Okay, so I've only had the car two weeks, but for pete's sake, the key just turns in circles in the ignition and doesn't turn over the engine 85% of the time. If I turn the steering wheel to 'unlock" it, it'll catch and start at some mysterious point but nothing I can re-create the next time I go to start it. Is there some trick to starting that I'm not catching? Nothing in the owner's manual tells me about it. I tried pushing in the key a little bit as I turn and that worked once but nothing works consistently every time. Sometimes it just turns over when I turn the key normally; which I now consider to be a miracle!! Any bright ideas?

Chari 1998 S70 T5

Same thing is happening to me for the last month. Had the car 4 years without problem. Now that warranty is expired...go figure. The fix described above worked for a while, but now it happens 95% of the time and takes lots of jiggling the key & wheel and whacking on the steering column. Dealer says replacement of lock cylinder will cost $275 installed!!! ouch!!! Apparently it's part of the entire lockout mechanism that is supposed to spin like that if an incorrect key is inserted. If you've only had the car 2 weeks: do you have the original keys? You might be using an imperfect copy which could result in this problem. Does anyone else know what the price of this integrated component should really be?

I have both sets of the original keys and it doesn't seem to matter which ones I use. Every once in a while I'll get in and it will start normally but generally it's a battle. I've been waiting to take it in for warranty work until I've had time to discover all the problems. Unfortunately, the list is growing! Thanks for your responses!

Turns 360? By the sounds of it I'd suspect the ignition key assembly would need to be replaced; it's possible the steering lockout mechanism is the issue but given Volvo's penchant for outsourced, completely integrated subassemblies, I'd surmise this to be somehow built into the whole assembly.
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(98 S70 T5SE misc mods, mostly lighting) (92 940GLE)

I'm confused as to your problem, does the key turn freely in the ignition and not catch anything (so basically you are just turning a key, nothing else happens) until you move the wheel a bit and then it works like a normal ignition... OR are you turning the key and while it turns in the ignition the starter fails to start the engine (presumably making some sort of mechanical noise....?)

If it is the former, then I believe it is an issue with the locking system that goes into place if the wheel is moved with the key out, in which case a slight movement of the steering wheel will make everything ok. If it's the latter, it sounds like the problem isn't in the ignition, but with the starter, or fuel related.

Good Luck,
Scott
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'98 S70 T5-M - Tropic Green w/ tan, Spoiler, Fog Lights, CD-6/CD-3 Changer, External Amp, Cold Weather Pkg, Sunroof

This started happening to our 98 S70 almost a year ago. The first few times were pretty frightening until my wife figured out that if you spin the steering wheel a little bit to release the lock mechanism the key will then catch as usual. We've been living with it ever since because the work around is so easy. Of course, what are the odds that the time when we really need the car in an emergency the thing will fail for good?

DaveK