2004 Volvo S40: Reliability Data

Source: NHTSA — 75 complaints
75
Total Complaints
52,500mi
Median Mileage
ELECTRICAL SYSTEM
Top Issue
7
Crash Reports

When Do Complaints Happen?

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

25,000 25th Percentile
52,500 Median Mileage
92,000 75th Percentile

What Fails?

Most reported component issues from NHTSA complaints.

ELECTRICAL SYSTEM
9
AIR BAGS
6
SERVICE BRAKES, HYDRAULIC
4
ENGINE AND ENGINE COOLING:ENGINE
3
STEERING
3
SERVICE BRAKES
3
FUEL SYSTEM, GASOLINE
3
ELECTRICAL SYSTEM: INSTRUMENT CLUSTER/PANEL
3
AIR BAGS:FRONTAL
3
VEHICLE SPEED CONTROL
3

Severity Assessment

7
Crashes
2
Fires
6
Injuries
0
Deaths

Sample Complaint Reports

"MULTIPLE FAILURES. AIR BAG SYSTEM, PROBLEM STARTING AND NOISE IN STEERING. *BF THE VEHICLE ALSO HAD AN AIR CONDITION PROBLEM. THE AIR BAG LIGHT ILLUMINATED ON 3 OCCASIONS. THE CONSUMER STATED THE PASSENGER SEAT WAS EQUIPPED WITH A DEVICE THAT WEIGHED PASSENGERS TO DETERMINE IF THE AIR BAG SHO..."
"MULTIPLE FAILURES. AIR BAG SYSTEM, PROBLEM STARTING AND NOISE IN STEERING. *BF THE VEHICLE ALSO HAD AN AIR CONDITION PROBLEM. THE AIR BAG LIGHT ILLUMINATED ON 3 OCCASIONS. THE CONSUMER STATED THE PASSENGER SEAT WAS EQUIPPED WITH A DEVICE THAT WEIGHED PASSENGERS TO DETERMINE IF THE AIR BAG SHO..."
"MULTIPLE FAILURES. AIR BAG SYSTEM, PROBLEM STARTING AND NOISE IN STEERING. *BF THE VEHICLE ALSO HAD AN AIR CONDITION PROBLEM. THE AIR BAG LIGHT ILLUMINATED ON 3 OCCASIONS. THE CONSUMER STATED THE PASSENGER SEAT WAS EQUIPPED WITH A DEVICE THAT WEIGHED PASSENGERS TO DETERMINE IF THE AIR BAG SHO..."

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