Volvo in its infinite wisdom has so much confidence in the performance of its charging port system that it has chosen not to include a manual lock release of any sort.

Manufacturers of lesser vehicles include a manual override in case of lock failure so you don’t get stranded.


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Literally just had the same experience with the locking mechanism not releasing. This happened after charging outside during some rain, then temps dropped to 10 degrees F. I used a hairdryer on the locking pin for like 5 mins and it released like normal. A manual unlock cable inside the hood could have been nice, or maybe if they had designed it so the battery heated the locking pin or something. Oh well - ours wasn't so hard to release, but I might need to bring a hairdryer on my drives during winter.... lol

 

Ha ha - happened to me this Saturday, after 20F overnight weather. Of course, I immediately hit this forum to see if anyone else had faced this issue. Turns out this has been a known problem, with posts going back to 2017.
The locking mechanism is basically a small piece of plastic (?) that protrudes out about half an inch above the charger, preventing you from pressing down on the locking lever to release the charger from the port. The solution is to take a screwdriver or any other long device and push/tap with a hammer against the piece. It gets pushed back in quite easily and you are free to remove your charger.

Not only is it shocking that a car designed in Sweden freezes up in cold weather, it appears that Volvo has done nothing to resolve the problem either!
Shame on Volvo for GM/Chrysler level of design+service.

 

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I was shocked that it happened. Not literally. Apparently the car will be ready for pick up today if all goes well. How hard would it be to have a small heating element in that connection spot activated by temps below freezing in order to avoid it from ever getting stuck? I mean it is designed for Moose right? I have a Moose emblem on the back of mine.

 

Or a manual release lever, as some other cars have. Also, I don't understand how the 'freeze' sets in on a part this is not very exposed to the elements.
Also, for crying out loud - SWEDEN!!!!

 

So replacement of the port and the plug and I am back in business! Excellent service as always. I liked driving the brand new XC60 B5 version as the loaner, but what a massive difference to get back into the XC90T8 of my own. Tremendous vehicle in every way. Not just a size difference but the ride and feeling of solidity is amazing.

 

Currently have Volvo assist trying to unplug my XC90 T8 from the wall for the 3rd time in 3 months (and £4000 of main dealer fixes). So far had a new charging port, new on board charger and an eye watering amount of diagnostic time. Still seem to to be none the wiser...😞

 

Unlock the vehicle with the key fob. Even if it’s unlocked. That worked for me. Rookie learning! 🤣

 

Same here. Pressing the unlock button shouldn’t be needed if the car isn’t locked. I never lock the car when it’s in my garage. And I was frustrated that I need to press the release on the charging handle really hard to remove it…

 

I was able to get mine to release using the app, tried everything else first though.

 

I called Volvo customer service and they said to unlock the car using the fob remote, even though it is already unlocked. This releases the charging cable. First time owner newbie mistake (on my part)!!