AI Damage1990 Volvo 740: common problems
Owners of the 1990 Volvo 740 filed 47 complaints with NHTSA, most often about vehicle speed control and air bags. Details by component below, with sources.
Key figures
- Owner complaints
- 47
- involving a crash
- 16
What fails most often
- 1 Vehicle speed control 30% of all complaints
- 2 Air bags 19% of all complaints
- 3 Electrical system 15% of all complaints
- 4 Engine and cooling 11% of all complaints
- 5 Service brakes 11% of all complaints
- 6 Powertrain 4% of all complaints
- 7 Seat belts 4% of all complaints
- 8 Suspension 4% of all complaints
- Vehicle speed control: 14 complaints (30% of all), 10 of them with a crash reported by the owner.
- Air bags: 9 complaints (19% of all), 4 of them with a crash reported by the owner.
- Electrical system: 7 complaints (15% of all).
- Engine and cooling: 5 complaints (11% of all).
- Service brakes: 5 complaints (11% of all), 3 of them with a crash reported by the owner.
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
- 2.3 L · petrol · turbo · 4 cyl
- 2.8 L · petrol · 6 cyl
- automatic, 4-speed
- manual, 4-speed
- manual, 5-speed
Drive: RWD
Symptoms owners describe
How many of the 47 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) |
|---|---|---|---|
| Vehicle speed control | 14 | 10 | 0 |
| Air bags | 9 | 4 | 0 |
| Electrical system | 7 | 0 | 0 |
| Engine and cooling | 5 | 0 | 0 |
| Service brakes | 5 | 3 | 0 |
| Powertrain | 2 | 0 | 0 |
| Seat belts | 2 | 0 | 0 |
| Suspension | 2 | 0 | 0 |
| Wheels | 2 | 1 | 0 |
| Exterior lighting | 1 | 0 | 0 |
| Fuel system | 1 | 0 | 0 |
| Latches, locks, linkages | 1 | 0 | 0 |
| Structure | 1 | 0 | 0 |
| Tires | 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.
The service brakes and emergency brake failed to stop the vehicle. There were no injuries and a police report was not filed. The contact had to remove the keys from the ignition in order to stop the vehicle. The manufacturer was made aware of the failure. The vehicle was not repaired. The failure mileage was 170,000.
The sudden acceleration had occured and the tire marks remained from the starting location to the end because I was pushing the brake all the time, nevertheless, the car flew unintentionally. Since it is a very unusual case, nothing has been done to the car yet and I will probably total that car.
The contact was wearing a seat belt, but sustained minor injuries. There was a police report taken at the scene. The vehicle was towed to the contact's residence. The manufacturer sent a technician who determined, based on the speed and angle the vehicle made contact, the airbags should not deploy.
The rear wheel cracked in half, which caused the driver to lose control of the vehicle. Which resulted in an accident.
While driving at a low rate of speed and when attemtping to turn around a curve vehicle suddenly accelerated, causing unwanted and unexpected acceleration, resulting in an accident. Consumer has contacted volvo. The brakes failed to stop the accelerating vehicle.
While driving at 30 mph, coming to make stop, driver attempted to make a normal braking stop when brake pedal went to floor ,experienced total loss of brakes, causing loss of vehicle control and could have resulted in accident.
My air bag did not deploy. I have multiple injuries due to me being thrown into the steering wheel, and the dashboard, and my head hit the rear view mirror.
Driver's side air bag did not deploy in a frontal collision (12:00) going 25-30 mph. Tt
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 5,507 of 36,656 model years in the NHTSA data (top 15% most complained about).
On average one model year of the 740 has 14 complaints (13 years in the data). This year has 47, above average.
What to check before buying
- Vehicle speed control. Accelerator pedal, cruise control, throttle codes.
- Air bags. Check the SRS light, stored codes and airbag/curtain status after any impact.
- 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 1990 Volvo 740?
Owner complaints to NHTSA most often mention: vehicle speed control, air bags, electrical system. Total complaints: 47. The most frequent symptoms in complaint texts: unintended acceleration (13%), smoke, burning smell, fire (11%), airbags did not deploy (6%).
How many service bulletins (TSB) were issued for the 1990 Volvo 740?
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 1990 Volvo 740 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 1990 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.