AI Damage1993 Volvo 240: common problems
Owners of the 1993 Volvo 240 filed 14 complaints with NHTSA, most often about air bags and service brakes. Details by component below, with sources.
Key figures
- Owner complaints
- 14
- involving a crash
- 4
What fails most often
- 1 Air bags 29% of all complaints
- 2 Service brakes 14% of all complaints
- 3 Electrical system 7% of all complaints
- 4 Engine and cooling 7% of all complaints
- 5 Exterior lighting 7% of all complaints
- 6 Latches, locks, linkages 7% of all complaints
- 7 Seat belts 7% of all complaints
- 8 Steering 7% of all complaints
- Air bags: 4 complaints (29% of all), 2 of them with a crash reported by the owner.
- Service brakes: 2 complaints (14% of all), 1 of them with a crash reported by the owner.
- Electrical system: 1 complaints (7% of all), 1 of them with a crash reported by the owner.
- Engine and cooling: 1 complaints (7% of all).
- Exterior lighting: 1 complaints (7% of all).
Engines and transmissions
US-market versions per EPA. On the right: how many NHTSA complaints name this engine or transmission type.
- 2.3 L · petrol · 4 cyl
- automatic, 4-speed
- manual, 5-speed
Drive: RWD
Symptoms owners describe
How many of the 14 NHTSA complaints mention each symptom (automatic count from complaint text; one complaint can mention several).
Components owners complain about
| Component | Owner complaints | involving a crash | Technical service bulletins (TSB) |
|---|---|---|---|
| Air bags | 4 | 2 | 0 |
| Service brakes | 2 | 1 | 0 |
| Electrical system | 1 | 1 | 0 |
| Engine and cooling | 1 | 0 | 0 |
| Exterior lighting | 1 | 0 | 0 |
| Latches, locks, linkages | 1 | 0 | 0 |
| Seat belts | 1 | 0 | 0 |
| Steering | 1 | 0 | 0 |
| Tires | 1 | 0 | 0 |
| Vehicle speed control | 1 | 0 | 0 |
| Visibility | 1 | 0 | 0 |
What owners report
Short excerpts of NHTSA complaints in the original wording. These are owner statements not verified by NHTSA; personal data removed.
Then, steering column began to shake, and suddenly air bags deployed. This caused consumer's vehicle to rear end vehicle in front. Because of air bag deployment consumer sustained face and chest injuries, and was hospitalized for one week.
The collision on 1/5/99 damaged the left rear quarter panel and tail light assembly. . Also, the high mounted stop lamp no longer worked. When the repair shop looked at the wiring harness for the tailgate, they determined that, though the impact may have caused the wires for the tail light to separate, the problem was…
The car was in an accident and the air bag did not deploy.please describe details. Tt
The front two brakes did not work in a low mileage accident. Please explain. Tt
Tl* the contact owns a 1993 volvo 240 station wagon. While waiting for oncoming traffic to pass to pull into the driveway, the driver's side air bag deployed within the steering wheel. The air bag deployed with force and emitted a gray substance.
Dt: consumer stated that a vehicle she was about to purchase had odometer fraud involved. The vehicle was 1993 volvo wagon 240. The consumer was considering purchasing this vehicle ran a car fax on the volvo. The car fax showed that the mileage was increasing.
I am selling it and upon removing the "temporary use spare" to clean out the trunk, I saw that the tread has separated in a section about one foot of the circumphrence. This tire has never been used, it has always been in the trunk.
The heat shields allow water to remain in contact with the downpipe and facilitate corrosion. This corrosion allows premature cracking of the welds. The weld failures allow exhaust to leak out before it leaves the exhaust system. I purchased a new down pipe from volvo, it doesn't have any heat shields!
When owners complained
NHTSA complaints by filing year. The peak shows at what age the problems show up most.
Comparison
By complaint count this model year ranks 9,551 of 36,656 model years in the NHTSA data (top 26% most complained about).
On average one model year of the 240 has 9 complaints (15 years in the data). This year has 14, above average.
What to check before buying
- Air bags. Check the SRS light, stored codes and airbag/curtain status after any impact.
- Service brakes. Pedal feel, ABS operation, leaks, discs and hoses.
- Electrical system. Scan all modules, test the battery and alternator, inspect connectors near the impact zone.
- Engine and cooling. Radiator and fan after a frontal hit, coolant level and condition, overheating.
Other years of this model
Questions and answers
What are the most common problems with the 1993 Volvo 240?
Owner complaints to NHTSA most often mention: air bags, service brakes, electrical system. Total complaints: 14. The most frequent symptoms in complaint texts: airbags did not deploy (7%), brake failure (7%), A/C or heater (7%).
How many service bulletins (TSB) were issued for the 1993 Volvo 240?
NHTSA lists 0 manufacturer service bulletins for this year. A bulletin tells dealers how to diagnose or fix a known issue; it is not a recall.
Should I buy a 1993 Volvo 240 from a US auction?
Owner complaints describe defects, not crash damage. Before bidding, check the components listed above and review the lot photos: VinWind builds a report of visible and hidden damage by VIN.
Other 1993 models
Read also
Sources: public NHTSA data (USA): service bulletins and owner complaints; YouTube: links to videos credited to their authors. Complaints are owner statements not verified by NHTSA, and describe defects rather than crash damage. Data updated 2026-11-05.