2001 Volvo S40: Reliability Data

Source: NHTSA — 112 complaints
112
Total Complaints
65,000mi
Median Mileage
VEHICLE SPEED CONTROL
Top Issue
16
Crash Reports

When Do Complaints Happen?

Distribution of NHTSA complaints by vehicle mileage at time of report.

35,226 25th Percentile
65,000 Median Mileage
90,750 75th Percentile

What Fails?

Most reported component issues from NHTSA complaints.

VEHICLE SPEED CONTROL
9
ELECTRICAL SYSTEM
7
SERVICE BRAKES, HYDRAULIC
7
SERVICE BRAKES, HYDRAULIC:FOUNDATION COMPONENTS:DISC:PADS
6
ENGINE AND ENGINE COOLING
5
ENGINE
5
SERVICE BRAKES, HYDRAULIC:ANTILOCK/TRACTION CONTROL/ELECTRONIC LIMITED SLIP
4
VISIBILITY:SUN/MOON ROOF ASSEMBLY
4
EXTERIOR LIGHTING:HEADLIGHTS
3
AIR BAGS:FRONTAL
3

Severity Assessment

16
Crashes
6
Fires
9
Injuries
0
Deaths

Sample Complaint Reports

"BATTERY WAS DRAINED, AND THIS CAUSED CAR NOT TO START AT 150 MILES. SRS LIGHT KEPT COMING ON AT 1100 MILES. THIS INDICATED THAT THERE WAS SOMETHING WRONG WITH AIRBAGS. AT 1400 MILES, SRS LIGHT APPEARED AGAIN AFTER DEALER HAD CORRECTED PROBLEM.*AK THE VEHICLE FAILED TO START. THE FORWARD AN..."
"BATTERY WAS DRAINED, AND THIS CAUSED CAR NOT TO START AT 150 MILES. SRS LIGHT KEPT COMING ON AT 1100 MILES. THIS INDICATED THAT THERE WAS SOMETHING WRONG WITH AIRBAGS. AT 1400 MILES, SRS LIGHT APPEARED AGAIN AFTER DEALER HAD CORRECTED PROBLEM.*AK THE VEHICLE FAILED TO START. THE FORWARD AN..."
"BATTERY WAS DRAINED, AND THIS CAUSED CAR NOT TO START AT 150 MILES. SRS LIGHT KEPT COMING ON AT 1100 MILES. THIS INDICATED THAT THERE WAS SOMETHING WRONG WITH AIRBAGS. AT 1400 MILES, SRS LIGHT APPEARED AGAIN AFTER DEALER HAD CORRECTED PROBLEM.*AK THE VEHICLE FAILED TO START. THE FORWARD AN..."

Source: NHTSA ODI Complaints Database. Names and identifying details omitted.

Data source: View this vehicle on NHTSA.gov | NHTSA ODI Complaints Database. Public domain.

Methodology: Complaint counts and mileage distributions are computed directly from consumer-reported NHTSA complaints. This data represents reported issues, not failure rates — vehicles without complaints are not represented. Full methodology.

Data through: 2026-03-28