AI Damage1993 Volvo 940: common problems
Owners of the 1993 Volvo 940 filed 23 complaints with NHTSA, most often about air bags and vehicle speed control. Details by component below, with sources.
Key figures
- Owner complaints
- 23
- involving a crash
- 8
What fails most often
- 1 Air bags 22% of all complaints
- 2 Vehicle speed control 22% of all complaints
- 3 Service brakes 13% of all complaints
- 4 Tires 13% of all complaints
- 5 Electrical system 9% of all complaints
- 6 Fuel system 9% of all complaints
- 7 Engine and cooling 4% of all complaints
- 8 Latches, locks, linkages 4% of all complaints
- Air bags: 5 complaints (22% of all), 4 of them with a crash reported by the owner.
- Vehicle speed control: 5 complaints (22% of all), 3 of them with a crash reported by the owner.
- Service brakes: 3 complaints (13% of all), 3 of them with a crash reported by the owner.
- Tires: 3 complaints (13% of all).
- Electrical system: 2 complaints (9% 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
Drive: RWD
Symptoms owners describe
How many of the 23 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 | 5 | 4 | 0 |
| Vehicle speed control | 5 | 3 | 0 |
| Service brakes | 3 | 3 | 0 |
| Tires | 3 | 0 | 0 |
| Electrical system | 2 | 0 | 0 |
| Fuel system | 2 | 0 | 0 |
| Engine and cooling | 1 | 0 | 0 |
| Latches, locks, linkages | 1 | 0 | 0 |
| Powertrain | 1 | 0 | 0 |
| Suspension | 1 | 0 | 0 |
| Visibility | 1 | 0 | 0 |
| Other | 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.
Driver air bag deployed by itself while my wife was driving without contact with anything.
Recall 93v074000; vehicle had oil change, and when leaving the dealership went up hill at 62mph behind a truck. Car speeded on the hill, hit the truck, and flipped over. Vehicle was totaled. Manufacturer aware of the recall, but this vehicle did not comply with the recall.
Vehicle rear-ended another vehicle very slightly, air bag deployed after making a loud noise, vehicle then filled with smoke.
Auto-tran: shifted from drive to park, with foot still on brake, engine accelerated forward/backward; unusually high acceleration; vehicle hit wall/other cars.
Experience sudden acceleration, in reverse and in park, throttle open position impact at 12:00 and then at 6:00 position. Tt
Abs anti-lock brake; was driving on dry weather went to apply the brake and it fail. Tt
Abs brakes failed to stop vehicle causing frontend at collision at 15mph. Airbag deployment caused abrasions to face. Please describe details. Tt
Tl contact owns a 1993 volvo 940. The vehicle has dunlop tires, size p205/60r15. The contact stated that the valve stems on three out of the four tires were bad and caused the tires to flatten.
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 7,735 of 36,656 model years in the NHTSA data (top 21% most complained about).
On average one model year of the 940 has 15 complaints (8 years in the data). This year has 23, above average.
What to check before buying
- Air bags. Check the SRS light, stored codes and airbag/curtain status after any impact.
- Vehicle speed control. Accelerator pedal, cruise control, throttle codes.
- Service brakes. Pedal feel, ABS operation, leaks, discs and hoses.
- Tires. Tire age by DOT code, bulges, wear pattern.
Other years of this model
Questions and answers
What are the most common problems with the 1993 Volvo 940?
Owner complaints to NHTSA most often mention: air bags, vehicle speed control, service brakes. Total complaints: 23. The most frequent symptoms in complaint texts: smoke, burning smell, fire (9%), brake failure (4%), fuel system, fuel smell (4%).
How many service bulletins (TSB) were issued for the 1993 Volvo 940?
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 940 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.