While driving brake warning light went on.brake pedal got soft & slowly went to floor. When vehicle was checked it was discovered that the brake lines to rear brakes had rusted through and were leaking fluid. Master cylinder was almost empty. The brake lines on this car are supposed to be made of a rust resistant nickel/copper material but they rusted through.
2001 Volvo S40 brakes problems
27 complaints (32% of all complaints for this car). Typical mileage when it fails: 60,000. 4 crashes reported.
- owner complaints
- 27
- of this car's complaints
- 32%
- typical mileage
- 60,000
- crashes
- 4
- recalls
- 0
Which part fails
- Foundation components: disc: pads6
- Antilock/traction control/electronic limited slip4
- Power assist: vacuum3
- Foundation components2
- Power assist: hydraulic1
- Pedals and linkages1
- Foundation components: drum1
At what mileage
Complaints by mileage at the time of the problem.
0k-25k
25k-50k
50k-75k
75k-100k
100k-125k
125k-150k
150k-175k
175k-200k
200k+
Volvo S40 brakes problems in other years
Specific symptoms reported on the 2001 Volvo S40 brakes
Phrases found in the owners' own descriptions, so one complaint can mention several symptoms.
Related recalls
No recalls on record for this model year.
Related investigations
Volvo s40/v40 my 2000-2001
In a november 6, 2003 safety defect report, volvo indicated that they will conduct a safety-related defect recall of the 2000 model year (my) subject vehicles (about 36,000 vehicles).volvo will also conduct a service campaign of about 31,000 2001 my subject vehicles.odi investigated both the 2000 and 2001 my vehicles and determined that the 2001 my vehicles experienced substantially lower rates of failures based on the number of owner reports and warranty claims submitted to odi.odi believes that the proposed action is sufficient to resolve this investigation's safety issues. For the crashes, in addition to the 22 submitted by volvo, odi found 10 additional crash allegations in the owner reports, field reports, and warranty claims submitted by volvo.of these 32 crashes, odi believes that 10 are clearly related to the alleged defect, and 5 appear to be related.of the 17 remaining cases, two did not involve a crash and the other 15 could not be directly connected to the alleged defect.odi will supplement this resume with a closing report and additional technical details concerning the defect.
EA02026
What 2001 Volvo S40 owners say
Most recent owner complaints, unedited.
I purchased a volvo for their reputation on safety. So why does our volvo have an acceleration problem? I could be at a stop light and the car revs up to 2000 RPM's and starts to go with my foot on the brake with me almost hitting the car in front of me then when we first start up the car the brakes don't work? The car still rolls. What's going on with volvo their making me think their just as bad as toyota!
Tl* the contact owned a 2001 volvo s40. The contact stated that the driver was traveling approximately 35 MPH when the brakes were applied but the vehicle would not stop until crashing into another vehicle. The air bags did not deploy and the seat belt failed to retain the driver. A police report was filed and the driver suffered serious injuries. The vehicle was destroyed and towed to an independent repair shop, but the cause of failure was not diagnosed. The failure and current mileage was 114,000. The VIN was unavailable.
Tl*the contact owns a 2001 volvo s40. Whenever the vehicle was cold, the brakes would not work unless the pedal was engaged 6 times. The dealer stated that the brake vacuum needed to be replaced. The failure mileage was 63,000. The current mileage was 74,000.
I bought a 2001 volvo s40 in june 2009. I noticed right away that the brakes didn't seem to work properly, as the stopping distance was far too long. They assured me the brakes were brand new. After driving it a few weeks, I became very nervous about the brakes because I had come close to rear ending several people. I brought it back to the dealer where I purchased it and asked them to double check the brakes. They did so and stated that they were fine. So, I drove extra cautiously from then on. Unfortunately, they never gave me any documentation and I never asked for it. They just checked the brakes and sent me on my way, reassuring me there was not a problem. However, on december 28th, 2009, the brakes failed when coming to an intersection. I was just beginning to slow down (not even trying to stop yet) and the brake would not go down further. I took my foot off the brake, and it did not release. I again tried to push down the pedal, and it did not go down. I rear ended the car in front of me. I looked online and found that several people with my same year and model had the same problems, both with the stopping distance and the brake failure. The next morning, I took my car to the volvo dealer in indianapolis. They inspected the brakes and found nothing wrong. They also verified that the recalled vacuum pump had already been replaced. From there I took my car to the body shop for an estimate of the damage from the accident, which was $2,2604.96. Upon leaving the body shop, I braked at a yellow light, and once again, my brakes would not go down and I went through the intersection. I had my car towed back to the volvo dealer. I made a claim with volvo company, who had someone look at it and said the vacuum pump and pressure valve needed to be replaced, which would cost approximately $750. I asked for an estimated trade-in value after the car was completely fixed. They stated that they.
Tl*the contact owns a 2001 volvo s40. Whenever the vehicle was parked longer than 2 hours the contact noticed that the brakes failed to operate. The vehicle has not been diagnosed by the dealer and there were no prior warnings. The current mileage was 112,131 and the failure mileage was at 88000.
I have a 2001 volvo s40 with brake problems. In the mornings when I get in my car and back up I have to almost stand up on the brakes to stop my car. I have almost went out in front of others cars because my brakes will not hardly stop. This occurs daily. If my car sits for a few hours it does it all over again. This to me is a safty issue because one day they are not going to stop and I'll have a wreck. I have two small children in my car. I thought volvo was suppose to be one of the safest carss one the road but someone didn't do enough research. I have bumped my husbands truck twice because of this problem. And I have also had to use the e-brake to stop more than once. Some one needs to be held responsible for this problem. My car only has 110,000 miles one it. I had a 1993 volvo 850 before this one and it had 207,000 miles on it when it was wrecked and I never had any problems with it.
Tl*the contact owns a 2001 volvo s40. Each morning, the brakes would fail. The contact had to leave the vehicle running for approximately five minutes before the brakes became operational. He took the vehicle to the dealer and they stated that the pump needed to be replaced and the VIN was not included in the federal safety agency campaign id number 03v474000 (service brakes, hydraulic:power assist:vacuum). The current mileage was 67,000 and failure mileage was 60,000.
Brakes do not stop the car for the first few applications. Pedal does not fade. Excessive pedal pressure required. Some other years of this model are being recalled for the same complaint. No crash, injuries or accident as a result of failure.
Rear brake pads needed replacement at 13,500 miles. This is unusually early and when I stated that I was upset volvo said "they were having problems with the s40 pads being too soft." although, they still made me pay for the replacement.they said volvo was making the new pads better but because it was too early they did not know how long they would be lasting.
Questions about the 2001 Volvo S40 brakes
Does the 2001 Volvo S40 have brakes problems?
Owners have filed 27 complaints about the brakes of the 2001 Volvo S40, 32% of all its complaints, more than any other problem.
At what mileage do 2001 Volvo S40 brakes problems start?
The typical (median) mileage in owner complaints is 60,000 miles.
Was there a recall on the 2001 Volvo S40 brakes?
There is no recall for this problem on this model year.
What year does the Volvo S40 have bad brakes?
The Volvo S40 model years with the most brakes complaints are 2000 (52 complaints), 2001 (27 complaints) and 2004 (12 complaints).
Other 2001 Volvo S40 problems
Engine 17Electrical 10Acceleration 9Airbags 7Fuel system 6Visibility 6Body 5Lights 4Transmission 4Wheels 3Seat belts 2Steering 2Seats 1Tires 1
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