Reliability & cost of ownership
Volvo S40 Reliability & Common Problems
How reliable is the Volvo S40? Compare every model year side by side — NHTSA recalls, owner complaints, and crash-test stars — then open the year you're shopping for a full reliability and repair-cost forecast.
Volvo S40 problems by model year
29 recall entries and 491 owner complaints on file across 12 model years, sourced from the federal NHTSA database.
| Year | Recalls | Complaints | NCAP stars | Full report |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2011 S40 | 2 | 5 | No NCAP test | Reliability forecast → |
| 2010 S40 | 2 | 9 | No NCAP test | Reliability forecast → |
| 2009 S40 | 3 | 10 | No NCAP test | Reliability forecast → |
| 2008 S40 | 2 | 16 | No NCAP test | Reliability forecast → |
| 2007 S40 | 2 | 25 | No NCAP test | Reliability forecast → |
| 2006 S40 | 3 | 58 | No NCAP test | Reliability forecast → |
| 2005 S40 | 3 | 69 | No NCAP test | Reliability forecast → |
| 2004 S40 | 6 | 48 | No NCAP test | Reliability forecast → |
| 2003 S40 | 2 | 18 | No NCAP test | Reliability forecast → |
| 2002 S40 | 1 | 27 | No NCAP test | Reliability forecast → |
| 2001 S40 | 2 | 84 | No NCAP test | Reliability forecast → |
| 2000 S40 | 1 | 122 | No NCAP test | Reliability forecast → |
Most-complained-about components
Owner complaints filed with NHTSA against the Volvo S40, grouped by the component each complaint names — the fastest read on where this model gives trouble.
- service brakes112 complaints
- electrical system99 complaints
- hydraulic97 complaints
- engine and engine cooling50 complaints
- vehicle speed control42 complaints
- air bags37 complaints
- visibility28 complaints
- engine27 complaints