1990 Volvo 240 problems & reliability
20 owner complaints filed with NHTSA for the 1990 Volvo 240. Last verified Aug 7, 2026. Complaints are unverified reports submitted by owners to the federal Office of Defects Investigation.
Each complaint is counted once (by NHTSA case number), even when it names several vehicles.
1 complaint report injuries (1 injured).
Most reported problems
| Component | Complaints | Share |
|---|---|---|
| Electrical System | 7 | 35% |
| Vehicle Speed Control | 5 | 25% |
| Seats | 3 | 15% |
| Engine and Engine Cooling | 1 | 5% |
| Exterior Lighting | 1 | 5% |
| Power Train | 1 | 5% |
| Seat Belts | 1 | 5% |
| Service Brakes | 1 | 5% |
| Service Brakes, Electric | 1 | 5% |
| Service Brakes, Hydraulic | 1 | 5% |
Component groups as classified by NHTSA. A complaint can name more than one component, so shares may sum to more than 100%.
All 12 reported components →Complaints by incident year
What owners report
“Tl* the contact owned a 1990 volvo 240 wagon. The contact stated that the battery was continuously failing. The vehicle was taken to a service station for inspection. The mechanic advised the contact to drive the vehicle into the service bay area. As soon as she shifted from park, the vehicle suddenly accelerated. The…”
Vehicle Speed Control · filed Nov 4, 2014
“Tl* the contact owns a 1990 volvo 240. The contact stated that when shifting from park, the vehicle began to accelerate and the brakes failed. As a result, the vehicle crashed into the glass doors of the auto department and through the building. The vehicle was towed to the dealer for diagnosis. The mechanic was…”
Electrical System · filed Oct 27, 2014
“Goodyear viva 2 tires from walmart have gone out-of-round repeatedly. The mechanics at another tire shop say they see this all the time with walmart goodyears. I gave up on warranty replacements, since they also fail, and I have two daughters and a wife driving these cars with failing tires. I sacrificed the…”
Tires · filed Oct 30, 2011
Verbatim excerpts from complaints filed with NHTSA. Reports are not independently verified.
Federal defect investigations
- INADVERT. AIR BAG DEPLOYS
Engineering Analysis EA94015 · opened Apr 20, 1994 · closed Oct 12, 1994 · led to recall 94V185000
Technical service bulletins
64 manufacturer communications (TSBs, service campaigns, warranty extensions) are on file with NHTSA for the 1990 Volvo 240. The 10 most recent:
VIDA QR Scanner Mobile App
356EN01 · Service Bulletin/Repair Instructions · issued Feb 9, 2022
Shipping and Handling of Volvo Lithium-ion 48V Mild Hybrid Battery to Global Battery Solutions (GBS)
Service Manager · Service Bulletin/Repair Instructions · issued Feb 3, 2022
Mandatory Tool List bulletin: Volvo mandatory Special Tools are necessary for technicians to properly diagnose and repair Volvo cars. They are used in development of Volvo labor operations and repair methods, and…
ST-001-2020-09-1 · Service Bulletin/Repair Instructions · issued Sep 18, 2020
Mandatory Tool List bulletin: Volvo mandatory Special Tools are necessary for technicians to properly diagnose and repair Volvo cars. They are used in development of Volvo labor operations and repair methods, and…
ST-001-2020-06-2 · Service Bulletin/Repair Instructions · issued Jul 2, 2020
Mandatory Tool List bulletin: Volvo mandatory Special Tools are necessary for technicians to properly diagnose and repair Volvo cars. They are used in development of Volvo labor operations and repair methods, and…
ST-001-2020-01-2 · Service Bulletin/Repair Instructions · issued Jan 30, 2020
This is a Technical Journal: Swapping control modules from vehicle to vehicle for diagnostics should be avoided. Swapping control modules may result in consequential damage to the swapped control module and in certain…
TJ31946.1.2-2019 · Service Bulletin/Repair Instructions · issued Nov 19, 2019
This is a Technical Journal: Swapping control modules from vehicle to vehicle for diagnostics should be avoided. Swapping control modules may result in consequential damage to the swapped control module and in certain…
TJ31946.1.1-2019 · Service Bulletin/Repair Instructions · issued Nov 14, 2019
Software Installation Policy changes.
SMB00-006-2019-1 · Service Bulletin/Repair Instructions · issued Nov 9, 2019
This is a Service Manager Bulletin: Technician Skillset Requirments
SMB00-438-2019-1 · Service Bulletin/Repair Instructions · issued Nov 9, 2019
Mandatory Tool List bulletin: Volvo mandatory Special Tools are necessary for technicians to properly diagnose and repair Volvo cars. They are used in development of Volvo labor operations and repair methods, and…
ST-001-2019-10-1 · Service Bulletin/Repair Instructions · issued Oct 17, 2019
TSBs are repair guidance manufacturers send to dealers — they are not recalls and repairs are not automatically free. Full documents are available on NHTSA’s site.
Safety recalls
No NHTSA recall campaigns name the 1990 Volvo 240 in our current data. Recalls may apply only to certain VIN ranges — always confirm with a VIN check.
Check whether your specific vehicle is affected
Recall campaigns often cover only certain VIN ranges. Enter your VIN on the official NHTSA site to confirm whether your vehicle is included and whether the repair is still open.
Check VIN on NHTSA →Buying a used 1990 Volvo 240?
- · Decode the seller’s VIN with our free VIN decoder to confirm the exact year, engine and trim.
- · Check for unrepaired recalls by VIN on NHTSA’s official lookup — recall repairs are free.