I recently returned home after a short trip in my 2002 Volvo s80 and it would not advance forward once I got to my driveway until a few minutes of sitting still. I checked the transmission fluid after an engine cool down, and there was no discoloration, level was fine, no bad smell or any foreign particles visible. The “check transmission, Urgent” signal alert was on the dashboard. What could have caused this trans. issue(s)?
This “check transmission, Urgent” signal means that a transmission trouble code has been stored. This may require a specialized scanner, as some transmission codes are not accessible with garden-variety OBD2 scanners.
You might try places like Auto Zone, Advance Auto, O’Reilly, or Napa, but don’t be surprised if their scanners don’t provide the answer. You may have to go to a transmission shop or to a Volvo dealership, but don’t ignore the problem. It is likely to be an electronic issue with the transmission’s electronic controls, but no matter what the issue might be, continuing to drive it without resolving the problem will result in a bigger repair bill.
What does your Owner’s Manual state regarding this warning?
First, I’d say that your car must like you a lot since it waited until you made it to your driveway.
VDC is right, of course. The first place to look is the owner’s manual and that light does indicate that the computer holds some info about it.
All I was going to note is that you might not be checking your transmission fluid correctly. You wrote “I checked the transmission fluid after an engine cool down”. You actually want to check the fluid while the engine is hot. It is also supposed to be running - on a level surface in Park (some vehicles Neutral). The owners manual will also give you this procedure. If you checked it any other way then you didn’t get a correct reading.
Either way you’re going to need to have it looked at.