2008 Volvo S40

Problems owners report

Complaints filed with NHTSA about the 2008 Volvo S40, by the system named in each complaint. One complaint can name several.

• Engine4
• Steering4
• Electrical system4
• Visibility3
• Vehicle speed control3
• Air bags2
• Suspension2
• Electronic stability control (esc)1
• Unknown or other1
• Seats1

NHTSA ODI complaints (public domain) · updated 23 Oct 2026 · 2 injuries and 0 deaths reported

Compared with other years

NHTSA ODI complaints by model year

New York safety inspections

At its first New York inspection the 2008 Volvo S40 failed the safety check 3.07% of the time — 24% more often than the average 2008 passenger car (2.48%). Median odometer at inspection: 130,221 miles.

NY DMV Vehicle Inspections (vezn-fmmk), initial inspections since Aug 2021 · how we count

Engines

The most common engines in 2008 Volvo S40 cars on Dutch roads are the 1.8 petrol (92 kW, 123 hp), 2.4 petrol (103 kW, 138 hp) and 2.0 petrol (107 kW, 143 hp), out of 6 versions with at least 20 cars.

RDW Open Data (CC0): registered passenger cars and their fuel data · engine size rounded to 0.1 litre, net maximum power · versions with at least 20 cars

In the Netherlands

504 first registered in 2008 are on Dutch roads; 10% arrived later as imports. Median list price when new: €31,167.

Most common APK defects

• Bandenspanning niet op juiste waarde278
• Band onvoldoende profiel202
• Dimlicht onjuist afgesteld135
• Band(en) aanwezig met een profieldiepte van 1,6 t/m 2,5 mm118
• Stadslicht werkt niet (goed)97
• Stofhoes aandrijfas beschadigd en dicht niet af89
• Veer gebroken of gescheurd86
• Band beschadigd86

Colours

RDW Open Data: registered vehicles and APK defects (CC0) · defect descriptions in the RDW's Dutch wording

In the United Kingdom

2,272 cars built in 2008 were licensed for the road at the end of 2025, and 439 more were declared off the road (SORN).

Department for Transport and DVLA, vehicle licensing statistics (table VEH0124, year of manufacture) · Open Government Licence v3.0

MOT test results in Great Britain

In 2023, 3,367 of these cars first registered in 2008 took their annual MOT test. 57% passed first time; among all cars first registered in 2008 the figure was 57%.

DVSA anonymised MOT tests and results, 2023 (Department for Transport) · Open Government Licence v3.0 · first tests only; a fix made at the test station within the hour still counts as a fail

In Finland

799 of these cars first registered in 2008 were in use in Finland on 30 Jun 2026, with an average of 250,000 km on the odometer at their last inspection.

Traficom (Finnish Transport and Communications Agency), open data on vehicles in use · CC BY 4.0

In New Zealand

55 2008 cars are on the New Zealand register; 78% arrived as used imports, 16% were sold new in New Zealand.

NZ Transport Agency Waka Kotahi, Motor Vehicle Register (March 2026) · CC BY 4.0

Fuel consumption

Official Canadian test results for 6 variants: combined 10.3–11.6 L/100 km (about 20–23 mpg US), CO₂ 237–267 g/km.

Litres per 100 km. Natural Resources Canada, Fuel consumption ratings (open.canada.ca) · Open Government Licence – Canada

Recalls in Canada

2 Transport Canada recalls for the 2008 Volvo S40.

Transport Canada Vehicle Recalls Database · Contains information licensed under the Open Government Licence – Canada

Recalls

Whether a recall was fixed on a particular car is known only to the manufacturer: check the VIN at nhtsa.gov/recalls.

NHTSA recalls · summaries in NHTSA's own words

Service bulletins

What Volvo told its dealers about the 2008 Volvo S40: known faults, fixes and updates.

NHTSA manufacturer communications (public domain)