Faults:

Sudden acceleration going forward, with RPM up to 3000.

Sudden acceleration in reverse without being able to stop with brakes.

Head light bulb keeps going out.

Coolant fan will not shut off for over 30 minutes after the car is shut off.

Car vibrates and is very loud.

Brakes don’t work well some times.

General Comments:

The dealer charges for diagnostics, but never finds anything. Why aren’t these problems coming up on the computer after the fact? The dealer charges for diagnostics, but never finds anything.

Other car manufacturers have recalled cars for safety issues with sudden acceleration. Why isn’t Volvo concerned about this safety issue with the 2000 S40 cars?

Faults:

Everything. You name it, it's been replaced. That's incredibly frustrating when you maintain a car as well as I do, and all of its miles are on the highway, cruise set.

Now I have a huge problem... the car vibrates terribly at all times and no one can figure it out even after replacing all motor/trans mounts and CV axles. I despise this car.

General Comments:

It's not a true Volvo. I've had a few Volvos and loved them. I bought an S70 used with 180K and it was flawless, especially when compared to this unreliable, rattle-filled piece of crap.

Faults:

1. The whole engine had to be replaced after only driving for 2 weeks with 146,000 miles; $3,800 for a new one with only 38k on it.

2. Turbo leaks oil terribly and the turbo lines go bad.

3. Idles hard and very noisy, but I've got a custom exhaust on it now. The cupholder is the worst design I have ever seen.

4. When I floor the gas pedal, when it gets to 5,000 rpm, it just stops and stays there for about 2-3 seconds, and then downshifts unless I let go off the pedal.

5. I have to replaces both control arms and both ball joints, and something else that connects both wheels.

6. And let's not forget about those stupid headlights that went out. Tried to fix it and now they don't work at all, and I had to use my high beams and install fog lights for the last 11 months.

I love this car, and it's been my baby for a year. It looks sexy and for $3200 that I bought it for, it gets me from Point A to Point B, and it is comfortable but small. I am 6'5 260lbs football player and it a tight squeeze.

It's pretty quick for a 4 banger. I've got to get a bigger size turbo, but at the end I bought it for 3200 and spent about $5500 on it after a year; that's a 8,700 for a 8 year old car with 160k on it now, but it runs fine now.

General Comments:

It looks sharp, and if you do some stuff to it like I did, it is a really good car.

All these people saying their brakes go bad. Of course, do you drive everyday, stop and go, speeding up and then braking, or in traffic? That causes brakes to go out, it's normal.

But I do agree with the headlights. Man that is a pain in the ass, and the leather does crack, but for 8 years old and 162k miles on, it is normal wear and tear.

Faults:

-Brakes

-Lights

-Cup Holder

-Shifting Gears

-Check Engine Lights

-Seats (leather cracked after first 6 months)

-***THERMOSTAT****

-Acceleration.

General Comments:

I will never buy this car again.

This car is THE worst car I have ever owned.

Imagine having your car accelerate without your foot on the gas pedal. This problem has almost caused numerous accidents at red lights because I have had my foot on the brake and at the same time it was accelerating. This has happened to me three times because the thermostat has broken three times in the past 1.5 years.

I have had to replace the lightbulbs so many times, that now I have plenty of spares on hand.

The seating is uncomfortable and the leather began to crack after 6 months. I am a small person and have had leather interior. I have never had this problem in any other car.

There has been a problem with my shift stick where you can shift gears while your car is not in drive. Also, you can't take your key out of the ignition.

This car is terrible in the snow and in the rain. It has nothing to do with the tires. I live in N. England and the poor handling of the vehicle does not make for safe driving.

The only thing I look forward to is replacing this vehicle.

If you have an S40, you also need to worry about the car randomly catching on fire. I went online to see if anyone else has had problems similar to mine and found a lot of stories about this happening to people.