operation of your car. In addition, proper safety procedures and precautions, such as the use of safety goggles, the right tools and the equipment should be followed at all times to eliminate the possibility of personal injury or improper service which could damage the vehicle or compromise its safety.
These posts are for information sharing purposes only, and should not be used in lieu of an OEM service manual or factory authorized service procedure. We are not in the auto repair business nor do we publish automotive service manuals. Nothing we include on these pages and posts has been reviewed, approved or authorized by any vehicle manufacturer.
Technology is always changing and what is current and accurate today may be literally out-of-date and inaccurate tomorrow. And when it comes to the current state of flux in the auto industry, nothing is more true.
The author has 25 years of automotive experience and has assembled the most extensive collection of symbols and warning lights anywhere (over 1,000!) and can help you open and start any keyless start car with a dead key fob battery. BA, St. Joseph’s College, ME: MS, Rensselaer Polytechnic Institute, NY
As we noted, beginning with the 2016 Volvo XC-90 redesign as well as all Polestar models, a new style key fob is used (right). To retrieve the mechanical key or key blade, look for a slide lever on the top of the key ring end of the fob. This will free the front cover, which needs to be removed.
To do this, push the cover slightly down and away from the key ring end. It can then be pulled up and out, exposing the mechanical key. The key blade can then be lifted out.
With the previous generation key fobs, the is pulled away from the fob rather easily. Slide the spring loaded catch on the back of Remote Key (remote control or ‘clicker’) to the side. Pull the key blade straight out of the remote key. On some models, the lock cylinder (keyhole) at the back of the door handle will be visible. If so, use the key blade to unlock the door. See below if the key hole is hidden.
With the first generation Remote Key, a similar spring loaded catch will be found on the top of the fob, on the key ring end. As with the fob above, slide the catch to the side and pull the mechanical key away. Again, the lock cylinder (keyhole) at the back of the door handle may or may not be visible. See below if the key hole is hidden.
In the Volvo XC-90 and other redesigns going forward since 2016, as well as the Polestar 2, the key hole is also hidden, but easily found and nothing needs to be removed. Simply pull the door handle out as far as possible and the key hole is exposed, as shown in the image.
The Polestar 1 features a door handle that is flush to the car’s body. Push the front of the handle inward and pull away the back, as seen to the right. The key hole is now exposed. As above, insert the mechanical key and turn it clockwise to unlock. Remove the key blade and release the handle. Pull the handle once again and you are in the car.
A mechanical key is not available to unlock the Polestar 3 or Polestar 4. The smart phone app or the vehicle’s key card will be needed. With the Polestar 3, the card is touched to the front of the driver’s door handle (right). With the Polestar 4, the card is touched to the middle of the door pillar just behind the driver’s door (far right).
Press the key blade about a half inch straight up in the hole on the underside of the keyhole cover (right), found at the back of the driver’s door handle. This action will force off the cover. If you are in the dark, you may need to feel for the hole. Yes, you must remove a piece of the car, but it is ok and necessary. Use the mechanical key in the now-exposed lock to unlock the driver’s door.
Volvo Throws Down the Self Drive Gauntlet
Volvo Steps Up
Back in July, in an article on recalls of electronic and safety systems, we asked “When your car gets to truly driving itself, will this mean that the manufacturer will then hold accident liability?”
And they stepped up big time.
According to Håkan Samuelsson, president and chief executive of Volvo Cars, the U.S. risks losing its leading global position in the development of self-driving cars if it allows a patchwork of varying state laws and regulations.
Full Responsibility?
However, in what almost seems like an afterthought, Samuelsson added that Volvo will accept full liability whenever one if its cars is in autonomous mode. The details remain to be worked out – such as how the insurance industry will view this development and whether the driver will be assigned some liability, but Volvo is urging these and other issues be addressed sooner rather than later.
The company is concerned that legal uncertainties could delay the launch of autonomous vehicles. In a speech at a high level seminar on self-driving cars organized by Volvo Cars and the Embassy of Sweden in Washington DC, he said “the U.S. is currently the most progressive country in the world in autonomous driving, but this position could be eroded if a national framework for regulation and testing is not developed.”
“The absence of one set of rules means car makers cannot conduct credible tests to develop cars that meet all the different guidelines of all 50 U.S. states,” he said. “If we are to ensure a smooth transition to autonomous mobility then together we must create the necessary framework that will support this.” Samuelsson also urged regulators to work closely with car makers to solve outstanding liability issues from autonomous driving as well as from hacking “by a criminal third party”.
Time will tell if Volvo will follow through.
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Remember that only proper service and repair procedures will ensure the safe and reliable operation of your car. In addition, proper safety procedures and precautions, such as the use of safety goggles, the right tools and the equipment should be followed at all times to eliminate the possibility of personal injury or improper service which could damage the vehicle or compromise its safety.
These posts are for information sharing purposes only, and should not be used in lieu of an OEM service manual or factory authorized service procedure. We are not in the auto repair business nor do we publish automotive service manuals. Nothing we include on these pages and posts has been reviewed, approved or authorized by any vehicle manufacturer.
Technology is always changing and what is current and accurate today may be literally out-of-date and inaccurate tomorrow. And when it comes to the current state of flux in the auto industry, nothing is more true.
The author has 25 years of automotive experience and has assembled the most extensive collection of symbols and warning lights anywhere (over 1,000!) and can help you open and start any keyless start car with a dead key fob battery. BA, St. Joseph’s College, ME: MS, Rensselaer Polytechnic Institute, NY