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ProblemsByVin Index / 2007-VOLVO-S40 / COMPLAINTS
Full complaint record · NHTSA

2007 Volvo S40 owner complaints

25 complaints filed with NHTSA on this vehicle , including 3 reporting a crash, fire, injury, or fatality. Showing the 300 most recent — grouped by category for scanning.

brakes 5 complaints shown

6 total in this category · severe · avg repair $450 · see brakes cluster analysis →
12/10/2011 23,000 mi Crash ODI #10439260.0

12/9/2011 while on an incline driving at approximately 25 MPH brakes failed, even after pressing pedal all the way to the floor, car failed to stop causing collision with vehicle in front despite more than necessary braking distance maintained between two vehicles and under clear, sunny conditions. Note: dealer had completed 10-point inspection during oil change 14 days before occurrence. 8/2011 car flooded with water internally and on floor/carpet. Second occurrence. Sunroof drain pipes replaced and car seats, carpets, foam padding removed and dried. Owner required to pay 50% of cost of labor and parts, even though was to have been repaired in 2/2011.2/2011 first incident of car flood with water internally and on floor/carpet. Sunroof replaced and car seats, carpets, foam padding re

11/12/2007 2,939 mi Fire ODI #10208681.0

The rear brakes on this vehicle caught on fire after a short drive (1 mile) having to be extinguished with a fire extinguisher. The rear brake assembly (left rear) completely failed and overheated to the point of causing flames to appear needing to be extinguished. This car had 2939 miles on it as a new Volvo s40. This catastrophic failure was unexplained and without an apparent error by driver as this vehicle is used by a college student for very short distances. The emergency brake was not left on. *tr

10/20/2014 65,000 mi ODI #10648903.0

Tl* the contact owns a 2007 Volvo s40. The contact stated that the brake sensor illuminated indicating low brake fluid. The vehicle was taken to an authorized dealer. The technician replenished the brake fluid and reset the brake sensor. The contact indicated that shortly after the brake sensor was reset by the dealer, the failure recurred. The vehicle was taken to an independent repair shop who was not able to replicate or diagnose the failure. The vehicle was not repaired. The contact was not included in NHTSA campaign number: 08v101000 (brakes). The manufacturer was notified of the failure. The approximate failure mileage was 65,000.

10/18/2011 76,000 mi ODI #10430628.0

Tl* the contact owns a 2007 Volvo s40. The contact stated while driving 30 MPH, she applied the brakes and a brake light illuminated on the instrument panel. The vehicle was taken to an independent repair shop and the contact was informed that the vehicle was leaking brake fluid. Brake fluid was added to the vehicle as a temporary remedy. The vehicle was then taken to an authorized dealer and the contact was informed that the vehicle was not included in the recall associated NHTSA campaign id number 08v101000 (service brakes, hydraulic:foundation components:master cylinder). The vehicle was not repaired. The manufacturer was made aware of the failure and offered no assistance. The failure mileage was 76,000. The VIN was unavailable.

02/20/2010 35,000 mi ODI #10312385.0

I drove into a hotel parking garage , came into my spot and the car accelerated and went into a wall. I shut the engine off to prevent my whole car going thru the wall. Just the front of the car went into the wall. *tr

electrical 5 complaints shown

5 total in this category · moderate · avg repair $850 · see electrical cluster analysis →
10/20/2014 54,000 mi ODI #10648861.0

Sunroof drain became clogged. This caused the poorly designed drains to leak at a junction inside the vehicle along the door pillar and behind the instrument panel. The water collects on the rear passenger floorboards and around the drivers seat. The car owner is unaware of the leak until a large amount of water has accumulated. I am very concerned about the potential for an electrical fault or short circuit that could potentially result in a fire, malfunction or could lead to an accident. Volvo should make checking these drains a regular part of it's service procedures or consider a redesign or recall. This issue is widespread. *tr

09/22/2020 99,000 mi ODI #11360366.0

On or about 12/04/2019 during a flash rain storm last winter, my husband and I was headed home on the 215 fwy northbound in san bernardino, ca when the center dome area and the electric sunroof inside our car begin pouring in huge amounts of very cold rain water on us and on the dashboard, stereo console, gear shifter, floor and seats. Until it was safe to exit the freeway, my husband tried to soak up as much of the leaking rainwater as he could with his coat but the water continued to pouring into the car. Once it was safe to exit the freeway, we pulled into a gas station and examine the sunroof to make sure it was shut properly, which it was, not understanding why this was happening, he and I used as many pieces of napkins and cloth that we could find to sop up as much water as we coul

07/11/2008 9,500 mi ODI #10233973.0

On june 28, 2008, my garage door came down on my 2007 Volvo s40 sedan, without warning, causing damage to the roof of the car (est. $2000.00) as well as irreparable damage to the garage door (replaced at a cost of $1150.00). A technician from genie (mfg of garage door opener) thoroughly inspected and tested the opener on june 30, 2008, and found the unit to be working properly. It was discovered that the action of unlocking and locking the car doors with the remote as well as starting the ignition of the car caused the garage door to open and close without warning. Each time the car remote was pressed, it transmitted to the garage door opener. After de programming the homelink in the car, the situation no longer occurred. I no longer felt safe having the homelink active, as I did not

05/31/2018 104,000 mi ODI #11098954.0

After parking car and turning car off, airbag, brake, and information warning lights stay on, as does ventilation system. Passenger seat has excess water underneath. Now car will not start.

02/22/2010 70,004 mi ODI #10312587.0

I parked the 2007 s40 Volvo and can't remove the key from the ignition switch. The car is in park, brake on, all necessary checks are checked. Still can't get the key to release, had to turn it several times (30 minutes) right to left until I heard a click and the key came out. I have seem post on the internet about this and that is how I figured out how to get my key and lock the doors. I called Volvo and the response was go to the dealer and you are out of warranty?! The key will not go past the I position. I don't mind paying to get it fixed but according to the Volvo makers it is isolated and not known how to fix. I beg to differ based on talking to other owners and the info on the web. Please assist as much as possible or a direction to get resolution. *tr

engine 4 complaints shown

4 total in this category · moderate · avg repair $3,100 · see engine cluster analysis →
12/05/2014 ODI #10662337.0

The cooling system and defrost shut down after driving for a while. Turns out the clutch went bad on the compressor. After researching further online, there are many complaints about this failure. Unfortunately, this is a very expensive repair that I cannot afford. *tr

11/29/2011 78,000 mi ODI #10437709.0

I own a '07 Volvo s40 with 78,000 miles. It began making a loud whistling noise coming from the oil dipstick. After researching online I found that it was a known problem by Volvo and the defective part is covered under an extended warranty, however this defective part causes excessive damage to the engine that is not covered by Volvo. It is now up to the consumer to pay for the engine damage or it will cause the timing belt to snap and the engine to explode. An unsuspecting consumer can be fatally injured by this problem and something must be done about it! *kb

08/24/2015 117,000 mi ODI #10758733.0

Tl* the contact owns a 2007 Volvo s40. While driving, there was an abnormal noise coming from the engine and the check engine warning light illuminated. The vehicle was taken to an independent mechanic who diagnosed that the pvc valve failed. The vehicle was not repaired. The manufacturer was notified of the failure. The failure mileage was 117,000.

07/12/2007 ODI #10196172.0

Tl*the contact owns a 2007 Volvo s40. The contact has recently rented three zip-cars within the past few months and has detected an unusual scent coming from the vents. The pants he had hanging inside the vehicle had a faint smell to them once he arrived home. He believes there could be asbestos inside the vehicles. The dealer and manufacturer have not been notified. The VIN and engine size were unknown. The current and failure mileages were 40.

airbags 2 complaints shown

10/19/2018 60,000 mi Crash ODI #11141465.0

Tl* the contact owned a 2007 Volvo s40. The contact called on behalf of the driver. The contact stated that the vehicle was struck on the front passenger side by another vehicle. The speed was unknown. The air bag failed to deploy and the seat belt detached. The driver sustained leg, back, and shoulder injuries that required medical attention. A police report was filed. The vehicle was destroyed and towed to a tow lot. The vehicle was not taken to a dealer or an independent mechanic for diagnostic testing. The manufacturer was not notified of the failure. The approximate failure mileage was 60,000.

07/23/2016 ODI #10887948.0

Takata recall something is wrong with the airbags. I t is showing me that it needs to be repaired.

steering 2 complaints shown

07/30/2015 51,104 mi ODI #10745158.0

My car would not start because there was a message indicating the steering wheel was locked, but, it was not locked. I had to tow the car to the shop. They reported a defective steering column lock module. I found this is a common problem for this cars which is totally unsafe and unacceptable.

05/06/2019 124,000 mi ODI #11205749.0

I was driving and the engine shut off causing me to lose control of my vehicle as the power steering shut down. I was able to steer my vehicle with difficulty to the side of the road where it stopped. About one week later this happened again. This time I was coming out of a parking lot and had to aim my vehicle in a way to avoid hitting other vehicles. Both time, after a few minutes the car started right up and I was able to drive again. Last friday, may 3, I pulled my vehicle over and when I stopped the vehicle shut down. This time it did not restart. The error message displayed on the dash was that the "steering was locked, try again." after several attempts including jump starting the vehicle, which was unnecessary, the vehicle would not start. I had my vehicle towed to the nearest

tires 1 complaint shown

11/09/2013 55,000 mi ODI #10551644.0

Michelin primacy mxv4 tires - dry rot on all 4 tires after only 20,000 miles. The warranty is for 60,000 miles. This dry rot is a huge safety concern. *tr

powertrain 1 complaint shown

05/02/2008 3,000 mi ODI #10226473.0

Tl*the contact owns a 2007 Volvo s40. The contact stated that her vehicle feels as if it were downshifting; however, it has an automatic transmission. When she begins to accelerate, the reduced engine performance light illuminates when the downshifting occurs. The dealer replaced the accelerator pedal and cleaned the computer after the first failure. After the second failure, they replaced the computer. The failures still persist and the contact is scheduled to take the vehicle to the dealer next week. The speed was unknown. The failure mileage was 3,000.

Showing 300 of 25 total complaints. The full federal record is available at nhtsa.gov/vehicle/2007/Volvo/S40#complaints.
Source: National Highway Traffic Safety Administration (NHTSA) owner complaint database. Last synced 2026-06-28. Complaints are owner-submitted and unverified — the existence of a complaint is not proof of a defect, but a pattern of complaints around the same component is a signal worth weighing. Verify any specific filing at nhtsa.gov.
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