2001 VOLVO S40 Complaints

VOLVO MODEL S40 VACUUM BRAKE FAILURE. MY 28 YEAR OLD DAUGHTER WAS MAKING A LOW SPEED TURN AT INTERSECTION AND BRAKES FAILED AND SHE HIT A TELEPHONE POLE. IN 2003 SHE WAS COMING TO A STOP BEHIND ANOTHER CAR AND THE SAME THING HAPPENED. SUBSEQUENTLY THEY REPLACED THE VACUUM PUMP AT THE 30,000 MILE SERVICE ON 8/14/03. WE JUST READ ABOUT RECALL ON VEHICLES MADE DURING 2000. *LA

REAR BRAKES WORN OUT AT 20,000 MILES AND 5 HEADLIGHT BULBS ALREADY REPLACED. 2 BRAKE SHOPS TOLD ME I WAS LUCKY TO GET THIS MUCH OUT OF THEM! *LA

AT 19,600 MILES THE REAR BRAKE PADS WORE OUT ON MY WIFE'S 2001 S40 VOLVO SEDAN. WE WERE TOLD BY THE DEALER THIS IS NORMAL AND THAT THEY HAVE SEEN SOME S40S WEAR THE REAR BRAKES OUT AS EARLY AS 12,000 MILES. BASED ON A REASONABLE PERSONS EXPERIENCE THIS IS MUCH TOO EARLY FOR BRAKE PADS, ESPECIALLY THE REAR ONES TO BE WEARING. THIS MUST BE A DESIGN DEFECT AND SHOULD BE COVERED UNDER WARRANTY OR BETTER QUALITY PADS SHOULD BE INSTALLED ON THE CAR. SEARCHING THE WEB I HAVE THIS IS A COMMON COMPLAINT ABOUT S40S. BELOW IS ONE EXAMPLE I FOUND:*AK 9TH MAY 2002, 14:41JUST HAD MY VOLVO REAR BRAKE PADS REPLACED AT LESS THAN 20,000 MILES (AT MY COST!). AT INSPECTION THE REAR PADS HAD 0% REMAINING, WHILE THE FRONT STILL HAD 70%. WHEN I TOLD THE DEALER THAT THIS WAS UNACCEPTABLE, THEY SAID "THIS IS NORMAL FOR THE VOLVO S40". SO MY RESPONSE WAS, AND STILL IS, "IF IT IS NORMAL TO HAVE TO REPLACE BRAKE PADS ON THE VOLVO S40 EVERY 15,000 TO 20,000 MILES, THEN THE THE VOLVO S40 IS UNACCEPTABLE". VOLVO REFUSED TO COVER THIS ABNORMAL WEAR UNDER WARRANTY. PLEASE REGISTER MY COMPLAINT WITH VOLVO AND ADD THIS COMPLAINT TO YOUR GROWING LIST OF PRODUCT DEFECTS. THANKS.

WHEN BRAKING AT VARIOUS SPEEDS BRAKES WOULD INTERMITTENTLY WORK, RESULTING IN EXTENDED STOPPING DISTANCE.*AK

THE VEHICLE EXPERIENCED SUDDEN ACCELERATION, WHILE THE BRAKE WAS APPLIED. THE CONSUMER HAD TO SHUT OFF THE ENGINE, TO STOP THE VEHICLE. *A *TS *JB

THE TIRES WERE NOT SET CORRECTLY ON THE HUB, AND WHILE DRIVING, THE LUGS:NUTS LOOSENED. *AK

BRAKE POWER ASSIST FAILED. DEALER NOTIFIED. *AK THE BRAKES WERE SOFT UPON COLD STARTS AND WAS DISFUNCTIONAL UNTIL THE VEHICLE HAD WARMED UP. THE BRAKE WAS DEPRESSED MULTIPLE TIMES. THE DEALER ATTEMPTED ON FIVE OCCASIONS TO CORRECT THE PROBLEM AND REPLACED THE VACUUM HOSE TWICE. A REPRESENTATIVE OF VOLVO RECOMMENDED NEW WIRING AND IT SEEMED TO HAVE REMEDIED THE PROBLEM. *SCC *JB

I HAD THE BRAKES SERVICED ON MY 2001 VOLVO S40 AT THE VOLVO DEALER. AT ONLY 21,500 MILES THE REAR BRAKES WERE GRINDING LOUDLY. I COMPLAINED TO VOLVO CONSUMER SERVICES FROM THEIR WEB PAGE. THEY WERE NOT ONLY NOT SURPRISED AT THE REAR BRAKE FAILURE AT 21,500 MILES, BUT SAID THAT THEY USUALLY GO OUT BETWEEN 10K AND 20K MILES. THE REAR BRAKES ON THAT VEHICLE ARE POORLY DESIGNED, CREATING A POTENTIAL ACCIDENT HAZARD BECAUSE OF CONSUMERS' IGNORANCE OF THEIR UNDER-ENGINEERING. AN AMERICAN CAR WOULD LIKELY GET AS MUCH AS 80K MILES OUT OF THE REAR BRAKES, BEING REPLACED ONLY THE THIRD TIME THE FRONT BRAKES ARE SERVICE. AN AMERICAN CAR COMPANY THAT IS AS OBVIOUSLY AWARE OF A FAILURE OF THIS NATURE WOULD LIKELY HAVE DONE A REDESIGN AND RECALL. THE REAR BRAKE PADS ON THE VOLVO S40 ARE NO BIGGER THAN THOSE OF A MOTORCYCLE. THIS IS AN UNSAFE VEHICLE AND VOLVO SHOULD BE FORCED TO RECALL THEM. *NLM

CONSUMER'S VEHICLE WAS INVOLVED IN A FRONTAL COLLISION WHILE DRIVING AT 25MPH AND NEITHER AIR BAGS DEPLOYED. DEALER NOTIFIED. *AK

WHILE PARKED IN THE DRIVEWAY, A WATER BALLOON HIT THE SUN ROOF OF THE CAR AND IT SHATTERED. *TT