1994 Volvo 940 problems & reliability
41 owner complaints filed with NHTSA for the 1994 Volvo 940. 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.
6 complaints report injuries (8 injured).
Most reported problems
| Component | Complaints | Share |
|---|---|---|
| Air Bags → | 20 | 49% |
| Vehicle Speed Control | 5 | 12% |
| Engine and Engine Cooling | 4 | 10% |
| Service Brakes, Hydraulic | 4 | 10% |
| Suspension | 3 | 7% |
| Tires | 3 | 7% |
| Electrical System | 1 | 2% |
| Equipment | 1 | 2% |
| Fuel System, Gasoline | 1 | 2% |
| Power Train | 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 15 reported components →Complaints by incident year
What owners report
“Tl* the contact owns a 1994 volvo 940. While driving 40 mph, an abnormal noise was heard coming from the seat belt panel as the front driver's side air bag deployed. There were no injuries. The dealer and manufacturer were not contacted. The vehicle was not diagnosed or repaired. The failure mileage was 285,633.”
Air Bags · filed Jul 25, 2018
“Tl* the contact owns a 1994 volvo 940. The contact stated that the driver and passenger side front air bags deployed without warning while stopped at a traffic light. The contact sustained injury to the face. The air bags also fractured the front windshield. A police report was filed of the incident and the vehicle…”
Air Bags · filed Mar 29, 2013
“Tl* the contact owns a 1994 volvo 940. The contact stated that the vehicle was parked and shut off when the airbags inadvertently deployed. The dealer and manufacturer were notified, but were unable to give a diagnosis of the failure. The vehicle was not repaired. The failure mileage was 220,000 and the current…”
Air Bags · filed Aug 2, 2011
Verbatim excerpts from complaints filed with NHTSA. Reports are not independently verified.
Federal defect investigations
- INADVERTENT AIR BAG DEPLOYMENT
Preliminary Evaluation PE97047 · opened Oct 29, 1997 · closed Apr 21, 1998
Technical service bulletins
100 manufacturer communications (TSBs, service campaigns, warranty extensions) are on file with NHTSA for the 1994 Volvo 940. The 10 most recent:
Complimentary upgrade c00009 description.
C00009 · Service Bulletin/Repair Instructions · issued Jul 21, 2023
Rubber cushion
TJ3656330 · Service Bulletin/Repair Instructions · issued Jun 12, 2023
The Deutronic DBL-1200 is an advanced battery maintainer/charger with the flexibility to be updated as products and repair methods evolve.
Special Tools Bu · Service Bulletin/Repair Instructions · issued May 12, 2022
ICUP/Google Built-In Diagnostic Operations
Service Manager · Service Bulletin/Repair Instructions · issued May 6, 2022
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
This is a Service Manager Bulletin: Service 2.0 Software & Total Upgrade Reminder
SMB00-006-2020-0 · Service Bulletin/Repair Instructions · issued Aug 5, 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
Battery Charger/maintainer requirement
Service Manager · Service Bulletin/Repair Instructions · issued Jun 23, 2020
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 1994 Volvo 940 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 1994 Volvo 940?
- · 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.