We have classified the 1 complaints from 2001 Volvo S40 about EXTERIOR LIGHTING into the following categories.
I've contacted volvo and demanded my money back and they refused, this is my next step before taking them to court for a measily 2,500. this car has caused me a headache unlike any other, the electrical system fails in this car and passes through it malfunctioning one thing after the next, my back window went up and down on its own, heating and cooling systems do whacky things which ruined the car making it overheat even after shops replace sensors and radiators, the main safety concern which volvo is suppressing is that the electrical ghost also affects the braking system and accelerates, this is a main concern when you're on an expressway especially, it accelerates and you cannot hold the brake down hard enough to slow down, and it'll do it at random, and i know this is a problem with this year volvo because i have a 1990 when it was volvo and not bought my an american company and that car is perfect, and a cop talked to me for about an hour just before these bigger issues started happening, he'd owned a dealership and said this year volvo has nothing but problems, and at that time i knew he was onto something because the air and heat buttons were doing all kinds of strange things, i was even in an accident once, a little fender bender thankfully just on a side street, my car wouldn't slow down and it skidded all t he way to the light and i dented someone's bumper, they let me slide because their car was a jalopy, but i've had this same electrical failure happening on expressways at various speeds
With the low beams on, night time visibility is poor and treacherous. i have the same problem with my volvo 960 which the serviceman states can not be adjusted any better. i hit a deer last week in the s40 and i strongly believe it would not have happened if the headlights were effective. i have owned and driven several cars before including a mazda miata and a ford explorer recently and both vehicles have excellent night time headlamp visibility. i strongly believe this is a volvo design problem. there is greater vsibility to the side than to the front of the vehicle. please investigate this issue before someone gets seriously hurt.
Headlights do not throw a beam but rather a spray of dispersed light that lights more of the side of the road than in front of the vehicle. i do not feel safe driving this vehicle at night, especially on narrow dark backroads (which i have to travel frequently). dealer said they have done everything they can.*ak