2001 Volvo S40 problems
Owners have filed 112 complaints about the 2001 Volvo S40 with NHTSA. Service brakes, hydraulic account for 22.3% of them — the clear leader, ahead of engine and engine cooling at 10.7%.
Complaints112
Crashes16
Fires6
Injuries9
Deaths0
What owners report breaking
Service brakes, hydraulic 22.3% · 25
Engine and engine cooling 10.7% · 12
Electrical system 8.9% · 10
Vehicle speed control 8.0% · 9
Air bags 7.1% · 8
Visibility 5.4% · 6
Engine 4.5% · 5
Structure 4.5% · 5
Severity
Of those complaints, 16 describe a crash, 6 describe a fire and 9 report an injury.
Reading the numbers
Filings are rising — 12 in the last three years against 7 in the three before. For a vehicle this age that usually points to a wear-related failure owners are hitting now.
The median odometer reading at the time of complaint was 65,000 miles.
In owners' own words
Brake power assist failed. Dealer notified. *Ak the brakes were soft upon cold starts and was disfunctional until the vehicle had warmed up. The brake was depressed multiple times. The dealer attempted on five occasions to correct the problem and replaced the vacuum hose twice. A representative of Volvo recommended new wiring and it seemed to have remedied the problem. *Scc Service brakes, hydraulic · reported at 11,000 miles
Volvo model S40 vacuum brake failure. My 28 year old daughter was making a low speed turn at intersection and brakes failed and she hit a telephone pole. In 2003 she was coming to a stop behind another car and the same thing happened. Subsequently they replaced the vacuum pump at the 30,000 mile service on 8/14/03. We just read about recall on vehicles made during 2000. Service brakes, hydraulic
Rear brake pads needed replacement at 13,500 miles. This is unusually early and when I stated that I was upset Volvo said "they were having problems with the S40 pads being too soft." Although, they still made me pay for the replacement.They said Volvo was making the new pads better but because it was too early they did not know how long they would be lasting. Service brakes, hydraulic
Verbatim from NHTSA filings. Complaints are unverified owner reports.
Safety recalls
Checking NHTSA for open recalls…