2004 Volvo S40N Problems
Owner-reported complaints filed with NHTSA, grouped by component
Data refreshed
What this page shows
Everything below is an owner-reported complaint submitted to NHTSA about the 2004 Volvo S40N, grouped by the component NHTSA recorded on the report. These are not confirmed defects, and they are not recalls. NHTSA does not verify most reports before publishing them, and a category with more reports in it is not evidence that a part is defective.
Complaints are reports submitted by owners and drivers to NHTSA. They are not verified and do not establish that a defect exists.
Reports by component
Ranked by how many owner reports name each component category
- Airbags150.0%
- Steering150.0%
Percentages are of component mentions. A single complaint can name more than one component, so these do not sum to the total complaint count.
Each component in detail
What the reports in each category say, in the owners' own words
Airbags
Reports naming the air-bag system — deployment behaviour, inflators, sensors and warning lights.
From owner reports, verbatim
SRS WARNING LIGHT ON DEFECTIVE OCCUPANT WEIGHT SENSOR. *TR
Too few reports in this category for a page of its own — they appear in the full complaint list.
Steering
Reports naming the steering system — racks, columns, power-steering assist and steering linkage.
From owner reports, verbatim
THE STEERING LOCKED ON OUR 2004.5 VOLVO S40 T5 AS MY WIFE AND 6 WEEK OLD DAUGHTER WERE BACKING OUT OF OUR DRIVEWAY UNDER POWER. NO ERRORS WERE REPORTED WHEN THE CAR STARTED, BUT THE WHEEL LOCKED (AND AN ERROR WAS DISPLAYED) AFTER THE CAR WAS IN MOTION. SHE STOPPED THE VEHICLE WHEN SHE WAS UNABLE TO TURN THE WHEEL. SHE WAS THEN ABLE TO PUT THE CAR INTO DRIVE AND MOVE BACK TO HER PREVIOUS POSITION. CLEARLY A SAFETY SENSOR DID NOT DO ITS JOB. LEADING UP TO THIS EVENT WE HAVE HAD OCCASIONAL INCIDENTS WHERE THE STEERING WHEEL WOULD NOT UNLOCK AFTER ENTERING THE KEY. LIGHTLY MOVING THE WHEEL SIDE TO SIDE AND REPEATED KEY ENTRIES WOULD RESOLVE THE ISSUE. A MOTOR NOW RUNS IN THE STEERING COLUMN WHEN TRYING TO UNLOCK THE WHEEL. THIS IS A DIFFERENT SOUND THEN WE EXPERIENCED WHEN THE ISSUE COULD BE RESOLVED. I AM VERY CONCERNED ABOUT THIS INCIDENT BECAUSE THE LOCKUP OCCURRED WHILE THE VEHICLE WAS IN MOTION. THIS COULD HAVE RESULTED IN A POTENTIALLY FATAL CRASH HAD IT OCCURRED ON A SHARP TURN OR ON THE FREEWAY. PLEASE INVESTIGATE THIS CRITICAL SAFETY ISSUE. I HAVE A VIDEO OF THE ISSUE AVAILABLE IF THIS WILL ASSIST YOUR INVESTIGATION. *TR
Too few reports in this category for a page of its own — they appear in the full complaint list.
Higher-selling and older vehicles accumulate more reports. Counts are not failure rates and are not directly comparable between vehicles that sold in very different numbers.
Elsewhere on this vehicle
Data sources
- NHTSA Office of Defects Investigation — owner-reported complaints and the components recorded on them
Data on this page last refreshed .