Brake lights 02 V70xc

marvin46917 · Post by **marvin46917** » 21 Feb 2011, 06:59

My brake lights work intermittently. The center light works all the time without fail, but the two side brake lights only work sometime. Is this a short in the lines? And if so is it an easy fix?

Post by **jimmy57** » 21 Feb 2011, 07:09

check the black rectangular shunts on the REM in left rear side panel of the cargo area. These are 1/8 inch thick and are approx. 1 1/2" tall and 2" wide.

jda2000 · Post by **jda2000** » 21 Feb 2011, 07:12

jimmy57,

how do you tell if a shunt is defective or blown out?

marvin46917 · Post by **marvin46917** » 21 Feb 2011, 07:45

What will I look for on them? Is there a way to tell if they are bad or not and what is the approx cost of replacement?

schuster · Post by **schuster** » 08 Mar 2011, 20:09

I'm dealing with the same issue right now on my '01 v70, the driver's side brake light won't light and I get the warning in the message center. The bulbs are located behind the speaker grille and speaker, so both of them have to come out first to access the connections. The bulb socket is a holder with no wiring, and it completes the electical connection between 2 circuits in the tailight housing itself. Have someone step on the brakes wtih the ignition on, and wiggle or twist the socket slightly to see if that restores the connection. What you have is an open connection, not a short. A short will blow a fuse, and then you would lose everything controlled by that fuse. My tailight has a hairline crack, and it allowed water inside. I can always get the bulb to re-ligtht when I play with it, but a few days later it's out again. A new socket might be worth trying, if they weren't so hard to get twisted back in correctly I woudl swap mine to see if the problem follows the socket to the other side. BTW, I'm sure that corrosion caused by the hairline is the root of my problem.

Post by **IdahoBob** » 20 Mar 2011, 20:49

Check to see if there's a recall on a couple of the relays...they are back in the cargo area, on the side panel behind the carpeting, driver's side (USA)...there was an offical Volvo recall for this problem, but it affected only a small range of vehicles, and even though my early '02 XC70 had the same problem, it was not included in the recall. I used the info for what was to be done in the recall, went to local dealer and bought 2 relays to replace one faulty large one (I think this was it, it was a while back), and have never seen that problem again. And...the parts were surprisingly inexpensive for something official vovlo (less than $30). I wrote Volvo a letter askign for reimbursement, as this shoudl have been included in recall. They sent me a discount coupon for future dealer service or parts. No kiss & no refund, though.

Idaho Bob
'67 122S
'71 145
'78 142
'85 245 (400K miles when it finally blew a rod, I miss that car..)
98 V70 (dog)
'02 XC70
'02 S80
'04 XC70