There are 1 stored owner reports matching the lighting leading-label group for the 2004 Volvo S40 in our NHTSA-sourced dataset. These are unverified consumer reports and may not reflect confirmed defects.
This group counts stored reports whose component label starts with one of this site's matching prefixes, ignoring case. Each matching report counts once within the group. Components mentioned later in the label or only in the narrative are not searched. How component counts work
Loaded 1 of 1 matching reports.
Open the full vehicle complaint log (all categories)THE ISSUE OF NO HEADLIGHTS (LOW-BULB FAILURE) IS DANGEROUS & EXPENSIVE. NOR IS THERE A VIABLE PERMANENT REPAIR AS THE "LOW-BULB FAILURE" ALWAYS RE-OCCURS & HAS BEEN AN ONGOING PROBLEM FOR ME SINCE MY CAR WAS NEW. SUDDENLY HAVING NO HEADLIGHTS CAUSES A SERIOUS & IMMEDIATE SAFETY ISSUE FOR OCCUPANTS OF THE CAR & FOR ONCOMING TRAFFIC WHO CAN'T SEE A CAR WITHOUT HEADLIGHTS. IT CAN BE 1 HEADLIGHT OR BOTH THAT FAIL WITHOUT WARNING; LEAVING NO TIME TO BRING A VEHICLE TO A STOP SAFELY. THE EXPERIENCE IS FRIGHTENING & DANGEROUS IN THOSE TENSE MOMENTS IT TAKES TO STOP A MOVING CAR ON THE ROAD WITHOUT HEADLIGHTS. I HAVE EVEN BEEN ISSUED A VIOLATION TICKET FROM THE POLICE FOR EQUIPMENT FAILURE DESPITE NUMEROUS REPAIR BILLS THAT I KEEP IN THE CAR. AFTER REPEATED ATTEMPTS AT GETTING VOLVO TO FIX THIS ISSUE, I REPORTED THE PROBLEM TO NHTSA SEVERAL YEARS AGO BUT WAS TOLD THERE HAD NOT BEEN ENOUGH COMPLAINTS ABOUT THE HEADLIGHT FAILURE PROBLEM TO DO ANYTHING. NOW, YEARS HAVE GONE BY AND I AM STILL DEALING WITH A CAR THAT IS ESSENTIALLY A DAYTIME ONLY CAR AS IT IS NOT SAFE TO DRIVE AFTER DARK DUE TO THE UNPREDICTABLE LOSS OF HEADLIGHTS. EACH TIME THE HEADLIGHTS FAIL I BRING THE CAR FOR SERVICE AND EVERY TIME THE HEADLIGHT FAILS AGAIN AND AGAIN WITHIN WEEKS OF THE "REPAIR". REPAIR COST ARE IN THE $500 RANGE. THERE IS NO RECOURSE FOR THE REPAIRS OTHER THAN TO TRY SOMETHING NEW. IT HAS BECOME A PROBLEM THAT IS WIDELY KNOWN AT REPAIR SHOPS; AND AFTERMARKET REPAIR KITS ARE NOW COMMON BECAUSE VOLVO HAS IGNORED THE ISSUE STATING THAT THERE IS NOT A PROBLEM TO ME. IT IS EASY TO FIND MANY CAR OWNERS WITH THE SAME ISSUE AND FRUSTRATIONS ON THE INTERNET AS WELL AS SUITS BROUGHT AGAINST OTHER AUTO MANUFACTURERS FOR THE WIDE-SCALE FAILURE OF THESE USELESS, DEFECTIVE HEADLIGHTS. NHTSA SHOULD PROHIBIT THESE HEADLIGHTS AND FORCE ACTION FOR THOSE RESPONSIBLE TO ADDRESS THIS KNOWN SAFETY ISSUE. *TR
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.
NHTSA source checks for this vehicle year
Checks are recorded separately for each dataset, not for the whole page. Dates use UTC. A missing check date does not mean no records exist.
Vehicle import recorded: Apr 28, 2026. This is the stored import date, not confirmation that every source was successfully refreshed.