AI Damage1991 Volvo 740: common problems
Owners of the 1991 Volvo 740 filed 19 complaints with NHTSA, most often about air bags and electrical system. Details by component below, with sources.
Key figures
- Owner complaints
- 19
- involving a crash
- 7
What fails most often
- 1 Air bags 58% of all complaints
- 2 Electrical system 11% of all complaints
- 3 Engine and cooling 11% of all complaints
- 4 Seat belts 11% of all complaints
- 5 Steering 11% of all complaints
- 6 Vehicle speed control 11% of all complaints
- 7 Fuel system 5% of all complaints
- 8 Powertrain 5% of all complaints
- Air bags: 11 complaints (58% of all), 5 of them with a crash reported by the owner.
- Electrical system: 2 complaints (11% of all).
- Engine and cooling: 2 complaints (11% of all).
- Seat belts: 2 complaints (11% of all).
- Steering: 2 complaints (11% 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
- 2.3 L · petrol · turbo · 4 cyl
- automatic, 4-speed
- manual, 5-speed
Drive: RWD
Symptoms owners describe
How many of the 19 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 | 11 | 5 | 0 |
| Electrical system | 2 | 0 | 0 |
| Engine and cooling | 2 | 0 | 0 |
| Seat belts | 2 | 0 | 0 |
| Steering | 2 | 0 | 0 |
| Vehicle speed control | 2 | 2 | 0 |
| Fuel system | 1 | 0 | 0 |
| Powertrain | 1 | 0 | 0 |
| Service brakes | 1 | 1 | 0 |
What owners report
Short excerpts of NHTSA complaints in the original wording. These are owner statements not verified by NHTSA; personal data removed.
Dt: the owner tried to park car and was slowy going into the parking space. All of sudden the car accerelated and it crashed into a wall of a building. Then, car smoked. Owner sustained injuries . Before the car took off the owner was going 1-2 mph. The air bag deployed and injured the owner's arm.
Manufactor was contacted and stated that the retraint system perform properly and there was evidence of prior accident that it was done six years before where the accident was major and air bags did not deploy. Ts
Head on accident and air bag did not deploy. Seat belt was active. Consumer was injured in accident.
When driving coming to a stop and start back up car accelerated there is no brake. Tt
While driving 45 mph vehicle stalled. Consumer tried to restart vehicle, and after 60 seconds the vehicle started up again. Consumer was able to drive the vehicle to the dealer for inspection, and mechanic could not duplicate the problem.
The driver and passenger seat belts broke from the anchoring at the bottom due to deterioration of the plastic release button.
In may 2000, I had a problem with my car either not starting, and if it did start it would stall at any time. This seems simular to the incident with the recent court ordered recall of the ford vehicle with the faulty ignition unit which causes the cars to stall at any time.
I took my car in when the red light on the dashboard for air bag lights coming on. The fairfax vovlo dealer estimated my repairs to be $1400.00. I find this outrageous, the part alone was $1100. I would like to know if anyone else has had this problem and or is this a one time case.
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 8,439 of 36,659 model years in the NHTSA data (top 23% most complained about).
On average one model year of the 740 has 14 complaints (13 years in the data). This year has 19, above average.
What to check before buying
- 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.
- Seat belts. Belt pretensioners after airbag deployment, SRS codes.
Other years of this model
Questions and answers
What are the most common problems with the 1991 Volvo 740?
Owner complaints to NHTSA most often mention: air bags, electrical system, engine and cooling. Total complaints: 19. The most frequent symptoms in complaint texts: airbag warning light (16%), seat belts (16%), airbags did not deploy (11%).
How many service bulletins (TSB) were issued for the 1991 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 1991 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 1991 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 2026-11-06.