If it is as bad as people on here say, then I agree, it's stupid. If enough people complain, maybe they will change it for next model year.

But I have a feeling there may be some operator error involved. I haven't messed with them yet though.

 

This is what I don't get..... The key comes from the factory with no "restrictions" set. It functions as a regular, black key unless you change it. So what is the big deal about it not "being a real key"? I don't understand what the problem is. If you don't set a speed limit on the Orange Key, then it's identical to the black key. So what's the problem?

 

WRONG! Not in our case. Out of sync from opening the purchase kit. "No Restrictions" is not the desired result. It needs to match the settings of the second driver.

 

Appreciate you sharing your experience. Our dealer is working with Volvo technical to assist several customers with same problem. No success with any yet. They were told it would work just as you say it should. My wife wanted the Orange Key to be her main key set to her setting. Not happening. If you find out a secret trick, please share. Thanks.
(A how-to video from your rep buddy would be great.)

 

I'm sorry to hear you have having difficulty. Likely it's just some bizarre software thingy. I'm sure it will get resolved for you quickly. Perhaps newer production has something different that isn't causing any issues. Thankfully the profile linked to the key lets you still enjoy the car without a major detriment. I can understand having "his" and "her" keys with personalized settings will be enjoyed once it gets sorted out. Best of luck.

 

The orange care key is not the same as the black key. It only pairs with profile 3. Profile 3 can only be edited when the black key is in the car. You cannot change off of profile 3 without the black key either (other profiles are greyed out until you lock and unlock the car with the black key). It’s in the owners manual

It is dumb, over constrained and unnecessary.You should have the choice to make it a care key or not. Lots of software allow this (eg HBO max let’s me set up a profile for daughter that limits what she can watch) It is what they should have done here; let the owner limit it or not. Setting just enough limits to be frustrating on it from the factory is unnecessary.

FWIW, there are the same discussions all over these forums and they all come to essentially the same conclusion. Give two black keys or allow the owner to add limits if they desire.

 

The orange care key is not the same as the black key. It only pairs with profile 3. Profile 3 can only be edited when the black key is in the car. You cannot change off of profile 3 without the black key either (other profiles are greyed out until you lock and unlock the car with the black key). It's in the owners manual

It is dumb, over constrained and unnecessary.You should have the choice to make it a care key or not. Lots of software allow this (eg HBO max let's me set up a profile for daughter that limits what she can watch) It is what they should have done here; let the owner limit it or not. Setting just enough limits to be frustrating on it from the factory is unnecessary.

FWIW, there are the same discussions all over these forums and they all come to essentially the same conclusion. Give two black keys or allow the owner to add limits if they desire.

I agree totally, MKrissel. We just purchased a 2021 Volvo XC60 and received this awful Orange "Care Key." It does not function anything like a conventional black key. Our experience is the same as detailed in your Post #8. The orange key is locked into Profile 3 (Volvo didn't even have the foresight to name this profile something descriptive like "Care Key Profile"). In everyday use, this Care Key scheme presents so many problems that I don't even want to drive this car. Those who have a 2021 know what I mean. This is our fifth Volvo but I can say without hesitation that this will be the last Volvo we purchase if the software isn't reprogrammed ASAP to resolve this disaster. There are too many other nice cars to choose from. Since my check has already cleared and the dealer isn't offering any solutions, I can suggest anyone afflicted with one of these frustrating vehicles join me in writing a letter of complaint to Volvo CEO Hakan Samuelsson, Volvo Car Corporation, 405 31, Göteborg, Sweden, who is taking credit for this "innovation." I suspect as more of these 2021 models hit the streets, there will be a tsunami of unhappy customers.

 

SOLUTION: Two black keys--two individual profiles if needed. Not a limited use key. Make the "Safety Orange Key" an option.
How simple can it be? Better see some options by next rollover time.

 

You don’t like the memory setting preferences a brand offers! And you want to sue them. Think about that. This is half the problem in this country.....sue because people don’t align with your views. its sickening to think you would sue because of a key that you don’t like, rather than just buying a key you do. No one forced you to buy a Volvo. I’m sure Volvo wishes you had bought a different brand! As customers like you are horrible. I’d be ashamed to come on here and make demands. Dude....half of your issues are OPERATOR ERROR!!

 

You don't like the memory setting preferences a brand offers! And you want to sue them. Think about that. This is half the problem in this country.....sue because people don't align with your views. its sickening to think you would sue because of a key that you don't like, rather than just buying a key you do. No one forced you to buy a Volvo. I'm sure Volvo wishes you had bought a different brand! As customers like you are horrible. I'd be ashamed to come on here and make demands. Dude....half of your issues are OPERATOR ERROR!!

I dunno. Maybe we should sue Volvo for not offering a 5, 6, or 8 cylinder option in their SPA/CMA vehicles. Because first world problems [emoji849]

Sent from my SM-G975U using Tapatalk

 

All I know is that I paid a lot of money for a vehicle that I find is unsatisfactory, and I will not make the same mistake again. VolvovoFaRmeR thinks I should be happy with whatever Volvo seems fit to provide, but I feel that I should be free to spend my money on what satisfies my needs. In this case, Volvo falls short. Just a difference in philosophy, but it is surprising that Volvo has become so uninterested in their customers’ experience. If they want to make this right, they should provide two regular keys, and in the event a customer wants a “crippled” orange key, they should be free to pay extra for the privilege. Instead, they have done the opposite which will cause me to no longer buy Volvo products.

 

I will say that I found the orange key to be a huge pain in the ass it comes to profile configuration. My boyfriend and I share the car. I contacted the dealership and let them know that it was unacceptable and they agreed. They gave me an additional key, no charge. If anyone needs any messaging I used when I emailed them, let me know. Happy to share.

 

Absolutely. Please share. Volvo corporate was most indignant about the inconvenience. You found dealer gold. Thank you.

 

First email:

I recently purchased a XC40 from you within the last two weeks. I am a bit frustrated as we were under the impression that the car came with two fully functioning keys. The Care Key is a a huge burden and does not allow for full functionality even when removing the speed limitation. This aspect was never explained to us and as we have two people sharing one car, it is unacceptable to only have one fully functioning key for a car that costs $40K. Can you please advise us on some options here as I am at my wits end in trying to get the orange key to function as a regular key.

The dealer responded by telling me:

I checked with Volvo agree the Care Key cannot be linked to a profile, but the sport key can. Take a look at this link:

Link to key breakdown

I responded with:

Thank you for that attachment. It confirms my suspicions that the Sport Key and the Care Key are not reasonable replacements for the main key. The Sport Key lacks the ability to replace the battery or leverage any features such as being able to lock/unlock the car, open the trunk, or engage the alarm. The Care Key fails to allow you to make any custom changes to a profile. Am I crazy to think that a car would come with only one set of functional keys? The Care Key and Sport Key has very limited use and to be honest are not flexible enough for what we need given we are sharing the vehicle and will each like to use the full functionality of the car as purchased.

The dealership then called me:

They said they understood the frustration. They would accommodate by ordering and programming an additional key at no charge.

I realize not everyone will have this experience and that maybe my dealership is just more understanding, but the more people that complain, the better I think.

 

Just a friendly bump and FYI for anyone who has the same frustrations with the orange key and are getting it replaced/swapped out. Volvo corporate authorized a free swap of the orange key with a standard fully functional key. I did this yesterday at my preferred dealer. But now my small black sport key does not work whatsoever. It's a 2021, so it's unlikely the battery. My guess is all keys need to be programmed together. I had the sport key with me at the dealer, but there was no mention of it being needed by the service advisor or the tech. @Tech would you mind chiming in on this?

Adding to my experience was a hitch that didn't fit, and a software update that the dealer was unable to update. After two tries, they gave up and said something must be wrong with Volvo satellites?

I'm hoping there will be a time when I'm not frustrated by being a Volvo customer. Anytime there's a win, or progress, or confidence, there's an equivalent loss,consecutive losses, and reduced confidence in the brand.

Sent from my SM-G781V using Tapatalk

 

You're correct. All of the keys have to be reprogrammed. I had to bring them all in. But I also swapped out the orange housing from the "orange" key and so that my boyfriend and I could tell them apart since he wanted to keep the orange housing.

 

I thought about asking to do this... but the key was already free and I was just fine with a key that functioned fully. I also offered to pay for the programming of the key, but the advisor said it was covered.

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They don't all need to be programmed unless they are erased.

There are two ways to program a key- simply add a key to the existing keys or erase all keys and program only the keys the customer has.

Adding a key just adds an additional key. So the original three will work and the newly programmed key will work.

Erasing all keys is done if a key is lost or stolen. Then only the keys present at time of programming will work. Sounds like they did this and didn't program the sport key.

 

They don't all need to be programmed unless they are erased.

There are two ways to program a key- simply add a key to the existing keys or erase all keys and program only the keys the customer has.

Adding a key just adds an additional key. So the original three will work and the newly programmed key will work.

Erasing all keys is done if a key is lost or stolen. Then only the keys present at time of programming will work. Sounds like they did this and didn't program the sport key.

The service advisor said they had a heck of a time trying to get the programming done as well. So my guess would be they erased everything. Thanks for your input, as always.

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Some people who spend extra for a higher line of vehicle and pay for the extra packages should expect to be able to use those features just as before. Inconvenience should not be an option.
Glad you are happy.

 

The last batch of 2021s don't even come with a sport key due to the chip shortage so my old explanation of "the two black keys are your normal ones" will be gone for those cars. My understanding is Volvo USA is even trying to push back on this but Volvo global is the one with the stick up their rear and listening too much to the marketing folks. Gosh I despise most marketing folks... They make me look like an open minded individual with how stuck in their presumptions they are.

The red key was optional. Cars that had it got 4 keys (two black, one sport, and one red), so of course no one complained. I present the orange key and get minimal pushback, but I think that's in part to how I explain the sport key as your secondary. I don't look forward to telling folks the only 2nd key they get is a valet key that is NOT the same even by Volvos own bulletins. I do have lots of customers who do use just one car for a couple and frankly few that let their teen drivers use the brand new Volvo. Especially this past year with lots of older couples staying in, I did lots of two car trades where they were downsizing. I think, given that they could fix the entire problem with a few lines of code to truly make it a standard key, the orange key, as it is, is inexcusable.

The passive aggressive fix is to buy the prepaid maintenance, just for the 40k. I think the cost is around $650. So basically it's just a little more than what the 40k service cost anyhow... but it comes with once a year key replacement... so each year request one more key because yours got "lost". It's stupid you have to do this, but it does push the cost back to Volvo and it comes with a net benefit to you of several extra keys and the 40k service paid up.

I think there is a fix for 2022, but I haven't seen it yet, just heard whispers from Volvo folks acknowledging that its not good as it is... and that's also where I had heard that Volvo USA has been pushing back on it. I wrote them a pretty harsh email and they just said they'd pass the information on, to which I responded "you'd better" =-D

 

The last batch of 2021s don't even come with a sport key due to the chip shortage so my old explanation of "the two black keys are your normal ones" will be gone for those cars. My understanding is Volvo USA is even trying to push back on this but Volvo global is the one with the stick up their rear and listening too much to the marketing folks. Gosh I despise most marketing folks... They make me look like an open minded individual with how stuck in their presumptions they are.

The red key was optional. Cars that had it got 4 keys (two black, one sport, and one red), so of course no one complained. I present the orange key and get minimal pushback, but I think that's in part to how I explain the sport key as your secondary. I don't look forward to telling folks the only 2nd key they get is a valet key that is NOT the same even by Volvos own bulletins. I do have lots of customers who do use just one car for a couple and frankly few that let their teen drivers use the brand new Volvo. Especially this past year with lots of older couples staying in, I did lots of two car trades where they were downsizing. I think, given that they could fix the entire problem with a few lines of code to truly make it a standard key, the orange key, as it is, is inexcusable.

The passive aggressive fix is to buy the prepaid maintenance, just for the 40k. I think the cost is around $650. So basically it's just a little more than what the 40k service cost anyhow... but it comes with once a year key replacement... so each year request one more key because yours got "lost". It's stupid you have to do this, but it does push the cost back to Volvo and it comes with a net benefit to you of several extra keys and the 40k service paid up.

I think there is a fix for 2022, but I haven't seen it yet, just heard whispers from Volvo folks acknowledging that its not good as it is... and that's also where I had heard that Volvo USA has been pushing back on it. I wrote them a pretty harsh email and they just said they'd pass the information on, to which I responded "you'd better" =-D

also recently sport key appeared in accessories list so I personally have a feeling they are going to make sport key optional even for cars with keyless.

btw my 2 cents here, my car does not have keyless so I initially got black and orange. I reported that to Volvo as 2021 late manual stated 3 keys are provided with a car, so they silently fixed the doc and replied that "you've signed the paper that you've received 2 keys and you didn't have any complaints regarding the completeness of the car so we won't give you a key for free, point". So friendly

 

Keep complaining... it'd be nice if common sense was all it took to fix it.

 

I've already sent 14 emails on the topic and the discussion got basically stuck as Volvo Russia declined to give a free key, when chat with sweden folks ended up as "Even though we would like to assist you directly, we are unfortunately unable to. We have to trust that Volvo Car Russia reviews the feedback with careful consideration and do their utmost to assist you. ".

Also re sport key, I've seen this picture posted in aug 2020 on some other volvo related forum regarding 20 vs 21 differences, so for Canada the change was planned rather than caused by chip shortage.

 

Like most of you, I am in 'Kiddie key' hell. The dealer explained that the key could be fully disabled, thus making it a regular key. It took about 2 days to figure out that was wrong and been asking and emailing to get a different key. I've also tried Volvo customer service, I'm getting no where either place. Too bad the 'engineer' that posted doesn't understand how frustrating this thing is. I had used the key to move the car and had the key in the garage outside the car. My wife started to drive off with the regular key and started complaining all of her settings were gone and she could not change to her profile. Having to get out, move the orange key, lock the door and unlock again with real key isn't normal. It would be better not to even have profiles.

I'll keep pushing, but would caution anyone looking at buying a 2021 Volvo.

 

Whichever key unlocks the car is the one whose profile is active.

 

No you're right. I just emailed Volvo yet another passively aggressive email.. just kidding, it's outright aggressive about the Care Key. There are several errors I found in the online manual that I made fun of them for. I was just saying how it works because it wasn't clear if you knew that and to explain why it acted the way it did, not to justify it =-D

You're right, many people leave their cars on guest. I always set up customers cars to profile one and change the name. So what we set up at delivery is at least attached to their profile.

Care Key is stupid and whoever keeps pushing it at Volvo must be important to keep being able to dig in their heels.

 

Yes, just took it as you being helpful!!! I do understand it, but honestly, had I not been outside when my wife left, she would not have known and would have just been frustrated. And as I was researching if I could override the key, I read somewhere that Volvo was working with insurance companies and touted it to them. Whether that is true or not, I don't know.

 

I am surprised that no-one here is mentioning other restrictions on the orange key. I still don't know if what we experienced were bugs or "features" - but we couldn't access sound settings, turn on interior illumination, nor turn on bending lights on a 2021 XC90 T8. When I complained to the dealer, I was told that was by design, but I did not see that mentioned anywhere here.

The car did come with restrictions pre-programmed, by the way. When I left the dealer's lot, the car would not go past 35 mph, which almost led to me being rear-ended. It took me a moment to figure out that was because the orange key was in the car - it wasn't during the test drive, so the speed limitation came as a (dangerous) surprise. Our dealer is on a 65mph road with heavy traffic.... so pulling out and then hitting the speed limiter at 35 can be outright dangerous.

The idea that there are no restrictions, or that all restrictions can be removed, did not match my experience. The speed limits can be removed, provided your orange key is in a different zip code, buried under six feet of rocks. If it is anywhere close to your car, it takes over and you can't change the speed limiter. Or well, I couldn't. Volvo agreed to a lemon buyback eventually, rather than give us a second key. Oh well, got the money back and some free miles... Driving a Q7. With TWO functioning keys+profiles. Oh the luxury.

I have *********** blocked, but I see people here quoting him. My advice to those new to the forums - it's propaganda. Treat it as if it was election results published by the Pravda. I really think Volvo should be more careful in its semi-official communication - these forums are full of people with loose and unclear affiliations to the manufacturer that will harass any user who dares share a negative experience. It's the reason I don't post here very often anymore - just sick of dealing with people like that. But the brand should be more careful. This is not good optics.

Anyhow, to those still dealing with this - good luck. My advice is to chuck the orange key in the nearest lake/sea/river/ocean. Will it solve your issues? No. But it does provide a modicum of satisfaction. You spent a lot of money on the car, you deserve that, at least ;-)

 

The Orange key is buried in a kitchen drawer and my wife said to never get it near her vehicle again. Nice to see what else does not work, but I tried an experiment and found something that DID work. You can put the vehicle into the performance mode setting. I kinda thought that would be one of the few things you definitely would not be able to do!

I have exhausted about everything I know to do to get the key replaced. I have a 'wonderful' 30% of coupon, but had a discussion with customer care again yesterday. I was told it was a 'business decision' and no one could help me. My reply was so a bad choice was made and you screw over your customers and don't tell them the details of what this thing really does and now you are telling me that 'no' one in the company can help fix this? Her reply was It was a business decision and right, no one can help you fix your issue.

Make sure you tell anyone looking at a Volvo to demand two keys before they drive away! I'm pretty close to you on take the damn thing back!

 

There is a setting where you can turn off the speed restrictions of the orange key. The fact that your dealer let you drive away without knowing which profile you were on tells me they didn't do a proper delivery with you to go over the car. But yes, the best advice is to toss it into the river.

 

Hilarious. I used the orange key, black key and sport key randomly all the time…which ever is at the top of the bowl usually. Never had a single orange key is. Ever. My god, if you can’t afford a black key to suite your key preference you bought the wrong car. I can deal you all I had to do was ask for a second black key and my dealer would just pay for it and give it to me if it was that important. Your dealers must really suck.

I think this topic and thread has run its course. Who do we have to beg to **** down the thread?!?! I’m tired of always being notified someone is whining about a key. Good lord

 

I'm tired of always being notified someone is whining about a key. Good lord

Also, on the top of the thread you can click the "unfollow" button and you won't get notified. So you don't pull all your hair out.

 

Not every deal has $500 bucks in it to just toss away keys. It's a pretty competitive market. And to say the orange key is the same as the other keys negates the simple fact that at the very least the profiles need to be set up twice. While it's an easy task, it's daunting for some folks.

 

It didn’t take me long to learn to ignore *********** - he’s a former assistant service manager who’s been to a Volvo pep rally and somehow thinks that makes him hot **** and qualified to invalidate or dismiss others experiences 😂 (#insecure)