1989 Volvo 740 problems & reliability
41 owner complaints filed with NHTSA for the 1989 Volvo 740. 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.
3 complaints report injuries (3 injured).
Most reported problems
| Component | Complaints | Share |
|---|---|---|
| Electrical System → | 15 | 37% |
| Engine and Engine Cooling → | 12 | 29% |
| Service Brakes, Hydraulic | 4 | 10% |
| Air Bags | 3 | 7% |
| Equipment | 2 | 5% |
| Power Train | 2 | 5% |
| Vehicle Speed Control | 2 | 5% |
| Exterior Lighting | 1 | 2% |
| Fuel System, Gasoline | 1 | 2% |
| Seats | 1 | 2% |
Component groups as classified by NHTSA. A complaint can name more than one component, so shares may sum to more than 100%.
All 13 reported components →Complaints by incident year
What owners report
“While braking at this speed or higher the car steering wheel began to shack and pull to the left. Took it to volvo and they said the caliber was not releasing properly. Had calibers replaced several years prior due to a similar malfunction. *js”
Service Brakes · filed Dec 31, 2014
“Tl*the contact owns a 1989 volvo 740. While driving approximately 15 mph, the vehicle began to excessively overheat. The contact pulled to the side of the road and noticed an oil leak under the hood. Warning lights were illuminated on the instrument panel. The vehicle was taken to an independent mechanic and it was…”
Engine and Engine Cooling · filed Aug 21, 2008
“Made an appointment with volvoville usa for recall campaign 96v08500 for date below. Showed up on time and provided vin # for vehicle that was purchased from volvoville (as a new car by my wife pennie wilfong ) and all other data requested by service writer. I stated I was not interested in any other service and only…”
Electrical System · filed Nov 18, 2004
Verbatim excerpts from complaints filed with NHTSA. Reports are not independently verified.
Federal defect investigations
- BATTERY CABLE SHORT
Preliminary Evaluation PE96019 · opened Mar 4, 1996 · closed May 21, 1996 · led to recall 96V085000
Technical service bulletins
66 manufacturer communications (TSBs, service campaigns, warranty extensions) are on file with NHTSA for the 1989 Volvo 740. 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 1989 Volvo 740 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 1989 Volvo 740?
- · 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.