VOLVO S40 · model year

2010 VOLVO S40

11 NHTSA complaints, 2 crash reports, and 2 active recalls for this specific cohort.

NHTSA overall rating

Not crash-tested

New Car Assessment Program

The 2010VOLVOS40 carries 11 consumer safety complaints in NHTSA's Office of Defects Investigation database for this specific model-year cohort. Within that volume, owners reported 2 crashes, 0 fires, 0 injuries, and 0 fatalities. No NCAP 5-star crash-test rating is available for this model year in the federal database.

Component-level analysis is where model-year complaints become actionable: the top complaint category for the 2010 S40 is structure:body with 2 filings, followed by visibility/wiper (2) and air bags (2). Concentration in one or two component groups is the classic signature of a systemic defect; a flat distribution usually reflects normal aging, warranty complaints, or isolated build-plant variability. This model year has 2 active recall campaigns, which means the manufacturer is obligated to remedy the covered defect at no charge for the life of the vehicle — the full NHTSA campaign numbers are listed below.

NHTSA currently has 28 investigation files overlapping the 2010 S40. Owners comparing this cohort against neighboring years should pair the counters above with the complaint-by-year trend on the parent model page — a spike in a single year often tracks to a platform refresh, a new transmission supplier, or an updated ECU calibration. Use the related-complaint feed below to read raw owner narratives before deciding whether any pattern here affects your specific use case.

11
Complaints
2
Crashes
0
Fires
0
Injuries
0
Deaths

Total Complaints

11 filings

Crashes Reported

2 reports

Source

NHTSA ODI

Federal complaints database

Complaints vs. fleet median (215)

At or below the fleet median complaint volume.

Complaints by Component

ComponentCount
STRUCTURE:BODY2
VISIBILITY/WIPER2
AIR BAGS2
SEAT BELTS1
WHEELS1
POWER TRAIN1
UNKNOWN OR OTHER1
ELECTRICAL SYSTEM1

Recalls (2)

10V59100022/11/2010

SEATS

VOLVO IS RECALLING CERTAIN PASSENGER VEHICLES EQUIPPED WITH POWER FRONT PASSENGER SEATS. THE FRONT SEAT RAIL'S DETECTION SYSTEM WAS MANUFACTURED INCORRECTLY AND MAY PERMIT THE PASSENGER TO FORWARD THE SEAT BEYOND THE INTENDED MAXIMUM.

10V56600008/11/2010

EQUIPMENT:ELECTRICAL:NAVIGATIONAL SYSTEM(GLOBAL POSITIONING SYSTEM)

VOLVO IS RECALLING CERTAIN VEHICLES EQUIPPED WITH GARMIN 760 PORTABLE GLOBAL POSITIONING SYSTEM (GPS) UNITS BECAUSE THE BATTERIES ON THOSE UNITS MAY OVERHEAT.

Recent Complaints

20250617AIR BAGS

Hello. The warning of the device is on the dashboard that the SRS is not functional

20240205CrashAIR BAGS

I got into a car accident today. The electrical wiring is constantly giving out and I had no idea my airbags wouldn't work until today when they did not deploy. My car hit the other car enough to move it several feet and no airbags.

20240205CrashELECTRICAL SYSTEM

I got into a car accident today. The electrical wiring is constantly giving out and I had no idea my airbags wouldn't work until today when they did not deploy. My car hit the other car enough to move it several feet and no airbags.

20220615VISIBILITY/WIPER

The adhesive and seal on the entire top of my windshield has failed. The glass is shaking while driving and rattles severely if a small bump is driven over on the road. This is a huge safety concern since my window could break or fall off at any given moment.

20210902UNKNOWN OR OTHER

The windshield is coming unglued at the top center and right . I am concerned that the windshield could come out on the highway, I plan to contact a windshield shop and see if they can repair it.

20210902VISIBILITY/WIPER

The windshield is coming unglued at the top center and right . I am concerned that the windshield could come out on the highway, I plan to contact a windshield shop and see if they can repair it.

20201121STRUCTURE:BODY

I WAS DRIVING 65MPH ON HIGHWAY 101, JUST SOUTH OF WILLITS, CALIFORNIA, WHEN MY SUNROOF EXPLODED. I HEARD A LOUD EXPLOSION SOUND AND IMMEDIATELY PULLED OVER TO FIGURE OUT WHAT JUST HAPPENED. I COULD SEE THAT MY SUNROOF WAS MOSTLY GONE AND THERE WAS PIECES OF GLASS FALLING ON ME. I CALLED MY HUSBAND TO HELP CALM ME DOWN, AS MY HEART WAS RACING AND I WAS SHAKING. I PUT MY HAZARDS ON AN PULLED OVER A LITTLE MORE FOR SAFETY. JUST THEN I NOTICED A MAN WALKING TOWARD ME FROM FURTHER UP THE HIGHWAY. I GOT OUT OF THE CAR AND COULD HEAR THE CONVERSATION THAT THE MAN WAS HAVING WHILE ON HIS PHONE. WHEN HE HUNG UP THE PHONE, HE STATED THE HE CALLED 911. THE MAN EXPLAINED THAT HE WAS PASSING ME AND WITNESSED WHAT LOOKED LIKE ICE COMING UP OUT OF MY SUNROOF AND IT HIT HIS CAR. THE MAN WAS VISIBLY UPSET, BUT COULD SEE THAT I WAS NOT AT FAULT, AND ACTED APPROPRIATELY. THE MAN SAID THAT THE GLASS HAD CHIPPED THE CAR THAT HE WAS DRIVING. HE APPEARED AS SURPRISED AS I WAS ABOUT THE SITUATION. THE MAN HE

Mileage: 100,100

20201007POWER TRAIN

TL* THE CONTACT OWNS A 2010 VOLVO S40. THE CONTACT STATED THAT THE VEHICLE FAILED TO SHIFT FROM REVERSE TO DRIVE AS THE GEAR SHIFTER WAS STUCK IN NEUTRAL. THE CONTACT WAS UNAWARE OF ANY WARNING LIGHTS ILLUMINATING. THE DEALER ALAN BYERS (1230 W GENESEE ST, SYRACUSE, NY 13204) WAS NOTIFIED OF THE FAILURE HOWEVER, THE VEHICLE WAS NOT TOWED TO THE DEALER FOR DIAGNOSIS OR REPAIRS. THE CONTACT RESEARCHED THE FAILURE ONLINE AND FOUND NHTSA CAMPAIGN NUMBER: 10V255000 (STEERING). THE MANUFACTURER WAS NOTIFIED OF THE FAILURE AND A CASE WAS OPENED. THE CONTACT WAS INFORMED BY THE MANUFACTURER THAT THE RECALL COULD NOT BE FOUND IN THEIR SYSTEM. THE MANUFACTURER RECALL NUMBER WAS: R227. THE CONTACT STATED THAT THE FAILURE OCCURRED A YEAR AGO, AND WAS CORRECTED BY AAA ROADSIDE ASSISTANCE. THE FAILURE MILEAGE WAS 74,000.

Mileage: 74,000

20161109WHEELS

I WAS PROMPTED TO ADD AIR TO MY FRONT TIRE DUE TO THE LOW TIRE PRESSURE LIGHT COMING ON. AFTER I ADDED AIR I ATTEMPTED TO PUT THE TIRE VALVE CAP BACK ON THE WHEEL AND IT BEGAN FORCEFULLY BLOWING OUT AIR. I ATTEMPTED AGAIN TO SECURE THE CAP AND THE VALVE STEM SENSOR CAME OUT OF THE VALVE STEM COMPLETELY. THIS IS A HUGE SAFETY RISK, AND I AM NOW CONCERNED THIS COULD HAPPEN AGAIN. I URGE VOLVO TO HONOR THE REPLACEMENT OF THEIR FAULTY TIRE STEM VALVES IMMEDIATELY

Mileage: 78,000

20160731STRUCTURE:BODY

MY HUSBAND AND I BOTH OWN 2010 VOLVOS. MINE IS S40, HIS XC60. WE HAVE BOTH HAD LEAKS RELATING TO FAULTY SUNROOF DRAIN. DEALER REPAIRED AND REPLACED FOR MY HUSBAND AT NO COST, BUT FOUGHT WITH ME - BECAUSE I AM A WOMAN - UNTIL MY HUSBAND CAME WITH ME TO DEALERSHIP. EVEN THOUGH THEY ULTIMATELY FIXED THE SUNROOF DRAIN, THERE IS STILL THE STENCH OF MOLD OR MILDEW IN MY CAR. MY HUSBAND ALSO HAD A LEAK DEVELOP IN HIS WINDSHIELD. DEALER TOLD HIM THAT THERE WAS A FAULTY COATING ON WINDSHIELDS THIS MODEL YEAR AND THEY REPLACED HIS WINDSHIELD AT NO COST. JUST NOW, I WAS OUT DRIVING, IT STARTED RAINING, AND WATER STARTED POURING IN THROUGH MY WINDSHIELD. (LUCKILY I WAS JUST ARRIVING AT MY DESTINATION, AND I WAS ABLE TO WAIT UNTIL THE RAIN SUBSIDED BEFORE DRIVING HOME, BECAUSE THERE WERE MULTIPLE STEADY STREAMS OF WATER POURING ON TO ME AND THE STEERING WHEEL WHEN THE RAIN WAS AT ITS PEAK.) APPARENTLY MY WINDSHIELD HAS THE SAME PROBLEM THAT MY HUSBAND'S HAD. I KNOW THERE IS ALREADY A CLASS AC

Mileage: 40,000

20150110SEAT BELTS

THE SEATBELT BUCKLES STICK WHEN TRYING TO EJECT. THE BUCKLE CLASPS HAVE TO BE PUSHED DOWN AND WIGGLED A FEW TIMES TO UNCLASP. THIS IS A SERIOUS SAFETY ISSUE BECAUSE IT'S IMPOSSIBLE TO EXIT THE CAR QUICKLY. THIS IS ALL BELTS IN THE CAR. THIS HAS HAPPENED SINCE THE CAR WAS NEW AND HAS GOTTEN WORSE. *TR

Compare 2010VOLVOS40 to Similar Vehicles

NHTSA Investigations

View all investigations

Frequently Asked Questions

How many complaints does the 2010 VOLVO S40 have?
The 2010 VOLVO S40 has 11 NHTSA complaints, 2 crashes, 0 fires, 0 injuries, and 0 deaths reported.
Are there any recalls for the 2010 VOLVO S40?
Yes, the 2010 VOLVO S40 has 2 recall(s). The most common affected component is SEATS. Recalls are issued by NHTSA and manufacturers must provide a free remedy.
What are the most common problems with the 2010 VOLVO S40?
The most-complained component for the 2010 VOLVO S40 is STRUCTURE:BODY with 2 complaints. Other frequently reported areas include VISIBILITY/WIPER and AIR BAGS.
Is the 2010 VOLVO S40 safe to buy?
Review the complaint history, crash and fire reports, safety ratings, and recall status on this page to make an informed decision. No NHTSA crash test rating is available for this model year. Compare with other model years using the links above.
Where does this data come from?
All complaint, recall, and safety rating data is sourced from the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration (NHTSA). Complaints are filed by vehicle owners through NHTSA's Office of Defects Investigation.

Vehicle Safety Guides

Data as of 2025. Sources: NHTSA Office of Defects Investigation (ODI) complaints database, NHTSA recall campaign API, NHTSA NCAP crash-test ratings, and NHTSA FARS for fatality cross-reference.