Dear stinafina,

Good p.m. and may this find you well. Did this happens suddenly? Does the shift lever feel sloppy loose? That is, when you move it, does it take some effort to move it from one position to another, or does it just "float" easily?

If it "floats" between positions, I suspect the linkage has separated from the shifter handle. A pin, secured with an "E" clip, connects the bottom of the shifter lever with a transfer bar, that moves a lever, that changes the gear selected inside the transmission.

If the "E" clip fell off and the pin dropped out, the shifter is no longer connected to the transmission. You cannot move the car, using its own power.

This is not a hard fix. You will need:
(a) to jack up the car (put a jack stand under a frame member) and inspect the shift linkage, which is on the driver's side of the transmission (USA/Canada models)
(b) if the shifter handle is separated from the linkage, you'll need to visit a Volvo dealer, to get a replacement pin,"E" clip, and the bushing, that goes in the hole at the bottom of the shifter
(c) to install these parts.

The bushing can be lubricated with dish-washing liquid, to ease it into the hole. There's not a lot of room to get the pin into place. You have to position the pin, so its head is closest to the transmission case wall. The "E" clip is best held with a needle-nose pliers.

Hope this helps.

Yours faithfully,

spook