IllustrationVOLVO CLAIMS SPLASH PAN DESIGN IS NOT AT FAULT BUT SEVERAL ORIGINAL OWNERS HAVE HAD PROBLEMS. *AK
2000 Volvo S40
Owner reports · Recalls · Investigations
More warning signs than most S40 years
Owner complaints for the 2000 Volvo S40 are substantially higher than the model-year median of 26.
About this comparison →How this year compares
Owner complaints by model year
Compare all S40 years →Counts vary with age, sales and reporting. They are not failure rates.
What owners reported most
All reported categories
Tap a category to read its complaints. One report may name several components.
When problems were reported
Mileage at the reported incident
50–25K
1025–50K
1050–75K
1175–100K
9100–150K
2150K+
47 reports with mileage · 75 unknown
NHTSA’s mileage field refers to the reported incident, not necessarily the filing date. This shows report counts, not the likelihood of a failure.
What to inspect
Issues worth paying extra attention to based on owner reports.
- Service Brakes, Hydraulic. Review the 49 owner reports in this category and discuss these concerns during a pre-purchase inspection. Read reports →
- Vehicle Speed Control. Review the 17 owner reports in this category and discuss these concerns during a pre-purchase inspection. Read reports →
- Suspension. Review the 14 owner reports in this category and discuss these concerns during a pre-purchase inspection. Read reports →
NHTSA owner reports · September 18, 2026 snapshot.
12 crash reports1 fire reports3 injury reports
Service Brakes, Hydraulic complaints
49 reportsAFTER VEHICLE HAS BEEN PARKED OVER NIGHT OR PARKED FOR 6-8 HOURS BRAKES WILL NOT ENGAGE. BRAKE PEDAL BECOMES EXTREMELY HARD AND RESISTS WHEN APPLIED. CAUSE UNKNOWN. PLEASE GIVE ANY FURTHER DETAILS.*AK
REAR BRAKE PADS ON MY CAR ARE COMPLETELY WORN DOWN TO METAL AND THE METAL IS CUTTING INTO THE ROTORS, THIS IS ON BOTH REAR WHEELS ASSEMBLIES. I TOOK THE CAR TO THE DEALER TO HAVE THEM REPLACED IUNDER WARRANTY AND WAS TOLD THIS COULD NOT BE DONE SINCE I HAD OVER 12,000 MILES ONTHE CAR, EVEN THEOUGHTHE CAR IS ONLY 10 MONTHS OLD. …
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REAR BRAKE PADS ON MY CAR ARE COMPLETELY WORN DOWN TO METAL AND THE METAL IS CUTTING INTO THE ROTORS, THIS IS ON BOTH REAR WHEELS ASSEMBLIES. I TOOK THE CAR TO THE DEALER TO HAVE THEM REPLACED IUNDER WARRANTY AND WAS TOLD THIS COULD NOT BE DONE SINCE I HAD OVER 12,000 MILES ONTHE CAR, EVEN THEOUGHTHE CAR IS ONLY 10 MONTHS OLD. MY CAR IS NOT SAFE TO DRIVE WITHOUT REAR BRAKES, THOUGH THE DEALER LET ME DRIVE AWAY ANYWAY. MY PROBLEM IS THIS, THE VOLVO DEALER, TWO DIFERENT SERVICE MANAGERS, AND VOLVO NORTH AMERICA CUSTOMER SERVICE HAVE INFORMED ME THAT THIS SITUATION IS "NORMAL" AND THEY EXPERIENCE THIS TYPE OF PROBLEM WITH MANY CUSTOMERS ON A WEEKLY BASIS. IF THIS IT INDEED TRUE, THEN WHY WOULD VOLVO NOT MAKE A NOTATION IN THE OWNERS MANUAL, UNDER THE MAINTENANCE SECTION, TO CHECK BRAKE PADS ON A FREQUENT BASIS. I HAVE FOLLOWED THE MAINTENANCE REQUIREMENTS TO THE 'T', WHICH CLEARLY STATES THAT BRAKE PADS SHOULD BE INSPECTED AT 7,500 AND 15,000 MILES. IF AS VOLVO SUGGESTS, THE PADS ARE NOT EXPECTED TO LAST 15,000 MILES, WHY IN THE WORLD DO THEY NOT NOTIFY OWNERS OF THIS DANGEROUS SITUATION? THIS IS ABOUT THE MOST ABSURB THING I HAVE EVER HEARD OF. BEING A MECHANIC MYSELF, I FIND THIS SITUATION TO BE UNBELIEVABLE. I HAVE A HARD TIME UNDERSTANDING WHY A MANUFACTURER CAN STAND THERE AND TELL ME THAT I SHOULD NOT EXPECT TO GET MORE THAT 12-15,000 ON A SET OF BRAKE PADS. ACCORDING TO THE SERVICE REPRESENTATIVE THAT I SPOKE TO AT VOLVO NA, VOLVO IS AWARE OF THE SITUATION AND WORKING ON FINDING A SUITABLE REPLACEMENT PAD THAT WILL PAST LONGER. IN THE MEANTIME, MY FAMILY AND I HAVE BEEN PLACED IN A PRECARIOUS SITUATION, AS WELL AS THOUSANDS OF OTHER CONSUMERS, DUE TO VOLVO'S INEPTITUDE, AND GENERAL LACK OF CONCERN FOR CONSUMER SAFETY. I AM DRIVING A CAR THAT I BOUGHT, BECAUSE OF IT'S SAFETY REPUTATION, THEN COME TO FIND OUT IT COULD BE A DEATH TRAP IF THE REAR BRAKES FAIL. I AM ALSO CAUGHT IN A CATCH 22 WITH VOLVO. *AK
VEHICLE FAILED TO STOP AND WIFE ENTERED INTERSECTION. DEALER AND VOLVO AGREED TO BUY BACK VEHICLE. OWNER AGREED TO PURCHASE NEW VEHICLE AND PAY DIFFERENCE. VOLVO CHANGED THEIR MIND. CUSTOMER ORDERED TO KEEP VEHICLE OR TRADE IT IN. TRADE VALUE WAS $17,000. CUSTOMER LOST $12,000 REPLACING IT. NO CONSIDERATION FROM VOLVO. "P…
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VEHICLE FAILED TO STOP AND WIFE ENTERED INTERSECTION. DEALER AND VOLVO AGREED TO BUY BACK VEHICLE. OWNER AGREED TO PURCHASE NEW VEHICLE AND PAY DIFFERENCE. VOLVO CHANGED THEIR MIND. CUSTOMER ORDERED TO KEEP VEHICLE OR TRADE IT IN. TRADE VALUE WAS $17,000. CUSTOMER LOST $12,000 REPLACING IT. NO CONSIDERATION FROM VOLVO. "PASSED LEMON LAW BECAUSE IT WAS FIXED!!!". *AK
VOLVO HAS DESIGNED THIS CAR WITH A SEPARATE VACUUM PUMP WHICH CAN FAIL OR HAVE A FUZE BLOW AND DISABLE THE ABS AND LEAVE THE CAR WITH ONLY A MECHANICAL BRAKE. VOLVO HAS REFUSED TO DISCUSS THIS SITUATION WITH ME.
BRAKE INDICATOR LIGHT FLASHED ON. DEALER STATED BRAKES WERE LEAKING, AND CONSUMER LOST BRAKE POWER. *AK THE VEHICLE WAS SOLD BECAUSE OF THE PROBLEM. *YH
DEFECTIVE AIR BAG CONTROL MODULE. *SLC
BRAKES DON'T ENGAGE WHEN CAR HAS BEEN SITTING OVERNIGHT OR FOR MORE THAN 6-8 HOURS
WHEN APPLYING THE BRAKES IN COLD WEATHER, PEDAL BECOMES VERY HARD, CAUSING EXTENDED STOPPING DISTANCE. DEALER CONFIRMED VACUUM PUMP MOTOR WAS NOT WORKING DUE TO BLOWN FUSE. *AK *ML
Official recalls
103V474000 · Service Brakes, Hydraulic:power Assist:vacuum
Nov 17, 2003
ON CERTAIN PASSENGER VEHICLES, WATER CAN ENTER THE ELECTRICAL BRAKE VACUUM PUMP, CAUSING THE PUMP TO FAIL.
Consequence & remedy
Consequence: THIS COULD RESULT IN LOSS OF POWER ASSIST AND AN INCREASE IN NEEDED BRAKE PEDAL FORCE, WHICH COULD RESULT IN A CRASH.
Remedy: DEALERS WILL REPLACE THE PUMP WITH A NEW AND IMPROVED VERSION AND MOVE THE PUMP TO A NEW LOCATION. OWNER NOTIFICATION BEGAN ON MARCH 15, 2004. OWNERS SHOULD CONTACT VOLVO AT 1-800-458-1552.
Model-level recall history does not show whether a particular VIN is affected or has received a repair. Check a VIN with NHTSA ↗
NHTSA investigations
2EA02026 · Volvo S40/V40 My 2000-2001
Opened Sep 10, 2002 · Closed Nov 21, 2003
Status: closed (inferred from source dates) · Service Brakes, Hydraulic
IN A NOVEMBER 6, 2003 SAFETY DEFECT REPORT, VOLVO INDICATED THAT THEY WILL CONDUCT A SAFETY-RELATED DEFECT RECALL OF THE 2000 MODEL YEAR (MY) SUBJECT VEHICLES (ABOUT 36,000 VEHICLES).VOLVO WILL ALSO CONDUCT A SERVICE CAMPAIGN OF ABOUT 31,000 2001 MY SUBJECT VEHICLES.ODI INVESTIGATED BOTH THE 2000 AND 2001 MY VEHICLES AND DETERMINED THAT THE 2001 MY VEHICLES EXPERIENCED SUBSTANTIALLY LOWER RATES OF FAILURES BASED ON THE NUMBER OF OWNER REPORTS AND WARRANTY CLAIMS SUBMITTED TO ODI.ODI BELIEVES THAT THE PROPOSED ACTION IS SUFFICIENT TO RESOLVE THIS INVESTIGATION'S SAFETY ISSUES. FOR THE CRASHES, IN ADDITION TO THE 22 SUBMITTED BY VOLVO, ODI FOUND 10 ADDITIONAL CRASH ALLEGATIONS IN THE OWNER REPORTS, FIELD REPORTS, AND WARRANTY CLAIMS SUBMITTED BY VOLVO.OF THESE 32 CRASHES, ODI BELIEVES THAT 10 ARE CLEARLY RELATED TO THE ALLEGED DEFECT, AND 5 APPEAR TO BE RELATED.OF THE 17 REMAINING CASES, TWO DID NOT INVOLVE A CRASH AND THE OTHER 15 COULD NOT BE DIRECTLY CONNECTED TO THE ALLEGED DEFECT.ODI WILL SUPPLEMENT THIS RESUME WITH A CLOSING REPORT AND ADDITIONAL TECHNICAL DETAILS CONCERNING THE DEFECT.
PE02009 · Brake POWER-ASSIST
Opened Jan 29, 2002 · Closed Sep 10, 2002
Status: closed (inferred from source dates) · Service Brakes, Hydraulic
No summary supplied.