P0500 Volvo Vehicle Speed Sensor

Possible causes

– Faulty Vehicle Speed Sensor
– Vehicle speed sensor harness or connectors is open or shorted
– Vehicle speed sensor circuit poor electrical connection
– Faulty Engine Control Module (ECM)

Tech description

On most models the Vehicle Speed Sensor (VSS) is installed in the transaxle, on some models poor connection at the speedometer can cause the problem. Before replacing the sensor you should try cleaning the sensor gear and erasing the code. If the light comes back you may have to replaced the sensor.

What about the obd code?

The almost 0 km/h (0 MPH) signal from vehicle speed sensor is sent to ECM even when vehicle is being driven.

Symptoms

– Engine Light ON (or Service Engine Soon Warning Light)
– Speedometer may not work properly
– Transmission shifting problem

P0500 Volvo Description

The vehicle speed sensor outputs a 4 pulse signal for every revolution of the rotor shaft, which is rotated by the transmission output shaft via the driven gear. After this signal is converted into a more precise rectangular waveform by the waveform shaping circuit inside the combination meter, it is then transmitted to the Engine Control Module (ECM). The ECM determines the vehicle speed based on the frequency of these pulse signals.