2011 S40 key fob doesn't work, how to get inside and drive?

Post by **lext** » 06 Aug 2025, 18:20

OK so my daughter lost the main key fob for our 2011 S40. We have another key, but: 1/ it doesn't have the mechanical part, and 2/ the electronic key fob doesn't open the door (I already tried to change the battery).

Without the mechanical key, we cannot open the door to drive it anywhere (the part where the key insert into the steering wheel key hole is all plastic, so I assume it's not electronic. So although the fob doesn't open the door, I assume it will still start the car? Right?)

I called the dealer but they said the car has to be physically there for them to troubleshoot the key. If we can't drive, the only solution is tow it all the way from our driveway to the dealer, 50 miles away.

Is there any other option?

Is there a way we can get inside the door using some form of clothes hanger or lockpicking? I don't remember clearly how it looked, but my impression of the little mechanical door key was that didn't look that complicated.

Post by **MoVolvos** » 06 Aug 2025, 18:56

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Air Wedge work well to start a gap 3:45 in the video. I've used the string method with a plastic wedge to just help the string slide easier. As for the Key Fob our P1 08 C30 came with 3 and only 1 can electronically open the door locks but they all 3 start the car.
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Post by **MoVolvos** » 06 Aug 2025, 19:01

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2012 XC90
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: 2012 XC90 Lock Out 3.jpg (124.08 KiB) Viewed 620 times

: 2012 XC90 Lock Out 1.jpg (90.68 KiB) Viewed 620 times

: 2012 XC90 Lock Out 2.jpg (88.75 KiB) Viewed 620 times

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Post by **lext** » 17 Sep 2025, 16:19

Thanks, MoVolvo for the suggestion. I wasn't skilled enough to try those

However I found out you can purchase the mechanical key by going to the dealer, giving them the VIN and showing the car title (to prove you're the owner). The cost was $160 with a 1 week wait. It's a far cry from what someone said here a few years ago ($25). But it could also be due to California inflation.

Once we have the little key then we could get in, and yes the plastic key fob works fine for the purpose of driving.
Fixing up the electronic was another matter though. If we want a new key fob + programming, it will be a bit more than $1000. If we just want to troubleshoot and fix the existing key fob, it will be ~ $650 (but there's a risk it cannot be fixed, in that case it's $1K). We would like our daughter to appreciate the (financial) consequences of absent-mindedness so we didn't pay for any of those.

Luckily for her, and us, a few days later she found the original, functional, key fob