Brakes Failed problems of the 2001 Volvo S40

I bought a 2001 Volvo S40 in June 2009. I noticed right away that the brakes didn't seem to work properly, as the stopping distance was far too long. They assured me the brakes were brand new. After driving it a few weeks, I became very nervous about the brakes because I had come close to rear ending several people. I brought it back to the dealer where I purchased it and asked them to double check the brakes. They did so and stated that they were fine. So, I drove extra cautiously from then on. Unfortunately, they never gave me any documentation and I never asked for it. They just checked the brakes and sent me on my way, reassuring me there was not a problem. However, on December 28th, 2009, the brakes failed when coming to an intersection. I was just beginning to slow down (not even trying to stop yet) and the brake would not go down further. I took my foot off the brake, and it did not release. I again tried to push down the pedal, and it did not go down. I rear ended the car in front of me. I looked online and found that several people with my same year and model had the same problems, both with the stopping distance and the brake failure. The next morning, I took my car to the Volvo dealer in indianapolis. They inspected the brakes and found nothing wrong. They also verified that the recalled vacuum pump had already been replaced. From there I took my car to the body shop for an estimate of the damage from the accident, which was $2,2604. 96. Upon leaving the body shop, I braked at a yellow light, and once again, my brakes would not go down and I went through the intersection. I had my car towed back to the Volvo dealer. I made a claim with Volvo company, who had someone look at it and said the vacuum pump and pressure valve needed to be replaced, which would cost approximately $750. I asked for an estimated trade-in value after the car was completely fixed. They stated that they.

The contact owns a 2001 Volvo S40. Whenever the vehicle was parked longer than 2 hours the contact noticed that the brakes failed to operate. The vehicle has not been diagnosed by the dealer and there were no prior warnings. The current mileage was 112,131 and the failure mileage was at 88000.

Brake power assist failed. Dealer notified. The brakes were soft upon cold starts and was disfunctional until the vehicle had warmed up. The brake was depressed multiple times. The dealer attempted on five occasions to correct the problem and replaced the vacuum hose twice. A representative of Volvo recommended new wiring and it seemed to have remedied the problem.

Brakes failed (2nd time) when being cut-off on the road. If I turn right and hit the brakes quickly, they fail and skid for a while.