There are 6 owner-reported visibility & wipers complaints for the 2005 Volvo S40in NHTSA's database. These are unverified consumer reports and may not reflect confirmed defects.
TL* THE CONTACT OWNS A 2005 VOLVO S40. THE CONTACT STATED THAT WATER WAS LEAKING INTO THE REAR PASSENGER SIDE FLOOR BOARD. THE VEHICLE WAS TAKEN TO AN INDEPENDENT MECHANIC WHERE THE TECHNICIAN DIAGNOSED THAT THE SUN ROOF LINES NEEDED TO BE CLEANED. THE VEHICLE WAS REPAIRED AND THE FAILURE RECURRED. THE MANUFACTURER WAS MADE AWARE OF THE FAILURE. THE VEHICLE WAS NOT REPAIRED. THE FAILURE MILEAGE WAS 34,500 AND THE CURRENT MILEAGE WAS 34,900. UPDATED 06/24/14*LJ UPDATED 06/25/2014 *JS
2005 VOLVO S40. CONSUMER WRITES IN REGARDS TO DEFECTIVE SUN ROOF DRAINAGE THAT LEAD TO VEHICLE ELECTRICAL DAMAGE. *SMD THE CONSUMER NOTICED WATER LEAKING IN THE VEHICLE AND SOAKING THE FLOOR MATS BEHIND THE DRIVER'S SEAT. YEARS LATER, THE DEALER INFORMED THE CONSUMER THERE WAS KNOWN DEFECT IN THE SUNROOF DRAINS, THAT CAUSED THEM TO BECOME CLOGGED AND FLOOD THE FLOOR, WHERE ELECTRICAL COMPONENTS WERE STORED. ALTHOUGH, THE DRAINAGE CLOGS COULD BE CLEARED, IT WOULD ONLY BE A TEMPORARY FIX DUE TO THE DEFECT, AND THE DEALER INFORMED THE CONSUMER THE ELECTRICAL SYSTEM WAS LIKELY ALREADY DAMAGED FROM ALL THE LEAKING AND IT WOULD COST $5,000 TO FIX. THE CONSUMER STATED OVER THE YEARS, HE NOTICED RELATIVELY MINOR PROBLEMS DUE TO THE LASTING WATER DAMAGE, SUCH AS REDUCED AND INCONSISTENT PERFORMANCE, AND RANDOM ERROR MESSAGES APPEARING AND DISAPPEARING .
I WAS DRIVING DOWN THE HIGHWAY WHEN THERE WAS A LOUD BOOM IN MY CAR THAT SOUNDED LIKE A GUNSHOT. GLASS THEN CAME DOWN ON AND AROUND ME IN MY CAR. I PULLED OVER AS QUICKLY AS POSSIBLE. IT LOOKS LIKE THE GLASS FROM MY SUNROOF CAME UP AND OUT OF MY CAR. IT DID NOT APPEAR AS IF ANYTHING HIT IT. THERE IS A LARGE GAPING HOLE IN MY SUNROOF. *TR
WINDSHIELD WIPERS ARE INEFFECTIVE. DEALER TRIED POLISHING THE WINDSHIELD, REPLACING THE BLADES, AND EVENTUALLY REPLACED THE WINDSHIELD. WE TRIED TO INCREASE THE FREQUENCY OF CLEANING THE BLADES. THERE WAS NO IMPROVEMENT. HERE IS A LINK TO A FORUM FOR THE VOLVO S40 T5 THAT SHOWS THAT OTHERS ARE HAVING THE SAME PROBLEM. HTTP://FORUMS.SWEDESPEED.COM/ZEROTHREAD?ID=49251. *TR
WINDSHIELD WIPERS ARE CAUSING SCRATCHES IN THE WINDSHIELD. I FEEL THIS IS A DEFECT WITH THE WIPERBLADES CAUSING DIRT TO SCRATCH THE WINDSHIELD MAKING IT VERY DIFFICULT TO SEE. *TR
I OWN A 2005 VOLVO S40 2.4I THAT WAS PURCHASED IN DECEMBER 2004. THE ISSUE IS THE SEPARATION OF THE ACCELERATOR AND BRAKE PEDALS AS WELL AS THE SEPARATION OF THE BRAKE PEDAL/ARM AND THE TRANSMISSION TUNNEL, WHICH PROVIDES OVERALL CLEARANCE FOR THE RIGHT FOOT. THEY ARE TOO CLOSE TOGETHER AND WHILE DRIVING, MY FOOT TENDS TO HIT THE BRAKE PEDAL SLIGHTY WHEN I WANT TO PUSH ON THE ACCELERATOR. IN ADDITION TO THIS, THE WINDSHIELD IS QUITE EASILY CHIPPED. I HAVE 4000 MILES ON MY CAR AND THERE ARE ALREADY 9 CHIPS IN THE WINDSHIELD. MY PARENTS HAVE MORE THAN 150,000 MILES ON TWO DIFFERENT CARS AND ONLY TWO CHIPS IN ONE OF THE WINDSHIELDS. THIS IS NOT A DEFECT BUT MORE OF A QUALITY ISSUE. COULD YOU LOOK INTO THIS AS WELL. THANK YOU.*AK
Complaints are unverified consumer reports submitted to NHTSA. A high complaint count may reflect vehicle popularity, not defect severity. Data sourced from NHTSA public records.
Data synced from NHTSA on Apr 26, 2026