Volvo V70 2000 gear shift button hard to work in cold weather

Maintenance/Repairs
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1

With onset of cold weather the button on my gearshift is hard to press down in the morning making it difficult to get out of park. Also with cold weather, the key sticks in the ignition. Mechanic recommended new gear shift handle. Did not solve problem. Then the mechanic recommended cleaning out the console surrounding the gear shift in case coffee had spilled there. Did that, still have the problem. Anybody out there have any experience with this? Thanks

2

The button is hard to push, or the shifter is hard to move after pushing the button? This is a console shifter? If you let the car warm up for a few minutes, does it get easier.

Key in the ignition - sticks when you turn it, or when you try to remove it?

3

Thanks for connecting. The Button on the shift is hard to push in in the cold weather. I have to really work it to get it finally to push in. Once in, the shifter moves easily. Intermittantly when it is cold, and seemingly connected with problem above, the key sticks when I try to remove it. Then I have to leave the car with the key in it and lock the car with an extra key.

Thanks

4

From NH – digging out V70 and just had the same problem. Shifter lever is fine but key won’t release. It’s about 15 degrees and snowing heavily (what else is new). So car sits with the key.

Thanks for ideas from me too!

5

These cars have an interlock cable that runs from the ignition switch to the transmission. It prevents you from removing the key from the ignition until the transmission has been solidly shifted to the “park” position.

In either of these two cases it may be that the shifter is not fully reaching the “park” position or else there is slack in the key interlock cable. A technician who regularly works on Volvos will not puzzle long over what to do.

Meanwhile, you can try authoritatively shoving or holding the shifter toward the “park” position while attempting to remove the key.