Your vehicle report
2000 Volvo S40
The problems owners report. The recalls to check. The evidence behind each.
Your vehicle at a glance
Complaint patterns and official recall records, kept distinct.
- Owner complaints
- 122
- Received May 2000 to Jun 2021
Owner reports
Most reported problems
- 1Brake pedal sinks due to leaking lines12 complaints · 9.8% of this vehicle’s complaints
- 2Headlights dim or fail at night11 complaints · 9.0% of this vehicle’s complaints
- 3Unintended acceleration despite braking10 complaints · 8.2% of this vehicle’s complaints
Official NHTSA records
Recalls to check
- Recall #03V474000On certain passenger vehicles, water can enter the electrical brake vacuum pump, causing the pump to fail.
BrakeNews signals
Flagged complaint patterns
Unusual complaint patterns with no matched recall yet. A flag does not mean a recall will happen.
No problems currently meet BrakeNews’s flagging criteria. This is not a safety rating.
How flags are identifiedComplaint counts reflect reports submitted to NHTSA, not failure rates or a reliability ranking. Reported in these complaints: 12 crashes, 1 fire, 3 people injured, 0 deaths.
Explore by system
Where do owners report problems?
Choose an area on the car or a system below to explore the reported problems.
Illustrative only; not this vehicle’s exact design. Areas represent complaint categories, not confirmed defective parts.
Showing all 11 listed problems by system.
Engine & powertrain
Brakes
Electrical & lights
Airbags, belts & seats
Steering, suspension & tires
Body, doors & glass
No problems in this category meet this page’s listing criteria. This does not establish that the system is free of problems.
Driver assistance
No problems in this category meet this page’s listing criteria. This does not establish that the system is free of problems.
Other
No problems in this category meet this page’s listing criteria. This does not establish that the system is free of problems.
Complaint history
When NHTSA received these reports. Changes in reporting alone do not establish a change in failure rates.
Show as a table
| Year | Complaints |
|---|---|
| 2000 | 10 |
| 2001 | 22 |
| 2002 | 11 |
| 2003 | 20 |
| 2004 | 16 |
| 2005 | 7 |
| 2006 | 5 |
| 2007 | 7 |
| 2008 | 3 |
| 2009 | 6 |
| 2010 | 4 |
| 2011 | 3 |
| 2012 | 3 |
| 2013 | 1 |
| 2014 | 1 |
| 2015 | 0 |
| 2016 | 1 |
| 2017 | 0 |
| 2018 | 1 |
| 2019 | 0 |
| 2020 | 0 |
| 2021 | 1 |
| 2022 | 0 |
| 2023 | 0 |
| 2024 | 0 |
| 2025 | 0 |
| 2026 (to Oct 2026) | 0 |
| Total | 122 |
Problems owners report
Listed groups have at least 3 complaints. The page includes the 20 largest groups plus any additional flagged groups; some complaints are not assigned to a group.
| Problem | Complaints | Share | Share ratio | Status |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Brake pedal sinks due to leaking lines | 12 | 9.8% | – | |
| Headlights dim or fail at night | 11 | 9.0% | – | |
| Unintended acceleration despite braking | 10 | 8.2% | – | |
| Front brake rotors warp and wear early | 10 | 8.2% | – | |
| Brakes make grinding or squealing noise | 6 | 4.9% | – | |
| Seat belt fails to latch or retract | 5 | 4.1% | – | |
| Brake booster fails, leaving stiff pedal | 4 | 3.3% | – | NHTSA recall #03V474000 |
| Coil springs break and puncture tires | 3 | 2.5% | – | |
| Tires blow out or tread separates | 3 | 2.5% | – | |
| Engine won't start or cranks intermittently | 3 | 2.5% | – | |
| Brakes fail intermittently or repeatedly | 3 | 2.5% | – |
AI groups complaints by meaning; the groups are approximate. Share ratio compares the problem’s share of this vehicle’s complaints with its share on other vehicles over the last 24 months (shown from 3 recent complaints). A 2× ratio means twice the complaint share, not twice the failure risk. Flags mark unusual shares or recent surges after an AI review of the complaint content. “First signal” does not mean the pattern has persisted continuously.How recall estimates are calculated.
Recalls
NHTSA recall #03V474000November 17, 200336,000 vehicles affected
service brakes, hydraulic: power assist: vacuum
On certain passenger vehicles, water Can enter the electrical brake vacuum pump, causing the pump to fail.
This could result in loss of power assist and an increase in needed brake pedal force, which could result in a crash.
Remedy
Dealers will replace the pump with a new and improved version and move the pump to a new location. Owner notification began on march 15, 2004. Owners should contact Volvo at 1-800-458-1552.
Other model years
About this data
NHTSA complaints and recalls through October 2026. Complaints are counted once each, however many components they name. Original complaints are on NHTSA's page for the 2000 Volvo S40.
Problem groups are formed by AI and may be approximate. BrakeNews flags unusual complaint patterns; they are not official defect findings. Investigation reports are written and checked by AI, with no human review. Owner reports do not establish that a defect exists.
Read the methodology and track record · Check current recalls by VIN