2008 Volvo S40: Reliability Data
When Do Complaints Happen?
Distribution of NHTSA complaints by vehicle mileage at time of report.
What Fails?
Most reported component issues from NHTSA complaints.
Severity Assessment
Sample Complaint Reports
"TL*THE CONTACT OWNS A 2008 VOLVO S40. SHE STATED THAT WHILE DRIVING 2 MPH AND PARKING THE VEHICLE WITH HER FOOT ON THE BRAKE PEDAL, THE VEHICLE ACCELERATED ON ITS OWN AND CRASHED INTO A STORE WINDOW. THERE WERE FRONTAL DAMAGES TO THE VEHICLE. SHE SUFFERED CHEST INJURIES. A POLICE REPORT IS AVAILABLE..."
"TL* THE CONTACT OWNS A 2008 VOLVO S40. THE CONTACT STATED WHILE DRIVING 40 MPH DURING A SNOW STORM, THE WINDSHIELD WIPERS FAILED IMPAIRING THE CONTACTS VIEW OF THE ROADWAY. THE CONTACT WAS ABLE TO MOVE OFF THE ROADWAY AND THE VEHICLE WAS LEFT UNTIL THE SNOW STOPPED. THE VEHICLE WAS LATER TAKEN TO TH..."
"WHILE DRIVING ON THE HIGHWAY I SET CRUISE CONTROL TO 65. WITHIN SECONDS I FELT AS IF I WERE GOING VERY FAST AND I HAD ACCELERATED TO NEAR 90 MPH. I TURNED CRUISE CONTROL OFF, STEPPED ON THE BRAKE AND WHEN I LET OFF THE BRAKE THE CAR BEGAN TO ACCELERATE AGAIN. AFTER THE SECOND TIME STEPPING ON THE BR..."
Source: NHTSA ODI Complaints Database. Names and identifying details omitted.
When Were Complaints Filed?
Number of complaints by the year the issue occurred.
When Does Each Component Fail?
Median mileage at complaint for top components.
Where Are Complaints Coming From?
Top states by complaint count.
Volvo S40 — Other Years
See how this model compares across different model years.
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
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