Hello All,
Panic mode here! My wife just came back in the house after attempting to leave for work. Her 2003 XC70 which has been having the tranny issues with shift flare would not shift out of "park".
I went out to have a look thinking I might see a flashing arrow . No "flashing arrow" indicating PNP failure.
Am I sensing that the car has complete transmission failure?
Advice as always, appreciated!
Rich

Not a tranny problem, it is the shift lock cable and/or springs for the cable. Your car did not come with a shift lock override button, earlier years had one.

If you can get access to the cable, it is on the driver's side of the console, just a nudge will allow it to shift.

http://www.volvoxc.com/forums/showthread.php?22710-2003-XC70-Shift-Lock-Cable-issues
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My back feels better when I sit in a Volvo seat

Thanks, Klaus. I did call the Montana mechanic we deal with frequently & John told me to pump the brake pedal a few times......brake switch solenoid? I tried that & it worked right away so my wife was able to get to her meetings tho` a little late.
I am looking at my friend`s `04 XC70 this weekend & hoping it checks out.
Thanks again, Klaus

When you turn the engine on and depress the brake, the brake switch activates a cable pulley to free the lock pin on the shifter. The 'solenoid' seldom fails. The area by the shifter does get very dirty with dust and other debris and sometimes this is the fault. Unfortunately, exposing the cable under the shifter is a 1 hour job with lots of plastic pieces to get out of the way.

Use your ears when you press on the brake. You should hear a barely audible 'click' which is the solenoid moving. So long as you hear that noise, the brake pedal switch and solenoid are good and it is probably just dirt and a clogged spring mechanism.

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My back feels better when I sit in a Volvo seat

OK, got it!
Thank You!

I can't believe the coincidence here.....

My wife had my 03 V70 in Georgia a few weeks back and I got one of "those phone calls" from her. (I'm in Texas.) She was panicked because she was out shopping and the car got stuck in park. One thing I learned is that the response "What am I supposed to do?" isn't the right thing to say under those circumstances. Anyway, she said she could still hear the clicking in the shifter with each brake pedal pump so I knew it wasn't the brake pedal switch. After turning the key on and off a few times with repeated brake pedal pumps, she finally got it out of park. No more occurrences until a couple days ago when I was driving the car. I'm hoping it is just caused by dirt/dust/filth on the solenoid as a new one runs about $115.

Do you guys know how to pop open the shifter cover without cracking the plastic?

Thanks.
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Current rides: 2005 Volvo S80 2.5T, 2003 Volvo V70 2.4NA, 1973 Volvo 1800ES (fixed the brake fluid leak - now on to the ignition)

As luck(bad) would have it, my wife was leaving for the airport to fly to a conference & guess what?......the shifter won`t come out of "P"!! Fortunately, she was planning to leave with lots of time so came back in the house to wait for awhile. I tried it a number of times with no success but an hr later my wife tried it & it worked.
This is a "random event" but frustrating.
I`m going to look at my friend`s `04 XC70 this afternoon....wife is really hoping his car checks out!
Rich