Owners have filed 7 complaints on the Volvo VNM, covering 2001–2009. The system named most often is Air Bags (2 reports). Worst years by volume: 2009, 2007, 2008; cleanest: 2001, 2005, 2008. 3 reports describe a crash, 1 a fire. On average the car was 5.7 years old when the problem happened.
What breaks on Volvo VNM
Grouped by the system owners named — percentages are shares of all 7 VNM complaints. Open any row for the full reports in owners' own words.
Air Bags 2 Read
The following complaint is regarding a 2008 volvo truck (model vnm 200, 2 axle daycab). I was driving this model of truck pulling two trailers at the time of my crash. This vehicle sustained significant front-end damage. However, the airbag failed to deploy. This accident occurred on interstate 15 near exit 36 in…
Consumer writes in regards to two head on collisions and problem with airbag deployment *tgw the consumer stated the collisions involved two different volvo tractors
Engine 2 Read
My volvo vnm tractor truck has an oil pressure sensor fault. I was nearly rear ended going down the highway at 60mph because the truck' computer decided it need to stop the truck in the middle of the road. The truck's computer goes into "limp mode". The truck shuts off fuel and does not allow the driver to safely…
My other issue with this truck is. The emissions system is not safe to operate. If the truck's computer cannot detect if there is a plugged dpf/doc filter on the exhaust system the driver cannot manually actuate a regen cycle. The engine's exhaust stream stays plugged and can lead to very dangerous exhaust blockage…
Engine And Engine Cooling 1 Read
2007 volvo vnm conventional stalled on the highway. *bf when the truck stalled, the driver panicked and abruptly turned his vehicle and stuck the lane extender. Ohio traffic crash report # 10-0289-91 updated 05/03/10
Electrical System 1 Read
An electrical fire occurred in the engine compartment
Steering 1 Read
The contact owns a 2005 volvo vnm. The contact stated that the steering wheel spun out of control independently without warning. The contact diagnosed that the steering shaft needed to be replaced. The manufacturer was made aware of the failure. The failure mileage was 312,000 and the current mileage was 330,000
VNM years to avoid — and the clean ones
Complaints per model year. More reports usually means more cars on the road as well as more trouble, so read the crash and fire columns alongside the count.
| Model year | Complaints | Top system | Crashes | Fires |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2009 | Engine | — | — | |
| 2008 | Air Bags | 1 | — | |
| 2007 | Air Bags | 2 | — | |
| 2005 | Steering | — | — | |
| 2001 | Electrical System | — | 1 |
The same model year, different builds
Every complaint carries the first 11 characters of the VIN — plant, year, body and engine. That is a production series, and complaints are spread across them very unevenly.
| Measure | Value |
|---|---|
| Distinct production series | 6 |
| Average complaints per series | 1.2 |
| Worst single series | 2 complaints |
| Average age at failure | 5.7 years |
A model average of 1.2 hides a worst series at 2. Enter a VIN above to see the numbers for that exact build instead of the model as a whole.
Owners reported these. Find out if yours is one of them.
- Complaints matched to the exact production run, not just the model
- What the car is worth given what tends to fail on it
- The original window sticker and factory options
- Full research report as a PDF for the pre-purchase inspection
- No ads, on every page
- No ads, no tracking — and much more
How we count
Every figure here comes from complaints owners filed with NHTSA — 1,100,006 of them, covering 1,982 models built between 1981 and 2026.
A complaint is an unverified report: someone wrote down what happened to their car. It is not a confirmed defect and not a recall. What makes the volume useful is the pattern — when thousands of owners of the same build describe the same failure, that is a signal no marketing brochure will give you.
Two things we do that the source does not. First, we compute the age of the car at the moment of failure from the incident date and the model year. Second, we group complaints by the first 11 characters of the VIN — the production series — so a bad plant run does not disappear into a model-wide average.
Frequently asked questions
What are the worst years for the VNM?
By complaint volume, 2009, 2007, 2008 drew the most owner reports. Bear in mind that popular years put more cars on the road, so check the crash and fire columns too.
Which VNM years are the cleanest?
2001, 2005, 2008 have the fewest complaints on file. For recent years that can simply mean the cars are young.
How many complaints does the Volvo VNM have?
7 owner complaints filed with NHTSA, covering 2001–2009. Of those, 3 describe a crash and 1 a fire.
Are these complaints verified?
No. They are unverified reports from owners. NHTSA publishes them as filed and investigates only a fraction. The value is in the pattern, not in any single report.
Can I check complaints for one specific car?
Yes — enter its VIN above. We match the first 11 characters, which identify the plant, year, body and engine, so you get complaints on that exact production series rather than the whole model.