2005 VOLVO S40 Complaints

I OWN A 2005 VOLVO S40 T5 WHICH I HAVE ENJOYED THUS FAR. HOWEVER EVERY ONCE IN A WHILE WHEN YOU INSERT THE KEY, WHICH IS AN ELECTRONIC KEY THE MESSAGE DISPLAY WILL DISPLAY "KEY ERROR TRY AGAIN." WHEN THIS HAPPENS THE CAR WILL NOT START AT ALL, NOTHING INSIDE THE CAR INCLUDING THE RADIO WILL WORK EITHER. AFTER 20 TO 30 TIMES TRYING TO START THE CAR THE KEY WILL EVENTUALLY START THE CAR. THERE ARE 2 KEYS TO MY CAR AND THIS HAPPENS WITH BOTH KEYS, SO I KNOW IT ISN'T THE KEY. I HAVE RESEARCHED THIS ONLINE AND FOUND IT TO BE A COMMON PROBLEM. THIS HAPPENS SPORADICALLY FOR EXAMPLE IT WILL HAPPEN SEVERAL TIMES OVER A WEEK OR SO AND THEN NOT HAPPEN FOR SEVERAL MONTHS. IT RECENTLY STARTED ABOUT A WEEK AGO AND HAS HAPPENED EVERYDAY SINCE. IT IS EMBARRASSING TO BE IN SUCH A NICE CAR AND IT NOT START. SOMETIMES WHEN THIS HAPPENS, IN ADDITION TO THE "KEY ERROR TRY AGAIN" MESSAGE THE MESSAGE DISPLAY WILL ALSO DISPLAY MESSAGES INCLUDING "BRAKE FAILURE, STOP CAR SAFELY" AND "IMMOBILIZER SEE MANUAL." THE BRAKES ARE FINE, BECAUSE THEY WORK ON THE WAY HOME AND WORK WHILE THIS MESSAGE IS DISPLAYED. THE COMPUTER IN THE CAR WAS RESET AND THAT SEEMED TO HELP TEMPORARILY, BUT I BELIEVE IT IS AN ELECTRICAL PROBLEM SINCE THE CAR DOES NOT RECOGNIZE THE KEY. I WOULD APPRECIATE THIS MATTER BEING INVESTIGATED AND RECALLED IF POSSIBLE. *TR

TL* THE CONTACT OWNS A 2005 VOLVO S40. THE CONTACT STATED THAT THE STEERING WHEEL LOCKED WHILE THE VEHICLE WAS PARKED. THE FAILURE RECURRED SPORADICALLY. THE VEHICLE WAS TOWED TO AN AUTHORIZED DEALER WHO REPAIRED THE LOCK MECHANISM AND REPROGRAMMED THE VEHICLE. THE MANUFACTURER WAS NOT NOTIFIED OF THE FAILURE. THE VIN WAS UNAVAILABLE. THE CURRENT MILEAGE WAS APPROXIMATELY 86,000 AND THE FAILURE MILEAGE WAS APPROXIMATELY 80,000.

A 2005 VOLVO S40 T5 MODEL HAS REPEATING FUEL LINE LEAKAGE. THE CAR WAS SERVICED TO REPLACE THE ORIGINAL POLYAMIDE FUEL LINE TO A TEFLON FUEL LINE IN LINE WITH RECALL R158. AFTER FOUR YEARS THE TEFLON FUEL LINE WAS BECOME WORN AND FUEL HAS BEGUN TO FLOW FROM THE LINE. THE AVERAGE FUEL LINE LIFE IS WELL BEYOND FOUR YEARS. THERE IS AN UNDERLYING ISSUE WITH THE FUEL LINE WITH THE 2005 VOLVO S40 T5. *TR

WINDSHIELD WIPERS ARE CAUSING SCRATCHES IN THE WINDSHIELD. I FEEL THIS IS A DEFECT WITH THE WIPERBLADES CAUSING DIRT TO SCRATCH THE WINDSHIELD MAKING IT VERY DIFFICULT TO SEE. *TR

TL*THE CONTACT OWNS A 2005 VOLVO S40. THE CONTACT STATED THAT THE CHECK ENGINE LIGHT ILLUMINATED AND THE VEHICLE STALLED WHILE SHE WAS DRIVING. THE VEHICLE WAS TAKEN TO AN AUTHORIZED DEALER WHERE IT WAS REPAIRED ACCORDING TO RECALL 08V033000 (FUEL SYSTEM, GASOLINE: DELIVERY:FUEL PUMP) BUT THE CONTACT STILL EXPERIENCED THE SAME FAILURE AFTER THE REPAIR. THE DEALER ALSO INFORMED HER THAT SHE NEEDED TO HAVE A FUEL PUMP SENSOR NEEDED TO BE REPLACED. THE VEHICLE HAD NOT BEEN REPAIRED AGAIN. THE MANUFACTURER HAD NOT BEEN NOTIFIED. THE CURRENT MILEAGE WAS APPROXIMATELY 69,000. THE FAILURE MILEAGE WAS APPROXIMATELY 68,000. UPDATED 03/15/11*LJ ALSO, THERE WAS AN INTERNAL FAULT WITH THE IGNITION WHICH CAUSED THE VEHICLE TO SHUT DOWN. UPDATED 04/28/11

TL*THE CONTACT OWNS A 2005 VOLVO S40. THE CONTACT STATED THAT WHILE DRIVING APPROXIMATELY 55 MPH WHEN THE VEHICLE COMPLETELY STALLED. THERE WERE NO WARNING LIGHTS PRIOR TO THE FAILURE. THE CONTACT WAS ABLE TO COAST TO THE SIDE OF THE ROAD. SHE RESTARTED THE VEHICLE AND WAS ABLE TO DRIVE TO HER DESTINATION WHERE THE VEHICLE STALLED AGAIN. THE VEHICLE WAS TAKEN TO AN AUTHORIZED DEALER WHERE THE BATTERY CABLES WERE REPLACED FOR A SECOND TIME IN FOURTEEN MONTHS. THE CONTACT WAS DRIVING WHEN THE FAILURE OCCURRED. THE VEHICLE WAS AT THE DEALER AT THE TIME OF THE COMPLAINT; THE DEALER COULD NOT DIAGNOSE THE PROBLEM. THE CONTACT CALLED THE MANUFACTURER WHO ADVISED HER TO TAKE THE VEHICLE TO THE DEALER. THE VIN WAS UNAVAILABLE. THE CURRENT MILEAGE WAS APPROXIMATELY 40,000. THE FAILURE MILEAGE WAS APPROXIMATELY 39,000.

I HAVE A 2005 VOLVO S40 2.4I WITH ABOUT 47K MILES AND I AM HAVING PROBLEMS WITH THE A/C. I LIVE IN HOUSTON (TX) WHERE IT GETS VERY HOT SO I HAVE TO HAVE THE A/C ON CONSTANTLY. WHEN I FIRST TURN THE CAR ON AND DRIVE OFF, THE A/C STARTS COOLING AND WORKING JUST FINE. HOWEVER, WHEN IT IS 90F OR ABOVE, THE A/C BEGINS TO BLOW WARM AIR AFTER A FEW MINUTES. WHEN THAT HAPPENS I HAVE TO TURN IT OFF AND BACK ON A FEW TIMES TO GET IT WORKING AGAIN BUT IT ONLY WORKS FOR A FEW MINUTES BEFORE I HAVE TO REPEAT "ON/OFF" RITUAL. USUALLY, IF I LEAVE IT OFF FOR A FEW MINUTES IT WORKS FOR A BIT LONGER TIME BEFORE IT STOPS AGAIN. THIS PROBLEM 1ST APPEARED WHEN IT WAS ABOUT A YEAR OLD @ ABOUT 9-10K MILES BUT IT ONLY HAPPENED ONCE AND WAS FINE AFTER I TURNED OFF AND BACK ON. 2ND TIME HAPPENED ABOUT 1-1/2 YRS AGO WHEN IT WAS AROUND 35K MILES BUT WAS THE SAME AS THE FIRST TIME AND WAS OK AFTER TURNING OFF AND BACK ON. NOW FOR THE PAST YEAR IT IS CONSTANT!! THIS HAPPENS DAILY!! THE CAR IS ONLY NOW 47K. I TOOK IT TO THE CAR DEALERSHIP YESTERDAY AND I BARELY BEGAN EXPLAINING THE PROBLEM AND BEFORE I EVEN FINISHED DESCRIBING IT, THE SERVICE ADVISOR FINISHED BY TELLING ME THE REST. HE TOLD ME HE KNEW THE STORY B/C HE HEARD IT MANY TIMES BEFORE. HE SAID IT WAS MOST LIKELY THE COMPRESSOR CLUTCH, COMPRESSOR, OR BOTH. HE SAID THAT IT IS A CONSTANT PROBLEM WITH THAT VEHICLE AND THAT THEY DO THE SAME REPAIRS REPEATEDLY AND THAT IT SEEMED LIKE A SPECIFIC PROBLEM ON THOSE VEHICLES. TODAY, I BEGAN DOING SOME RESEARCH AND FOUND SEVERAL SITES WHERE PEOPLE ARE ASKING ONLINE ADVISORS WHAT THIS PROBLEM COULD BE. PER MY ONLINE RESEARCH AND THE DEALERSHIP'S SERVICE ADVISOR THIS IS A VERY COMMON PROBLEM WITH THIS CAR. SINCE THIS IS SUCH A COMMON PROBLEM WITH THE CAR CAN YOU PLEASE LOOK INTO DOING A PRODUCT RECALL FOR THESE FAULTY PARTS SO THAT WE'RE NOT STUCK PAYING THE ESTIMATED $1500 AT THE DEALERSHIP! THANK YOU ([XXX]) INFORMATION REDACTED PURSUANT TO THE FREEDOM OF INFORMATION ACT (FOIA), 5 U.S.C. 552(B)(6). *TR

THE STARTER CONTROL UNIT (SCU) ON MY 2005 VOLVO S40 HAS CEASED TO FUNCTION TWICE IN THE 5 YEARS THAT I'VE HAD IT (50,000 MILES). ESSENTIALLY, THIS MEANS THAT THE SCU DOES NOT READ THE KEY (THE CAR TELLS ME I HAVE A "KEY ERROR"), AND THEREFORE THE CAR SHUTS DOWN COMPLETELY AND DOES NOT TURN ON (THE STEERING LOCKS, THE CAR DOES NOT START, IT IS UNUSABLE). THE FIRST TIME IT HAPPENED, IT WAS UNDER WARRANTY, THEREFORE IT WAS FIXED FREE OF CHARGE. IT HAPPENED AGAIN LAST MONTH, WAS DIAGNOSED BY THE BILL PEARCE (RENO, NV) DEALERSHIP AS THE SAME ISSUE, AND I WAS GIVEN A 50% DISCOUNT ON THE REPAIR. IT IS AN ISSUE THAT APPARENTLY MANY OTHER 2005 VOLVO S40 OWNERS HAVE HAD (LEARNED THIS THROUGH A SIMPLE INTERNET SEARCH), BUT IT IS NOT RECOGNIZED AS AN ISSUE WITH VOLVO AND IS NOT A RECALL ITEM. IT IS A SOFTWARE PROBLEM, NOT A WEAR AND TEAR ITEM OR SOMETHING THAT I CAN MAINTAIN AND KEEP FROM HAPPENING. IT SHOULD NOT BE SOMETHING THAT I HAVE TO PAY SEVERAL HUNDRED DOLLARS TO FIX. THERE IS NO WARNING WHEN THIS IS ABOUT TO HAPPEN. THE CAR WORKS ON MINUTE AND THEN DOESN'T THE NEXT. I HAVE NO WAY OF KNOWING WHEN IT IS GOING TO HAPPEN, AND WAS STUCK 200 MILES FROM A DEALERSHIP THE LAST TIME IT HAPPENED. IT CAN SUPPOSEDLY BE FIXED ONLY BY THE DEALERSHIP BECAUSE IT'S NEEDS THE PROPER SOFTWARE DOWNLOAD. PLEASE LOOK INTO THIS ISSUE. I HAVE A CAR THAT I CAN NO LONGER TRUST AND THE DEALERSHIPS DON'T RECOGNIZE IT AS A LEGITIMATE ISSUE. I HAVE ALL THE DOCUMENTATION TO PROVIDE IF NECESSARY. *TR

AS I ACCELERATED TO PASS ANOTHER CAR THE OVERDRIVE GOT STUCK. EVEN AS I HIT THE BRAKES THE CAR DIDN'T STOP. I PUT IT IN NEUTRAL AND IT STARTED MAKING A SOUND AS IF SOMETHING WAS HOLDING IT BACK AND WOULD NOT STOP. AFTER APPROXIMATELY 5 MINUTES OF HITTING THE BRAKES THE OVERDRIVE FINALLY LET GO. I CALLED THE VOLVO AND TOLD THEM ABOUT THE INCIDENT AND THEY SAID IT MUST BE THE COMPUTER AND THAT I SHOULD JUST TAKE THE CAR TO GET IT FIXED. THIS COULD HAVE CAUSED A SERIOUS ACCIDENT AND EVEN DEATH. WHAT IS WORSE I HAD MY GRANDDAUGHTER, WHO IS JUST A TODDLER, IN THE BACK SEAT. *TR

ONE DAY OUT OF THE BLUE, THE WARNING LIGHT SAYING THE AIRBAGS WERE NOT OPERATING APPEARED. FOUND OUT THAT A SENSOR LOCATED WITHIN ANOTHER PART, LOCATED SAFELY UNDER THE PASSENGER SEAT, HAD BECOME DEFECTIVE. ALL ON ITS OWN. I HAD A CHOICE. ROLL THE DICE AND MAYBE IN A BAD CRASH THE AIRBAGS WOULD NOT DEPLOY...OR SPEND $1,400 TO GET IT REPLACED. ALSO EVEN THOUGH IT SAID ONLY PASSENGER AIRBAG WAS AFFECTED, DEALERSHIP SAID THEY WOULD NOT CONFIRM OR DENY WHETHER THE DRIVER AIRBAG WAS OPERABLE. SO I SHELLED OUT THE CASH ONLY TO FIND THAT TWO PARTS NEEDED TO BE REPLACED - ONE PART HAD TO BE BROKEN TO GET TO THE SENSOR. SO I HAD TO PURCHASE BOTH PARTS. AND THEY SAID THIS IS ONE OF THE SAFEST VEHICLES ON THE ROAD? I LATER FOUND OUT THIS IS COMMON, FILED A COMPLAINT WITH VOLVO, AND THEY SENT ME A "COURTESY" CHECK FOR $200 TO HELP DEFRAY THE COST. I THINK THEY SHOULD RECALL THIS PART AND PAY THE ENTIRE PRICE. *TR