I towed the car about a mile the other day and now the dash reads brake failure... could this be related?

I did only use a generic obdII scanner, if I try the other style scanner would it pick up on the problems you were discussing above? I have also came across bypassing systems for immobilizers online, would one of those be worth my time if it comes down to my issue being related to immobilizer commun...

I recently bought a 99 s80 and I'm having one heck of a time figuring this thing out... when I turn the key, the starter will not crank, if I jump across the starter it cranks over fine but will not start, if I spray a little bit of ether in the intake and jump across the starter it'll start for a s...