Used Volvo V40 2012-2019 reliability

When you go to view a Volvo V40, you should check that all the door locks work as they should because, according to the What Car? Reliability Survey there have been a number of owners reporting failures. If they fail, it could become an expensive fix once the three-year/60,000 mile warranty has expired.

Owners have also commented upon issues with bodywork and trim, so make sure that all the panels fit as they should. When you test-drive the car, make sure you try out all the electrical items to make sure they all work properly and keep an eye on the driver information screen in the middle of the speedometer for any error messages that may pop up.

V40s that are so-equipped can also suffer from problems with the adaptive cruise control. Look out for warning messages to that effect in the driver’s information display.

Potential engine fire

Volvo is presently in the process of recalling around 70,000 cars in the UK fitted with a 2.0-litre diesel engine, over potential engine fires. There isn't a fix at the moment, so owners are being told to pay attention to any unusual smells coming into the interior, if the engine warning light illuminates, or if the engine hesitates under acceleration. Read our news story on this for further information or contact Volvo directly on 01628 854 210.

Cracked fuel hose

A fuel hose fitted to some models has been found to crack up from the inside, which could lead to a fuel leak if not fixed. This applies to cars built between 11 April 2015 and 30 March 2016, and a Volvo dealer will be able to tell you if your car is affected or not.

Airbags might not deploy correctly in an accident

There have been a few recalls regarding airbags that might not deploy correctly in a collision. The first is for the driver's airbag on V40s made between 25 April 2016 and 15 May 2016, while the second affects examples built between 25 August 2016 and 5 October 2016. Contact your local Volvo dealer to make sure your car has had the relevant remedial work carried out.

Rear light may stop working

An issue with some software on cars built between 25 November 2013 and 10 March 2014 may result in the left (nearside) rear tail light failing. The driver should see a warning light appear in the instrument cluster informing them of the problem if it occurs.

Coolant leak

It has been identified that there could be a coolant leak during the warm-up process of some V40s built between 6 February 2012 and 21 April 2015 that could result in an engine fire in extreme circumstances. Check with a Volvo dealer to make sure your car isn't affected by this.

Volvo as a manufacturer finished in ninth place out of 32 other brands in our latest What Car? Reliability survey. Its overall score of 93.7% put it above rivals from Audi, BMW and Mercedes, but below Honda, Kia and Lexus. Check out the full list of brands here.

The V40 didn't feature in our most recent reliability survey. However, in the last one it did feature in, it finished in sixth place out of the class of 37 family cars with a diesel engine and 20th place if it had a petrol engine.

Used Make Model reliability: the owners' view

Readers who told us about their experiences with the Volvo V40 as part of our annual Reliability Survey said that they had found the car to be highly dependable – making it a good choice if you’re in the market for an older used family car.

While the car itself is reliable, however, our readers highlighted that both the frequency and cost of services could be a challenge – especially if you stick within Volvo’s main dealer network.

If you would like to see the full reliability list, head to the What Car? Reliability Survey pages for more information.

To take part in our annual reliability survey with your car, please follow the link here