2004 Volvo S40 Electrical system Problems
- Complaints
- 11about this part
- Share
- 23%of 48 total for the year
- Median mileage
- 51,000miles
- Trend
- Not enough dataFewer than 15 complaints, too few for a reliable trend.
NHTSA recorded 11 complaints about the electrical system of the 2004 Volvo S40, 23% of the 48 complaints for this model year. Where a mileage was given, the median is 51,000 miles. 1 a fire, according to the filers. 1 recall campaign on record is filed under a similar system.
Fewer than 15 complaints name this part, so treat the figures as a rough indication only.
Example complaints
Selected from NHTSA records; personal details are removed. They are consumer reports, not findings.
“When driving my car, he start going faster without pressing a gas pedal when I press the brake the car turn off, I put the gear changing on park and start the car again, the RPM start going crazy, the car have only 30000 miles.”
NHTSA complaint #10307236, filed 2010-02, 29,500 miles“Car was serviced on 25-oct at ~49k miles. No computer updates were done to the vehicle. 12-dec, I had new tires put on the car. 13-dec the car reported reduced engine performance and oil light came on. Pulled over, stopped car, waited a few minutes and restarted with no problem/lights. Drove a few miles, same exact thing happened again. Then drove for ~45 minutes when the car reported something like a system engine failure and the check engine light came on. Car was sputtering with no response from the gas pedal. Was towed to my dealership. …”
NHTSA complaint #10176638, filed 2006-12, 52,500 miles“I was driving home at night when all of the gauges in my car went out completely. I had no speedometer, no gas reading, no engine heat meter, the message center was out, no turn signals. This is a 2 year old vehicle that was purchased brand new from Volvo in 2004. I had to drive home 60 miles on an extreme;y dark road with no safety gauges- I couldn't call for roadside as I was alone and am a woman- I wasn't going to stop on the side of the road to wait for roadside. I was told by Volvo that it was the ddm module and the wiring harness- my electrical /computer system went bad. …”
NHTSA complaint #10171412, filed 2006-10, 51,000 miles“Dashboard went crazy, fading in and out. All panels were unreadable, speedometer, radio, temperature gauge. Car accelerated on its own, without my foot on the pedal. Cd was shot into the backseat landing in my child safety seat. All of this occurred while driving on the highway. In all 3 instances the message indicator stated to not drive the car. I had the car towed to 2 different dealers. The first time they said it was the software and reinstalled. The second time, they replaced the alternator and the car was in the shop for over a week, the third time, the replace the cem module and radio. …”
NHTSA complaint #10195469, filed 2007-07, 25,000 miles“The vehicle has the following intermittent electrical problems. Dashboard, radio, climate controls turn-off by themselves. Wipers activate by themselves. Srs warnings are displayed. Fuel door button does not activate. Ignition will not active so car will not start.”
NHTSA complaint #10169333, filed 2006-09, 10,000 milesRelated recalls
- 10V566000Nov 8, 2010Volvo is recalling certain vehicles equipped with garmin 760 portable global positioning system (gps) units because the batteries on those units may overheat.Covers: Volvo S40 2004–2010, S80 2000–2010, V70 2001–2010 +6 more
Related service bulletins
- 11007925Aug 14, 2024Information about valid Software partnumbers to order and download Software for "PDS" Pre-Delivery Service
- 10249191Jan 12, 2024This is a Technical Journal: 12V Battery Testing Method
- 10212892Feb 3, 2022Shipping and Handling of Volvo Lithium-ion 48V Mild Hybrid Battery to Global Battery Solutions (GBS)
- 10179681Aug 5, 2020This is a Service Manager Bulletin: Service 2.0 Software & Total Upgrade Reminder
- 10178516Jul 14, 2020This is a Service Manager Bulletin: Volvo Lithium-ion Hybrid Battery Packs shipping and handling to Volvo Reman
- 10178520Jul 3, 2020This is a Service Manager Bulletin: Volvo Lithium-ion Hybrid Battery Packs shipping and handling to Volvo Reman
- 10213882Jun 23, 2020Battery Charger/maintainer requirement
- 10173760Mar 31, 2020This is a Service Manager Bulletin: Service 2.0 Software & Total Upgrade Reminder
- 10169394Nov 19, 2019This is a Technical Journal: Swapping control modules from vehicle to vehicle for diagnostics should be avoided. Swapping control modules may result in consequential damage to…
- 10169393Nov 14, 2019This is a Technical Journal: Swapping control modules from vehicle to vehicle for diagnostics should be avoided. Swapping control modules may result in consequential damage to…
Electrical system: other model years
| Year | Complaints | Share of year |
|---|---|---|
| 2011 | 4 | 80% |
| 2010 | 1 | 11% |
| 2009 | 1 | 10% |
| 2008 | 4 | 25% |
| 2007 | 5 | 20% |
| 2006 | 24 | 41% |
| 2005 | 19 | 28% |
| 2004 | 11 | 23% |
| 2003 | 3 | 17% |
| 2002 | 5 | 19% |
| 2001 | 10 | 12% |
| 2000 | 13 | 11% |
Other parts of the 2004 Volvo S40
12 complaintsAir bags
11 complaintsFuel system
8 complaintsEngine cooling
5 complaintsSteering
4 complaintsVehicle speed control
4 complaintsEngine
2 complaintsExterior lighting
2 complaintsLatches, locks and linkages
2 complaintsOther or unknown
2 complaintsBody and structure
2 complaintsVisibility (wipers, defrost, mirrors)
2 complaints
← All problems reported for the 2004 Volvo S40
About this data. Data from NHTSA (ODI) complaints, recalls, TSBs and investigations, updated Oct 27, 2026. Complaints are unverified consumer reports and may be duplicated or inaccurate.
To check a specific vehicle for open recalls, use its VIN at nhtsa.gov/recalls. Methodology