2001 Volvo S40 weak and sluggish brakes

The brakes on this car just don't respond with the force I expect, even when slammed. In the moring when descending a steep driveway, the brakes need moderate pressure to come to a rolling stop, especially during the first couple presses of the pedal.

The car is my dad's and when he bought it used from a Honda dealer, the pads and rotors were changed by them with original Volvo parts, and it was also given a complete inspection & tune up by Volvo. The car was still under warranty at the time and I noticed the sluggishness back then, but it seems to have gotten worse - it's difficult to slam the brakes to the point where abs kicks in.

I've bled the brakes and that hasn't helped, and after reading some postings here, I suspect the brake booster is not working properly.

postings above specifically talk about a recalled brake booster onan '01 S40, but the local Volvo dealer insists there are none on thiscar. I'd appreciate if someone with access to recall information couldget me specific information on brake recalls from 99-Present. It seems as if there are widespread S40 brake booster issues, as I've also read that the 2003-2004 models have had their's recalled. I feel Volvo should foot the bill for this, on my dad's last visit they charged $140 to change the rear pads and another few hundred in overpriced tune up work, after he complained of poor braking performance and pointed to the brake booster.

Any S40 owners care to chime in?